Message to the Church in Pergamos
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith
He which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
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.
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.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against
them with the sword of My mouth.
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 receiveth it.
Rev.2:12-17
Pergamos which means ‘citadel’ was the chief city of
Mysia, near the Caicus River in northwest Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
The city, situated opposite the island of Lesbos, and was
about 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the Aegean Sea.
Here we are to consider, the inscription of this “message.”
To whom it was sent:
To “the angel of the church of Pergamos.”
Who it was that sent this message to Pergamos:
The same Jesus Who here describes Himself as “One that hath the
sharp sword with two edges” (Rev. 1:16), ‘out of whose mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword.’
Some have observed that, in the several titles of
Christ which are prefixed to the several epistles, there is something suited to
the state of those churches; as in that to Ephesus, what could be more proper
to awaken and recover a drowsy and declining church than to hear Christ speaking
as “One that held
the stars in His hand, and walked in the midst of the golden candlesticks.” The church of Pergamos was infested with men of
corrupt minds, who did what they could to corrupt both the faith and manners of
the church; and Christ, being resolved to fight against them by ‘the sword of
His Word,’ takes the title of “Him that
hath the sharp sword with two edges.”
The Word of God is ‘a sword’; it is a weapon both
offensive and defensive, it is, in the hand of God, able to slay both sin and sinners.
It is ‘a sharp sword.’ No heart is so hard but it is
able to cut it; it can divide asunder between the soul and the spirit, that is,
between the soul and those sinful habits that by custom have become another
soul, or seem to be essential to it.
It is ‘a sword with two edges’; it turns and cuts
every way. There is the edge of the law against the transgressors of that
dispensation, and the edge of the gospel against the despisers of that
dispensation; there is an edge to make a wound, and an edge to open a festered
wound in order to its healing. There is no escaping the edge of this sword: if
you turn aside to the right hand, it has an edge on that side; if on the left
hand, you fall upon the edge of the sword on that side; it turns every way.
From the inscription we proceed to the contents of the
epistle, in which the method is much the same as is observed in the rest.
Here, Christ takes notice of the trials and difficulties
this church encountered:
“I know thy works, and where thou dwellest” (v. 13).
The works of God's servants are best known when the
circumstances under which they did those works are duly considered. Now that
which added very much lustre to the good works of this church was the
circumstance of the place where this church was planted, a place where Satan's
seat was. As our great Lord takes notice of all the advantages and
opportunities we have for duty in the places where we dwell, so He takes notice
of all the temptations and discouragements we meet with from the places where
we dwell, and makes gracious allowances for them. This people dwelt where
Satan's seat was, where he kept his court. Satan’s circuit is throughout the
world, but his seat is in some places that are infamous for wickedness, error,
and cruelty.
From the seat of the Roman governor in this city was a
most violent enforcement of laws that persecute Christians—this ‘seat of
persecution’ was Satan's seat.
The Lord commends the steadfastness of this church:
“Thou holdest fast My Name, and hast not denied My faith.”
Faithfulness comes by grace, we can only stand by
“grace.”
Faith has great influence upon faithfulness.
The fidelity of this church was seen from the
circumstance of the times, as well as of the place where they lived: they had
been steadfast even in those days wherein ‘Antipas His faithful martyr’ was
slain among them. He was a faithful disciple of Christ, he suffered martyrdom, his
faith and fidelity were sealed with ‘The Precious Blood of The Lamb’ in the
place where Satan dwelt; and though the rest of the believers there knew this,
and saw it, yet they were not discouraged nor drawn away from their
steadfastness: this is mentioned as an addition to their honor.
The Lord reproves them for their sinful failures
(verse 14):
“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there those
that hold the doctrine of Balaam” and those that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” There
were some who taught that it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, and
that fornication was no sin; they, by an impure worship, drew men into impure
practices, as Balaam did the Israelites.
He calls them to repentance:
“Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly” (v. 16).
In the conclusion of this epistle, there is the promise
of great favor to those that overcome.
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 receiveth it (v. 17 KJV).