Revelation 2:12-17 The Ease of Compromise

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The Ease of Compromise

Revelation 2:12-17 To the Church in Pergamum

Introduction: Chapter 1:16, in John’s description of his vision of Jesus walking in the midst of the churches, we read, “In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” There are two OT texts to which the sharp two-edged sword alludes:

• Isaiah 49:2 The Messiah speaks saying, “He made my mouth like a sharp sword…” 
• Isaiah 11:3-4 Describing the shoot from the stump of Jesse, “And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” 
• We can see that the picture of the sharp sword coming from Jesus’ mouth indicates how he will judge the earth and do battle against evil. That he begins the letter to Pergamum with this same description also shows that he will judge and do battle with churches who compromise their faith. Upon hearing this introduction, Pergamum needs to brace themselves. Something is not right, and we need to pay heed as well.

1. I Know Where You Dwell, Where Satan’s Throne Is
   1. If we thought Smyrna was bad with a Jewish “synagogue of Satan,” consider that the Christians in Pergamum were living where “Satan’s throne is.” Just as Satan was the instigator of the persecution in Smyrna, so he is at the root of the persecution in Pergamum. But in this case, he is not just controlling a synagogue, he is the king of the city. 
   2. Pergamum was a center of Roman government worship and pagan religion superseding any other city in Asia Minor. It was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple dedicated to Caesar worship, elevating Augustus to the position of deity. Thus Pergamum was the capital of the whole area for the cult worship of the emperor and considered themselves as “temple warden” of the temple dedicated to Caesar worship (Beale). 
   3. Further, numerous other notable gods were worshiped in Pergamum giving it the deserved description as “the throne of Satan.” 
   4. Therefore, knowing the zeal of government and pagan worship in the city, it is easy to imagine how difficult life would be in the city as Christians were pressured to pay public homage to Caesar as a deity with the refusal to do so equating to high treason against the state.
   5. Therefore, please imagine how difficult it would be to maintain a public confession of your faith. When we know in the book of Acts how quickly Paul encountered violence against him when he preached Christ in such cities, we can certainly sympathize with the challenge these Christians faced.
   6. In fact, one of their own members, Antipas, was killed. Now, we all know the fear we faced when Covid first was released into this country and the threats that were made by certain governors and mayors of states and cities. Now imagine if one of us were killed by the local Nashville government for teaching Christ in the community. The government is sending a strong message of join us or bear the consequences! 
   7. The beautiful thing about these Christians is that in spite of one of their own being killed they still “held fast to” Jesus name and would not deny Christ! That is a fantastic compliment to this church.
2. I Have a Few Things Against You
   1. However, just as with the church in Ephesus, just because they are doing notable and exemplary things in their service to Christ, that did not excuse blatant compromise in other teachings of Christ. With Ephesus, even though obedient, they had lost their passion of love for the Lord Jesus. In Pergamum, they did not give up the name of Jesus even when one of their own was murdered for the cause. But that did not excuse the fact that they were allowing some in the church who were compromising in the teachings of Christ.
   2. To understand what was going in the church, we need to understand the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans (who apparently were similar in compromising their lifestyle to fit in with the culture) and how it affected the Pergamum church. 
      1. You can read about the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-25. Balaam was an actual prophet of God who had been bribed by Balak the king of Moab to curse Israel. However, when God turned each attempt at cursing to a blessing on Israel, Balaam went to the next level by encouraging the women of Moab and Ammon seduce Israelite men into joining in worship to their gods through idolatrous feasts and sexual immorality. Balaam caused Israel to sin in order to enrich himself.
      2. With that, it is not difficult to figure out what some of the Christians in Pergamum were doing. In order to keep from being shut out of jobs and food, they participated in the idolatrous feasts and even the sexual immorality that went with it. They may have also considered that there was no sense in dying like Antipas if there was another way.
      3. It is possible that they rationalized their position by arguing that just because they “went through the motions of an idolatrous ceremony” didn’t mean they were giving up their faith or denying Christ. This was only an “empty gesture that fulfilled patriotic or social obligations” (Beale). [Cf. Acts 4:19] It would be like arguing that Daniel could have quit opening his window and praying three times a day to give the allusion that he obeying the king. He could have still prayed in secret.
   3. The problem with this is that our service to Christ is not to see if we can placate those who insist on acceptance of their immoral and idolatrous culture, but to actually proclaim the authority of Christ and allegiance only to him. Revelation 12:11, “they overcame by…the word of their testimony…” Cf. Ephesians 5:11 “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” 
   4. That was not all, they encouraged others in the church to follow their example, just as in the example of Balaam. Consider how contagious the sin of joining Moabite women in sexual immorality and eating meat to their gods!
      1. Many Christians do not consider the serious effect their lifestyle and the way they choose to live as a disciple of Christ affects the rest of the church. Just as in our physical bodies, a member of the body has a strong influence on the way the rest of the body functions. 
      2. Example: When I first started preaching we had a number of conversions out of the community. A large percentage of these new Christians became accustomed to only meeting on Sunday mornings. By the time we had 60 members, only about 40% of the members returned in the evening or on Wednesdays. As this habit progressed it became contagious. I could teach a new person, emphasizing the need for full commitment to Christ and the growth of the body (Eph. 4:11-16), but when they would begin to attend and see 60% of the church lacking full love and commitment, they would eventually become like the 60%. Teaching new people became nearly a waste of time because of the overwhelming influence toward mediocrity from the majority. We quickly became like the church in Ephesus – doing everything “right” but without Jesus and his cause being the first love. 
      3. Of course, as in the case of Pergamum, becoming a stumbling block goes far beyond assembling. Assembling is only one symptom that affects the rest of the body:
         1. Unhealthy marriages
         2. Unconcerned about our mission of saving souls 
         3. Inward thinking: primarily concerned about us and what makes us comfortable.
         4. Lack of passion for the kingdom of God – “seek first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness.” 
         5. Disagreements that are not solved with love and forbearance.
            All of the above become contagious and deeply disables everything God has asked us to be and do as a church.
   5. Consider also Balaam’s encouragement to committing sexual immorality. While we know that this was first physically being sexually immoral, it was also a spiritual immorality since this was part of Israel joining in worship to the gods of Moab. We are given a similar warning by James (4:4), “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’.” 
   6. “Repent or I will come to them soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” Just as Balaam would have been killed with the sword of the angel of the Lord, so these who are following Balaam’s teaching will be judged by the Lord and lose eternal life. If they will not repent, his word will be used against them instead of his word used for their benefit. Cf. John 12:48
3. “To the One Who Overcomes/Conquers…”
   1. “Hidden Manna” – The hidden manna reminds us of the manna that was hidden in the ark of the covenant. The manna was a reminder of God’s spiritual sustenance, the grace and faithfulness he provided for his people.
   2. “White Stone with a New Name” – There are a few different ideas on the meaning. In my opinion, the most likely is that a white stone was often used as a sign of acquittal from guilt and/or used to give a person access to special occasions. When these Christians refused the idolatrous festivals, they would be given a white stone granting them entrance into the eternal marriage supper of the Lamb.
   3. The “New Name” on the stone is parallel to 22:12 where the conquering Christ also has a “name written that no one knows but himself.” Remember that a “name” is not simply a title, some name that we think sounds nice and differentiates from something else. In scripture, name refers to the character of a person, that which he or she has become based on growth, experience, and accomplishments. For Christians, this is a mark that is given because they have conquered and therefore a mark of genuine membership in the family of God. Without this, entrance into the eternal city of God would be impossible.

Conclusion: The message to Pergamum is that there is no room to compromise either with the world culture or with the false religious practices around us. Added to that, the Lord will do battle with those who cause others to compromise their discipleship.

Berry Kercheville