Correcting Compromise Rev 2:12-17
Commendation 13 "'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is . . . where Satan dwells. God knows all his people’s circumstances, where they dwell, as well as what they do, and how they behave themselves in their habitations. (Poole) Jesus perceives the way in which Satan would first mislead you and then accuse you. The subtlety of the old serpent He understands. He sees your struggles, your failures and your desperate endeavors to hold fast the faith. He knows how at night you are grieved as you make confession before Him of your shortcomings. But He knows, also, the peculiar circumstances in which you are placed and He judges you in great mercy (Spurgeon). Satan did not simply resided in Pergamum, but his “throne” or seat of power of king or judge (Matt 19:28; Lk 1:32, 52). Some have thought that Satan’s throne was the altar of Zeus, which was very prominent in the town. Another possibility is that this throne refers to emperor worship that was stronger in Pergamum than elsewhere. But most likely it was the medical school complex of buildings devoted to the god of healing, Asklepios. The symbol of Asklepios was the serpent as it is of Satan (Rev 12:9; 20:2)..(Constable) The symbolic snake is still used in the middle of a medical symbol winding its way around the pole. Asklepios was known all over the ancient world as the Pergamese god. Their worship mingled superstition into their medicine. When you went to the temple of Asklepios you went there to be healed. In the temple harmless snakes slithered all over the temple floor. And in order to be healed you had to go in there and lie down and stay there. You slept on the temple floor and while you slept the defused multiplicity of the deity of Asklepios crawled over your body and infused you with his healing power. (Mac Arthur)
Professed Him 13 Yet you hold fast my name The fact that we are told here to hold fast to what we believe means that these are things that we already possess. We are not told, “Go out and get a hold of it for the very first time.” But we are told, “Hold fast to it.” The clear implication is, “You have it. You have it in your possession. It’s yours!” What the Bible teaches is something that belongs to you. It has been given to you. It is your property. You possess the truth that you confess. You are to hold fast to what you profess. You are to keep it in your possession. Be sure, as believers, to take a good hold of that truth of the Word of God, and never depart from it. Never change with regard to it. Do not let go of it. Do not even let go of part of it – not even a small part. Keep on believing until your dying day what today you believe and confess to be the truth of the Word of God! It is difficult because there is apostasy in our day. Most people are changing. And they consider believers to be old fashioned. We are, they say, behind the times. Therefore they will criticize us and put pressure on us to join them. And we are tempted. For who wants to be among the few? Who wants to be among the few who are, for the most part, constantly criticized and ridiculed? It is much easier to say, “Yes, they are right. We better start doing what they are saying we ought to be doing. We better start believing what they believe, or at least agree that it doesn’t matter what one believes.” Because of such persecution, the admonition is a difficult one to heed. (Daniel Kleyn)
Persevered in Him 13 you did not deny my faith. If you are holding fast His name and have not denied the faith—even that may be to Him a surer proof of your truthfulness of heart than works of labor and patience might be in other instances. You have borne fewer clusters than another vine but Jesus knows that you grow in a very barren bit of ground and He thinks well of your little fruit. Your day’s work does not look like much when it is done but when horses plow a rock so hard that it breaks the plowshare, no farmer expects so much to be done as when a light soil has to be gently turned over. Here the name of Christ is made to be identical with the faith of Christ. “You hold fast My name and have not denied My faith.” The faith of Scripture has Christ for its center, Christ for its circumference and Christ for its substance. The great doctrines of the Gospel are all intimately connected with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself—they are the rays and He is the sun. We never hold the faith correctly except as we see the Lord Jesus to be the center of it. The Gospel is the gold ring, but Christ Jesus is the diamond which is set in it. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith—He is the Sum and Substance, the top and bottom of it. When we hold fast the name of our Lord then we have not denied the faith. (Spurgeon) We, through mercy, live in less trying times, and are in no danger of suffering martyrdom for our adherence to Christ. But we have temptations enough to prove us, whether we will serve our God in sincerity and truth. If Satan’s “throne” be not here, his habitation is: for, in truth, where is the place in which “he dwells” not? And to those who are exempt from greater evils, the smaller evils are great. If we be not in danger of imprisonment and death for the faith of Christ, there are lighter kinds. of martyrdom to which we are exposed: hatred, and contempt, and persecution in a variety of ways, are the sure portion of those who will live godly in Christ Jesus: and these are not easy for flesh and blood to bear. But we must be willing to bear whatever cross may be laid upon us. We must even learn to “glory in tribulation,” for the Lord’s sake (Simeon) Persecuted because of him 13 and even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, According to Christian tradition, John the Apostle ordained Antipas as bishop of Pergamon during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian. The traditional account goes on to say Antipas was martyred during the reign of Nero (54-68), by burning in a brazen bull-shaped altar for casting out demons worshiped by the local population. Notice the two traits of Antipas: 1) faithful Gk pistos meaning: one who show themselves faithful specifically here to their commitment to Christ. and 2) witness Gk martus means- one who is a spectator of anything Literally one who remembers or has information. Here specifically it refers to one who has suffered death as a consequence of confessing Christ (Acts 22:20, Rev 17:6) Here then is a challenge for the people of Pergamum who faced death and us as well. Tell me, I pray you, Does Antipas at this moment regret the sufferings he endured, and the sacrifice he made, even of life itself, for Christ’s sake? The very name here given him, “My faithful martyr,” is a pledge, that neither you, nor any who shall follow his steps, will ever regret their faithfulness to such a Master. “Save your life by unfaithfulness, and you will lose it: but lose it for your Lord’s sake, and you shall save it for ever ( Matt 10:39.]. Lk 12:4-5) (Simeon)
Criticism Here we have two things: compromise and corruption When we compromise our beliefs, we will corrupt our behavior. If the devil can’t kill a church, he will join it. (Charles) Belief is Distorted14 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 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(Num 22:25- 31:15-16) Balaam was a prophet for hire. Balak, king of Moab, wanted to get rid of Israel. The Moabites and the Israelites were always after each other. Balaam could be bought. And Balak paid him to curse Israel. He felt that if Balaam would curse Israel, he had such prophetic powers, that Israel would be under the curse. Three times Balaam tried to do it. Every time he tried to do it he failed. So he got another plan. If he couldn’t curse them, he’d corrupt them. So, he devised a plot where the Moabite women will move in among the Israelite men and sexually seduce the Israelite men, suck them into intermarriage. And once they’re intermarried, it will pull them in to all the idolatry life of Moab. The life of Moab could be described as fornication and idolatrous feasts. And so, Balaam had women of Moab seduce the men of Israel into intermarriage and brought Israel into a blasphemous union with Satan and idols and fornication and debased them. Thus, destroying their power. (Num 22-25) The doctrine of Balaam is the teaching that the people of God to compromise their commitment by a mingled lifestyle, Professing Christ, but practicing worldliness. Specifically, here by intermarry with the heathen and thus becoming what the heathen are. (Mac Arthur) The doctrine of Balaam (2 Pet 2:15, Jud 1:11) was his teaching Balak to corrupt the people who could not be cursed.; (Num 31:15; 31:16; 22:5; 23:8) by tempting them to marry women of Moab, defile their separation, and abandon their faithful character. It is that union with the world and the church which resulted in severe punishment. (Num 25:1) (Scofield)
Behavior is Disobedient 14 so that they
Idolatry 14 might eat food sacrificed to idols.
Because religion and culture were so deeply intertwined, The eating of things sacrificed to idols was more and more a crucial test, involving a cowardly shrinking from the open confession of a Christian's faith. Disciples who sat at meat in the idol's temple were making merry with those whose hands were red with the blood of their fellow-worshippers, and whose lips had uttered blaspheming scoffs against the Holy Name” (Plumptre). So, in times of persecution, tasting the wine of the libations or eating meat offered to idols, was understood to signify recantation of Christianity.
Immorality 14 and practice sexual immorality Gk pornea – indulging in unbiblical sex with either sex, lust, and committing fornication – sexual activity outside of marriage. The worship of Baal was very sensual and sexual. He was the god of fertility animals, plants and humans. His image of worship was a phallus. The sexual impulse was a holy sensation, the temple was a brothel, the priestesses were harlots and the religious rites were debauchery. (Wheldon) You have these people there who believe these false things and you are allowing it. You’re not dealing with it. You’re allowing them to feel comfortable. You’re not putting them out of the church. You’re not dealing with it. It wasn’t a question of their denying the Lord’s name. They wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t a question of denying the faith. They wouldn’t do that. It was a question of being soft and tolerant to error. The church isn’t designed for unbelievers to come and say whatever they want and be accepted as they are. It’s designed for saints to uphold the truth and unbelievers to come and hear the truth and in hearing it be saved. And when you allow unbelievers to come in and take part and participate in the church, you’re going to have people who live a Balaam lifestyle. And they’ll mingle the church with their fornication and the church with their idolatry, and the Lord says, I’ll come with a sword in My mouth and I’ll slice them up. (Mac Arthur)
Challenge Receive his Words17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. People do not receive spiritual information regarding their salvation from any inner impulses, impressions, or inner strivings of the soul, but by listening to the words given by the Holy Spirit. (Coffman) We must not have dull souls, dim eyes, divided hearts and deaf ears to what the Spirit would say to us or we will not receive the commendations, criticisms, and challenges to hold fast to his name and not deny the faith. When our ears are deaf our faith will be defeated.
Repent of their Works 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. Repentance Gk metanoia meaning repentance with regret accompanied by a true change of heart toward God. (Zodhiates) It is more than just feeling sorry for what you did and not wanting to do it again, but a change of mind that leads to a change of attitude the results in a change in behavior (A J Charles)
Return to his Ways 17 To the one who conquers Here it is speaking of Jesus the conqueror who has conquered sin and death on our behalf, allowing us to be more then conquers in Christ and gain access into the presence of the Father through him.
Consequence
Sustenance 17 I will give some of the hidden manna Inside the ark of the covenant was some manna. it represented the bread of life Jesus Christ (Jn 6:51). Just as Israel received manna from heaven as its food, God gives us Jesus Christ, the true bread, the spiritual bread from heaven The bread which will sustain you. I’ll give you Christ. I’ll give you all that is in Christ. I’ll give you all the benefits of knowing Christ. You’re an overcomer, and I’ll give you all you need to sustain your life forever (Mac Arhtur). This “hidden manna.” is the Christian’s life. “Our life is hid with Christ in God.” The outward effects of it may be seen, but the inner life is invisible. So is the nourishing of the life. You may see the Christian on his knees, you may hear the words which he utters, but you cannot see the streams of Divine influence which are poured into his spirit; nor hear the sweet whispers of Divine love which fill him with joy; nor comprehend the peace passing all understanding which he is permitted to experience. We need to eat this manna during our pilgrimage. We cannot live without it. (Hall)
Status 17 I will give him a white stone Among the Greeks and Romans, when any man was tried for an offence against the State, those who sat in judgment upon him gave their verdict by means of a white stone, if they acquitted him; or by a black stone, if they condemned him: and, on some occasions, the vote they gave was confirmed by an inscription on the stone itself. Thus, when we arrive in the heavenly land, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Judge of quick and dead, will put into our hands a white stone, in token that we are fully and for ever justified in the sight of God (Simeon) Some think there is a reference here to a stone called the tessera hospitalis When one person was received kindly by another, or contract of friendship was entered into, the tessera was given.each wrote his own name on half of the tessera; then they exchanged pieces, and therefore the name or device on the piece of the tessera which each received was the name the other person had written upon it, and which no one else knew but him who received it. It was carefully prized, and entitled the bearer to protection and hospitality ' The Savior visits the sinner’s heart, and being received as a guest, bestows the white stone, the token of His unchanging love. He who chooses the sinner’s heart as His banqueting chamber, spreads there His choicest gifts--His exceeding great and precious promises, His finished sacrifice, His human sympathy, His perfect example, His pure precepts, His all-prevailing intercession, the various developments of His infinite love. He enrolls our name among His friends. “He makes an everlasting covenant with us, ordered in all things and sure.” He promises never to leave nor forsake us. He tells us we “shall never perish.” He gives us the tessera, the white stone (Hall)
Security 17 and, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it. , being deposed by barbarian and pagan conquerors, were reinstated, with new names imposed upon them by the victors. In all these cases the imposition of the new name implies authority and ownership on the part of the giver; and generally, a relationship to the giver, with new offices, functions, and powers on the part of the receiver. And so when Christ from the heavens declares that He will rename the conqueror, He asserts on the one hand His own absolute authority over him, and on the other hand His own perfect knowledge of the nature and inmost being of the creature He names. And, still further, He gives a promise of a nature renewed, of new functions committed to the conqueror, of new spheres, mew closeness of approach to Himself, new capacities, and new powers. (Maclaren,)
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