Revelation 2:12-17

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

“‘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. 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. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and 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 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.’

Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Περγάμῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὴν ῥομφαίαν τὴν δίστομον τὴν ὀξεῖαν·

Οἶδα ποῦ κατοικεῖς, ὅπου ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ κρατεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσω τὴν πίστιν μου καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ἀντιπᾶς, ὁ μάρτυς μου, ὁ πιστός μου, ὃς ἀπεκτάνθη παρ’ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ Σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ. ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὀλίγα, ὅτι ἔχεις ἐκεῖ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Βαλαάμ, ὃς ἐδίδασκεν τῷ Βαλὰκ βαλεῖν σκάνδαλον ἐνώπιον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα καὶ πορνεῦσαι· οὕτως ἔχεις καὶ σὺ κρατοῦντας τὴν διδαχὴν Νικολαϊτῶν ὁμοίως. μετανόησον οὖν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι ταχύ, καὶ πολεμήσω μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ῥομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματός μου. ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ τοῦ μάννα τοῦ κεκρυμμένου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ ψῆφον λευκήν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ψῆφον ὄνομα καινὸν γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ λαμβάνων.

We now arrive at the letter to the church in Pergamum. Readers are pointed to the fact that this church faced both threats of persecution on the outside and false teaching on the inside. The One speaking is described as having a two-edged sword, and this sword proceeds from the mouth of the Speaker (Rev. 2:16). As usual, feature of Christ alludes back to the description of the Son of Man in Revelation 1:16. The sword represents the Word of God which searches the deepest recesses of the hearts of men and judges those who oppose God. In fact, we see in Revelation 2:16 that Jesus will wage war against those who hold to the destructive false teaching described in this letter.

Christ encourages the saints in the church of Pergamum and acknowledges the fact that this church dwells where Satan’s throne is. Pergamum hosted numerous temples dedicated to Pagan gods and even emphasized emperor worship. Therefore, it is not surprising that Pergamum is described as being the location where Satan’s throne is. However, it is worthwhile to note that there was a considerable Jewish presence in Pergamum as well, and it is probable that the false teaching within the church of Pergamum is related to the Jewish false believers (in addition to the temptation to take part of Pagan religious rituals).

Despite dwelling where Satan’s throne is, the church in Pergamum is praised for enduring persecution, even unto death in the case of Antipas. In fact, Jesus describes Antipas as His “faithful witness”, using the same words that were used to describe Jesus Himself. When believers endure persecution until the end, these believers are imitating their Lord and Savior via obedience unto death. The faithfulness of Antipas spurred the church of Pergamum to stand firm in the faith despite incredible persecution.

However, Christ then turns His attention to the things that He holds against the church of Pergamum: there are some who hold the teaching of Balaam and some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. As noted in the discussion on the letter to the church in Ephesus, it is possible that the teaching of the Nicolaitans is similar to, if not identical with, the teaching of Balaam. The text states that just as there are some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, “so also” there are some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore, there does seem to be some kind of relationship between the two teachings. Just as how Balaam taught Balak to seduce the people of Israel into sexual and spiritual adultery, so also the Nicolaitans seduce the church in Pergamum into sexual and spiritual adultery in their own context. This could involve taking part in Pagan religious rituals, though it is also probable that the Nicolaitans were Jewish false believers who seduced Jewish Christians to take part in obsolete Jewish rituals, which is ultimately a denial of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.

Jesus calls on those who hold to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans to repent. Otherwise, He will come soon and war against them. Again, readers are reminded of the near coming of Christ in the immediate future of John’s audience. I contend that this “warring” against these false teachers did in fact take place during the Jewish War leading up to the destruction of the temple in AD 70. This is a real warning to the false teachers in the church of Pergamum in John’s time, and this real warning led to real consequences for those who did not repent of these false teachings.

As usual, Jesus exhorts the church to hear and obey the words of the Spirit. The rewards that Christ promises to the one who conquers are the hidden manna and a white stone, with a new name written on the stone. The hidden manna represents the bread from heaven, and could also represent Christ Himself, that is, Christ will give Himself to those who conquer. The white stone could be a reference to the stone given to victors of Roman games, or it could be a reference to the stones that jurors used during trials to vote for acquittal. Both meanings are quite fitting in this context. As those who conquer (and are therefore victors), the white stone signifies victory. As those who stand firm in the faith over against the schemes of the devil, the white stone also signifies innocence in a legal sense. The new name written on the white stone could point to the fact that the true believer is sanctified and made new in Christ Jesus, being a new creation with a new name. While obedience to Jesus does not warrant a reward, Christ is gracious and willing to reward His servants for their perseverance and obedience for the sake of His Name.

Soli Deo gloria!