Letter to the Church
of Pergamos
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Let's pray:
Our Lord God,
May our study of the letter to the church of Pergamos help us to better appreciate Your
prophetic Word, to better understand Your will for each one of us, and also to better
serve You.
We ask You all these things, not by virtue of our merits, but rather by the merits of Your
only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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Revelation 1:9-11
«What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven
churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos (...).»
The third letter is addressed to the church of Pergamos.
The origin of the name «Pergamos» is uncertain, but «Exalted city», «Citadel» and
«Acropolis» seem to be some of its derived meanings.
Capital of the Roman province of Asia for two centuries, Pergamos was also, since the 3rd
century B.C., a center of cultural and intellectual Greek life.
It had a library containing 200,000 scrolls, competing with Alexandria's library.
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Revelation 2:12
To the angel of the church in Pergamos write,
«These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.»
Revelation 1:16
Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His
countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
Just like the previous ones, this letter begins with a portrait of Jesus taken
from John's initial vision.
What does the sharp two-edged sword mean? The answer to this question will help us to
understand the message of this letter.
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Ephesians 6:17
Take (...) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The sharp two-edged sword symbolizes the Word of God.
So it seems that the condition of Pergamos requires the use of the Word of God to bring
this church back to the right path.
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Revelation 2:12
These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.
First, let's look at the local application of the letter to the church of
Pergamos.
As early as 29 B.C., Pergamos distinguished itself by becoming the site of the first
worship of a living Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus.
As the religious capital of Asia Minor, it accomodated temples for many oriental
religions. One of its pagan temples, dedicated to Aesculapius, god of healing, received
thousands of pilgrims each year.
Error mixed with truth thus justified the intervention of the sharp two-edged sword, the
Word of God.
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Revelation 2:12
These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.
The letter also gives a precise prophecy about the Church.
Indeed, when Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity in A.D. 313, persecution came
to an end. From the status of forbidden sect, the Church rose to a position of undisputed
popularity and power.
From 313 to 538, it imposed itself in Western Europe, both on religious and political
levels.
To succeed, it became flexible regarding doctrine: however, all the compromises made
resulted in a sad mixture of Christianity and paganism.
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Revelation 2:13
I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's
throne is.
And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas
was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Pergamos thus symbolizes the Compromising Church.
Although it held fast to the name of Jesus and the main elements of Christian faith, which
is its only positive point, it allowed paganism to invade it, because of its craving for
domination over people of all beliefs.
This is why Jesus now looks upon it as the place «where Satan
dwells».
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«You hold fast to My name, and did not deny My
faith.» (Revelation 2:13)
However, the councils held by the Church between the years A.D. 313 and 538
reaffirmed some of the great biblical truths about Jesus Christ:
- The Nicea Council, in 325, concluded
that Jesus is fully God.
- The Constantinople Council, in 381,
concluded that, in addition to being fully God, Jesus is fully human.
- The Ephesus Council, in 431, concluded
that Jesus combines within Himself full divinity and full humanity.
- The Chalcedonia Council, in 451,
concluded that the divine nature and the human nature of Jesus, though combined in a
single person, are nevertheless distinct one from the other.
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Revelation 2:13
[You] did not deny My faith even in the days in which
Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Acts 22:20
And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I
also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were
killing him.
Let's also notice how Jesus talks about the persecutions as a period that is
now over.
The Church has no longer faithful martyrs dying for Jesus, like Antipas (about whom few
things are known), and Stephen.
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Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because you have
there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual
immorality.
To describe what happened in the Compromising Church, from 313 to 538, Jesus
compares this age with the work of Balaam, a prophet of God who was overcame by a craving
for power and wealth.
By studying the life of Balaam, we will better understand the meaning of this comparison.
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Numbers 24:10,11
Then Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he
struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam,
«I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these
three times! Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in
fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.»
The story of Balaam is simple.
Balak, king of Moab, asked him to pronounce a curse upon the people of Israel. Balaam
failed because, at each attempt, a blessing came out of his mouth.
So Balaam suggested another strategy to Balak: the corruption of Israel through the women
of Moab.
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Numbers 25:1-3
The people [of Israel] began to commit harlotry with the
women of Moab.
They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down
to their gods.
So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against
Israel.
The strategy of Balaam, whose name means «Devourer of the people», was very
effective.
The women of Moab introduced their pagan rites among the people of Israel, who then lost
God's approval.
But how does this story describe the Compromising Church, from A.D. 313 to 538?
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2 Peter 2:15
They have forsaken the right way and gone astray,
following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.
By craving for domination over people of all beliefs, the Church was willing to
«convert to Christianity» many pagan doctrines and rites. So:
- in 307, baptism by sprinkling replaced baptism by immersion;
- in 321, the day of rest was changed from Sabbath to Sunday;
- in 375, worship of saints began;
- in 400, worship of the dead was instituted;
- in 416, the Church began to baptize babies;
- in 432, worship of the Virgin Mary began.
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Revelation 2:15
Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Revelation 2:1,6
To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, «(...) But
this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.»
Another negative aspect of Pergamos was its attachment to the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, distorting God's grace, unlike the church of Ephesus which was fighting
against this same doctrine (see the lesson «Letter to
the Church of Ephesus»).
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Revelation 2:16
Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight
against them with the sword of My mouth.
Isaiah 49:2
He has made My mouth like a sharp sword.
Jesus was patient with Pergamos, which symbolizes the Compromising Church of
the years 313 to 538.
He invited it to repent, to come back to the Word of God, before this same Word became for
the Church a judgment tool in the mouth of Jesus and His faithful servants.
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Revelation 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches. «To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.»
Exodus 16:14,15,31
And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface
of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
So when the children 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, «This is the bread which the Lord has
given you to eat.» (...)
And the house of Israel called its name Manna.
To Israel recently come out of Egypt, a pagan nation which darkened the beliefs
of God's people, God gave manna.
Likewise, God promises the hidden manna to him who overcomes Pergamos' confusion.
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Revelation 2:17
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna
to eat.
Deuteronomy 8:3
So [the Lord your God] humbled you, allowed you to
hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He
might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
The promise of manna first reminds us of our complete dependence upon God, both
physically (bread) and spiritually (the Word of God).
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John 6:31-35
«Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is
written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat."»
Then Jesus said to them, «Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread
from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is
He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.»
Then they said to Him, «Lord, give us this bread always.»
And Jesus said to them, «I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.»
The promised manna is also the promise of everlasting life that God offers us
in Jesus Christ.
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Exodus 16:33,34
And Moses said to Aaron, «Take a pot and put an omer of
manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.»
As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
Hebrews 9:4
In [the ark of the covenant] were the golden pot that had
the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
Finally, the hidden manna is the manna kept inside the ark of the covenant,
beside the element which Pergamos neglected so much: the Ten Commandments.
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Revelation 2:17
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna
to eat. And I will give him a white stone.
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
in Christ Jesus.
In the Greco-Roman courts, a stone was given to the defendant by way of
verdict: a black stone if guilty, a white stone if innocent.
The promised white stone thus completely clears those who overcome in Jesus.
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Revelation 2:17
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna
to eat.
And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows
except him who receives it.
Isaiah 56:5
Even to them I will give in My house and within My walls
a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting
name that shall not be cut off.
Finally, Jesus promises a new name to him who overcomes in the church of
Pergamos.
According to the Bible, what are the implications of changing one's name?
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In the Bible, a change of name indicates a new destiny:
«No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your
name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.» (GENESIS 17:5)
«Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God
and with men, and have prevailed.» (GENESIS 32:28)
«In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name
by which she will be called: "The Lord our righteousness".» (JEREMIAH 33:16)
«The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will designate. (...) It will no longer
be said of you, "Forsaken", nor to your land will it any longer be said,
"Desolate"; but you will be called "My delight is in her", and your
land, "Married"; for the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be
married.» (ISAIAH 62:2,4 - New American Standard Version)
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2 Corinthians 6:14,15,17
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with
darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has the believer with an
unbeliever? (...)
Therefore «Come out from among them and be separate,» says the Lord. «Do not touch what
is unclean, and I will receive you.»
Now, what is the personal application of the letter to the church of Pergamos?
To keep one's beliefs is often a lot more difficult than to yield to compromise. But Jesus
invites us to always remain faithful to Him in all things.
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Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the
one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
The Compromising Church, symbolized by Pergamos, tried to serve both God and
its craving for power. A vile mixture of paganism and Christianity was thus created.
We must avoid this dangerous trap in our life.
Let's end this lesson with a summary of the letter to the church of Pergamos.
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We invite you to pray with us:
Heavenly Father,
Responding to Satan, who was offering Him all earthly kingdoms in return for worship, Your
Son Jesus said: «Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You
shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."» (Matthew 4:10)
These words perfectly summarize the attitude that the Church of Pergamos should have
adopted.
We humbly ask You to always help us to resist compromise, so that the promise to him who
overcomes may also be ours, and that we may also receive this new name You keep for those
who remain faithful to You until the end.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16,
CANA0041.JPG. Screen 2: «City of Pergamos» In: «La Révélation - le
grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.23.
Screen 3: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.26. Screen 4: Photo by BLUE,
Betty. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (October 1996), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, p.11. Screen 5: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 2»
(MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.105. Screen 6: PENNI,
Gianfrancesco. «The Donation of Constantine», Sala di Costantino (1517-1525), Vatican
Museum. Screen 7: «Emperor Justinian». In: «Deluxe Compton's
Interactive Encyclopedia CD - 2000 Edition», Compton's Home Library, 1999. Screen
8: ANDERSON, Harry. In: «L'Espoir de l'Humanité» volume 2 (Ellen G. White),
Editions Le Monde Français, Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1972, front cover.
Screen 9: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 4 - Byzance et le Christianisme»
(LINDQUIST, W.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.315. Screen 10: COLLINS,
Fred. In: «The Bible Story, volume 3» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1954, p.60. Screen 11: COLLINS, Fred. In: «The Bible Story,
volume 3» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1954, p.63.
Screen 12: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (May 15, 1994), New York, Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society, p.16. Screen 13: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The
(New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990, p.432-75.
Screen 14: DORÉ, Gustave. In: «La Bible de Gustave Doré», Lausanne, Edita,
1994, p.371. Screen 15: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and
Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM231.BMP. Screen 16: HARLAN,
Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 2» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1954, p.144. Screen 17: In: «The Bible for Children -
Retold by Bridget Hadaway & Jean Atcheson», London, Octopus Books Limited, 1973,
p.73. Screen 18: STEEL, John. In: «L'Espoir de l'Humanité» volume 3
(Ellen G. White), éditions Le Monde Français, Pacific Press Publishing Association,
1972, p.802. Screen 19: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and
Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM042.BMP. Screen 20: In:
«La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society, 1988, p.45. Screen 21: In: «The Watchtower» magazine
(April 15, 1987), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.10. Screen 22: ANDERSON,
Harry. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald
Publishing Association, 1968, p.93. Screen 23: In: «The Watchtower»
magazine (June 1, 1993), New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.17.
Screen 24: «The St. Louis Altarpiece». In: «Illustrated Lives of the Saints»
(McNEILL, John), Bison Books Ltd., 1995, p.105. Screen 25: GHIRLANDAIO,
Domenico. «Pope Honorius» (1484-85), Cappella Sassetti, Santa Trinita, Florence. In:
«La Peinture de la Renaissance Italienne» (BECK, James H.), Editions Könemann, 1999,
p.302. Table of Screen 25: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement
est proche», New York, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.283. Screen
26: Photo in: «Master Clips 500,000» by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP1965.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 24 is waiting for you!