Revelation 2:12-17

(Revelation 2:12-17)

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 Nicolaitans, 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.

Pergamum was once the capital of the kingdom of Athalied. However, after his death, Emperor Atalus III made a will to dedicate his kingdom to the Roman Empire in order to prevent the division of Atalide's kingdom or from passing over to other countries, not because of war or financial difficulties. It voluntarily became a tributary, and the Roman Empire made this city of Pergamum the capital of Asia Minor. Pergamum could not keep up with commercial developments such as Ephesus or Smyrna, but in culture it was far ahead of them.

This city was heavily influenced by civilization from ancient times, and it had a library comparable to that in Alexandria, Egypt, the largest library in the world, and 200,000 books were stored. In particular, as Egyptian papyrus imports became difficult, many books were made and stored due to self-developed parchment, and became the cultural center of the Roman Empire along with Alexandria.

At that time, the principle of Rome was to confess, "Caesar is the Lord" with the spirit of unifying the broad conquest. According to this principle alone, it was not a problem for most of them to have religion or live because they allowed everything to the colonists except for this confession. However, this confession could not be made because he is the only Christ to give to Christians who believe in Jesus. So, Christians suffered and suffered from persecution and attack.

Since Pergamo was the capital of Asia Minor and was the center of administration, the temple was built decades earlier than Smyrna, and the persecution of Christians due to the worship of the Roman emperor Caesar was carried out more intensely, and the suffering of Christians was even greater. In this situation, God first praised the Pergamum Church's faith in enduring persecution.

『And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; The Bible expresses the person speaking as a person with a sharp sword on the left and right. At that time, the one who had the right to use the sword was the governor of the colony. The governor had the power to execute a person, so he could put the colonists to death in a word if necessary for his rule. In particular, he exercised his authority at any time to Christians who did not confess Caesar as Lord. However, Jesus is not afraid of the sword of the Roman governor, but he is revealing that the resurrected Lord, who has a bladed sword on the left and right and judges forever, is greater.

Jesus said he knew where the members of the Pergamum Church lived. 『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. 』

The members of the Pergamum Church realized that although they had the power of Satan, the influence of Satan was strong, and the site of pagan life was Pergamum, the Saints did not leave the place and had to continue to live. Christians are witnesses of the resurrection. Antibas was killed in the presence of this Satanic throne, and the Saints nevertheless kept their faith without betraying the risen Lord. Jesus gave Antibas the title of a faithful witness and praised the believers for their faith.

In the early church, a witness means a martyr. In a situation where Christians face disadvantage, persecution, and contempt, they do not intend to evade or escape, but to live their lives as witnesses to the end. The members of the Pergamum Church lived the lives of witnesses in their place of life despite the threat of life, and the Lord valued it.

Although they were members of the Pergamum Church, who had endured persecution well, the Lord rebuked the Pergamum Church because there were people who followed some false lessons. The erroneous lessons that Pergamum Church followed were those of Balaam and those of Nikoladang. These two were doctrines that spiritually corrupt the people of God in the church. 『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. 』

Balaam made the Israelites worship idols and commit sins before God through the women of Moab. In 2 Peter 2:15, "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; Despite God's forbidden three times not to curse the people of Israel, Balaam was blinded by a huge bribe and compromised by taking unrighteous money and telling them how to corrupt them. The Nigoladang's doctrine is the idea of denying action in salvation. It is only the soul that will be saved before God, and the body is buried in the ground and will be corrupted, so you can enjoy the body as you please.

For this reason, they taught that the body is okay to enjoy worldly pleasures, that it is not necessary to restrain the lusts of the body, and that it is only necessary to be pure in the spirit to eat and drink as desired. In other words, the church tried to compromise the absolute holy truth with the customs and morals of this world, and to remove the distinction between the secular world and the holy church. Because of this, filthy sins and all kinds of things of the world came into the church in various forms compromising.

God warns churches and Christians who follow these false doctrines. 『Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 』If you repent and do not turn back, the Lord will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He said clearly. The black of Christ's mouth is the word of Christ. The Word has the power to reveal all sin. It means that He will reveal sins and judge them.

But 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. 』There were many difficulties in the world due to the sacrifice of idols, but the Lord said that he would give those who overcome the hidden manna, the food of heaven. In addition, the white stone receives the sign of entering the kingdom of God, and the new name written on the stone is the name that only those who have received it, Jesus Christ. God will give an invitation to enter the kingdom of God to those who keep faith and truth to the end despite any persecution, compromise, and mixture.