We’re looking at the third church of what I believe was Asia minor at the time. These churches are being sent messages from the Lord through the apostle John in the book of Revelation.
We are in Revelation 2:12, and this letter to the church of Pergamum is following the same outline as the others do. It starts with a description of Christ. “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this.” Again, this sharp two-edged sword goes back to Revelation 1:16. What does it mean that He has a sharp two-edged sword coming from His mouth? Probably one of two things, perhaps they overlap, but it speaks of God’s words – the speaking of the Lord, the Word of God spoken by the Savior. It also can speak of His Word spoken in judgement. So, His Word, and also the issue of judgment, is in line with the sharp two-edged sword.
As He says to every one of the churches, He says, “I know.” Revelation 2: 13, “I know where you dwell,” I know where they live. He continues, “where Satan’s throne is,” we have a city that is just inundated with the corruption of the devil himself, “and you hold fast My name,” right there in the midst of all that corruption and the spiritual impurity and power they are standing fast. So, He is commending them for that. He continues, “and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas,” Antipas was apparently somebody who was martyred for the cause, “My witness, My faithful one who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” So, they had at least one individual there that has been martyred, but they stood fast. They held their faith and so the Lord commends them for standing in the midst of that kind of persecution.
Now, He moves on to His condemnations in Revelation 2:14. He says, “But I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.” So first, He has this against them – they are following the teachings of Balaam. Now, Balaam was the prophet back in the Old Testament. Remember his donkey talked to him – that’s his claim to fame. He tried to curse Israel and failed. God would not let him curse Israel. So, he taught Balak how to be a stumbling block to Israel by introducing immorality and idolatry to the people of Israel and it caused the people of Israel to stumble. So, we have this prophet who leads them into compromise with sin. They are listening to somebody like that who is causing them to compromise with the truth of God and compromise with sin. He also has something else against them in Revelation 2:15, He says, “So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” We saw them before. Probably a group that was taking the grace of God and used it as a license to sin. So, He is concerned about that as well.
So, what is the correction? In Revelation 2:16 it says, “Therefore repent,” just as He had said to the church at Ephesus. They needed to repent. They needed to recognize they were doing wrong, and they needed to switch directions. First, in their minds, change direction in their thinking and recognize that they are going in the direction of sin and desire to turn in the opposite direction and that should result in a changed life as well.
Now He is going to warn them, “or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.” So He tells them basically, “If you are not going to do the right thing, I am going to come and I am going to make war against those who are causing problems here.” So, these could be the false teachers and all those who have bought into these false teachings . . .
