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The Letter to the Church In PergamumText: Revelation 2:12-17 Introduction:
I. The city of Pergamum.
A. Pergamum became a Roman city in 133 B.C. when
Attalus III willed his kingdom to the Roman
government.
1. Pergamum then became the Royal city of Asia and
several as the state capital of Asia for more
than two years.
2. It was the center of Caesar worship.
a. As early as 29 B.C., a temple was dedicated to
Roma and Augustus was erected in the city as
the first and, for a time, the only temple of
the imperial cult in all Asia.
b. Later two other temples were erected honoring
two different Caesars.
c. The worship of Caesar was something that was
part of their heritage as well as something
that they took great pride in.
d. Caesar was more political than religious, and
in the time of Domitation, it was made a test
of loyalty to the state.
B. In addition to emperor worship, there were four
other patron gods over Pergamum.
1. One of these was Asklepios, the god of healing.
2. It was the center of the worship of Asklepios.
3. It was worship under the emblem of the serpent.
C. The city at one time had a library of at least
200,000 volumes.
D. Also, they developed and give their name to
parchment.
II. The only things that we know about the church in this
city is what we read here is in this passage.
Body:
I. The Speaker. 2:12
A. The speaker is Jesus Christ. 2:12; 1:13-18.
B. He has a sharp two-edged sword.
1. The sword was recognized by the Romans as the
symbol of authority and judgment.
2. When the Roman’s were given governing powers,
they were given the power to inflict capital
punishment.
a. This was called “the right of the sword.”
b. Who had the power of life and death? The
Romans? John 19:10-11
3. The sword belongs to Jesus and not Rome.
C. He “knows” – full and complete knowledge. 2:13
II. The Positive Side of the Church.
A. They dwell where Satan’s throne was located. 2:13
1. Remember what I said in the introduction about
Pergamum being the political capital of the
providence and the seat of pagan deities and
emperor worship. These elements combine to
produce a heavy and oppressive Satanic
atmosphere.
2. This shows that Jesus considers Satan as being a
real personality.
3. Satan works through his helpers. 1
Thessalonians 2:17-18
4. Jesus knew their surroundings, what they faced
because of their environment, and the same holds
true for us today.
B. They held fast the name of Jesus. 2:13
1. The big test of the day was to confess either
the name of Lord Caesar or Lord Jesus.
2. The name stands for that Jesus is:
a. His deity.
b. His authority.
c. and His Lordship over all the universe.
3. In spite of their surroundings and the resulting
persecutions, they held fast to their confession
that Jesus was their Lord. Matthew 10:32
C. Also, they had not denied the faith of Jesus.
1. “My faith” – would be the sum of doctrine which
He revealed.
a. Jude 3
b. Ephesians 4:5
2. Again, in spite of their surroundings, they had
been steadfast in adhering to the doctrine of
Jesus Christ.
D. The example of Antipas. 2:13
1. This is all we know about him.
2. He had faithful to what he had seen and heard
about Jesus Christ and true to the name and to
the faith.
3. We have here an example of what Jesus says in
2:10.
4. Not one worthy sacrifice escapes the eye of the
Lord.
5. They may have thought that no one knew or cared,
but today, you and I know about it!
E. If Jesus’ letter stopped at this point, we would by
saying what a great church this is, this is a
strong church, etc., but the Lord does not stop
here but goes on to say that He has a few things
against them.
III. The Negative Side of the Church.
A. “Thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam.”
1. We find the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-25.
a. The children of Israel came to the plains of
Moab.
b. Balak, the king of Moab, sent for Balaam, a
Gentile prophet of God in order that Balaam
would curse the children of Israel.
c. However, Balaam would not do so.
d. He then counseled Balak to send forth the
daughter’s of Moab to entice the children of
Israel to join in their idolatrous worship.
Numbers 31:16
e. As a result, 24,000 died in a plague. Numbers
25:9
f. He did this for money. 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11
g. Balaam’s compromise proved fatal; the
doctrine of compromise is one of Satan’s most
lethal weapons.
2. The teachings of Balaam can be summed up in
three ways:
a. He taught Balak to cast a stumbling block
before the children of Israel.
(1) Stumbling block indicates that part of a
trap on which the bait is placed, which
when disturbed causes the trap to spring,
ensnaring the victim.
(2) Thus, by his advice Balaam set a trap
before the children of Israel, thus
causing many to perish.
(3) Whether or not they were conscious of it,
certain ones in the church at Pergamum,
were setting a trap that eventually would
ensnare the entire church if not
corrected. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
b. “To eat things sacrificed to idols.”
c. “To commit fornication (sexual immorality,
New King James)”
3. Those who follow the teachings of Balaam and
compromised with idolatry would gain some favor
with their neighbors…
4. But it would have been fatal to the church for
this to go on unrebuked and uncorrected.
B. “Also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans.”
1. It is thought that they taught Christians
liberty meant that it was alright to commit
sensual sins.
C. They had not exercised the proper discipline.
1. Romans 16:17-18
2. Although there was only a minority involved, all
were held responsible for allowing it.
(illustration: Joshua 7:10-13)
3. When error and sin are tolerated in any
congregation, the Lord is displeased. We who
claim to be the true disciples of the Lord must
face up to our responsibility to labor for the
purity of the church in both doctrine and
practice. It is not enough that we ourselves
hold fast the name of Christ and do not deny His
faith, we must not tolerate within the borders
of the kingdom those who persist in lowering the
standard of truth’s requirements.
IV. The Advice. 2:16
A. “Repent”
B. Repent means the changing of one’s mind or purpose
involving a change for the better.
C. Repentance will result in a changed life.
1. Here they had to either reform those in error or
withdraw from them.
V. The Lord’s Promise.
A. If they don’t repent.
1. Then the Lord will come to them quickly and make
war against them with His sword that comes out
of His mouth.
a. This means He will make war against the
church by executing judgment against the
unfaithful, compromising children of God.
b. As Balaam had been slain by the sword of
those he sought to curse (Numbers 31:8), so
those would be executed by Him whom they
would make a curse by reducing His teaching
to the status of philosophy or carnal
religion.
2. The Lord will do the same today.
B. To the ones who overcame.
1. They will be given the hidden manna.
a. John 6:31-35
b. The saints were already feeding on that
hidden manna, of course, but the promise
assures them of continued sustenance from
Jesus whatever the course of events. The
Christians couldn’t partake of the heathen
feasts but they could feed on something
better.
2. they will be given a white stone.
3. Upon the stone, a new name.
a. One’s name stands for all that he is.
b. A new name stands for a new relationship.
c. The example of Abram – Abraham, Jacob –
Israel, Simon - Peter, Saul – Paul.
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