Pergamum was one of the most prominent cities of Asia,
located in the western part of Asia-Minor, about 45 miles
north of Smyrna and about 20 miles from the Aegean Sea. The
modern village of Bergama, Turkey, now covers part of the
ancient site.
The first temple of the imperial cult was built in Pergamum,
in honor of Rome and Augustus. The city thus boasted a
religious primacy in the province, though Ephesus became its
main commercial center. Pergamum was very wealthy, the
center of emperor worship with many temples devoted to
idolatry. This was the place ‘where Satan’s throne is’
(Revelation 2:13). The phrase has been applied to the
complex of pagan cults, of Zeus, Athena, Dionysus and
Asclepius. These cults are illustrative of the religious
history of Pergamum, but “Satan’s throne” could be an
allusion to emperor worship. This was where the worship of
the divine emperor had been made the touchstone of civic
loyalty under Domitian. Here was the magnificent temple of
Esculapius, a pagan god whose idol was in the form of a
serpent. The inhabitants were known as the chief temple
keepers of Asia. When the Babylonian cult of the Magians was
driven out of Babylon, they found a haven in Pergamum.
The title of the Magian high priest was “Chief Bridge
Builder” meaning the one who spans the gap between mortals
and Satan and his hosts. In Latin, this title was written
“Pontifex Maximus,” the title now used by the Pope. This
title goes all the way back to Babylon and the beginnings of
the mother-child cult under Nimrod of Genesis 10 and his
wife Samarium. Later, Julius Caesar was elected Pontifex
Maximus and when he became Emperor, he became the supreme
civil and religious ruler and head of Rome politically and
religiously with all the power and functions of the
Babylonian pontiff.
“The One who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Revelation
2:12) told John to write to Pergamum, “I know where you
dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name,
and did not deny my faith in the days of Antipas”
(Revelation 2:13).
The sharp two-edged sword emphasizes the penetrating
character of the Word of God or God’s truth as it is found
in the person and work of Christ and God’s holy Word as it
reveals Him and symbolizes the irresistible authority and
devastating force of our Lord’s judgment (Revelation 19:15).
The sword is the symbol of the Word of Christ which
separates believers from condemnation and from conformity
with the world (Romans 12:2; 8:1; 1 Peter 1:23; Hebrews
4:12). However, this same sword, the Word of Christ, also
guarantees judgment to the world because of its absolute
truth.
Here again we see the sufficiency of Christ in His capacity
to meet our needs and deal with our failures. Pergamum was a
church that was married to the world. They were in
compromise with the world, but the Word of Christ transforms
us from the world.
Again, as in each of the letters, we have the statement made
about our Lord’s knowledge of our affairs. This repetition
is not without significance. Here the Lord assures them He
knows of their steadfastness in the midst of Satan’s
dominion. Satanic activity was rampant here spreading to all
parts of the world because of the extreme amount of pagan
idolatry and emperor worship carried on in this city.
In verse 13 there is a warning regarding their attitude
toward this life and the world. Believers are to view
themselves and live, as sojourners and aliens. We are never
to be at home in the world in the same way that unbelievers
are (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 1:17; 2:11; 2 Corinthians
5:19-20). There is also a reminder in verse 13. God not only
knows our pressures, our temptations, and the problems we
face, but that He is always there to help us if we want it.
There is also a principle in verse 13. The Christian life is
not escape, but endurance and conquest by faith. It may be
much easier to live somewhere else in easier circumstances,
but our duty is generally to stay and become a testimony for
the Lord and overcome the world in which we live. We should
always remember that the grass usually looks greener
somewhere else, but until we are with the Lord or in the
millennium, life will be full of trials of some sort and to
some degree.
The situation at Pergamum reminds us of the reality of the
angelic conflict or the spiritual warfare of this present
form of the world (Ephesians 6:10). In the past, because of
its godly heritage, America has been sheltered from some of
the more obvious forms of demonic conflict that we have only
read and heard about from missionaries. However, we are now
facing Satan’s activities as never before, Satanism, devil
worship, ritual murders, sacrifices to Satan, and gross
immorality are no longer unheard of, but are occurring in
our cities all across America. The New Age movement with its
mysticism, channeling, belief in mystical forces, etc. is
rampant in book stores, in schools, in our government, on
TV, in the movies, in politics; it is literally everywhere.
Pergamum also became the new home of the mother-child cult
of Babylon after the death of Belshazzar. It was later moved
to Rome. One of the things that will occur in preparation
for the events of the coming Tribulation will be a rise, not
only in Satanic activity, but of his activity in the various
forms of ancient eastern mysticism and occult activity that
was so much a part of this cult. We are seeing it today in
the New Age Movement.
After approving what He could, the Lord proceeded to
admonishment. Like them, most believers have things in their
lives that are good, but there is always room for
improvement.
In the church in Pergamum there were those “who hold to the
teaching of Balaam” (Revelation 2:14). The doctrine of
Balaam was a compromise in the realm of morals. For people
in this city to eat things sacrificed to idols meant to
engage in the feasting and orgies of the various idolatrous
temples. It meant to commit fornication.
The doctrine of Balaam denies the doctrine of separation
from the world. The church in Pergamum began to lose their
pilgrim character and were becoming thoroughly married to
the world.
Christians often reject the overt acts of what they think of
as worldliness defined by a list of prohibitions or
obligations both negative and positive, while retaining the
viewpoint or attitude of worldliness. However, worldliness
involves attitudes and values more than acts because what we
do is really the product of our thinking or belief system.
Millions of people go through all the motions of worship
each week but maintain a heart that is completely out of
touch with God and end up, in reality, worshiping self.
Christians can avoid all overt acts of worldliness as they
might define them, and still have a heart full of hypocrisy,
criticism of others, jealousy, bitterness, envy, and
preoccupation with the details of life rather than eternal
treasures.
Like cancer, worldliness eats deeply into our viewpoint of
life as well as what we expect from life. This affects our
values, and then our priorities and pursuits. We may begin
to recognize much of its presence and seek to root it out;
some of its remnants often remain.
Whoever the Nicolaitans were, they were conquering the
people by bringing them under Satan’s authority through
influential teachers who were tolerating or even promoting
evil or license.
In verse 16, the Lord called this church to repentance with
a sharp warning of judgment with the sword out of His mouth,
suggesting that the judgment is based on the truth of His
Word. Remember, the sword symbolically represents the
two-fold ability of the Word of God to separate believers
from the world while at the same time to condemn the world
for its sin. It was the sword of salvation and deliverance
as well as the sword of death.
The Lord calls the church to repent of their worldliness,
acknowledge its presence and evil and commit to moving in a
godly direction, or they face divine discipline and the loss
of their light bearing capacity, their purpose for existence
as a church. It appears they did. A Christian church has
continued into modern times in the modern city of Bergama.
Christians needs to live in the Word, the two-edged sword,
which penetrates and transforms us by the renewing of the
mind with the mind of Christ (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians
2:16). This includes keeping our focus on eternal treasures
(Matt. 6:19f; 1 Peter 1:12f). The alternative is divine
discipline based on that same Word, which, if neglected,
results in our discipline according to the warnings and
principles of Scripture (John 15:1f; Hebrews 12:5f).
This call to repent is immediately followed by a special
exhortation and assurance (v 17).
Here is God’s challenge to believers to overcome by faith in
the Savior’s victory and provision, refuse to eat the things
sacrificed to idols and to remain sexually pure, to avoid
fornication, and remain distinct and separate from the
world.
While initial faith brings us into union with Christ, it is
the continuation of an active faith from living in the Word,
feeding on the things of Christ that overcomes and leads us
into the abundance and sufficiency of Christ’s life with
great reward both now and in the future.
In the Old Testament, the manna stood for God’s faithfulness
to provide and sustain His people through the wilderness
wanderings in place of the leeks, melons, garlic, and onions
of their old life in Egypt, an apt picture for the world
system. As a memorial to God’s faithfulness, a portion of
the manna was placed and thus hidden in the Ark of the
Covenant (Exodus 16:32-34; Hebrews 9:4). Manna was also
called, “food from heaven” (Psalm 78:24). In John 6:48-51,
the Lord spoke of Himself as the true bread from heaven that
gives eternal life in contrast with the manna in the Old
Testament. He said, “your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, and they died” (John 6:49). While the manna
sustained their physical life for a time, it was only a
picture of the one who would come and who would give life
and life abundant (John 10:10).
In the Scriptures, manna symbolizes the sufficiency of the
person and work of Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the
Word which the world does not know or see since the natural
man does not see or discern the things of Christ (1
Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, believers need to feed daily
the Word of God for their sustenance and blessing (Hebrews
3:7f). This and this alone can make us fruitful believers,
and provide true happiness and stability of life, something
that the allurements of the world simply cannot give.
“I will give,” is an emphasis on the grace of the Savior and
the second gift is highlighted as distinct from the first.
“I will give him a white stone” is perhaps the most
difficult to interpret of all the rewards mentioned in
chapters 2 and 3 because of the various uses of white stones
and because no other passage tells us anything about white
stones.
Stones were used in the secret societies as amulets of
protection and by judges who determined a verdict by placing
a white and black stone in an urn. If the white one came out
it meant acquittal of all charges. However, since there will
be no need of protection in eternity and because believers
already stand acquitted, justified in Christ, neither of
these seem to fit with what John had in mind. Some
interpreters of this verse connect the stone to the promise
of the hidden manna, the Ark of the Covenant, and the
priesthood. They see it as a diamond that corresponds to the
Urim and Thummim worn by the high priest and would speak of
special priestly prerogatives and access into the very
presence of God. Others see an analogy to the stone awarded
to victorious gladiators or warriors when they returned from
battle. It would be much like a ‘well done’ for service
rendered. There was also a custom in John’s day in which
special stones were given that entitled the bearer to
special hospitality and friendship.
Whatever is the meaning of the stone, it clearly symbolized
special blessing and privilege that will be given to those
believers who overcomes the pressures of the world on their
lives.
“A new name which no one knows” is a promise from the Lord
of a special name. The reason for giving the name could be
to show intimacy and God’s personal love and concern for
each one of us, but as a special reward for believers who
overcome, it probably has a different significance. The new
name probably references to the character of the one that
overcomes the world or his new responsibilities or both.
Abram’s name was changed to Abraham to portray the fact that
he was to become the father of a multitude. Jacob’s name was
changed to Israel, the one over whom God would henceforth
rule. Unstable Simon became Peter the little rock.
Similarly, the overcoming believer is promised a new name
that may show something of what God has accomplished in his
or her life through a walk of faith in faithfulness.
Regardless of the meaning, in a day when an impersonal
number often identifies us, in God’s sight we are not
impersonal numbers, but those who are personally known and
loved by God.
