¹² “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.¹³ “‘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. ¹⁴ 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 andpractice sexual immorality. ¹⁵ So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ 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.’

The third letter that Christ sends to the churches is addressed to the church in Pergamum. The is was yet another great city in Asia Minor, rivaling those of Ephesus and Smyrna, the recipients of the previous letters. The city was known for its love of education and contained the largest and most famous library of the ancient world apart from the great library of Alexandria. Noted for its natural hot springs and healing temples, the city was a favorite vacation spot for Caesar Augustus and as a result became a major center for the worship of the Roman emperor. Finally, the city was filled with religious shrines and temples, with the worship of Dionysus (the god of wine and revelry) and Asclepius (the savior-god of healing, depicted as a snake) being the most prominent. To the church in this great city, Jesus presents Himself as the one “who has the two edged sword.”

As we have noted previously, Jesus demonstrates His intimate knowledge of each church by describing the current circumstances in which they find themselves. To the church in Pergamum he first commends their faithfulness in light of the dark reality that they reside in the place where Satan has his throne. This nefarious description is probably a reference to the temples on the hill outside of the city, one of which was in the form of the throne of Zeus, the “father” of the gods. Pergamum was a center of pagan worship and the imperial cult, both of which led to the persecution of believers throughout the empire at various times. This had clearly already occurred in Pergamum as a result of Satanic activity. As Jesus points out, the believers of this church had held fast to his name even though one of their own, Antipas, had been martyred within the city. Although the church had experienced persecution, they had maintained a faithful witness to Christ.

In spite of these things, however, Christ condemns the church for the beliefs and teachings of some of their assembly. In order to describe these teachings, Christ references the OT character Balaam, describing these people as those who hold to his “teachings.” In particular, these people  saw no issue with believers taking part in pagan idolatrous practices and engaging in sexually immoral conduct. While no one in the church would have identified themselves with Balaam, they had fallen under the influence of the Nicolatians whose practices mirrored those of Israel in Numbers 25 which describes when they were deceived by the Moabites and led away in the idolatry and sexual sin. While many in the church at Pergamum were faithful, they had allowed some who held these beliefs to remain in the church rather than calling them to repent of their sin or to face church discipline.

Jesus’ promise was that if the church did not repent, then He would come and war against them with the sword of His mouth. The sword of His Word can bring healing to the repentant, but it can also bring judgment upon the unrepentant. Those involved in these sinful practices must turn from them and embrace the forgiveness that Christ has purchased for them and the church as a whole must repent of the damage they have caused to their collective witness by tolerating such sinful practices.

For those who overcome, Jesus promises to give them some of “the hidden mana” and “a white stone with a new name written on the stone.” Both of these promises call the faithful to be reminded of the intimacy and fellowship that Christ offers to His people. Following the arrival in the promised land, the only mana that remained in existence was kept in a jar in the Ark of the Covenant which was utterly inaccessible to the people of God. In Christ, however, believers have full access into the Most Holy Place and into the very presence of God. As for the white stone, believers have a new identity in Christ that will be fully realized in His presence forever where their name is forever associated with His name. 

Idolatry and immorality are grave dangers to the church at all times and in all places. We are called to know and worship God, finding our identity, joy, and satisfaction in Him alone. What we do with our God-given sexuality is one of the key ways that we worship either Christ or idols. The letter to the church at Pergamum calls the churches to examine themselves to see if, even in the midst of faithful witness to the name of Christ, there are traces of idolatry and immorality that need to be identified and repented of.

Join us this Sunday as we gather to hear the words of the Great Prophet to the churches. May the two-edged sword that comes from His mouth be used to defend us and bring us healing as we examine ourselves before Him!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas