Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 2:12-17”
Categories: Revelation“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make 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 him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’”
---End of Scripture verses---
Pergamum was the official capital of Asia Minor, and it held that honor for more than two centuries. It was also the capital city of atrocious emperor worship and rank idolatry, and it came to be known as “the city of temples”. One shrine that was most distasteful to God’s people was the temple of Asclepius, who was depicted in the form of a snake, and believed to be the god of medicine and healing. To the Christian mind it was more emblematic of the serpent of the Garden of Eden, and therefore Satan himself. It is no wonder that Jesus said Pergamum was the place where “Satan dwells” and the seat of “Satan’s throne” (verse 13).
Under intense pressure from the state to pledge their allegiance to Caesar, and severe persecution from the citizens to partake in their degenerate paganism, most of our brethren in Pergamum commendably held fast the name of Christ, and did not deny His faith. They appealed to the highest authority (name), and knew that obedience to the King of kings and Lord of lords was infinitely more important than obeying a human king and his mortal subjects (Acts 4:19). Jesus praised one faithful brother named Antipas as being a martyr (“witness”) for his unwavering faith in the Lord, but documentation shows that he was just one of the many Christian to be “killed among” the Christians in Pergamum. Legend has it that Antipas was roasted to death in a hollowed out brass bull. Regardless of the details of his martyrdom, brother Antipas possessed and displayed the courageous heart of Daniel’s three young friends who served in Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Daniel 3:16-18).
Sadly and even understandably, there were some who caved in to this extreme pressure and persecution, and compromised their faith rather than risk paying the ultimate price. “Some” held “the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality” (verse 14; Numbers 22-25). “Christians were encouraged by these false teachers to attend the feasts held in celebration of an idol and to embrace the temple prostitutes in order to gain approval of their pagan neighbors.” (Harkrider) “Some” also held “the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (verse 15). Scholars have suggested this was an early form of Gnosticism, though no one knows for certain the particulars of this doctrine. All we need to know is that it was a teaching that the Lord Jesus detested (verse 6), as He does all doctrines that add to or take away from the perfect and complete doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9; Revelation 22:18-19).
The Lord called upon the faltering and failing Christians to “repent” or He would “make war against them with the sword of” His “mouth” (verse 16). The word of God is a “double edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). On the one side it is the power of God to heal and covert and saved, but on the other side it is God’s weapon of judgment and condemnation against the ungodly and disobedient. But praise be to Him, the Lord always gives us the option to choose between life and destruction. If we choose loyal obedience in the face of tribulation, He will give us “some of the hidden manna” (verse 17). Jesus, who is the true Bread of Life, will provide for our spiritual sustenance as we sanctify the Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15), and feed on the nourishment of the word that is hidden from the worldly-minded (Luke 19:42).
The Lord will also give us a “new name” written on a “white stone”. White is the symbol of purity and the new name represents the new, permanent (etched in stone) relationship that obedient believers have with God in Christ Jesus. Harkrider says that the white stone “probably refers to a custom used in some ancient courts at the time where judges gave either a black stone for a guilty verdict or a white stone for acquittal.” Jesus purifies us, declares our innocence and secures our eternity when we serve Him until death, forsaking all others.
Please read Revelation 2:18-29 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
