seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
This was in the easy English stuff.
The city was on a hill. At the top, there was a special place for the worship of Zeus. Zeus was their chief god. The people in Pergamum had four main gods that they served. These were Zeus, Athene (a special female god), Dionysos and Asklepios. There was also a temple in Pergamum for the worship of the king of Rome.
The local rulers had the power of life and death. They could arrest and kill any person. But Jesus has the sharp sword. His sword cuts with both edges. The power of life and death belongs to Jesus and not to the rulers. They can only kill the body. But Jesus has the power of life and death of the whole person.
Antipas had been loyal to the Lord. He had refused to worship the king or the false gods. But he had spoken to the people about the Lord. They killed Antipas because he trusted in Jesus. Even then, the church did not deny Jesus. They were brave. They were even willing to die for Jesus.
Some people there did what Balaam taught Balak. The story of Balaam and Balak is in Numbers chapters 22 to 24. To make the Israelites weak, Balaam told Balak to tempt them with women (Numbers 31:16). The women would attract the men of Israel to worship their own false gods. This is how Balak tried to tempt the people of Israel.
These members did not want to be different from the other people in Pergamum. They were happy to eat the food of false gods. Perhaps they went to the temples of the false gods to eat. They did the same things as other people. They even had sex with those who did not trust in Jesus. They may have had sex with more than one partner. This is against what Jesus taught. It is sin.
The Lord also promises them a white stone. On that stone, there is a name. It is a new name and nobody else knows it.
In the law courts, a white stone meant a ‘not guilty’ decision. Jesus died for all people. He forgives all those who trust him. God is the judge and he will declare them ‘not guilty’.
This is odd.... it came from Enduring Word.Pergamos: This city was especially known as a center for the worship of the deity known as Asclepios. Represented by a serpent, Asclepios was the god of healing and knowledge. There was a medical school at his temple in Pergamos. Because of the famous temple to the Roman god of healing, sick and diseased people from all over the Roman Empire flocked to Pergamos for relief.
“Sufferers were allowed to spend the night in the darkness of the temple. In the temple there were tame snakes. In the night the sufferer might be touched by one of these tame and harmless snakes as it glided over the ground on which he lay. The touch of the snake was held to be the touch of the god himself, and the touch was held to bring health and healing.” (Barclay)
OK.... this was interesting. There were a couple of things going on in this church.
These people wanted to run with the crowd. They didn't want to be "different". When their friends went to see that X Rated movie... they wanted to go too. It was no fun hanging out with the guys when the friends were all talking about the movie... they couldn't watch.
Back when I was about 16 I lived in North Carolina with my Nannie and Papa. I walked through the woods behind our house to get to the Presbyterian Church. My uncle was a Presbyterian Preacher.... but this wasn't his church.... this was just a church that was close. Church and school were the only places I was allowed to go. Papa did all the grocery shopping... Nannie didn't drive. I did get to go to the Rexall Drug Store once.... to buy something I earned the money for. I was a "bad girl" in Puerto Rico where my dad was stationed. I skipped school and hung out at the beaches around San Juan. People pay great sums of money to do what I was doing for free. When I got caught.... well they decided I couldn't be around the kids in Puerto Rico.... one of the kids was the base commander's kid.... I was taking the fall. So... the only places I could go was church and school. I was "different".
There has been a lot of talk about "chosen". To be "chosen" is to be set aside. To be set aside.... that makes us "different".
According to the commentaries.... the problems in this church revolved around the people wanting to "jump off the cliff" if everyone else does.
Lately we have been discussing a lot of politics on these Social Media sites. People like to belong... they like to pick up the mantel of someone else, just so they can be part of the pack. Like dogs and horses.... humans are happier when they can run with the pack or the herd.
Look... I want to belong to the crowd too.... Pick a side... which gods do I belong to.... am I joining the crowd with a golden statue being rolled out onto the stage to be worshipped? Or do I plan on spending the night in a dark room packed with snakes to cure my illness?
The problem with the church in these verses..... they were on the edge of "jumping off a cliff" because they didn't want to be "different".
So no one has spoken up.... guess I'll go to the Quran next.... right?