YAHWEH JESUS IS IN THE MIDST OF HIS CHURCHES (PART 2)
Revelation 2:12-29
As taught by Dave Lindstrom
I. Church #3: The Church at Pergamum
A. A brief history of the city of Pergamum: Pergamum in 95 A.D. was a large (over 200,000 population) and important city located about 70 miles north of Smyrna and about 15 miles inland from the coast. It boasted itself as the capital city of Asia Minor (along with Ephesus and Smyrna), had the second largest library in Rome with over 200,000 volumes (Alexandria was first), and was known as a learning and medical community. It also was a multiple temple and shrine city with three temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman Emperor (represented by a Bull), and temples to Zeus, Athena, and the healing god Asclepius (represented by a snake). In modern Turkey today, the city is known as Bergama.
B. Christ’s attributes, assessment, and award for the congregation at Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17).
1. Christ’s attribute for the church to meditate on is found in Revelation 2:12. He identifies Himself as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword and we know from Revelation 1:16 that it comes out of His mouth. This shows Yahweh Jesus as the one who conquers, judges, and rebukes by the power of His words and the one who perfectly carried out the words of prophecy (Isa. 11:4; Rev. 12:10, 11; 19:13-15).
2. Christ’s assessment of the churches situation and problem (Rev. 2:13-16).
a. Christ knows that the church at Pergamum is in a city that has given itself over to multiple forms of idol worship including Emperor worship (Satan’s throne). In the midst of persecution, including one of their own being killed by the name of Antipas, the church has not denied Christ’s name or their faith (verse 13).
b. Christ knows that there are some in their congregation who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans (like the Ephesian church Rev. 2:2, 6) which ends up leading people astray. From church history we know that this group taught their followers to overcome (“nike” Greek) the lusts of this world and their flesh by giving themselves to licentious living. They probably believed that their physical bodies didn’t matter since God is essentially Spirit. Christ likens this teaching to that taught by the prophet Balaam. He advised the pagan King Balak on how to lure the Israelites into the sin of sacrificing to the false gods of the Moabites by seducing them by their women (verses 14, 15; Numbers 22:1-25:17, 31:16; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11).
c. Christ knows that false teachers need to repent (change their mind and accept and do truth) and the church leaders need to repent and not allow these false teachers to teach and exercise authority. Without repentance the church could come under Yahweh Jesus’ discipline (verse 16).
3. Christ’s award for His faithful ones (Rev. 2:17). To His true overcomers who will listen and put His words into practice Christ will give two things: 1) Hidden manna – manna was the daily food given by Yahweh to the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert of which some of it was hidden in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 16:31-34; Heb. 9:4). This promises sustaining intimacy with Christ now and millennial and eternal intimate fellowship in His service in the future (John 6:48-51; Revelation 19:6-9); 2) A White Stone with a new name – In the Roman world, white stones were given for special feasts or banquets which were presented at the time of entrance into the event. Many times the name of the person was inscribed on the stone. Christ is going to give His overcomers a stone with a new name picked out specifically by Him (Christ also has a new name, Rev. 19:12).
THOUGHT: Believers today need to watch out for some of the same problems that influenced the church at Pergamum. The lust for other things (idols) and sexual immorality are all around us. Christ’s word will speak to us and purify us if we let it!
II. Church #4: The Church at Thyatira
A. A brief history of the city of Thyatira: Thyatira was a merchant city located 45 miles southeast of Pergamum. During 95 A.D. at the time of the writing of Revelation, the city had a multitude of trade guilds which supplied the Roman military (being one of its military outposts) as well as the other cities since it was on Asia Minor’s major trade route. There were guilds (workers unions) for wool, linen, clothing, dyers, potters, bakers, leather, tanners, bronze smiths and slave traders. In the city were temples to Apollo, Artemis (Diana) and shrines to individual trade guild gods. Members of the trade guilds were expected to worship the god of that guild, participate in its feasts, and follow its social and sexual practices. Not participating in any of these could involve financial and social hardship. Lydia was from Thyatira as a “seller of purple” when the Apostle Paul witnesses Christ to her in Philippi (Acts 16:12-15).
B. Christ’s attributes, assessment, and award for the congregation of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29).
1. Christ’s attributes for the church to meditate on are found in Rev. 2:18. He is the Son of God which is the only time it is used in the book. The Apostle John uses this term to show the divine side of the Messiah whom he described for us as the Son of Man earlier (Rev. 1:13; John 1:34, 49; 20:31). He is also the one with blazing fire eyes and glowing bronze feet. His eyes speak of His all-knowing ability to exercise wise judgment and His feet speak of His ability to purify and conquer. These came from Revelation 1:14, 15 and could particularly speak to trade workers.
2. Christ’s assessment of the churches situation and problem (Rev. 2:19-25).
a. Christ knows the Thyatiran church’s ministry of love and faith, their endurance (the ability to “remain under” their situations), and commends them for doing more now than when they first started
(verse 19).
b. Christ knows that as a church, they are putting up with and giving a woman, who calls herself a prophetess, a platform to teach ideas that are not in conformity to the teaching of Christ and the apostles. Christ identifies her as similar to the Old Testament person Queen Jezebel. She was a Baal worshipping Canaanite who married Israel’s King Ahab and brought idolatry and deception to Israel provoking Yahweh to anger (I Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:22). This prophetess in Thyatira seemed to be teaching a form of Nicolaitan licentious living which has already been discussed in the churches of Ephesus and Pergamum (verse 20).
c. Christ has already confronted her with her error before this and has been waiting patiently for her and her followers to repent (change their mind and obey) (verse 21). If they choose to go their own way and not follow Christ’s discipline which could include affliction and suffering (“thlipsis” Greek), sickness (“I will cast her on her bed”), and death (verse 22). When this happens, those in the seven churches will take Christ’s discipline seriously (verse 23; I Cor. 11:30-32; James 5:19, 20; I John 5:16, 17).
d. Christ speaks comfort for those in the church who refuse to accept this prophetesses teachings on “the deep things of Satan.” This is probably the wrong view that Christians cannot be hurt by this world, and therefore can participate in it fully, because they are essentially spiritual beings. However, Christ says they should “hold fast” to His and the apostles true teaching until He comes. Christ took on human flesh (now has a glorified human body) and walked in purity and truth in His mortal body (verse 24, 25; Col. 3:5; I John 2:14-20).
3. Christ’s award for the faithful Thyatirans (Rev. 2:26-29).
a. True overcomers in Christ are promised a co-reigning with Him in His Millennial Kingdom on this earth (verse 26, 27; Psalms 2:8, 9; Daniel 7:27; Rom. 8:17; Rev. 20:4-6).
b. True overcomers in Christ (the Morning Star, Rev. 22:16) are given the glories and splendors of being with Christ forever. In new and glorified bodies, they can shine like the brightness of the heavens (verses 28, 29; Daniel 12:3).
THOUGHT: This is the center church (the fourth out of seven). Many times the main Hebrew and Greek message is found in the center of a writing. In this writing, the Son of God calls us to hold to the truth and to live for the Kingdom. This is also the message of the whole book!
