“This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: I am the one who has the sharp double-edged sword! Listen to what I say. I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you have kept true to my name. Right there where Satan lives, my faithful witness Antipas was taken from you and put to death. Even then you did not give up your faith in me. I do have a few things against you. Some of you are following the teaching of Balaam.
Long ago he told Balak [i]to teach the people of Israel to eat food that had been offered to idols and to be immoral. Now some of you are following the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Turn back. If you don’t, I will come quickly and fight against these people. And my words will cut like a sword. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who wins the victory, I will give some of the hidden food I will also give each one a white stone with a new name written on it. No one will know that name except the one who is given the stone.” (Revelation 2:12-17, CEV)
Pergamum was a rich and powerful ancient
Greek city in Aeolis. It is located 16 miles from the coastline of the Aegean
Sea, and northwest of the modern city
of Bergama.
The people of Pergamum were inventors and innovators. They perfected a parchment made out of calfskin, and built the world's first psychiatric hospital. Pergamum was also a well-known center for the arts. The city’s theater seated ten thousand people a night. The acoustics were so good that a whisper on stage could be heard all the way in the top row.
Its library was the second largest in the ancient world. Its collection was so great that the Roman general Marc Antony presented it as a wedding gift to Cleopatra. The people of Pergamum were known as the Temple Keepers of Asia. The city had three temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperor, another for the goddess Athena, and the Great Altar of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods.
Many scholars believe this altar is the throne of Satan mentioned in the book of Revelation. The city also had a healing center called the Asklepion, built in honor of Asklepios, the Greek serpent-god. In the first century, this was a cross between a hospital and a health spa. Unless they were terminally ill, patients could get everything from a mud bath to a major surgery. The Church of Pergamum had much that God wanted to communicate with them about.
1.
Though
this church had courageous loyalty, the congregation was making little
compromises in their everyday lives.
“Compromise is a word found only in the vocabulary of
those who have no will to fight.” (Josemaria Escriva)
2.
The
remedy to the Church of Pergamum’s problem was repentance with confession and
commitment. If this is done the reward from Jesus will be contentment and
approval from your Heavenly Father.
“True repentance never leads to despair. [It] leads home. It leads to grace.” (John Ortberg)
“The best physician is also a philosopher.” (Galen of Pergamum)[ii]
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| Ancient City of Pergamum |
[i] 2.14 Balaam:
According to Numbers 22-24, Balaam refused to disobey the Lord. But in other
books of the Old Testament, he is spoken of as evil (see Deuteronomy 23.4, 5;
Joshua 13.22; 24:9, 10; Nehemiah 13.2).
[ii] Inspired by the sermon “Dear Church, Stay Loyal”
(installment three) Sunday, January 21, 2018 Pastor Dave Jansen CenterPoint
Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
Additional sources used:
Additional sources used:
·
“Pergamon” by Cristian Violatti
·
“The Seat of
Satan: Ancient Pergamum” by Gordon Robertson
·
“Pergamon” from
Wikipedia
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