Revelation 2:12-17

The ancient city of Pergamum was located on the site of the modern city of Bergama, about 50 miles north of Smyrna (i.e., approximately 80 miles north of Ephesus). As such, it is the northernmost of the seven churches to which Jesus wrote. Also unlike Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamum was not a port city. In fact, quite the opposite, the city was built upon a series of terraces ascending the one passable side of a cone-shaped hill which rises about 1,000 feet above the surrounding valley. As such, the city’s name, which in Greek means “citadel,” was aptly chosen.

By the time Jesus dictated his letter to John at the end of the first century CE, Pergamum had been a part of the Roman Empire for more than two centuries. During that time, it had grown even more zealously committed to the Imperial cult than Smyrna; the first temple of the Imperial Caesar cult was built in the city. In addition, it was a center of Zeus worship; the Greek god was celebrated with a throne-like altar at the acropolis. Pergamum’s coins were stamped with Asklepius, the god of healing. The people of Pergamum also worshiped Athena, the goddess of war; Dionysus, the god of wine; and a host of other pagan gods, all of which involved sacrifices and temple prostitution. Finally, there was a significant Jewish population.

As this list of religious affiliations would suggest, the population of Pergamum was extremely diverse. It was also highly educated. The city’s library rivaled that of Alexandria, Egypt, the largest in the world, and when Egypt banned the export of papyrus, the people of Pergamum invented parchment, using animal skins as an ancient version of paper. Moreover, all of this hints at the fact that Pergamum was extremely prosperous.

So what problem could a church in Pergamum have? Jesus’ letter in Revelation 2:12-17 provides some clues:

“Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum:

“The One who has the sharp, double-edged sword says: I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is! And you are holding on to My name and did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness who was killed among you, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.

Jesus knows our temptation.

Once again, Jesus’ letter to the church at Pergamum starts, like typical first-century salutations, with an introduction. In this case, Jesus introduces himself as “the One who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” As we have seen with the previous letters, this introduction alludes to Revelation 1. In this case, the reference is to verse 16, where John described Jesus as having a sharp, double-edged sword protruding from his mouth. Interestingly, the language that John used described a long broadsword. Such weapons were familiar to residents of the Roman Empire, but they were not common. Their rarity was due to the fact that they were difficult to manufacture and, therefore, expensive. Thus, wielding a broadsword was a sign of serious prestige. Perhaps more importantly, this type of sword was extremely versatile, capable of making both extremely fine cuts and devastatingly lethal blows.

Historically, such a sword was used to represent authority, judgment, and war. All of these are hinted in Revelation 1, but given that the sword comes from Jesus’ mouth instead of a tongue, the sword here specifically represents the Word of God. Consider Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” The idea is that the Word of God should help us determine right and wrong now, or else it will be used to condemn the wrong later.

In Revelation 2:13, this Jesus, from whom proceeds the word of God as a sharp, double-edged sword, commends the church at Pergamum on two counts. First, he commends the saints there for “holding on to My name.” The idea is that of a bride who has taken her husband’s name. Whether or not you are married, you are probably familiar with the words of the wedding vows: “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, etc., etc., etc.” In biblical times, the words were certainly different, but if anything, the sentiment was even stronger: through thick and thin, the bride holds onto that name.

Second, Jesus commends the church at Pergamum for refusing to deny their faith in Jesus, “even in the days of Antipas.” Of this Antipas, we know only what Jesus shared in the letter: he was martyred for refusing to recant his faith. To be honest, it is difficult to fathom such brutality, but it is easy to imagine that it must have been difficult for the rest of the congregation to remain faithful when their friend was murdered for his faithfulness.

Indeed, consider what else Jesus says of the situation in Pergamum. Still in verse 13, he describes the city as “where Satan’s throne is!” and “where Satan lives.” Clearly, the former description was an allusion to the throne-like altar of Zeus and the Imperial cult which worshiped the Empire and the emperor on his throne. The overall point of the two observations, though, was that Pergamum was more than just a stronghold; it was Satan’s capital! It was the epicenter of Satan’s activity in Asia, where Satan’s power was an ever-present reality. 

In other words, it was tough for Christians in Pergamum.

Moreover, most of the believers in Pergamum were likely Gentiles. They had come out of the pagan culture that now hunted them, and they were constantly rubbing shoulders with them. It was only a matter of time, then, before someone realized that, if they only acted a little more like the Gentiles in this area or that, they would not be considered nearly as strange. They would not be nearly as persecuted. Things would not be nearly as difficult.

Notice, though, what Jesus says to these saints: I know where you live. That is, I know your situation. I know your difficulties. I know your temptation.

Indeed, Jesus knows our temptation. He understands the pressure that comes from being different from everyone else. He gets the challenges that come from being constantly in the midst of people who live entirely contrary to his character and command. He grasps the temptation because he experienced it first hand. Recall the forty days he spent in the desert being tempted by Satan. How easy it would have been to do things the way the Pharisees did. Could he have avoided the cross by compromising just slightly in the Garden of Gethsemane?

So when Jesus sees us in the midst of a tough situation, and we find ourselves tempted, he knows.

We must not compromise.

The believers at Pergamum, however, were not just struggling with temptation. In verses 14-15, Jesus dropped a bombshell: despite the resilient faith, he announced, “I have a few things against you.” More specifically, Jesus indicted the Pergamenian saints on two counts.

First, he said, “You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam.” In Numbers 23-24, we discover that King Balak of Moab tried to hire Balaam, a two-bit prophet-for-hire, to curse the Israelites. At first, Balaam refused, but when Balak persisted, Balaam eventually agreed. While on his way, an angel almost killed him three times, but his donkey veered off the road in each case. When Balaam started beating the donkey, the beast spoke. Even so, when Balaam reached Balak, he agreed to make sacrifices and say what God instructed him to say. Thus, he blessed Israel three times, much to Balak’s chagrin.

Jesus does not make explicit what comprised the teaching of Balaam, but the very next thing we read, in Numbers 25, is that the Israelite men were being seduced by Moabite women, who then invited their lovers to worship Baal. The implication is that this did not just happen. Indeed, Numbers 31:16 notes, “Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam’s advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the Lord in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the Lord’s community.” Balaam’s teaching, then, was apparently this: “Hey, as long as you’re an ‘Israelite,’ you don’t really have to obey all the law. You can compromise.”

Indeed, compromise was the stronghold which had become established in the church at Pergamum. Jesus points in verse 14 to the fact that they were eating meat sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality. The first of these is interesting because, in 1 Corinthians 10:25, Paul resolved that eating meat sacrificed to idols was of no consequence; Christians were allowed to eat meat which was sacrificed to idols. In Pergamum, though, it would seem that the Christians were doing more than just eating. That is, they were actually participating in the pagan rites and rituals that went along with sacrificing the meat to idols.

The second part of Balaam’s teaching is even more disturbing. The word Jesus used here is porneuo, and you may recognize it as the origin of the English word “pornography.” According to Strong’s, this word means “to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another; to give one’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse; to commit fornication.” Additionally, this term was often used as a metaphor for idolatry. Every one of these meanings was prohibited in Scripture, but it was all integral to the pagan worship going on in Pergamum. In other words, the believers at Pergamum were allowing themselves to become involved in pagan worship in an apparent effort to fit in and avoid persecution.

Second, Jesus charged some of the believers at Pergamum with holding to the teachings of the Nicolaitians. Although there is some debate on the exact origin and nature of Nicolas’ teachings, the general consensus among scholars is that he encouraged believers to consider their Christian liberty as a license to do any number of things, particularly in the area of sexual relations. The teachings of the Nicolaitians, then, translated into a doctrine of free love; the Pergamenian Christians would simply hop into bed with anyone they felt like because it did not mean anything anyway.

We have, then, a curious contrast. On the one hand, Jesus commends the saints at Pergamum for holding onto their faith through deadly persecution. They were still “Christian.” Yet, they attended the pagan rituals and “loved” a lot of people. No doubt, this strange dichotomy did not just appear overnight. Rather, like the Israelites in Numbers, compromise at Pergamum likely started with one person who told only his closest friends. When he (or she) was not struck by lightning, the friends thought they would try it, and they told their closest friends. Lather, rinse, repeat, and the church at Pergamum had compromised!

To compromise, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary, means to “settle a dispute by mutual concession.” The idea is that I give a little, you give a little, and we both get most of what we want. Indeed, compromise can be essential in matters of opinion. For instance, if my wife wanted a red car, and I wanted a blue one, we might compromise by buying a purple one. When it comes to matters of sin and holiness, however, compromise is totally out of the question.

No doubt, many would suggest that these were small concessions in just one or two areas of their lives, and the saints at Pergamum were not hurting anyone. In fact, by acting a little more like their pagan neighbors, one might even argue that they were probably saving lives.

Still, Jesus said, “I have a few things against you.” That is, Jesus did not like their compromise. He did not accept their compromise. And that is exactly the point: we must not compromise. When Jesus tells us to do – or not do – something, it is never okay to compromise, even if we do obey most of it.

Yet, how often do we do exactly that! We call ourselves Christians, but that does not really apply when we are at work. We call ourselves Christians, but we resolve that we must cuss, drink, cheat, lie, flirt, or some other sinful behavior so that our friends will respect us. We call ourselves Christians, but this juicy tidbit is just too good not to share. Besides, our prayer partners need to know how to pray. It is what two people who love each other do… It does not mean anything… It is just not convenient right now… It’s just one… It’s only…

Yes, we compromise. The truth, however, is that the Bible issues to believers a clarion call to holiness. Consider Leviticus 11:45: “For I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.” To that, add Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And there is Hebrews 12:14: “Pursue… holiness – without it no one will see the Lord.” Merriam-Webster defines “holiness” as “the state of being holy,” and it defines “holy” as “perfect in goodness and righteousness.” Now, let us just state the obvious: there is no exception in perfect! There is no shadow of wrong in real goodness or true righteousness! There is no room for compromise in holiness!