Warning from Pergamum
The Apostle John records,
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
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. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Revelations 2:12-17.
Here is what is commonly called the compromising church. Jesus states,
“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”
These people stayed true even when one of them Antipas was put to death. That being said this church let things go on that were not Christian. Jesus states,
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
Balaam tried to turn the hearts of the children of Israel away from God. The Nicolatians were heretics who were teaching false doctrine.
Apparently the church at Pergamum was allowing this. They were compromising.
As Christians we cannot allow anything to be taught in our churches that is not in line with the word of God as presented in the holy scriptures.
Jesus call any church who is compromising to repent Jesus saying,
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
The way I read this is God himself will come against those who compromise. He will raise up men and women who will speak the truth about God. Loud and clear for all to hear. So that no one when judged by God can say they didn’t know the truth.
For words are as sharp if not sharper than any two edged sword.
To those who do not compromise, to those who repent and overcome is given a prize. Jesus saying,
“To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
The hidden manna suggests intimacy with Jesus. The white stone would have been seen by those who were in the Greek culture at the time as the custom of giving to the victor a white stone symbolizing victory.
We in the twenty-first century church need to look carefully at what we believe. We need to speak out against those who would try to compromise our faith.
The apostle Paul warned,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4
Paul also reminds Timothy and through him us,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.
As believers in Christ we can do no less than do our best to handle the word of God correctly without compromise.
If we do so we will ultimately receive the victors prize from God himself.
Please think about it.
The Apostle John records,
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
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. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Revelations 2:12-17.
Here is what is commonly called the compromising church. Jesus states,
“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”
These people stayed true even when one of them Antipas was put to death. That being said this church let things go on that were not Christian. Jesus states,
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
Balaam tried to turn the hearts of the children of Israel away from God. The Nicolatians were heretics who were teaching false doctrine.
Apparently the church at Pergamum was allowing this. They were compromising.
As Christians we cannot allow anything to be taught in our churches that is not in line with the word of God as presented in the holy scriptures.
Jesus call any church who is compromising to repent Jesus saying,
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
The way I read this is God himself will come against those who compromise. He will raise up men and women who will speak the truth about God. Loud and clear for all to hear. So that no one when judged by God can say they didn’t know the truth.
For words are as sharp if not sharper than any two edged sword.
To those who do not compromise, to those who repent and overcome is given a prize. Jesus saying,
“To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
The hidden manna suggests intimacy with Jesus. The white stone would have been seen by those who were in the Greek culture at the time as the custom of giving to the victor a white stone symbolizing victory.
We in the twenty-first century church need to look carefully at what we believe. We need to speak out against those who would try to compromise our faith.
The apostle Paul warned,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4
Paul also reminds Timothy and through him us,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.
As believers in Christ we can do no less than do our best to handle the word of God correctly without compromise.
If we do so we will ultimately receive the victors prize from God himself.
Please think about it.
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