“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”’”

The Seven Churches – Refining Judgement

Before delving into this week’s passage, I need to address a slight error I made in last week’s outline for Revelation 2:8-11. Verse 9 says,

“I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

Concerning the synagogue of Satan I wrote,

“I’ve heard some make reference to a large pagan temple in Smyrna as being the referenced ‘synagogue of Satan’…”

What I went on to write regarding these Jews who were persecuting the early church was accurate, however I got this matter of the synagogue of Satan and pagan temples mixed up – what I was thinking of was Satan’s throne, which is referred to in today’s passage. We’ll discuss this further as we work through verses 12-17 today, but before diving in I wanted to clarify my error. We transition now to looking at the third of the seven churches addressed by Christ, Pergamum. Ephesus, the first church, bore up well in the face of false teaching, and enjoyed an environment with minimal persecution, yet was stumbling due to abandoning their first love and was at risk of losing their status as a church altogether. Smyrna, the second church, which we looked at last week, was doing incredibly well from a spiritual standpoint, and is one of only two of the seven to receive no correction from Jesus. However they suffered greatly in the face of poverty, persecution, and even faced death. Now, as we look to Pergamum we see a different set of triumphs and shortcomings than what’s been displayed previously – and through this, there’s a clear image created of the refining, purifying edge that is the judgement of God.

1. Judgement Defends

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.”

The flesh holds a seemingly infinite number of stumbling blocks for the believer. Proverbs 2:6 says,

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…”

And Proverbs 3:5–8 tells us,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

We do not understand by our own wisdom, we don’t comprehend through our own knowledge or perception – Truth is manifested, and made complete in God. It is by His Spirit, through His Light that we gain true understanding of anything, but particularly, things pertaining to Him. The idea that God is One, yet also existing and acting as the Father, Son, and Spirit defies human understanding – nothing can be one, and three, but also still one. Yet this is the case, and this is something that we get to see illustrated again and again as Jesus pulls from His attributes that are listed in chapter one of Revelation to introduce Himself and His authority to each of the seven churches. To Pergamum He says that He is the One, “who has the sharp two-edged sword.” We see the image of the sharp two-edged sword referenced elsewhere in Scripture. Hebrews 4:12–13 says,

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Jesus who is the Word, who is the Sword, and who is the Wielder of the Sword, is the one speaking. We don’t have to delve deeply into first century weaponry to understand the context and implications of the sword having two edges – a single edged blade cuts in one direction at a time, while a two-edged sword holds greater maneuverability and versatility. We could see this symbolically of Jesus holding the authority of both the Father and the Son simultaneously, or we can understand it as our God being the One who holds the weapon that can both attack and defend, perfectly, at the same time. And this is the first thing that we can see in today’s passage, and from the church at Pergamum – how Christ whose Word is the Sword defends.

“I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

Scripture affirms the power that Satan holds within the fallen world.

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 says,

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Ephesians 2:1–2 tells us,

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

And twice in John’s gospel, Jesus calls Satan “the ruler of this world,” when speaking to his coming judgement, John 12:31,

“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

and John 16:8–11

“And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

But Satan has no authority that God does not permit him to have. We have to be careful in how we handle this, because God has nothing to do with sin, He does not cause it, does not tempt toward it – He does however allow it, as He permitted us to choose it in the garden and rebel against Him. He also, in His righteous perfection, can use sin and the plans of the enemy to His glory. Remember that Satan wanted Jesus to go to the cross, it was his influence and spirit that guided Judas Iscariot in his greed to betray his Messiah and see Him sentenced to death. And so we see the church at Pergamum, enduring where Satan dwells, persevering in the shadow of his very throne. Something seen throughout the Roman empire was a sort of deification of Caesar. It seems that for some, this was a sort of obligatory worship, done in the midst of other pagan, polytheistic practices, while other cities took great pride in their worship of the emperor. It makes sense, as whether out of sincere patriotism, or simply a desire to gain favor, being known for your zeal for Caesar could only help your region’s standing with the empire. Pergamum it seems was a city that placed great emphasis on their worship of Caesar, and for the monotheistic, evangelical Christians, this was a clear point of persecution. This lets us see the pagan, self-worshiping spirit of Satan at work in this place, but there is another feature that lends the city to being called the place where Satan’s throne rests, and that is the altar of Zeus. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:18–21,

“Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”

At best, idol worship is simply offerings made to nothing, to empty air, as God says in Jeremiah 10:5,

“Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.”

This is in no way good, that anyone should take what is rightly God’s and give it to nothing, but it is considerably worse to take what is rightly God’s and give it to demons. The Greeks had a god they worshiped for just about everything – the sun, and moon, and sea, for concepts like beauty, and justice, and war, and one for wine. And at their head, the one they revered as “king of the gods,” was Zeus, the god of thunder. I’d never considered this before, but if all the pagan gods are demonic, and Zeus is considered foremost among them, then would that not equate Zeus with Satan? And here, as the central figure in Pergamum, was a massive altar dedicated to Zeus, remnants of which remain to this day, housed in a museum in Germany. This all paints the picture, it sets the stage for what those at the church at Pergamum faced – this was in no way a hospitable or welcoming environment, but would have been one where they faced opposition from all sides. Smyrna faced the news that martyrdom was coming for some of them – Pergamum already has a history of at least one prominent martyr, Antipas, whom Jesus calls His “faithful witness.” In this environment, surrounded by enemies and oppression, the church has known protection, holding fast to the name of Jesus. Christ is our Rock, our Foundation – without Him we are nothing, less than nothing in fact, without Him we are lost in our own wickedness. But when we take His name up as our standard, when we refuse to deny Truth despite our peril, we know spiritual safety and protection through His righteous judgement. Job 2:4–10 says,

“Then Satan answered the LORD and said, ‘Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die. But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

Despite losing his home, his wealth, his children, and now his health, Job refuses to malign the name of God. Sitting alone in the ashes of the city trash heap, scraping his sores, he maintains his commitment to what is true – in all things, God is good. This can be hard for us, in the limited perception we have, to always remember that God is for us and will deliver us, despite our present suffering. As He says in Deuteronomy 32:35–36,

“‘Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone        and there is none remaining, bond or free.”

And Psalm 34:19–22 promises,

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked,               and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.”

Despite our current condition, despite our present suffering, we are kept safe by the sword of judgement that comes from the mouth of our God.

2. Judgement Divides

“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

Those at Pergamum are holding fast to the name of Christ under the weight of their persecution – but they are not, as those in Smyrna are, holding up without fault. They are tolerating, not just bad, but some of the worst teaching we could possibly imagine. First we see that some follow in the footsteps of Balaam. Numbers 22-24 gives the account of Balak, king of Moab, who sends for the prophet Balaam to curse the people of Israel. After four attempts, where each time, God turns the curse into a blessing Numbers 24:25 says,

“Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.”

Numbers 25, picks up with the men of Israel beginning to intermingle with the daughters of Moab and subsequently beginning to worship Baal, but we don’t hear about Balaam again until Numbers 31:8 which says,

“They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.”

And then further clarification from Moses as to Balaam’s role in the seduction of the men of Israel in Numbers 31:15–16,

“Moses said to them, ‘Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD.”

We get even more insight on this from New Testament passages like what we see from Jesus in today’s section, 2 Peter 2:15,

“Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing…”

And Jude 10–13 which says,

“But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

Jude’s words give us a new scope for just how terrible Balaam’s crimes against God were, that he is placed in the same company as Cain who committed the first murder, and Korah, who sought to cast down Moses and Aaron and set himself and his followers up over Israel. To be in the same spirit as Balaam is to be a hidden reef waiting to sink ships, a greedy shepherd who neglects his flock, an insubstantial cloud that brings no rain, a worthless, uprooted tree that bears no fruit – it is a poison, a cancer, treacherous and blasphemous, and it has no place within the church. The discerning judgement given by Christ has no place for this within the bride, no tolerance for teaching and practice that dishonors God. We also see that some within the church at Pergamum hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans – the ones whose teaching Jesus praised those at Ephesus for hating, as He hates this Gnostic, blasphemous heresy too. The fact that Pergamum is holding fast under persecution is a beautiful, admirable thing, but these issues that we see here are certain death for those who practice them, and a serious compromise in the standing and mission of the church. As Christians, we’re called to love our enemies, but this does not mean permitting them to peddle heresy within the church, to teach practices that lead to ruin and hinder the sharing of the gospel and the sanctification of the bride of Christ. There must be discernment, judgement, and division – wheat from chaff, goats from sheep, fruit of the Spirit from works of the flesh.

“Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Last week we discussed the armor of God as it relates to the “crown of life” that Jesus promised to those in Smyrna who were faithful unto death. This week we return to that passage to look at the final piece of armor. Ephesians 6:14–18 says,

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…”

The two-edged sword that come from the mouth of Christ, the sword that is the Word of God, that is a piece of the armor that belongs to God Himself, is the same sword that He has given us, equipped us with as He dresses us in His own armor so that we may stand victorious in Him in the spiritual war we face in this life. This isn’t something we’re given for ceremony or decoration, we’re meant to use this weapon that God has blessed us with – we are meant to cut, to divide, to discern. One of the most cherrypicked Bible verses is Matthew 7:1 which says,

“Judge not, that you be not judged.”

When taken by itself (and therefore out of context), the world loves this verse, because it’s taken to mean that we as Christians can’t judge anything that anyone does without disobeying the Bible we adhere to. But if we back up and read the rest of the passage the whole thing makes much more sense. In verses 2–5 Jesus goes on to say,

“For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

Something to consider, that may further aid in our comprehension here is Jude 9 which says,

“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’”

If my friend, neighbor, or brother in Christ is entangled in their sin, caught up in (to use an obvious example) adultery, I can’t say to them that what they’re doing is wrong because I think it’s wrong. I can’t say that based on my witness, on my judgement they’re condemned to hell. The sin is against God, the judgement that I’m using to discern their life, and my own life so that I might not be found a hypocrite, is not my own thought or will or knowledge, but that of God. But, if I have the knowledge of the Word, if I’m given the sword of the Spirit, I also can’t look upon this person’s adultery and say, “Oh well, who am I to judge?” as if there is no sin, as if under the direction of Matthew 7:1 I have to act as though I have no knowledge of right and wrong. Jesus doesn’t say to only worry about what’s in your own eye and leave your brother to himself, but rather,

“first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

When confronting sin in our lives and within our respective churches, we all have the same choice as those in Pergamum. When infiltrated or compromised, we can repent, we can use the sword that God has given us, we can divide good from bad teaching, judge wheat from tares, and we can obediently pursue what God has set before us – or God will do it for us.

3. Judgement Preserves

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna…”

Each of the seven churches finds themselves in a unique, if not similar position. Some better, some worse, but all are called to obedience, whether they’re returning to it, or maintaining it. Each church is given the promise of a reward to the one who obeys, to “the one who conquers.” The first thing we see promised to the conquerors at Pergamum is some of the hidden manna. In Exodus we see the manna, the bread from heaven that God provided for His people in the wilderness. To piece together the accounts, Exodus 16:4–5 says,

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.’”

and Exodus 16:11–18 says,

“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.”’ In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.  And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. This is what the LORD has commanded: “Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.”’ And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.”

Despite the people’s grumbling, and greed this was perfect provision from God, meeting the needs of His people. But while this manna satisfied and nourished physically, it was not perfect. After the feeding of the 5,000, when the people follow Jesus looking for what He can offer them in a material sense, He says to them in John 6:47–51,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Jesus is the hidden manna, His body, broken and offered up for us that we may live eternally in His presence is what those at Pergamum, and all who follow Him are offered if we submit, obey, and conquer flesh, and sin, and death in His name.

“and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

The matter of the white stone is interesting – this is something that was commonly given to the winners at games, essentially serving as an entry token to the victory banquet. This would symbolize invitation and inclusion to the marriage supper of the Lamb that we’ll read about later in Revelation. A white stone was also something used by jurors in a trial to vote for acquittal, showing that Jesus is providing something to those who conquer that proves He has called them innocent. What intrigues me more though, is this idea of a new name that only the recipient knows. Names are interesting things. It’s always interesting to me when a secular work strikes deeply at a Biblical truth or principle. I read a fantasy series when I was younger, and a few more times through the years (the kind with dragons, elves, magic, and battling armies), where when a group aligned with the protagonist realizes that their allies have betrayed them, they cause their names to be erased. These evil betrayers, without any identifiable title, deprived of birth name, nicknames, or any new names lost their identities altogether. Without a name, there was no self, and all agency, independence – who they were entirely, was gone. Your name is more than just the thing that you’re called, it’s your identifier, it’s who you are. The world, which denies Truth, and treats words like moldable, conditional things, also struggles with names. There are many who call themselves Christians who are not. There are many who will call the righteous all kinds of despicable names, simply to slander and malign them. What Jesus is promising is to give a name that only He can give, because only He can see us, and thus name us as He does, entirely in Truth. When God sends Samuel to anoint David as king of Israel, 1 Samuel 16:6–7 says,

“When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’”

This promised new name is perfect, because it comes from God, and God is perfect. He understands us entirely, and He names us in Truth in a way that the world never could. This new name also shows the promise of how we will be made like Christ. John wrote in 1 John 3:2,

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

If we look ahead we see in Revelation 19:11–12 how this matter of names shows us a likeness to Christ,

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.”

This new name is Jesus calling us to Him, making us like Him. This is where the judgement of Christ, the discerning, dividing sword calls His children – out of darkness and persecution, away from blasphemous teaching and deceptive traps, and into His presence for eternity.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnY0BcDSLfg