Welcome To the Church in Pergamum

Rev 2:12 – 17 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”

I do not ever recall a preacher expounding that the Church in Pergamum is much like the church today. I’ve heard that we are a lot like the Church at Ephesus and I mostly hear that we are a lot like the Church in Laodicea; never like Pergamum. By making that point, you can tell that I am willing to say that we are a lot like Pergamum. Allow me to expound a little in order to make a point.

The Church in Pergamum was hit hard by the attacks of Satan. Even to the point where Scripture says that they “dwell” where Satan’s throne is. I think we will all agree that, in these days, we dwell where Satan’s throne is. I think we will all agree that the attacks of Satan seem to dominate our church culture in some form or fashion. Pergamum was hit with false teachings and persecution. This Church stood up well against persecution, but fell miserably to the false teachings of the Nicolaitans. This Church is even said to condone this deceptive teaching that was very dangerous.

What did the Nicolaitans teach? I invite you to study it, but the root of what they taught is what plagues most churches today. What I am about to say maybe a shock to most people, but I am beginning to see how prominent this “sin” is today. The very first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me”. This commandment is in reference to worship. One of my favorite preachers says that we do not have a sin problem, we have a worship problem. This is the shock; many churches, like Pergamum, are in direct rebellion against this command of God and need to repent. Most Christians are in direct rebellion against this command and need to repent. Before you get upset, read further.

Think about what false teaching does when it is adhered. “So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans” indicates that the teaching of the Nicolaitans had crept into the Church in Pergamum. Any false teaching that is condoned is worship of another god. We must get that. We must be careful in what we accept in our lives. There are severe consequences to anything we accept that is not in line with what The Scriptures teach. Many times we accept things as normal and part of the “culture” rather than being counter-cultural which mandates us to be Scriptural. We may even avoid speaking out against false teaching simply out of fear of being labeled with legalism.

It is fitting to note what the angel is to write to this particular church. The angel is to write “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword”. Does this remind you of an often quoted, passage? Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Take a look at what will happen if we do not “repent” from this. God says, “I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth”. In other words, He will do what we were commanded to do. The only way to dispel false teaching is using the Holy Word of God. In order to do this, we must know the Holy Word of God. The only way to know the Holy Word of God is to study the Holy Word of God as our “daily bread”.

So the question remains; are you a conqueror in light of this? If you are, be encouraged by the rest of the passage, “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” In addition to giving “hidden manna” (a result of intense study of the Scripture) He will give you a “white stone” with your new name written on it. The “white stone” represents someone who is the victor in a race or someone who is acquitted of a crime. In either case, I want that white stone. Do you?