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. Let me remind you; let me say two things.

When we’re done with the seven churches, we’re going to come back and look at some of the themes within those seven churches because we’re not touching nearly half of those letters. We will also at that time take a message just for the rewards of the promises that Christ gives. So let me just quickly review our purpose.

We are traveling through Revelation in what I call three acts. Act number one, Christ revealed. It is about Him, not merely from Him. Act two, the Old Testament explored and expounded. And act three, the truth applied. Last week, we combined the two churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia because neither of them had anything negative said about them by Christ. And I mentioned that I might be combining churches, but today I focused specifically on the church of Pergamum.

As we go through this, I want to give you just a few as we progress. So let’s begin with the introduction, verse number 12: “The one who has the sharp two-edged sword.” This comes from John’s vision in chapter one, and there the sword was proceeding from the mouth of Christ in the vision. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand this as a metaphor for the Word of God. And this is substantiated in the Scriptures. Ephesians 6:16-17 states, “in all circumstances, take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Hebrews 4:12 says, “for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” These are two New Testament references.

But in fact, this passage is an allusion to the book of Isaiah. Where we read in Isaiah 49: “The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword. He formed me from the womb to be a servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, and that Israel might be gathered to Him.” This passage, if you were able to look at the commentaries, all the commentators say that this passage in Revelation, where we see Christ with a sharp sword, is a fulfillment of this prediction from the book of Isaiah. And so we begin with that consideration.

Secondly, He says where they are at. He says that they are where Satan’s throne is and where Satan dwells among you. Again, most commentators conclude that this is a reference to Roman emperor worship. All of the culture, all the cities in that part of the world at that time had temples to these pagan gods, and they were all focused on them.

But Pergamum, or Pergamos, had three temples dedicated to the Emperor, and one of those was built in 29 B.C. And this is where they believe that this is, the commentators conclude that this was a reference to them being right in the center of the great challenge of the faith. William Henderson says: “Here the government was carried on, and here were the temples dedicated to the worship of Caesar. Here believers were asked to offer incense to the image of the emperors and to say, ‘Caesar is Lord.’ When they would do this incense, they would say, ‘Caesar is Lord.’ And when you go over to the book of Romans, it says you must confess Jesus as Lord.”

And you can see why there was such conflict and a contrast in that culture. Today people throw that term around: “Jesus is Lord.” And they just throw it out, and they don’t realize in that context, it was a statement that could bring the wrath of Rome down upon you. You said it with boldness, conviction, and not with the callousness and the carelessness and the indifference that plagues so much of the Christian church today.

Then you have the commendation. And the commendation was simply, you’ve been faithful in the face of martyrdom. Even if you had to die for him, you did not compromise, change your mind, back up, walk away. You stood firm and stood true in that consideration.

And then finally, we come to the words of rebuke: “Verse 14, I have a few things against you.” Notice that. Because when he talks to the church at Ephesus, he says, “I have this against you.” And in some of the other churches, he says, “I have this against you.” But here he says, “I have a few things against you.”

This is one of his churches. In Ephesus, the church had heretics, even though her love for Christ was waning. The letter to Smyrna reveals the church in the world. They were going out into the world. However small their influence, they were active. But the letter to Pergamos reveals the church as heretics were tolerated in the name of love.

In Pergamos, the world was in the church. And people who were teaching falsehood were accepted. Notice he says, “I have a few things against you.” And immediately goes to the people who were teaching this falsehood. This is a connection here. You can’t miss this understanding. The letter to Pergamos reveals the world in the church as heretics were tolerated in the name of love.

Joel Beeky says that Pergamos had a record of loving zeal for the cause of Christ, even to the point of suffering martyrdom. But her doctrinal purity and spirituality were on the decline. They were declining spiritually because they were tolerating error.

Now this shows us that they were tolerating because Jesus says you shouldn’t be doing that. And he says if you keep doing it, I’m going to take matters into my own hands. This is a reminder; again, necessity of church discipline. And you can go crazy. You can go on a witch hunt if you want to. But there are some things we have to say this is wrong and we can’t tolerate that.

William Hendrickson makes this observation: “Their one big mistake, they neglected discipline.” But here he says why they neglected it. And I think this is something the American church needs to hear really bad. Probably owing to the fact that they emphasize individual salvation at the expense of a Christian’s duty to be concerned about the welfare of the church as a whole.

I got my own thing going with God. I don’t need anybody else. I don’t need a church. I don’t need a pastor. The other week we talked about hospitality, friendliness, welcoming people in church. The second greatest commandment is love your neighbor as yourself. And that includes the people in your church.

We should have a concern for the church. There are people; they don’t have a concern. They don’t go to church. They don’t give to the church. They don’t help carry the burdens of the church. And this is the culture we live in. I got my own thing going with Jesus. I believe, and that’s all that matters.

No, here he is calling them to be concerned about what is happening in the church, among the church people. Now, we mentioned in an earlier message the vagueness regarding the identity of the Nicolaitans. But to understand this reference of the teaching of Balaam, we must revisit the Old Testament. Verse 14: “You have some who hold the teaching of Balaam.” Well, what was the teaching of Balaam? He goes on and talks about they put a stumbling block.

But I want us to look at the Old Testament. This is Act 2 of our study and see what this is all about. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel come out of Egypt, as you know. They go into the wilderness for 40 years. And then God begins to lead them again to the Promised Land.

On their way to the Promised Land, they travel through Edom and Ammon and Moab. And they travel through the countries on the east side of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. And as they’re coming along, the king of Moab is concerned and calls upon Balaam to come and curse the people so he can defeat them.

Listen to this passage: Numbers 22:4-6. Now please note. Pay attention. Dwelling. That comes in really important later. Dwelling. Opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me. Since they are too mighty for me, perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.

Now I want to quickly say this because it’s not the main part of my message. But that is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented passages in all the Bible. That verse does not say that people have the power to curse you by what they say. It says nothing of the sort. If you read the rest of the story, Balaam couldn’t curse the people. God would not let him curse the people.

And you and I are under the same umbrella of perfection and protection. People just can’t go out and curse you, and it comes to pass in your life. We also have to understand the Bible uses the language. The Bible uses language that all people use, and that includes flattery. So that Balak is trying to get Balaam to come and do this.

We have no record in the Scripture or anywhere else that Balaam actually had the power to curse people and get them to control their lives. And that’s not what’s done in this story. And anyone who uses that passage that way is misusing it. Now at the end of this, there’s some wrangling between Balaam and God.

And then Balaam goes to profit. Now, to emphasize profit, he’s going for one reason, to profit from this attempt to curse God’s people. And by the way, we’re not reading all the verses, but Balaam’s answer to Balak is: “I can’t curse them if God doesn’t let me curse them.” And the same is true for me and you today.

Then the explicit part of the story ends with him blessing the people of Israel contrary to his wishes and to Balaam’s. And ergo, by implication, by Satan. God is in control of your life, not some cultist on the other side of the world. And we’ve got to get that and believe that in our hearts and souls.

So Numbers 24-25: Like this, “Balaam rose and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.” But that’s not the end of the story. The very next chapter, very important to notice where it occurs. The very next chapter is Numbers 25: verse 1-9.

This is small; tried to get it all in there. It’s difficult to do. Balaam began, Israel began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These daughters of Moab invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the peoples ate and bowed down to their gods. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

And the Lord said to Moses: “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel: “Each of you will kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor. The plague on the people of Israel was stopped when they did that.

Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were 24,000 people. Now then we are told later in chapter 31 that Balaam was the one who instigated these women to seduce Israel. And that says, “Numbers 31:14-15,” Moses was angry with the officers of the army. They went out to kill these people.

When they come back, they brought the women with them. And Moses was angry with the officers of the army who had come from the service in the war. And Moses said to them: “Have you let all the women live? Behold, these women, on Balaam’s advice caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor.”

And so the plague came upon the congregation of the Lord. Please notice this. Very important to get it. In the Old Testament, in the New Testament church, they did not have the New Testament scriptures like you and I have. They had pieces of it and places here and there.

But it wasn’t a collection like you and I have. Their scripture was predominantly the Old Testament. Therefore, they would have been completely familiar with extremely familiar with this account, and the implications of it. And the implications are that although God’s people could not be defeated militarily, the Israelites were hindered through moral compromise.

All of this is in the backdrop when Christ talks about this church and Balaam. It’s all in their mind. And He is warning the church that they are failing in the same manner and will consequently face the same judgment if they don’t deal with this problem of these people promoting moral compromise.

In the illusions and parallels, Balaam is threatened with death by an angel with a sword. He subsequently dies by the sword. And the language in the Septuagint is virtually word for word. And we read this in Numbers 31. They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, Recham, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian.

And they also killed Balaam, the son of Beor, with the sword. Now that’s significant. And just quickly, the Midianites and Moabites occupied the same area and their names have some correlation.

Now let’s ask a question because it comes back to importance again later: If Balaam went home in chapter 24, how is he here to be killed in chapter 31? And the answer, almost all scholars agree in, some of the ancient material we have says he went back to get his paycheck.

Balak said, “I will give you all this if you come and curse these people for me.” And when Balaam goes home and then he hears: hey, this outbreak which he instigated, this judgment of God which he promoted by causing these women to seduce the Israelites happens; he says, payday. And he’s heading back to collect his money.

Now this tells us something about Balaam. He went to collect the money since he had been promised, since it was his advice which had led to their judgment at the hands of God. Now summary: Act 1, Christ is revealed as a righteous judge chastening His people.

Act 2 is the Old Testament explored as we’ve done here with Balaam. What applications, Act 3, can we draw? Now forgive the redundancy just here. Martin Luther said that he preached the gospel every Sunday because every Sunday the people needed to hear the gospel because they were in a culture where the gospel was being challenged all the time and they went back out and were influenced by the world when you come in.

Unless you believe that you’re never influenced by the values and culture of the world in which you live, you and I need to be reminded of things when we come into church on Sunday morning, not just other things. So forgive the redundancy here if you feel like it is redundant.

But what applications can we draw? Number one: We are not dealing with slight differences in interpretation. We’re not dealing with that. This is a little book called “Conviction Without Compromise,” Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith by Norman Geisler and Ron Rhodes. And they, in this book, they deal with the mantra that says: In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things charity.

And they list 17 chapters dealing with things that can’t be—you’ve got no choice. You believe that or you’re not a Christian. Then they have 12 chapters where they say they’re non-essential, things that Christians disagree on. And here are a list of some of those: The possession of the Holy Spirit; forms of church government; mode of baptism; the nature of communion; the style of worship music; and the order of second coming events—and one which they do not list, but I think you and I should be mindful of—different versions of the Bible.

That’s not essential that you use King James, though you may have been told that. 90% of the people in the world do not use King James. They use the book, the Bible in their translation. And I’m not knocking King James except for the legalists who occupy the American landscape.

These are examples of things you can disagree about. But that’s not what the letters are dealing with. In the letters, Jesus is dealing with genuine, real, soul-endangering error which must be dealt with. And if it isn’t, I want you to hear again verse 16: “Therefore, repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Christ is not coming offering consolation. He’s coming to combat the people because of the error in their midst. This is so very important. There are times when the church does not need the syrupy words of love but of strong rebuke.

Because we are fallen and prone to drift toward our creaturely nature, we will always need words of correction unless we despair. We need to be reminded that chastisement is an act of love. Well, I wish the pastor was more loving. Your pastor is demonstrating genuine love when he comes to the pulpit and says that belief, that practice, that activity is damning your soul.

That is love. You might not feel love. Well, my daddy whipped me. I didn’t feel very loved either. But that’s what the Scripture says. We want the syrupy in America. Tell me about God’s wonderful goodness. Make goose pimples run up my spine. They won’t do you any good if you’re not right with God in the end.

Revelation 3:19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; so be zealous and repent.” Hebrews 12:6. And by the way, we will take one of those weeks to deal just with the subject of repentance because Jesus says to these churches, repent. What does that mean?

It means repentance is not a word that applies to sinners. Repentance also applies to the church. And we need to know what it means. Hebrews 12:6: “The Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives.” That is a passage quoted from the book of Proverbs where He says, If you don’t get correction, you are bastards. You are illegitimate children if God does not correct you.

The proof of God’s love is Him speaking to us through His Word and calling us back from a path that is the way to stray. Secondly, we must not allow the goodness, the apparent goodness of false teachers make us indifferent to their error. It’s very disturbing when you try to talk about some of the extreme teachings in our culture that what Christians say is this but look at what they’re doing.

Look at how many good works they’ve got. Isn’t it amazing that people who say we’re saved by faith and grace, not by works, want to immediately go to the works to prove the legitimacy of people who are teaching falsehood? Instead of just saying listen, that goes against the Bible.

That’s not what the Bible says. That’s not what the Bible teaches. We say but look, look at all the good things they’re doing. Look at the things they’re accomplishing. We should never ignore error simply because it looks like people are good and doing lots of good things.

Matthew chapter 7: On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not do mighty works in Your name?” And by the way, the word mighty there in the Greek is the same word typically used in the Gospels for Jesus healing people. He says, I don’t know you and I never did.

Note that, please. Know in the Bible is a relational word. It’s a relational word. When we talk to people, what do we ask them? Do you know the Lord? What do we mean? Are you in a relationship with Christ? Christ?

It is a relational word and Jesus noticed: I never knew you. We were never in a relationship despite the works you were doing. You’re not my people. You’re not connected to me, and this is what we do in the American church.

But look at the good things they’re doing. If they’re teaching falsehood, it’s false. And we should not be indifferent to those works. Now listen to this. And this is a tricky subject. This is a topic that’s very difficult to navigate, I grant you. But listen to Joe Beakey.

Balaam was a false prophet in Old Testament times. He was involved with the occult and witchcraft but he was occasionally used by God to prophesy truth. One lesson here is that we must not confuse gifts with grace. A man may have special or extraordinary gifts yet be, like Balaam, who had the gift of prophecy but yet be unsaved.

God can sovereignly give all kinds of gifts to people, but such gifts are by themselves not saving grace. We look at these people; we look at the work they’re doing, and we say those are good people, look at all the good works they’re doing, and we ignore their error. I mean how many times I’ve dealt with that through the years: People, well, they pray in Jesus’ name, that means nothing.

If they’re following false teaching. Balaam, as we have seen, makes sweeping predictions about the people of God. And if you were there listening to it, if you go back and read those quote, prophecies and so forth, you could say wow, God’s favoring us on us. Man, we got it made.

The next chapter, verse 25, the wrath of God comes upon the people and Balaam. He makes these sweeping commitments, promises, predictions. He’s got a gift. And he’s leading the people astray. You and I have to come to terms. That’s what’s happening in this story. That’s what’s happening in this church.

You are allowing people to teach falsehood. And it’s going to result in the church being judged. Number three, we have to guard against well, I didn’t make the headline for that one. Sorry. We have to guard against what seems innocent or even biblical.

And what do I mean by this or what am I trying to say? Cindy had a question the other week because in Thyatira and here again in Pergamum, Christ denounces their sacrificing food to idols eating food sacrificed to idols. But in Corinthians, Paul seems to say it’s okay to eat food offered to idols.

What is the contrast? Also in the book of Acts, they’re told not to eat food as sacrificed to idols. And here, Jesus is condemning them or that they could eat, not to eat food sacrificed to idols. Jesus says not to do in Revelation. Paul seems to be saying something opposite in the book of 1 Corinthians.

Now this is another one of those subjects that’s very involved and I’m just giving you a little bit here at the top to answer the question, is Christ contradicting Paul? Is Paul contradicting Christ? So we have to read this and I’ll read it from my outline.

1 Corinthians chapter 4: verse 11; chapter 8: verses 4-11, again abbreviated for space. As to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol has no real existence and that there is no God but one. However, not all possess this knowledge. Some through former association with idols eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

If anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple will he not be encouraged if his conscience is weak to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed the brother for whom Christ died. Let me back up.

You know when we want food, we go to Walmart Food Line. They had open air markets and they had meat that was available in the open-air markets and some of that meat was from idol worship because in that culture just as we do, we are taught to give a tithe. I personally don’t think the tithe is what you should give.

I think you should give above the tithe because it’s too easy to reach 10% and think, I did my duty and not be generous with what God gives you. But we are told this is what happened in the Old Testament they would bring an animal. They had a whole burnt sacrifice. The whole animal would burn up but typically you would bring an animal.

It would be sacrificed for God. The priest would take some for himself. Some of it would be burned. You took the rest home. And this was the same way in the New Testament period and you would take the rest of your sacrifice to this idol and give it down to the meat market and sell it.

There were other people raising those animals who had extra animals and so they too were being offered say in the meat market and you couldn’t always tell whether it had been good meat. What is the Jewish word kosher? You didn’t always know whether it was kosher or whether it had been offered to an idol. And Paul says because there is no such thing as an idol if you bought meat that was offered to an idol, it makes no difference to you who believe in the true right God.

But notice what Paul says. If anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple this isn’t simply I took the meat home and offered thanks in the name of Jesus. I’m in the temple participating in the sacrifice. That’s what Paul is denouncing, and that’s what Jesus denounces.

Look at this passage from chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians. What do I imply then? That food offered to an idol is anything? Or that an idol is anything? No. I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.

I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. You cannot go into the temple that worship and worship, and I lost a tooth and it took some of my brain.

You cannot go into that environment and offer and eat. To take it home for your own consumption is one thing but they’re participating and this is what’s happening in Pergamum. They’re going to the temples. They’re participating in the idol worship. They’re being told it’s okay. You’re a Christian.

You believe, that’s all that matters. It’s alright to do this and be a Christian. You’ll hear in our culture where you’ll hear somebody say I’m a Buddhist Christian or I’m a this Christian doesn’t work because our Christ is God incarnate and everybody else is a human being created by Christ incarnate.

And when you elevate them up and say I’m a Christian and a Buddhist and a Hindu, you have obliterated the message of Christ. That’s what Jesus is condemning. Look at this. Look at this. From Numbers Israel began to whore with the daughters of Moab these invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

They weren’t just eating meat that had been offered to an idol at a different point in time. They were participating in the worship of that idol, and that’s what Jesus says can’t fly. Now so I know whenever Jason speaks he’s very concerned about this, and I’m trying to do better with application.

But you in your personal walk are going to have to pray about Lord how am I guilty of sacrificing to idols? How am I guilty of sexual immorality? Because if it has application to every generation the fact that we don’t go down to a temple by the way most of you know that but I’ll remind you that at these temples they had temple prostitutes male and female prostitutes that you can engage with sexually after you made your sacrifice.

Jesus says this should have no part in my people, and if you don’t get serious about dealing with it I’m going to come down and do it myself. And knowing how broken and how weak and how insufficient I am I do not want to have to combat Christ. Amen. I want to be on this side of the aisle where he’s commending us for our service.

These people began to whore bow down to their gods, and that’s what Jesus here is condemning—not the questions that Paul dealt with. Number four no one battle does not a victory make one battle does not a victory make after 25 where they are seduced and comes right on the heels of Baal making all these sweeping predictions about them.

We’re very bad about this as humans we get one battle fought and won, and we think that’s it I got it made. People on both sides of the political aisle Donald Trump got elected and Republicans thought all the Democrats would go away and the Democrats think if we get rid of Donald Trump all the Republicans would go away.

One battle that’s all one election we do not realize you and I can never rest on our laurels you can never say man look at the experience I had with God well when was that oh gosh that must have been I talked to a guy the other day he was out here in the parking line I went up to him I didn’t ask I had delivered the sign list for Ronnie and put it in the box, and they’re sitting there in the parking lot.

He waves at me, and I thought he wanted me and I went over, and he wanted to make sure I gave my heart to Jesus Christ 45 years ago what did you do this week how are you living out that confession today well I did my part I did my part you said well Paul said that pastor he said I finished my yeah that was just before they chopped his head off that was not when he decided I don’t need anything else to do with God I did my part free to live my life.

They had this prophecy of great things and the next thing there are people dropping dead left and right because God’s judgment has come upon them for moral compromise anybody remember the phrase idle hands are the devil’s workshop oh sorry, there it is 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 8 we must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did and 23 thousand fell in a single day.

And if you have a reference Bible it will reference you back to the book of Numbers, and then what does Paul say let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall just as soon as you think I made it look out we must never rest on our laurels or exalt in past experiences please notice one more thing and we’re done please notice one more thing and we’re done and I apologize I meant to look this up earlier, I did not do it and I probably will not be able to find it because I never can find it when I want to find it, and I hate throwing things out and not being you know really true about that so you’ll forgive me because I won’t be able to find it.

You know what it says? It says the spring of the year came when kings go out to battle and David stayed in Jerusalem and while he was staying in his idleness, and his lots of free time, he took a struggle and saw a naked woman and he fell with her because he stopped moving forbid that as Christians we should think I’ve read the Bible enough I’ve prayed enough I’ve attended church enough I’ve given enough you must move on.

You must move on there’s another passage over in the book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes in the King James version that says, there is no discharge from that war until you and I cross Chile Jordan into the promised land. There are enemies about who want to keep us from achieving that goal.

And only by keeping our eyes on our Savior King our warrior Messiah can we hope to cross the river and make it home, amen.

There are enemies about who want to keep us from achieving that goal. And only by keeping our eyes on our Savior, King, our Warrior Messiah, can we hope to cross the river and make it home. Amen.

As believers, we must understand that spiritual vigilance is not optional but essential. The challenges and temptations of this world are designed to distract and derail us from our ultimate purpose and destination in Christ. It’s crucial that we remain steadfast and committed, continually renewing our minds with the truth of God’s Word, resisting the pull towards complacency or compromise.

In conclusion, as we reflect on these teachings, let us draw strength from them. Let this message be a call to action for each one of us to examine ourselves, to repent where necessary, and to stand firm in our faith. May we find courage to confront not only personal sins but also communal errors that threaten the integrity and witness of our churches.

Let us commit to being communities that uphold truth, foster genuine discipleship, and live out the radical love of Christ in every aspect of life. In doing so, may we be a beacon of hope and light in an often dark world, exemplifying what it truly means to follow Jesus.

May God grant us wisdom, strength, and discernment as we continue this journey together. Let His Spirit guide our steps and empower us to live out our calling with boldness and humility. Amen.