This poem is about the church of Pergamum - the body of Christ who lived in the region where Satan had his throne. Pergamum was a city in northwestern Turkey, close to Greece. It was once the capital of Asia Minor - the peninsula between Asia and Europe, surrounded by the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Pergamum had a U-shaped altar that was one of the largest altars in the ancient world. Many believe it was dedicated to a god named Zeus. On this altar, many lives were burned. Human sacrifice was a normal part of living free. It was claimed that there were serpent gods who ruled the nation and birthed great men, like Caesar Augustus and Alexander the Great. The people of Pergamum loved their sacred snakes. They represented transformation and rebirth - mimicking God's fertility and creative life force. To me, Pergamum sounds like the pit of hell! It appears to have been inhabited by the ruler of this world! Lucifer does all he can to spread vanity - he has a prideful light like no one else. Deception is void of the True Light. But God is good! Somehow, in Pergamum, the Church of Jesus began to grow! In Revelation 2:12 Jesus said, “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword” Oh Lord! Jesus brought out the big guns... I mean SWORD! He brought out His Sword to bring forth His Word! “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.” Hebrews 4:12-13 Then He said, “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.“ Revelation 2:13 I can’t even imagine how strong and bold Antipas must have been - to be a Christian living in that lion’s den must have been hard! Antipas believed God’s Word. Because he remained faithful to Christ, he was tortured and murdered. Who among us would follow his lead? Who among us would die to self, pick up our cross and follow Jesus? When God is growing His Kingdom in this dark world, faithful witnesses are often martyred. This is a sign that we are getting closer to the end times, the appointed time, set by God, The time that represents the end of the Church age. It amazes me that a faithful witness like Antipas was not enough to perfect the church. Jesus had a few complaints about the church in Pergamum. Jesus said, “You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:14-16 You can read about Balaam and Balak in Numbers 22–24. Balaam was a soothsayer, often referred to as a diviner, who was influenced by the Holy Spirit, but could also read the spirits of the demonic realm. Balaam’s heart was not good. He lacked integrity and was driven by wealth, but God still used him as a vessel to accomplish His purpose for Israel. Balak was a Moabite King who hired Balak to curse his enemies, including the Israelites who were chosen by God. It did not work. God protected his people by making Balaam bow down. We learned about the Nicolaitans with the Ephesus church - “They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats leading a life of self-indulgence” Revelation 2:14-15 Nicolaitans were “church members” who worshipped God as they served idols - they were false members whose deeds were hated by God, as described in verse 6 in Revelation 2. Jesus said, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” Do you? Do you understand what Jesus is saying to us? Do you hear Him? “To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17 I just love this! God gives us a new name, not based on what He is trying to prove, but based on how He has been guiding us. Our new name will have intimate meaning; our new name will be written on a white stone, and the stone will be engraved with a name based on our intimacy with God. How cool is that? We are part of the Temple of God, and Jesus is our cornerstone - securely attached not by brick and mortar, but by His love.
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