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 Nicolaitanes, 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, or Pergamum, was located about forty miles north-east of Smyrna on the imperial highway running along the coast of Asia. Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos were rivals for first place among the cities of the province and also of Asia Minor.

The city was named for the lofty hill on which the ancient city was built. The name therefore means tower, height, or elevation, and carries with it the idea of exaltation. It was the exalted city. The name also indicates a union as through marriage. Because of its natural defences the city of Pergamos was considered an impregnable stronghold.

A Famous City

For 250 years Pergamos was the official capital of the province. It was also the seat of the Commune of Asia. From Pergamos the decrees of the Caesars were executed throughout the province. This gives force and meaning to Christ's introduction to the ecclesia of Pergamos: These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges. The broad double-bladed Roman sword was known as the cut and thrust sword. It was the emblem of the highest official authority, carrying with it the power of life and death, and this power was vested in the proconsuls of the province, who lived at Pergamos. The governor wielded the sword of Rome from this impregnable fortress.

Pergamos was also the seat of a Roman Supreme Court. To this city prisoners were brought for trial from all parts of the province, and were sentenced by the power that ministered life and death to all. Therefore the sword that proceeded out of the mouth of Christ is a symbol of His judicial authority. He too wields the power of life and death to all who hear His message. His Word is, “quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”(Heb.4:12). The One who has all power and authority speaks to the ecclesia located in the city where official authority and power dwells.

Throne of Satan

Jesus said to His people in Pergamos, “I know where you dwell, even where Satan’s seat is, or where Satan sits enthroned.” Throne is a better rendering than seat, for the same original is translated throne in Rev.1:4 and 3:21. The capital of the province was also the headquarters of the pagan religion of the province, for in all ancient nations church and state were united. The ruler of the state was also the head of the religion of the state. Politics and religion seem to mix successfully only when the religion is false.

Satan is known in the Scriptures as that old serpent, doubtless because the serpent was the agent in bringing about the fall of man. The symbol of poison and sin and death was now in the midst of this ecclesia

Jesus recognised the evil environments under which the members of the ecclesia of Pergamos lived. There was a saying among the Jews that where the law of God is not obeyed, there Satan dwells. The Christians of Pergamos lived at the very headquarters of Satan, the man of sin and lawlessness whose religion is the mystery of iniquity. The fact that they were in such close proximity to Satan was no excuse for failure or defeat, for where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. The circumstances under which we live are taken into consideration in the judgment. There is no use attempting to escape entirely from the environment of evil in this world. God often places His people under very unfavourable conditions that they might be shining lights among those who sit in darkness. The ecclesia of Pergamos could not escape the situation, and Satan refused to surrender his stronghold.

Not only does Pergamos carry the meaning of power and exaltation, but it also indicates union through marriage. The Greek word gamos means marriage. Satan had failed to crush the ecclesia and destroy Christianity through persecution, and he therefore changed his policy. Christianity had won its great struggle with paganism, and Satan, as it were, joined the ecclesia in order to ruin it from within through amalgamation with the world. When Satan failed to accomplish his purpose through violence, he corrupted the ecclesia through immorality and worldly alliance. So we see that Pergamum was in sharp contrast to Smyrna. Smyrna endured external persecution and Pergamum faced internal enticement and corruption. For the disciple it is either intimidation or enticement. It is either the violence of a roaring lion or the corruption of an angel of light. Pergamum is the ecclesia that is being undermined by corrupt practices and corrupt teachings.

During this time Paul's warnings applied and his prophecies were fulfilled (Acts 20:29,30; 2 Thess.2:24). Pagan beliefs and practices were brought into the ecclesia, and Christianity was so changed by external influences that it virtually became baptised paganism. Will the prophecy again be fulfilled just before the end, when the message to the ecclesia of Pergamos will again be applicable and meaningful?

Praise

In this ecclesia of compromise and apostasy Christ had loyal followers who held fast to His name without denying the faith, even though they lived where Satan dwelleth. Jesus commended these faithful disciples. Antipas, one of the saints who suffered martyrdom in the city of Pergamos is set forth as a symbol, or representative, of all the faithful of that period. This is the only mention of Antipas in the New Testament, but no other reference is necessary to make him a real character. He was doubtless a prominent leader in the ecclesia, and probably a prominent brother.

Some believe that Antipas means against all. More probably it means the father or parent of opposition and indicates that he stood out and opposed all that was taking place in connection with the practices of Satan, and the doctrines of the Nicolaitans and of Balaam, and for this reason he was martyred. Antipas stood against all compromise with the world and sealed his faith with his blood. This was the fate of all that stood out against the marriage of Christianity with the world.

Rebuke

Jesus asserted that He had some things against the Pergamos believers, mainly because they were accepting the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. The language indicates that worldliness and apostasy were rapidly gaining ground. In the Ephesian ecclesia Christians refused to tolerate evildoers, and they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Here they not only tolerated them in their midst but listened to their teachings. There were some that held the doctrine of Balaam. Balac was the king of Moab, and Balaam was the prophet of God who turned traitor to secure worldly gain and kingly favours. He is definitely symbolic of the compromises in the Pergamos ecclesia and he set a trap for the children of Israel so as to entice them into the twofold sin of idolatry and fornication, which always go hand in hand (Acts15:20), Jezebel etc.

Idolatry in any form is disloyalty to God. Balaam is here represented as the prototype of all corrupt teachers (Num.25:1, 2; 31:15, 16). Just as Balaam bartered his religion for wealth and honour, so some within the ecclesia exchanged religious purity, for worldly gain, making the ecclesia of God not only a house of merchandise but also watering down the faith.

Nikalaos means those who conquer the people. The forces were working that finally conquered the ecclesia and turned it into a system in which the officials exalted themselves to positions of power and authority over the flock. They presumed to take the place of the priesthood in Judaism and carried that into the ecclesia. It is said that Balaam in the Hebrew language has practically the same meaning as Nicalos, or Nikalaos, in the Greek. Therefore the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans are mentioned together because of their similarity. There were not necessarily two different groups in the ecclesia but may just have been one with elements of both who were apostatising and lording it over the flock. It seems both of these false teachings worked together. One appealed to physical lust, and the other to the ambition for power.

As Israel of old was deceived, entrapped, and corrupted by the doctrines and practices of Balaam. So also were the believers at Pergamos contaminated by the teachings and practices of these modern Balaamites who had refused to obey the decision of the Jerusalem council (Acts15:20,29) condemning idolatry and fornication, but rather they encouraged a return to the lax moral standards of the Gentiles. The Lord exposes both the error of immorality and spiritual superiority within the ecclesia and calls for repentance.

Repent

“Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth,” was the warning, or threat, of Christ to Pergamos. The entire ecclesia was called upon to repent, indicating that all had been affected by the developing apostasy. The threat, however, was against those who had accepted and were teaching the false doctrines. I will contend with such men with words that will cut like a sword, is the modern translation. There must be no delay in the work of repentance and reformation. They must repent at once. Jesus virtually said: If you do not repent and reform at once, I will fight these apostates and compromisers with the sword of My mouth.

It was with a drawn sword that the Lord withstood Balaam to thwart his evil purpose against Israel of old. So Christ here represents Himself as standing before the Pergamos with a drawn sword threatening all who refuse to take heed to His cutting message with the fate of the ancient false prophet who was slain by the sword of Israel, which was in reality the sword of the Lord.

Hidden Manna

As an incentive to repent, Christ offers access to the hidden manna and also a white stone containing the overcomer’s divinely given new name describing his new character. A pot of manna was placed in the Ark of the Covenant in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary, as a pledge that all who obey the law will be fed (Heb:9:3,4). This became known as the hidden manna, because it was hidden from all except the high priest. Christ declared Himself to be the real manna or bread of life (John 6:26-63). He said that only those who eat of the living Bread that came down from heaven could have eternal life.

In the same wilderness where Balaam tempted ancient Israel, the Lord fed His people with angel’s food. This bread of heaven was secretly provided during the night. The promise is that all that resist the temptations of evil will enter the secret place of the most High and experience a close and lasting fellowship with the Bread of Life. Just as the manna was hidden in the unapproachable holy of holies of the earthly sanctuary, so Christ is hidden from our view in the heavenly sanctuary. The hidden Manna was incorruptible for it was Gods provision for the Sabbath rest (Ex.16:22-25). But the faithful still have access to him. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee,” said the Psalmist. This is the antidote to false doctrine.

White Stone

Reference to the white stone is doubtless borrowed from one or more of several well-known customs in which white stones or pebbles were used. William Ramsay wrote: The truth is that the white pebble with the New Name was not an exact reproduction of any custom or thing in the social usage of the time. It was a new conception, devised for this new purpose; but it was only a working up into a new form of familiar things and customs, and it was therefore completely intelligible to every reader in the Asian Churches. It had analogies with many things, though it was not an exact reproduction of any of them.

All who lived in Pergamos, the capital of the judicial system of the province, were acquainted with the custom of judges in using white and black stones, or pebbles, in making their decisions, the white standing for acquittal and the black for condemnation. The divine promise is that Christian victors will be given the decision of acquittal by the Supreme Court of heaven (compare the Urim and Thumim).

White stones also were given to gladiators who were victorious in athletic contests in Greece and Rome. The name of the victor was inscribed in the white stone, and this entitled him to special privileges, including maintenance at public expense the remainder of his life. This stone was called the pebble of victory. White is the colour of innocence, purity, joy, and victory. The white stone given to the overcomer not only is symbolic of victory but also indicates a pledge of an eternal friendship with Christ.

The promise indicates that the victor over sin will be given a new name to describe his new character; and that he will be given angels food, and have right to the tree of life. Taking into consideration all the implications of the hidden manna and the white stone, this is precious promise, and should be a great incentive to repent. This exceeding great and precious promise is just as verily for us as for the members of the ecclesia at Pergamos.