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By Kate Powell
Let’s continue the momentum of our verse-by-verse study of Revelation 2:1–3:22. We are going to treasure hunt in Scripture as we dive into the third letter Jesus gives in Revelation to the church in Pergamum. Pay attention as we learn how compromise can easily keep us from the abundant life that Jesus offers.
Jesus says in Revelation 2:12, “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: …” A brief history of the church in Pergamum helps us understand the weight of this letter. In the last podcast, Joel unpacked the letter Jesus wrote to the church in Smyrna, located about 35 miles north of Ephesus along the coast of modern-day Turkey. Now we move further north, roughly 50 miles beyond Smyrna, to Pergamum. Pergamum was inland, about 15 miles from the Aegean Sea, elevated high on a hill — visible, impressive, and powerful. It served as the capital of Roman Asia, making it the political center of the region and a stronghold of emperor worship. And, the city boasted an enormous statue to the Greek god Zeus. This was a city of influence.
However, in Revelation 2:13, Jesus calls Pergamum, “Satan’s throne.” Yikes. Houston is called the “Bayou City.” New York City is “The Big Apple.” Whereas Romans and Greeks would be in awe of the culture and heft of Pergamum, Jesus looks at the same city through Kingdom eyes and says, “Satan’s throne.” And in the middle of Pergamum’s darkness is Jesus’s church!
Now, notice how in verse 12 Jesus doesn’t start by addressing the Christians behavior. He starts with His authority. Jesus very intentionally calls Himself the “one who has the sharp, double-edged sword.” Hebrews 4:12 states, “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 thoughts and intentions of the heart.” As a double-edged sword, the word of God pierces into the people’s hearts and exposes true intentions. Jesus is setting the tone: what I am about to say will pierce and penetrate to the heart, to expose and deal with root issues.
Revelation 2:13 says, “I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet 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 put to death among you, where Satan lives.” Here is the good stuff in the church. Despite intense demonic activity, even to the point of killing a faithful man named Antipas, the Christians have held fast to Jesus. In public, in the face of the most severe persecution, the church’s confession is strong.
But, Revelation 2:14–15 states, “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.”
Here is the bad stuff. The church is internally comprised, tolerating false teaching and false teachers. Jesus says some of the people in the church are promoting Balaam and others the Nicolaitans. Balaam refers to a strategy of spiritual compromise where one does not deny the faith but has freedom to engage in unholy behaviors like sexual immorality and idolatry (Numbers 22-25). The specific teaching of the Nicolaitans is unclear, but we do know this teaching was contrary to intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and distorted what it meant to live by faith (Remember, the church in Ephesus successfully overcame the Nicolaitan heresy in Revelation 2:6.).
While Jesus is absolutely addressing the false teaching, He is also rebuking the church for tolerating the false teaching! He says, “I have a few things against you.” You have people inside your own church following false teaching — and you are doing nothing about it. The word “against” comes from the Greek phrase “kata sou”, which literally means “in opposition to” or “standing contrary to.” Jesus is vehemently opposed not only to the false teaching, but to the church’s refusal to address it. Nobody is holding anyone accountable — and that is the massive problem Jesus is pointing out. Jesus is not saying, “I am done with you,” or “I am condemning you.” He is showing them that doing “good” things in the community while avoiding accountability in the body is still compromise.
Have you ever been in group situations where smaller groups within the larger group caused significant problems even to the point of poisoning the whole? On the outside, the church at Pergamum may look faithful — holding fast to the name of Jesus in a demonic culture. But internally, when you really pop the hood, they are guilty of avoiding church accountability and tolerating teaching that directly contradicts the word of God. A church that avoids discipline slowly compromises its own spiritual health. Accountability is essential for a church community to experience the abundant life Jesus offers. Accountability, done in love, is critical for a healthy church. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 4:15: “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”
We are called to wrap truth in love, but not to compromise truth for comfort. Notice Paul says we are to grow up. Maturity in the Lord requires accountability as we follow Christ, who leads us first in all things. Then, in verse 16, Jesus says one of two things are going to happen, “So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Either the church repents or Jesus is coming to fight! He wants them to turn away from tolerated compromise and realign with God. He invites them to restore accountability, seek forgiveness, and return to intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But, if they refuse to repent, He will come “quickly.” That word carries urgency. This is immediateintervention.
Now, notice the shift in pronouns: “I will come to you quickly and fight against them.” Jesus is addressing two groups within the same church. One group is largely faithful, holding fast to His name. The other group is following false teaching. By avoiding accountability in the name of peace or comfort, compromise continues unchecked. Jesus makes it clear: if the church will not address it, He will.
Jesus ends His letter to the church in Pergamum with a powerful promise of what each of them, and each of us, can receive. Revelation 2:17 says, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give 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.” The Holy Spirit is moving, and He is moving to bring divine and perfect blessing. To those that tune in and overcome, they will receive three rewards: hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name.
In Scripture, manna was God’s supernatural provision for Israel in the wilderness — daily bread that came directly from Him, not from human effort. A portion of that manna was placed in a jar and hidden inside the Ark of the Covenant, kept in the Most Holy Place — symbolizing God’s presence, provision, and covenant faithfulness. So, when Jesus speaks of hidden manna, He is talking about intimate, sacred provision that only comes from closeness to God. No other source of provision, not from Pergamum, or even from the United States, can compare to the richness of God’s hidden manna.
Then Jesus offers a white stone with new name known only to the receiver. Scholars debate the meaning of the stone as this is the only place in Scripture where it appears. Throughout Revelation, stones are precious and highly valuable often used for adornment or for building. Revelation 21:14 says the wall of New Jerusalem will have twelve foundation stones and on them will be the names of the twelve apostles. What if the white stones with the new names represent the precious and valuable new lives and new identities bestowed on the faithful who will be a part of God’s eternal building plan!
To the one who overcomes, even in a demonic dumpster fire like Pergamum, you will receive a resting place forever. Compromising in the faith is a dangerous temptation that can rob us of Jesus’s abundance. You can look strong in the public square. You can stand for Jesus and hold fast His name. Yet, in your faith community, in your group of brothers and sisters, you can tolerate and excuse horrible behaviors and bad teachings. In the overflow, accountability is an urgent necessity. We must, in love, speak truth to one another. The question is not whether you have people in your life that can speak truth to you, the question is whether you have people that do speak truth to you. And, do you have people that you speak truth to as well. Let us learn from Pergamum’s mistakes and let us run God’s race together in the overflow of His love.
