To the Church at Pergamum
There are a countless number of stories that have been told throughout the history of time. A few of these stories are unique. Most of them are not. There may be different names, different locations, different time periods, but when you boil down most stories what remains is usually an outline, that we’ve seen, already, elsewhere.
From the story of the brave hero, against the wicked ruler, in the towering fortress, for a damsel in distress. To the story of an unlikely coach, with a team of nobodies, versus the team of somebodies, for the championship game. These are the stories we’ve seen, already, elsewhere.
Jesus, in the message he’s speaking to the church in Pergamum, is pointing this out. He’s describing to Pergamum their current situation, and showing how, at least so far, in 1st century AD, their story matches one we’ve already seen. One that took place in the 13th century BC, involving Old Testament Israel and a man named Balaam. Jesus is calling the church of Pergamum to look back at this former story and take note. And I believe he’s calling us, Cities church, to do the same. Let’s pray for grace as we do.
A Look at Balaam
As I said, we’re looking back to the 13th century BC, to a story captured in Number 22-25. Here we find God’s people, the Israelites, who, bound for the Promised Land, had already been wandering the desert for 40 years. At this point in their journey, they’re traveling through the land of Moab. But the king of Moab, seeing the horde of Israel approaching on the horizon, is struck with fear, for he knows, these Israelites are the very people who recently destroyed the Amorites, and the Egyptians, before them.
So, King Balak, out of fear, sends for a man named Balaam, who was like a sorcerer-for-hire. His task would be to curse the people, ruin them, and, if successful, he’d be rewarded. But Balaam couldn’t do it, for God would not allow him to. And from Numbers 22 all the way through 24, this story sings with the triumph of God’s people over these Moabites.
Until we get to Numbers 25. That’s where we get the shocking news of widespread Idolatry amongst the Israelites. Numbers 25:1 reads, “While Israel lived in Shah-team, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.”
How’d that happen? Balak ordered Balaam to curse them so that he might put them all to death, but he couldn’t, that’s Numbers 24. So how is it that they are now, in Numbers 25, essentially putting themselves to death through idolatry?
Numbers 31:16 tells us. It says that on Balaam’s advice, so this is Balaam’s idea here, Balaam’s strategy, the women of Moab caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD. In other words, Balaam, after failing to curse God’s people, came up with another plan: “Hey King Balak, The Israelites cannot be cursed, but they can be tempted. Send in your women to seduce them into sin. In this way, you will break the people of God.”
This story line, of Israel in the land of Moab, can be outlined this way:
There’s a problem — The Moabites want God’s people dead and buried.
It includes a moment of spiritual pollution — sexual immorality and idolatry in God’s camp.
It includes a promised prize — from God, to this generation of Israelites, entrance into the promised land. But on that fateful day in 13th century BC, for 24,000 Israelites, death through sin-caused plague would be there only prize, their chance at the promised land would be forfeited.
That’s the story line for the nation of Israel in Numbers 22-25, 13th century BC — problem, pollution, prize. Here, in Revelation 2, Jesus takes that story, and says to Pergamum, your story, so far, has the same components as that one, your current trajectory is heading in the same direction as that one, and that one did not end well. Pergamum, take note!
The Problem
Let’s turn now, to Revelation 2, verse 12, and we’ll begin to how these two stories connect. Following Jesus’ self-introduction as the one “Who has the sharp two-edged sword, He says, 13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. That’s a problem. “You, Pergamum, dwell where evil has spread its roots out far and wide.” “You dwell where lying tongues drown out the voice of truth.” You dwell, where Satan’s throne is.
You might think, hang on, doesn’t the Bible refer to Satan as “The ruler of this world” (John 14:30), “The god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), “The deceiver of this whole world” (Rev. 12:9). So, isn’t all the earth, not just Pergamum, where Satan’s throne is? In a way, yes. But it seems here that what Jesus is saying to Pergamum is that their city is one in which Satan’s throne is especially prevalent — likely connected to the fact that the city of Pergamum was, at this time, thee continent of Asia’s official center for the worship of Caeasar — the ruler of Rome — as a god. Viewing Caesar as a god here, and acting accordingly, would have been almost inevitable. And failure to view him as a god, and act accordingly, would have been most likely fatal.
But, though that’s a problem, generally, it’s not thee problem that plagues this church. For Jesus says, 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.”
The church of Pergamum had faced this problem faithfully. They had seen the sword of Rome pulled from its shield. They had watched it raise high into the air. They had seen it come swinging down on the neck of their beloved Antipas. And Yet, they held fast to the name!
But here’s where the connection comes in. Here’s where Jesus is making His point. Caesar tried to break you with its sword, Pergamum, but he couldn’t. Neither could King Balak, with a curse. But just as Balaam was able to find another way round, so are his spiritual counterparts, false teachers in his name, today. Church of Pergamum, it was not sword that killed those 24,000 Israelites, it was seduction. Take note.
The problem in Pergamum is not the sword, but spiritual pollution. Jesus says this, 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.”
There’s a teaching here. There’s content. A series of ideas of propositions that if followed, lead to debauchery and worship of gods made of wood, stone, and metal. And some there have followed the bait of these teachings and bitten in, hook, line, and sinker.
But note, the reference “Some there among you” does not have its focus set on the large population of non-Christians living in the city of Pergamum. They are not the ones in view. Jesus is not saying, “The issue is your non-Christian neighbor who worship another god.” “The issue is your non-Christian co-worker who sleeps around every weekend.”
He’s not saying that because it is a given for the church, in this age, that we will live amongst non-Christians. And we aren’t to seek to remove ourselves from them. Paul says as much in his letter to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, “ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”
So what is the issue there? Where’s the pollution coming from there? Paul comes out and says it in the very next verse, “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.” The issue was for the church of Corinth, and the issue is for the church in Pergamum, are on and the same — spiritual pollution from within. Sexual immorality and idolatry were finding a home in the members of their church. Not people who merely attend, but the people whose names were on the roster. Full-fledged members who were bearing the name of Jesus while, at the same time, they were snuggling up the lusts of Balaam.
Jesus is trying to wake them up to this, saying, “Don’t you remember church?” “Don’t you remember the 24,000 who kissed the lusts of Balaam and then died in the desert?” “Don’t you remember that they forfeited their prize of the Promised Land?”
That same deadly disease, from so many years ago, has found a home in some of you. “You have some there.” Pergamum, you know how this story ends. This is a warning from Jesus, a warning!
The Pollution
What was the church of Pergamum to do about it? Same thing as that the church of Corinth was to do about it, “Not associate with them, not even to eat with such a one” (1 Cor. 5:10). Only Jesus says all that in one, weighty, word: Repent. Repent. Be cut to the heart by this, Pergamum, and then take action. Make it known, out of hearts of love and a desire for their eternal good, that these people are out of accord with Jesus. Spiritually out-of-bounds.
Go to them as an individual, if they repent, you’ve gained your brother. If not, go to them as a small group. If they still won’t repent, tell it to the church. And if they will not listen to the church — their spiritual family — then let them know, and let others know, we no longer believe they are a part of the family.
If you are not a Christian today, or if you are a Christian but you’ve never been a part of a church that practices this kind of thing, what we’d call church discipline, this whole thing might seem rather heartless to you.
The goal here is not these people’s harm — but healing. The goal here is, in the words of 1 Corinthians 5, “To hand this person over to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Right now they are not heading toward being saved, but being damned. Jesus says in our text today that He is the one “who has the sharp two-edged sword.” He’ll say in verse 16, “16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.” This is language of judgment. The same language we see in Revelation 19, where Jesus, “The one who is called faithful and true, at the very end of time, comes In righteousness to judge and make war” (Rev. 19:11). Verse 15, “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.”
That’s what the sword is for, it’s for judgment. And knowing that, we repent of how indifferent we’ve been toward our friends who are, right now, heading in that direction. How heartless. How cruel. No, we want to love these people. We want to act for their eternal good. So, we do. 1 Corinthians 5, “To hand this person over to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” That’s the goal.
And there’s a reward, a prize, Jesus offers to the church of Pergamum, if they are faithful enough, and we might add, loving enough, to do this.
The Prize
The prize is described here in verse 17. But what exactly its description is meant to point us to is, initially, somewhat unclear. Jesus says, “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.’”
This is interesting language, right? But remember our context, Jesus has been pointing the church in Pergamum back to the Israelites and Balaam, back the book of Numbers. Back to the 40-year period in the wilderness. Put through that lens, the hidden manna piece of Pergamum’s prize connects fairly easily. Israel, throughout their 40-year wanderings, were fed, by God, with manna. Some of this manna, as Jewish tradition goes, had been stored, hidden, in the ark of the covenant, which was in the Tabernacle. So our focus starts heading toward the Tabernacle.
Here, the white stone with a name on it, part of Pergamum’s prize, seems to fit. The High Priest was the only person allowed to enter into the inner room of the Tabernacle where the ark of the covenant, and thus, the manna, was stored. And for the High Priest, a stone with a name inscribed on it would have been nothing new. As part of his very uniform, he had stones with names written on them. One of them had the names of the six tribes of Israel written on them, placed on one shoulder. The other stone had the other six tribes’ names on them, and placed on the other shoulder (Ex. 28:9-12). But even more helpful to us here, I think, is not what went on the priest’s shoulders, but what went on his forehead. There, a turban was worn, and front and center of that turban was place a plate of gold with a name on it, “Holy to the Lord” (Ex. 28:36-38).
The priest in the Tabernacle of God, in the very presence of God, that’s the picture we’re getting here with the prize for Pergamum. It’s a picture of nearness to God, devotion to God, holiness to God, satisfaction in God. And this picture, the priest in the Tabernacle, repeats throughout the book of Revelation. Revelation 1:6 “He has made us a kingdom, priests to his God.” Revelation 5:9-10 “You (Jesus) have ransomed a people for God…and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God.” Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! they will be priests of God.” It seems we’re on good ground here.
So as we look back, the Old Testament priest in the Old Testament Tabernacle, we see the picture of nearness to God. We can look forward to the kingdom of New Testament priests, in the New Testament Tabernacle, and see the same thing, but to a much greater degree.
There the New Testament priests, the worshippers of Jesus, you and me, we are invited into the house of God, His new Tabernacle, for a wedding. A wedding in which we are the bride. Revelation 19:7-8 says, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” At that moment the angel responds, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” There’s a wedding. And there’s a feast to celebrate the wedding!
Where does the white stone given to Pergamum fit in? Perhaps it fits into Revelation 22:4, where the guests of this wedding feast, upon seeing the face of Jesus, will find his very name “will be on their (what?) foreheads.” Priest of the Old Testament Tabernacle, “Holy to the Lord” on his forehead. The kingdom of priests in the New Testament heavenly Tabernacle, the name of Jesus emblazoned on our foreheads.
The hidden manna fits into this picture, I think, where manna usually fits in — on the table. Manna is bread, someone gives you a gift of bread, what do they expect you to do what with it? Eat it! And just as God fed the people of God in the desert with manna, so, it seems, God feeds his people in the age to come, at the great wedding feast, with an even greater manna.
Again, the idea here is nearness to God. Same idea as when we looked back, but to an even greater degree as we look forward. This is the prize offered to the church of Pergamum — if they heed the warning, if they purify themselves as a church from the spiritual pollution which has, thus far, found a home amongst them.
The Application
Brothers and sisters, we are to be a people who repent of, and flee from, spiritual pollution. We are a people who are to pursue spiritual fidelity to our God. We are to be a people who, in Life Group, in Community Group, we ask the important, and sometimes difficult, questions of one another.
Questions about our worship — What are you relying on this week to make you happy? What, if it were to be gone tomorrow from your life, would crush you? What, of the world’s idols, are you finding yourself drawn to this week? And when are you finding yourself drawn to it? And what does that inner decision-making process look like for you in that moment?
Questions about our relationships — What does your time look like when you are together with your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your fiancé? What one aspect of your relationship do you least confident in regard to how the two of you honor God? Is there anything from your relationship right now, or from long ago, that you need to repent of?
Questions about our habits — When you pull out your phone, where does it take you most often? And what does that say about your heart? When you’re tired, stressed, anxious, what gods of this world seem most enticing to you? What makes you angry — and why is that?
With these questions we are loving our brothers and sisters in the faith. Not on a witch hunt, looking for anything we might point our finger at and say, “See, I found it!” No, we are asking that we might help one another tune our minds more and more toward our personal holiness, and our corporate holiness, as a church.
Pastor Jonathan, you have exhorted me on several occasions — Be holy. A few weeks ago, I was blessed to see all the pastors of this church go ‘round the table exhorting every single person in that room — Be Holy. It’s that picture, of a chorus of calls to be holy, I pray, would be just a microcosm of what is said by everyone of us, to every one of us, as the people of Cities church.
We have our relationship with God to consider. Our nearness to God to consider. The gift he offers us, of eternal life, to consider. The blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, to purchase this gift for us, to consider. And that blood, which we are reminded of at the table, is where we turn to now, please pray with me.