Pergamum
Pergamum (312 - 590)
· 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp
sword with two edges;
The sharp, double-edged sword.
The double-edged sword represents the Word of God.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar-row, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
Compromise was the big problem for the church at Pergamum. It was caused by the merging of church
and state. The church at Pergamum allied itself with the world. In the early part of the third Century, the
Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian. He declared Rome a Christian Empire and required
everyone to become 'Christians'. This was the darkest hour of church history. (QUOTE) Most false
doctrines in Christendom are traceable to Constantine's edict that pagan Rome was to be a Christian
Empire. In effect, he united the church with paganism. Since that time, the church has adopted many
pagan customs and practices in order to make the pagans feel more comfortable with 'the faith'.
Christmas, Easter, Halloween/All Saints Day - Assimilation. (READ)
Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest
fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr,
who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
This particular church was located in a city run by heathen intellectuals - a city given over to idolatry and
temple worship of Athena, Caesar Augustus, Dionysus, Asklepios, Hadrian, and Zeus. Satan had a large
power base there and his rulers of darkness were a major force to be reckoned with. But these Christians
refused to surrender.
Today, it seems that people just don't care what is right and wrong anymore. All they care about is
themselves. (And obviously, the economy.)
Revelation 2:14-15 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Satan's attack from outside the church was failing, but he had a growing danger brewing inside the
church. In the church were two groups of people who called themselves Christians but did not measure
up. Both groups were very liberal on their view of what sin is.
Remember Balaam was the prophet who took money from a king named Balak to pronounce a curse on
Israel. God stopped Balaam, but eventually Balak continued to bribe Balaam. Balaam finally told Balak to
have women of his country intermarry with the Jews. These women could then tempt their Jewish
husbands to sin against God.
2 Corinthians 6:14 - The unequal yoke (READ)
There were those in the Pergamum church who were doing the same thing spiritually. They were
compromising with the world. They were liberal on sin and were enticing others to sin.
Then, there were the Nicolaitans. The believed that it did not matter what a person did in the flesh
because sin In the flesh had no effect on the spirit. They liked the idea of loose living and found a way to
ration-alize it away, but Jesus was not pleased.
The Bible teaches, by illustration, that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump’ (a pinch of yeast makes
the whole loaf rise), meaning that a little compromise would corrupt many people in the long run.
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
· 16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my
mouth.
The Israelites eventually killed Balaam with the sword. Jesus will use a sword, too. It will be the sword of
the Word of God. The Bible is our only authority and is our spiritual weapon against sin. It confronts the
sinner with his sin.
· 17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth saving he that re-ceiveth it.
Hidden manna – God fed Israel miraculously in the wilderness with manna from heaven. He will feed us
with spiritual manna – our souls will be fed.
John 6
35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst.
The white stone – The white stone is a reference to the way votes were cast at the courts of justice in John’
s day. When a case was tried, the jurors voted by dropping stones into an urn: black for guilty or white for
innocent. Jesus promises that overcomers will be found innocent when God judges all things. Because of
the shed blood of Jesus over-comes are set free from the penalty of sin.
The new name – that no one knows has many interpretations, but the most common one seems to be that
overcomes will receive a white stone bearing a secret name of Jesus, symbolizing that each one of us has
a special, intimate relationship with him. We will know him by a very personal name that no one else knows.
· 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp
sword with two edges;
The sharp, double-edged sword.
The double-edged sword represents the Word of God.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and mar-row, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.
Compromise was the big problem for the church at Pergamum. It was caused by the merging of church
and state. The church at Pergamum allied itself with the world. In the early part of the third Century, the
Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian. He declared Rome a Christian Empire and required
everyone to become 'Christians'. This was the darkest hour of church history. (QUOTE) Most false
doctrines in Christendom are traceable to Constantine's edict that pagan Rome was to be a Christian
Empire. In effect, he united the church with paganism. Since that time, the church has adopted many
pagan customs and practices in order to make the pagans feel more comfortable with 'the faith'.
Christmas, Easter, Halloween/All Saints Day - Assimilation. (READ)
Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest
fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr,
who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
This particular church was located in a city run by heathen intellectuals - a city given over to idolatry and
temple worship of Athena, Caesar Augustus, Dionysus, Asklepios, Hadrian, and Zeus. Satan had a large
power base there and his rulers of darkness were a major force to be reckoned with. But these Christians
refused to surrender.
Today, it seems that people just don't care what is right and wrong anymore. All they care about is
themselves. (And obviously, the economy.)
Revelation 2:14-15 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Satan's attack from outside the church was failing, but he had a growing danger brewing inside the
church. In the church were two groups of people who called themselves Christians but did not measure
up. Both groups were very liberal on their view of what sin is.
Remember Balaam was the prophet who took money from a king named Balak to pronounce a curse on
Israel. God stopped Balaam, but eventually Balak continued to bribe Balaam. Balaam finally told Balak to
have women of his country intermarry with the Jews. These women could then tempt their Jewish
husbands to sin against God.
2 Corinthians 6:14 - The unequal yoke (READ)
There were those in the Pergamum church who were doing the same thing spiritually. They were
compromising with the world. They were liberal on sin and were enticing others to sin.
Then, there were the Nicolaitans. The believed that it did not matter what a person did in the flesh
because sin In the flesh had no effect on the spirit. They liked the idea of loose living and found a way to
ration-alize it away, but Jesus was not pleased.
The Bible teaches, by illustration, that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump’ (a pinch of yeast makes
the whole loaf rise), meaning that a little compromise would corrupt many people in the long run.
1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Gal 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
· 16. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my
mouth.
The Israelites eventually killed Balaam with the sword. Jesus will use a sword, too. It will be the sword of
the Word of God. The Bible is our only authority and is our spiritual weapon against sin. It confronts the
sinner with his sin.
· 17. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth saving he that re-ceiveth it.
Hidden manna – God fed Israel miraculously in the wilderness with manna from heaven. He will feed us
with spiritual manna – our souls will be fed.
John 6
35 Jesus said unto them. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst.
The white stone – The white stone is a reference to the way votes were cast at the courts of justice in John’
s day. When a case was tried, the jurors voted by dropping stones into an urn: black for guilty or white for
innocent. Jesus promises that overcomers will be found innocent when God judges all things. Because of
the shed blood of Jesus over-comes are set free from the penalty of sin.
The new name – that no one knows has many interpretations, but the most common one seems to be that
overcomes will receive a white stone bearing a secret name of Jesus, symbolizing that each one of us has
a special, intimate relationship with him. We will know him by a very personal name that no one else knows.