Last 5 Days
There is No Compromise
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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 letter to Pergamum is the third letter to the churches, after letters to Ephesus and Smyrna. Pergamum was a powerful and important city in the first century – it was an important religious centre for a number of pagan cults and it was the capital of the cult of Caesar worship.
True to how the letter of Revelation had been written, John continues to write using symbols that alluded to the Old Testament. Remember that the recipients of the letter were people who were very familiar with the Old Testament. Some of the symbols that we observed in this letter include “the sharp two-edged sword” (verse 12), “Satan’s throne” (verse 13), “teaching of Balaam and Nicolaitans” (verses 14-15), “the hidden manna” and “a new name on a white stone” (verse 17).
The double-edged sword brings to mind the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), and he who has the double-edged sword would have been a reference to Jesus. While there are several interpretations to the reference of “Satan’s throne”, one of the interpretation I tend toward is its reference to the practice of emperor worship that is very prevalent in Pergamum and which posed the greatest threat to the Christians. Jesus is telling these Christians, that he knows. He knows where they live, He knows it is not easy to remain faithful being at the center of Satan’s throne.
Yet the reminder to them is to repent! Because they were compromising to the teaching of Balaam and Nicolaitans, which in reference to the old testament (Numbers 31:16) reminds us of the false teachings that cause people to turn away from God and to forsake God. And so, the believers in Pergamum were compromising to the false teachings which were luring them to turn against God and toward the world, making them believe that it was all right to engage in immorality, to worship pagan gods, and to believe in idolatry.
Therefore, the warning to the church was to repent and to stand firm against the compromise with the world. Jesus knew that their environment was not an easy place to live in, but it was no excuse for them to fall to the temptations of the world. Instead, Jesus provided promises for his people – that God provides for their every need and is faithful (just like the provision of the manna in the Old Testament). The promise is also of a fellowship with God and our acceptance by God.
Dear brothers and sisters, just as the warning is to Pergamum, we, too, are being warned. We live in a world where our external world is filled with temptations, enticing us to be of the world. We face false teachings telling us that it is all right to blur the lines, that it is all right to go against what God is teaching. Hence, we are warned to not compromise on our Christian values, and to not conform to the world. Dear brothers and sisters, may we search our hearts and confess our sins to our Lord. May we stand firm on the Word of God, so that we may not be deceived into believing lies and into compromising our behaviour. May we worship our Lord, so that our eyes may be turned to Him. May our lives be transformed as we fellowship with our Lord.
