He begins by telling them that he knows you hold fast my name and have not denied my faith. Even in the midst of the most malignant pagan worship, the Christians at Pergamos had managed to keep their faith unsullied by the prevailing idolatry. It became then the capital of Caesar worship. These messages were directly given to those specific churches because of the very specific issues at hand. And then He says, And a new name written on the stone and I read where they would do that. This is the field of his operation. Smyrna would be about half way if you were moving north, and thats what I told you. It wasnt a question of denying the faith. Christianity is so personal, isnt it? It sees Him as judge. You look, for example, at a time period say from the year 300 to 600 and you see that under the Roman Empire, under the direction of Constantine in those early years, the church married the world. Now people say, well how would you interpret that? But it was in a very pagan atmosphere, completely perverse to Christian testimony. Log In
Those who were using the line between truth and error as a skipping rope. Were to get involved in life around us, mixing the old patterns, the old morals, or lack of, the old idolatry with the new Christianity. The life of Moab could be reduced to a simple statement, it could be described as fornication and idolatrous feasts. The throne of Satan was this Gentile base of false religions.
As we go through these letters we note that they all have pretty much the same components, and well run through those components and by doing that the letter will unfold to us. Verse 16 brings us to the command. It was an abuse of freedom. Because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam. Verse 15, You also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Whats He saying? During that period of time, no doubt, the church at Pergamos was founded. 0000012268 00000 n Repentance means doing a U-turn and changing direction. Dont miss this. Back in Numbers 22 it says, The Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand. And you know what Balaam did? Legend says that Pergamos was built by a son of Hercules. Whos that? This was the time when the church began to compromise its beliefs and allow paganism to sneak into its ranks. The command is very simple. They had developed along with Caesar worship, of course, all of these other pagan forms of worship. They would give the victor, like a trophy, a stone with his name and he alone could use it as his pass. Went on to divorce his wife and marry for a third time. Heathen priests became Christian priests. And once theyre intermarried, it will pull them in to all the idolatry life of Moab. Further we know that this church was without any particular apostolic ministry. Registered User This church is beginning to be linked inseparably to the world. And as long as you worshiped Caesar, you could worship somebody else. There are always those of the ilk of Balaam who want to seduce Gods people into idolatry and immorality and paganness and tell them its okay. Well according to Exodus 16:33 when they traveled, they took the ark of the covenant and inside the ark they hid some what? 0000020212 00000 n The route of these letters follows the route that would be taken to deliver them. And I love this, He says, And you hold fast My name and did not deny My faith. Thats the commendation. We are not to be aliens. Disaster is looming on the horizon. You are living out the teaching of the Nicolaitans. We would readily compromise rather than change the simplest pattern of our selfish lives. Ill give you the true bread, the spiritual bread from heaven which the world doesnt see. Parchment is a writing material developed from animal skin. They were teaching that. They stood boldly for Christ. And I walked up to him and said, Im here to speak with you, and pulled him away and said, This is the first and last time Ill ever meet you in a place like this. We went on to discuss the lifestyle, the patterns of the lifestyle. We dont know who he was. And that is perhaps the most dominant period in the church history when the Pergamos mentality was evident. My name always means who I am, person and work. Retaining biblical purity in a world teeming with every kind of sophisticated error would have been nigh impossible. And so what it means is Ill give you a stone by which you can determine My will. And the white stone was his admission pass into the festival that was held following the games for all the victors. Probably their pastor, one of their leaders. H\n0l/*R;hl FgU'-?u3t55B$6o=4NE$iZf`*z}o/:ks?8!mf@lSZeC!aH3z48FoU(8(Zo=EvH)9%!pzb~p|2? And here is a person who is right in the transition, a witness becomes a martyr because the witness pays the price. That city which was more given over to that than any other city in ancient Roman territory. It might be hard but it is certainly not impossible. Its called Bergama. Zeus was sort of the head of the Pantheon, the supreme god. It happened among you. 0000004446 00000 n And so Balaam tried to work his plot and have the women of Moab seduce the men of Israel into intermarriage and then he could bring Israel into a blasphemous union with Satan and idols and fornication, and that would debase Israel. These letters likewise describe not only a single church in history but a kind of church that exists through all the history of the church. They were therefore supposedly made Christians by putting a little water on their heads. Antipas paid the supreme price for not compromising. First Corinthians 5, Paul says, A little leaven does what? My name, My faith, My witness, My faithful one. But Im sure the query of the article, from what I heard, is, why does John MacArthur write all these controversial books? <<6545B6F7DA0A0545B86DAF83B16E9125>]/Prev 65321>> Thats your commitment to Me. Then He says, And Ill give him a white stone. You say, whats that? 0000021010 00000 n
Manna was some kind of honeyed bread out of heaven. So much good, so many faithful, but I have this against you. Theres no room for compromise. And so they are very instructive for us. And the council at Jerusalem also said stay away from all immorality. The name Pergamos means height or elevation and was a fitting name for the city which was built at an elevation of 1000 feet. rj,MW]fey&EY#P/CNkhw\grL Q"Z[Jd 0000011223 00000 n This is an interesting allusion. It wasnt easy. I have a burden for my husband. And in verse 15, And from His mouth comes a sharp sword. And here it tells you what its for. Jesus tells them not to do that. The thing is, while compromise can look shiny, for a moment, in the long run, standing for nothing means that you are open to fall for anything. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. We want not to deny what we know to be true. Back at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, the apostles sent out a message to the churches and said, Dont eat things offered to idols. It sucks you back into idolatry. The subtle shifts began under the authority of Emperor Constantine. Jesus tells the church at Pergamos that he knows their condition. And thats what precipitates the fatality that occurs in this city to one of the members of the church. So when you hear that Asklepios was there, the serpent god, that sounds Satanic. Interesting to think about them all. What it is to me is some kind of personal message from Christ to the one He loves, which is given as an admission pass into eternal glory. Three times Balaam tried to do it. Youre allowing them to feel comfortable. 0000009007 00000 n It basically means witness martus but it came to be martyr. As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018.
You can never suppress error by compromising with it. But here is the very throne of Satan. endstream endobj 145 0 obj <> endobj 146 0 obj <> endobj 147 0 obj <>stream Heathen temples became Christian churches. Hidden manna, a white stone,s, and a new name. This has been going on for years. Now in Smyrna they had a synagogue of Satan. Balak wanted to get rid of Israel. What about the church? some manna. First is the correspondent the correspondent or the one who writes. 0000016891 00000 n 0000001432 00000 n Jesus urges the church at Pergamos to distance themselves from this heresy and embrace simple and pure biblical truth. There is still, I understand, a small Christian community in Bergama. When Jesus calls to us, as he did to the church at Pergamos, and urges us to turn back we would do well to listen to his warning. Who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. Balaam was a prophet for hire.
The church is impure. But Jesus says that there were those in the church at Pergamos who had managed it and managed it well. 0000001534 00000 n In the middle of that was situated this little church to which Christ addressed the letter. Smart guy, he bowed all the way to the ground. The message to the church at Pergamos is thought to refer to the period of church history spanning 313-538AD. Every time you see it in the book of Revelation, who is it? It is indestructible. Hes not saying to them, Now, folks, youre just too loving. He says, Repent. This is sin, and if you dont repent and do something about it I am coming to you quickly and when I get there Ill make war against them with the sword of My mouth. On the ancient side of Pergamos there is a village today. They wouldnt do that.
0000012176 00000 n We are never without an option to do what is right. The very fabric of the church changed from poverty-stricken persecution and ragtag slaves to opulence, wealth, and influence. What made it tough for Christians was they didnt worship Caesar at all. When you know that Zeus was there and big upon the hill looming over the whole place was an altar to this false god, you know that Satan was there. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. It makes weaker brothers stumble. And when you allow unbelievers to come in and take part and participate in the church, youre going to have people who live a Balaam lifestyle and a Nicolaitan lifestyle. You have to judge error. 'g8e8KgmY9^x,P bEAV So personal. The best understanding would come from Acts 19:10, because in Acts 19:10 you remember that the Apostle Paul had this wonderful ministry in the city of Ephesus, and it was so powerful and so far-reaching that verse 10 says that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And he defended himself on the basis of grace and Christian freedom. Anderson, R.A., (1956) Unfolding The Revelation, Pacific Press, Idaho, Ramsay, W.M. If we fail to exclude unbelievers from the fellowship of the body, we are in error. This is what I have against you: You have these people there who believe these false things and you are allowing it. Go back to John 6:51 and hear Jesus say, I am the bread of life. Ill give you Christ. And again I dont want to get caught up in geography lessons and sociology lessons, but just to give you a little bit of a feeling. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. It worked. Its a Turkish corruption of the word Pergamos. Then finally the counsel in verse 17, He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Which is a long way of saying, Listen. Listen. To the true Christians, He says, here is a promise after these fearful threats. It could be described as gluttonous orgies of lasciviousness. The Nicolaitans essentially taught that compromise between Christianity and Greco-Roman culture was possible. They had created a brass bull hallowed out, they set afire, and put him in it. 0000006798 00000 n All rights reserved. Ancient correspondence began with the authors name. Some think this goes back to Nicholas who once in Acts 6 was appointed as a deacon but later defected and became an apostate. In the letter to the church at Ephesus, He introduces Himself simply as the one who holds the seven leaders in His hand and moves among the churches, which are represented by the golden lampstands. It was merely a mass state religion. But apparently this man, whoever he was, Nicholas, like Balaam had advocated a mingled life style. Now lets look a little more closely at the letter and see the commendation. You didnt compromise. He was no longer seen as a political or military leader, but he was seen as a god.
0000003591 00000 n Not only was he orchestrating Caesars the worship of Caesar from there to flow out to the Roman world, the known world, not only was there this massive altar on the Acropolis that looked like a throne and a Satanic one at that because it reflected a false religion, but there was the very bizarre and strange worship of Asklepios.
Jesus compares this philosophy to the doctrine of Baalam who led the Children of Israel into sin and idolatry through compromise in the wilderness. Then fifthly comes the condemnation.
Satanic? Satan had obviously established the center of his operation there. Oh, I think it represented the bread of life. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. He is the one who picks up the quill, as it were, and puts the words that Jesus gives him. You watched My faithful one. And in order to be healed you had to go in there and lie down and stay there. You can be a Christian and commit fornication with a heathen priestess at the temple or priest. And theyll mingle the church with their fornication and the church with their idolatry, and the Lord says, Ill come with a sword in My mouth and Ill slice them up. They worshiped Christ and Him alone and refused on the one day a year when you had to burn incense to Caesar to do it, and therefore lost their citizenry rights and lost their lives in some cases. Frankly, not persecution but this kind of compromise is the fastest way to destroy the churchs life and testimony. 0000003225 00000 n And its the Holy Spirit inspiring it as John writes it, as Christ gives it. Thank You for instructing us. Of course our Lord had called for a clean break but always there are the seducers, always there are those who come in and want to get Gods people to break from the separation and mingle with the world. Well you know what the manna was? 0000013036 00000 n Our faith, our belief. The Lord pulled a sword on Balaam, and the Lord will come with a sword against a compromising church. Some of them, however, who had attached themselves to the church were being sucked into the world.
They havent interviewed me so I dont know if its true, but maybe theyre doing it and are not interviewing me on purpose. And the emblem or the idol of Asklepios was a snake. Further years indicated that they built further temples, and so the city had perhaps several temples of worship for Caesar. 2022 Grace to You. And then there is My witness, Antipas, My faithful one, thats My commitment to him. And that word went through an interesting metamorphosis. And he paid him to curse Israel. Father, we thank You again for the Word and for its power and conviction. I know there are people in this church in that category. This is the place of his operation. Some of us arent even willing to sacrifice our popularity or our wrong desires for the sake of staying separated from the world. He devised a plot. The first letter, you remember, was written to Ephesus, the church that left its first love. trailer (1904) The Seven Churches of Revelation, A.C. Armstrong and Son, New York. Pergamos is believed to have been founded by the Aeolian Greeks around 1150 B.C. We move from the city to the church. Yes, we want to reach out in love. Yes, we want to bring in unbelievers to hear the truth of Christ and experience our love and experience our kindness and our graciousness. And then He says, You did not deny My faith. You did not deny My truth, My gospel, the message of salvation by faith. They wouldnt do that. 174 0 obj <>stream Jesus says I am the bread of life (John 6:35) If we are willing to overcome the temptation to compromise, the first reward we receive is the opportunity to feed on Jesus. Were going to be looking at verses 12 through 17, the letter to the church at Pergamos. This issue was settled long ago, having been discussed and mandated from the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 and still here are some, decades later, saying God tolerates this. 0000005240 00000 n %PDF-1.5 % And Jesus Christ is described in verse 16 as having in His right hand seven stars which, you know, are the seven leaders of the churches, as is noted for you in this same text. If we are willing to change the direction of our lives to suit His will then everything he has to offer the overcomer is ours for the taking. When a victor won in the games, whatever great games were being held, it was not uncommon for the victor to be given as part of his prize a white stone. Some say it represents simply a diamond, and Ill give you something that is very precious, namely eternal life. The church at Pergamos is a picture of any believer, any Christian who weds the world, as we shall see. We know who that is from chapter 1 verse 16 because back in chapter 1 you have the vision of Jesus Christ. Hed corrupt them. The core of Christian people holding fast to the name of the Lord, that is to His person, not wavering on who He was and what He did, not denying the faith, firm in the gospel and believing it, were soft in dealing with error serious error, and all error is serious. Yes. Now when you go over to chapter 2 verse 12, the one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this. In other words you have been faithful to Me. You didnt deny My name. The liberal or dead church, as we would perhaps want to call it today, those who have departed from the true faith and embraced the world are all around us. sy&=;]0l }Wpkvx nt@*~ B The core issue at Pergamos was that they were drifting away from the Scriptures and mingling biblical truth with human tradition and philosophy. The only rule that a Christian should live by and Pergamos was drifting away from this anchor. Spiritual growth is a choice. And on that white stone will be written a special message privately from the living Christ to those He loves. Direction determines destiny and if Jesus is telling you youre going in the wrong direction then turn around. and was considered to be an almost impregnable city due to its height and the fortifications surrounding it. H\j0z9& [icH|B>-]A- Y>;B I have a few things against you two, namely because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam. You have them. Now just what is Satans throne? A new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. I cant tell you how many people have asked me, what is that name? If you have ever seen the medical symbol, you will notice that in the middle of a medical symbol winding its way around the pole is a snake. The word of God trumps every other consideration. In Revelation chapter 19 we see the same imagery in verse 15. And in this case you will notice that the description of Christ that is selected is that which articulates His judicial authority. It could be described as debauchery and prostitution. 0000011680 00000 n One of the errors that had crept into the church at Pergamos was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which the Ephesian church had so readily rejected. 883( 2 *x109,!jVh Y],p|=|>/JI6M5|>Y'-;V ~/+\iID%|@ #MR0aDDsN=tQFYyo4/i [;R$*/kJJs 0000002006 00000 n He identifies Antipas only as My witness, My martus. This particular sword is the sword of judgment that is used to cut down those who disobey the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to be the true church, the true believers, the overcomers who someday will be given Jesus Christ in all His fullness as the hidden manna, who someday will be given the white stone to give us admission in to the eternal feast in heaven. 0000007542 00000 n We dont have any record that they had been exposed to any powerful leadership, that they had been exposed to any great solid teaching. This city, Pergamos, was in a region of Asia Minor called Mysia. As we look at this third letter to the church at Pergamum or Pergamos, either is correct, we meet a church engaged in compromise.
Because so many of the witnesses who were faithful to Christ died, the word martus eventually became transliterated into English as martyr. He may have been kind of a pre-Gnostic, someone who believed he had entered in to ascended knowledge. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. His power was unleashed from this city and some in the Pergamos church had fallen victim to Satan and become thoroughly engulfed, enmeshed, and even married to the world. It is clear from the very letter which well study tonight as we go through it that Pergamos was compromising. We sent you an email. Balak, king of Moab, wanted to get rid of Israel. And what was worse, the saints were doing nothing about it, absolutely nothing. Jesus offers us something much more substantial. And this church has decided that it can maintain some kind of Christian credibility and also associate itself with the sins of the past. Thats where Pergamos was and thats why the Lord identifies Himself as the one with the sword. We cant verify that. Perhaps that was the throne of Satan. You never denied My name or My faith, even in the day of Antipas. The issues at stake are biblical.
There can be no intermarriage with unbelievers. There may be an associated cost but there is always an option. They were having to meet the enemy on his own ground, and it was not easy. Pergamos is a picture of any church that courts the world, any church that marries paganism in any form. It was shaped like a huge throne. Its not as impossible as we might believe to retain spiritual purity in the midst of spurious error. The believer. hb``f``f [P#0p4 qC1C#?P%MRGX^e}5jejD+Ko y endstream endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <> endobj 13 0 obj <>stream He is the one who wields the sword.
The synagogue of Satan, I might remark, was perverted Judaism. If you look back at what happened in the history of the church, you can understand this kind of thing. 0000010480 00000 n Now secondly, we look from the correspondent to the city itself. Bar rooms, drinking, wasting money, involved in all kinds of sin. I said, Well Ill be happy to meet him and confront him. So I called and set up an appointment for a meeting place. Then theres another thing He has against them. We want to deal with error in our fellowship. Pergamos obviously was a church made up of Gentiles, primarily, who had been converted out of paganism. 0000002248 00000 n And one of the wonders of the world, this magnificent altar to Zeus, the largest most famous altar in the world was there. It cuts everywhere it turns. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. But here there were some people in the church saying you can be a Christian and worship idols. There were some people in this church saying its okay to intermarry, intermingle with the pagan system. I say it again, true faith is not fragile. His plot went like this, the Moabite women will move in among the Israelite men and the Moabite women will sexually seduce the Israelite men, suck them into intermarriage. He doesnt want panic. Theres some good things to say. Youre not putting them out of the church. It provided for their physical needs and sustained them through the long journey. What can He mean here? 0000013271 00000 n It was a question of being soft and tolerant to error. We always have options. This introduction of Christ is the right introduction for the church at Pergamos. Asklepios was the god of healing, and Asklepios was known all over the ancient world as the Pergamese god, the god most associated with Pergamos was Asklepios.
As we go through these letters we note that they all have pretty much the same components, and well run through those components and by doing that the letter will unfold to us. Verse 16 brings us to the command. It was an abuse of freedom. Because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam. Verse 15, You also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Whats He saying? During that period of time, no doubt, the church at Pergamos was founded. 0000012268 00000 n Repentance means doing a U-turn and changing direction. Dont miss this. Back in Numbers 22 it says, The Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand. And you know what Balaam did? Legend says that Pergamos was built by a son of Hercules. Whos that? This was the time when the church began to compromise its beliefs and allow paganism to sneak into its ranks. The command is very simple. They had developed along with Caesar worship, of course, all of these other pagan forms of worship. They would give the victor, like a trophy, a stone with his name and he alone could use it as his pass. Went on to divorce his wife and marry for a third time. Heathen priests became Christian priests. And once theyre intermarried, it will pull them in to all the idolatry life of Moab. Further we know that this church was without any particular apostolic ministry. Registered User This church is beginning to be linked inseparably to the world. And as long as you worshiped Caesar, you could worship somebody else. There are always those of the ilk of Balaam who want to seduce Gods people into idolatry and immorality and paganness and tell them its okay. Well according to Exodus 16:33 when they traveled, they took the ark of the covenant and inside the ark they hid some what? 0000020212 00000 n The route of these letters follows the route that would be taken to deliver them. And I love this, He says, And you hold fast My name and did not deny My faith. Thats the commendation. We are not to be aliens. Disaster is looming on the horizon. You are living out the teaching of the Nicolaitans. We would readily compromise rather than change the simplest pattern of our selfish lives. Ill give you the true bread, the spiritual bread from heaven which the world doesnt see. Parchment is a writing material developed from animal skin. They were teaching that. They stood boldly for Christ. And I walked up to him and said, Im here to speak with you, and pulled him away and said, This is the first and last time Ill ever meet you in a place like this. We went on to discuss the lifestyle, the patterns of the lifestyle. We dont know who he was. And that is perhaps the most dominant period in the church history when the Pergamos mentality was evident. My name always means who I am, person and work. Retaining biblical purity in a world teeming with every kind of sophisticated error would have been nigh impossible. And so what it means is Ill give you a stone by which you can determine My will. And the white stone was his admission pass into the festival that was held following the games for all the victors. Probably their pastor, one of their leaders. H\n0l/*R;hl FgU'-?u3t55B$6o=4NE$iZf`*z}o/:ks?8!mf@lSZeC!aH3z48FoU(8(Zo=EvH)9%!pzb~p|2? And here is a person who is right in the transition, a witness becomes a martyr because the witness pays the price. That city which was more given over to that than any other city in ancient Roman territory. It might be hard but it is certainly not impossible. Its called Bergama. Zeus was sort of the head of the Pantheon, the supreme god. It happened among you. 0000004446 00000 n And so Balaam tried to work his plot and have the women of Moab seduce the men of Israel into intermarriage and then he could bring Israel into a blasphemous union with Satan and idols and fornication, and that would debase Israel. These letters likewise describe not only a single church in history but a kind of church that exists through all the history of the church. They were therefore supposedly made Christians by putting a little water on their heads. Antipas paid the supreme price for not compromising. First Corinthians 5, Paul says, A little leaven does what? My name, My faith, My witness, My faithful one. But Im sure the query of the article, from what I heard, is, why does John MacArthur write all these controversial books? <<6545B6F7DA0A0545B86DAF83B16E9125>]/Prev 65321>> Thats your commitment to Me. Then He says, And Ill give him a white stone. You say, whats that? 0000021010 00000 n
Manna was some kind of honeyed bread out of heaven. So much good, so many faithful, but I have this against you. Theres no room for compromise. And so they are very instructive for us. And the council at Jerusalem also said stay away from all immorality. The name Pergamos means height or elevation and was a fitting name for the city which was built at an elevation of 1000 feet. rj,MW]fey&EY#P/CNkhw\grL Q"Z[Jd 0000011223 00000 n This is an interesting allusion. It wasnt easy. I have a burden for my husband. And in verse 15, And from His mouth comes a sharp sword. And here it tells you what its for. Jesus tells them not to do that. The thing is, while compromise can look shiny, for a moment, in the long run, standing for nothing means that you are open to fall for anything. Since the UK is now no longer a member of the EU, you may be charged an import tax on this item by the customs authorities in your country of residence, which is beyond our control. We want not to deny what we know to be true. Back at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15, the apostles sent out a message to the churches and said, Dont eat things offered to idols. It sucks you back into idolatry. The subtle shifts began under the authority of Emperor Constantine. Jesus tells the church at Pergamos that he knows their condition. And thats what precipitates the fatality that occurs in this city to one of the members of the church. So when you hear that Asklepios was there, the serpent god, that sounds Satanic. Interesting to think about them all. What it is to me is some kind of personal message from Christ to the one He loves, which is given as an admission pass into eternal glory. Three times Balaam tried to do it. Youre allowing them to feel comfortable. 0000009007 00000 n It basically means witness martus but it came to be martyr. As you may be aware, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into full effect on 25th May 2018.
You can never suppress error by compromising with it. But here is the very throne of Satan. endstream endobj 145 0 obj <> endobj 146 0 obj <> endobj 147 0 obj <>stream Heathen temples became Christian churches. Hidden manna, a white stone,s, and a new name. This has been going on for years. Now in Smyrna they had a synagogue of Satan. Balak wanted to get rid of Israel. What about the church? some manna. First is the correspondent the correspondent or the one who writes. 0000016891 00000 n 0000001432 00000 n Jesus urges the church at Pergamos to distance themselves from this heresy and embrace simple and pure biblical truth. There is still, I understand, a small Christian community in Bergama. When Jesus calls to us, as he did to the church at Pergamos, and urges us to turn back we would do well to listen to his warning. Who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. Balaam was a prophet for hire.
The church is impure. But Jesus says that there were those in the church at Pergamos who had managed it and managed it well. 0000001534 00000 n In the middle of that was situated this little church to which Christ addressed the letter. Smart guy, he bowed all the way to the ground. The message to the church at Pergamos is thought to refer to the period of church history spanning 313-538AD. Every time you see it in the book of Revelation, who is it? It is indestructible. Hes not saying to them, Now, folks, youre just too loving. He says, Repent. This is sin, and if you dont repent and do something about it I am coming to you quickly and when I get there Ill make war against them with the sword of My mouth. On the ancient side of Pergamos there is a village today. They wouldnt do that.
0000012176 00000 n We are never without an option to do what is right. The very fabric of the church changed from poverty-stricken persecution and ragtag slaves to opulence, wealth, and influence. What made it tough for Christians was they didnt worship Caesar at all. When you know that Zeus was there and big upon the hill looming over the whole place was an altar to this false god, you know that Satan was there. Here at Grace to You Europe we take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and, as you would expect, have undertaken a significant programme of work to ensure that we are ready for this important legislative change. It makes weaker brothers stumble. And when you allow unbelievers to come in and take part and participate in the church, youre going to have people who live a Balaam lifestyle and a Nicolaitan lifestyle. You have to judge error. 'g8e8KgmY9^x,P bEAV So personal. The best understanding would come from Acts 19:10, because in Acts 19:10 you remember that the Apostle Paul had this wonderful ministry in the city of Ephesus, and it was so powerful and so far-reaching that verse 10 says that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And he defended himself on the basis of grace and Christian freedom. Anderson, R.A., (1956) Unfolding The Revelation, Pacific Press, Idaho, Ramsay, W.M. If we fail to exclude unbelievers from the fellowship of the body, we are in error. This is what I have against you: You have these people there who believe these false things and you are allowing it. Go back to John 6:51 and hear Jesus say, I am the bread of life. Ill give you Christ. And again I dont want to get caught up in geography lessons and sociology lessons, but just to give you a little bit of a feeling. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. It worked. Its a Turkish corruption of the word Pergamos. Then finally the counsel in verse 17, He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Which is a long way of saying, Listen. Listen. To the true Christians, He says, here is a promise after these fearful threats. It could be described as gluttonous orgies of lasciviousness. The Nicolaitans essentially taught that compromise between Christianity and Greco-Roman culture was possible. They had created a brass bull hallowed out, they set afire, and put him in it. 0000006798 00000 n All rights reserved. Ancient correspondence began with the authors name. Some think this goes back to Nicholas who once in Acts 6 was appointed as a deacon but later defected and became an apostate. In the letter to the church at Ephesus, He introduces Himself simply as the one who holds the seven leaders in His hand and moves among the churches, which are represented by the golden lampstands. It was merely a mass state religion. But apparently this man, whoever he was, Nicholas, like Balaam had advocated a mingled life style. Now lets look a little more closely at the letter and see the commendation. You didnt compromise. He was no longer seen as a political or military leader, but he was seen as a god.
0000003591 00000 n Not only was he orchestrating Caesars the worship of Caesar from there to flow out to the Roman world, the known world, not only was there this massive altar on the Acropolis that looked like a throne and a Satanic one at that because it reflected a false religion, but there was the very bizarre and strange worship of Asklepios.
Jesus compares this philosophy to the doctrine of Baalam who led the Children of Israel into sin and idolatry through compromise in the wilderness. Then fifthly comes the condemnation.
Satanic? Satan had obviously established the center of his operation there. Oh, I think it represented the bread of life. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. He is the one who picks up the quill, as it were, and puts the words that Jesus gives him. You watched My faithful one. And in order to be healed you had to go in there and lie down and stay there. You can be a Christian and commit fornication with a heathen priestess at the temple or priest. And theyll mingle the church with their fornication and the church with their idolatry, and the Lord says, Ill come with a sword in My mouth and Ill slice them up. They worshiped Christ and Him alone and refused on the one day a year when you had to burn incense to Caesar to do it, and therefore lost their citizenry rights and lost their lives in some cases. Frankly, not persecution but this kind of compromise is the fastest way to destroy the churchs life and testimony. 0000003225 00000 n And its the Holy Spirit inspiring it as John writes it, as Christ gives it. Thank You for instructing us. Of course our Lord had called for a clean break but always there are the seducers, always there are those who come in and want to get Gods people to break from the separation and mingle with the world. Well you know what the manna was? 0000013036 00000 n Our faith, our belief. The Lord pulled a sword on Balaam, and the Lord will come with a sword against a compromising church. Some of them, however, who had attached themselves to the church were being sucked into the world.
They havent interviewed me so I dont know if its true, but maybe theyre doing it and are not interviewing me on purpose. And the emblem or the idol of Asklepios was a snake. Further years indicated that they built further temples, and so the city had perhaps several temples of worship for Caesar. 2022 Grace to You. And then there is My witness, Antipas, My faithful one, thats My commitment to him. And that word went through an interesting metamorphosis. And he paid him to curse Israel. Father, we thank You again for the Word and for its power and conviction. I know there are people in this church in that category. This is the place of his operation. Some of us arent even willing to sacrifice our popularity or our wrong desires for the sake of staying separated from the world. He devised a plot. The first letter, you remember, was written to Ephesus, the church that left its first love. trailer (1904) The Seven Churches of Revelation, A.C. Armstrong and Son, New York. Pergamos is believed to have been founded by the Aeolian Greeks around 1150 B.C. We move from the city to the church. Yes, we want to reach out in love. Yes, we want to bring in unbelievers to hear the truth of Christ and experience our love and experience our kindness and our graciousness. And then He says, You did not deny My faith. You did not deny My truth, My gospel, the message of salvation by faith. They wouldnt do that. 174 0 obj <>stream Jesus says I am the bread of life (John 6:35) If we are willing to overcome the temptation to compromise, the first reward we receive is the opportunity to feed on Jesus. Were going to be looking at verses 12 through 17, the letter to the church at Pergamos. This issue was settled long ago, having been discussed and mandated from the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 and still here are some, decades later, saying God tolerates this. 0000005240 00000 n %PDF-1.5 % And Jesus Christ is described in verse 16 as having in His right hand seven stars which, you know, are the seven leaders of the churches, as is noted for you in this same text. If we are willing to change the direction of our lives to suit His will then everything he has to offer the overcomer is ours for the taking. When a victor won in the games, whatever great games were being held, it was not uncommon for the victor to be given as part of his prize a white stone. Some say it represents simply a diamond, and Ill give you something that is very precious, namely eternal life. The church at Pergamos is a picture of any believer, any Christian who weds the world, as we shall see. We know who that is from chapter 1 verse 16 because back in chapter 1 you have the vision of Jesus Christ. Hed corrupt them. The core of Christian people holding fast to the name of the Lord, that is to His person, not wavering on who He was and what He did, not denying the faith, firm in the gospel and believing it, were soft in dealing with error serious error, and all error is serious. Yes. Now when you go over to chapter 2 verse 12, the one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this. In other words you have been faithful to Me. You didnt deny My name. The liberal or dead church, as we would perhaps want to call it today, those who have departed from the true faith and embraced the world are all around us. sy&=;]0l }Wpkvx nt@*~ B The core issue at Pergamos was that they were drifting away from the Scriptures and mingling biblical truth with human tradition and philosophy. The only rule that a Christian should live by and Pergamos was drifting away from this anchor. Spiritual growth is a choice. And on that white stone will be written a special message privately from the living Christ to those He loves. Direction determines destiny and if Jesus is telling you youre going in the wrong direction then turn around. and was considered to be an almost impregnable city due to its height and the fortifications surrounding it. H\j0z9& [icH|B>-]A- Y>;B I have a few things against you two, namely because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam. You have them. Now just what is Satans throne? A new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it. I cant tell you how many people have asked me, what is that name? If you have ever seen the medical symbol, you will notice that in the middle of a medical symbol winding its way around the pole is a snake. The word of God trumps every other consideration. In Revelation chapter 19 we see the same imagery in verse 15. And in this case you will notice that the description of Christ that is selected is that which articulates His judicial authority. It could be described as debauchery and prostitution. 0000011680 00000 n One of the errors that had crept into the church at Pergamos was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which the Ephesian church had so readily rejected. 883( 2 *x109,!jVh Y],p|=|>/JI6M5|>Y'-;V ~/+\iID%|@ #MR0aDDsN=tQFYyo4/i [;R$*/kJJs 0000002006 00000 n He identifies Antipas only as My witness, My martus. This particular sword is the sword of judgment that is used to cut down those who disobey the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to be the true church, the true believers, the overcomers who someday will be given Jesus Christ in all His fullness as the hidden manna, who someday will be given the white stone to give us admission in to the eternal feast in heaven. 0000007542 00000 n We dont have any record that they had been exposed to any powerful leadership, that they had been exposed to any great solid teaching. This city, Pergamos, was in a region of Asia Minor called Mysia. As we look at this third letter to the church at Pergamum or Pergamos, either is correct, we meet a church engaged in compromise.
Because so many of the witnesses who were faithful to Christ died, the word martus eventually became transliterated into English as martyr. He may have been kind of a pre-Gnostic, someone who believed he had entered in to ascended knowledge. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. His power was unleashed from this city and some in the Pergamos church had fallen victim to Satan and become thoroughly engulfed, enmeshed, and even married to the world. It is clear from the very letter which well study tonight as we go through it that Pergamos was compromising. We sent you an email. Balak, king of Moab, wanted to get rid of Israel. And what was worse, the saints were doing nothing about it, absolutely nothing. Jesus offers us something much more substantial. And this church has decided that it can maintain some kind of Christian credibility and also associate itself with the sins of the past. Thats where Pergamos was and thats why the Lord identifies Himself as the one with the sword. We cant verify that. Perhaps that was the throne of Satan. You never denied My name or My faith, even in the day of Antipas. The issues at stake are biblical.
There can be no intermarriage with unbelievers. There may be an associated cost but there is always an option. They were having to meet the enemy on his own ground, and it was not easy. Pergamos is a picture of any church that courts the world, any church that marries paganism in any form. It was shaped like a huge throne. Its not as impossible as we might believe to retain spiritual purity in the midst of spurious error. The believer. hb``f``f [P#0p4 qC1C#?P%MRGX^e}5jejD+Ko y endstream endobj 11 0 obj <> endobj 12 0 obj <> endobj 13 0 obj <>stream He is the one who wields the sword.
The synagogue of Satan, I might remark, was perverted Judaism. If you look back at what happened in the history of the church, you can understand this kind of thing. 0000010480 00000 n Now secondly, we look from the correspondent to the city itself. Bar rooms, drinking, wasting money, involved in all kinds of sin. I said, Well Ill be happy to meet him and confront him. So I called and set up an appointment for a meeting place. Then theres another thing He has against them. We want to deal with error in our fellowship. Pergamos obviously was a church made up of Gentiles, primarily, who had been converted out of paganism. 0000002248 00000 n And one of the wonders of the world, this magnificent altar to Zeus, the largest most famous altar in the world was there. It cuts everywhere it turns. Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. But here there were some people in the church saying you can be a Christian and worship idols. There were some people in this church saying its okay to intermarry, intermingle with the pagan system. I say it again, true faith is not fragile. His plot went like this, the Moabite women will move in among the Israelite men and the Moabite women will sexually seduce the Israelite men, suck them into intermarriage. He doesnt want panic. Theres some good things to say. Youre not putting them out of the church. It provided for their physical needs and sustained them through the long journey. What can He mean here? 0000013271 00000 n It was a question of being soft and tolerant to error. We always have options. This introduction of Christ is the right introduction for the church at Pergamos. Asklepios was the god of healing, and Asklepios was known all over the ancient world as the Pergamese god, the god most associated with Pergamos was Asklepios.