REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 2.12a
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
LETTERS
TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
CHAPTER
2
Outline
1. The
Addressee – To whom the
letter is addressed (2:12)
2. The
Address – To where the letter is
addressed (2:12)
3. The
Addresser – From whom the
letter is addressed (2;12)
4. The
Approval – The acclamation
of good qualities (2:13)
5. The
Accusation – The
presentation of bad qualities (2:14-15)
6. The Appeal
– The application to change (2:16)
7. The Advice
– The recommendation to change (2:17)
Review
1. The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ.
2. A blessing is given to anyone who reads this
prophecy
3. A blessing is given to anyone who hears this prophecy
4. Jesus is talking or dictating
5. John is transcribing
6. The angel, minister, elder, or pastor
7. Saith (present tense), is saying (to us)
(Verse 12)
1. The
Addressee – To whom the
letter is addressed (2:12)
And to the angel of the
church in Pergamos write; These things
saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges.
PERGAMOS
The Church
The letter to the church at Pergamos is the third
letter in a series of seven to the churches in Asia Minor. Pergamos (f.), or Pergamum [(neut.) used both ways] in Greek is translated, as fortified, taken
from the root word meaning tower, elevation, or height. The word itself is also
associated with marriage. It represents a morally compromising church or
believer that is married to the world. In history, the church period is characterized
by spiritual adultery, fusing Christianity with paganism.
The early beginnings of the church are unclear. Amidst
a heathenistic society, most likely it began like Smyrna: The Word of God
regarding the Resurrection of Christ was heard - a small group embraced the Gospel - and it grew into a full-blown church.
Constantine
For the first three centuries, Satan used
persecution as a method to exterminate Christianity. Upon failure, his tactic drastically
changed for the next two centuries. The Pergamon Stage was birthed because of one
man – Roman Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine.
On the eve of October 27, 312 A.D. Constantine’s
armies were bivouacked in northern Italy along the Tiber River near the Milvian
Bridge facing Maxentius' army. It was a power struggle between Constantine - who controlled Britain and Gaul - and Maxentius, having jurisdiction
over Italy and Africa.
After Constantine received a supernatural vision
or dream - a sign of the cross in the sky - the next day, Maxentius’ army was
defeated. Constantine took this as an omen and defined Christianity as the
state religion of Rome, taking Christianity on a long spiritual journey. The
church had now been labeled the Catholic Church (meaning universal), consisting
of mainly Jews. Ironically, one week prior, the members we are being fed to the
lions, tortured, and burned.
The Roman Empire had been failing over theological
issues, a threat to not only Christianity but also society as well. As a
result, unlike any other religion, Constantine combined Christian theology and pagan
philosophy, making it more respectable and at the same time intellectual. He
then coerced everyone to convert to Christianity.
Citizens faced the sword into transformation, thus
concluding the Smyrnean Period of persecution. Satan’s thinking was, “If you
can’t beat them from without, join them and defeat them from within.” Pagan
festivals became Christian. Pagan cult leaders offered gold and positions of
honor and were baptized. Pagan temples and vestments were used for Christian
services. Imagine the priests of Zeus and Athena being baptized and then
preaching a sermon.
By sanctioning the church to become the State
Church, it gradually advanced into decline:
1. By declension
2. By corruption
3. By complacency
4. By degeneration
5. By heresy
6. By worldliness
7. By dead orthodoxy
Later, a division occurred between Constantinople
and Rome. The two churches were named respectively: The Roman Catholic Church
and the Eastern Orthodox Church of Constantinople where Constantine ruled. This
caused more major theological changes regarding the Kingdom. The Roman Catholic
Church proclaiming “We are the Kingdom” theologically paved the way for the
priesthood and its hierarchy.
Concurrently, the Eastern Orthodox Church claimed,
“There is no Kingdom.” Thus, the amillennialism position was established,
meaning the tribulation ceased, God was finished with Israel and the Kingdom commenced
(to be discussed later). All this was borne out of the Pergamum Era after the
cessation of the Smyrnean Period.
Major theological changes, departing from the
sound doctrine of the Apostles’ teachings, poisoned the church for the next
sixteen hundred years. The Christianity Constantine established (the Church
Age) moved into the Dark Ages until the day of Martin Luther and the
Reformation.
Constantine died from battle wounds in A.D. 337.
Before his death, it is recorded he asked to be baptized - whether he was born again remains undetermined.
Ultimately, the Church of Pergamos became like Old
Testament Israel, difficult to distinguish from the world. However, the church
finally culminates in Revelation chapter seventeen with divine judgment. As our
study continues, these elements will unfold. A small Christian assembly exists in
the city today.
2. The
Address – To where the letter is
addressed (2:12)
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos
The City
Geography
The city of Pergamum, in the western part of Asia
Minor, is about sixty-six miles northeast of Smyrna, approximately
seventy-eight miles northeast of Ephesus, and sixteen miles inland from the
Aegean Sea. It rested on a large mountain (standing alone) between two rivers streaming
into the fertile plain of the Caicus River Valley that flows westward toward
the Aegean Sea. The location made Pergamum a naturally fortified city, built to
withstand enemy attacks.
Education
Educationally, a great university was built there
and was known as a great institution for learning, namely science, and
medicine. The university housed the Library of Pergamum (used for educational
and entertainment purposes) – the
second of the three greatest libraries of the pagan world.
Its library consisted of over two hundred thousand
parchments. The word parchment stems
from the word Pergamena (another
meaning for Pergamos). For years writing was on Papyrus, taken from bulrushes
along the Nile River in Egypt.
Records show one day the Pergamum king tried to
steal the librarian from the rival Alexandrian Library. When the Pharaoh
discovered the plot, he immediately incarcerated the librarian and then placed
an embargo on the export of all papyrus goods to Pergamum, causing Pergamum to
manufacture parchment as a substitute. Later, Mark Antony gifted the volumes to
Cleopatra, and they were transported to Alexandria, Egypt, the greatest library
in the world.
Apart from this great university and library, a
prominent medical school, the Asclepeion, with mineral baths and healing spas, was on the
campus. When Rome’s climate became frigid, Agustus Caesar frequented its pools.
A temple was erected there as a memorial. Some scholars believe the first
psychological school was also part of this complex. And it is also said Hippocrates was educated
here.
Athletics
Comparable to ancient Athens, sports were a
favorite pastime. A three-level gymnasium existed on the Acropolis where public
games, philosophical and scholarly debates, communal bathing, and naked
exercise were a commonality.
Commerce
Pergamum had little or no commerce. Unlike Smyrna,
it was not a seaport town and had no trade routes. Commodities were imported.
Its major business was the manufacture of parchment or vellum, made from treated
animal skins.
The Arts
A theater was also located in the city's Acropolis.
It was categorized as the largest Greek theater in the empire, having a
ten-thousand-seat capacity.
History
For many centuries Pergamum remained a capital
city. It survived several dynasties and empires. At the time of John’s writing,
Pergamum became the seat of the Roman government (A.D. 133) in Asia Minor. Author
politician Pliney the Younger once described the city as, “By far the most
illustrious city in Asia.” The impressive temple ruins on the Acropolis stand
today northwest
of the modern city of Bergama (a Turkish
corruption of the word Pergamos).
Religion
Pergamum also became the religious center for
pagan cults. It was recognized for its famous temples to polytheistic deities:
1. Zeus - Near the top of Mount Pergamos was an immense
altar to the Greek mythological god Zeus, known as the Father God or Soter Theos (Savior God). Later he became
regarded as the father and creator of the world and men. The statue of Zeus at
Olympia, Greece is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
2. Athena – A short distance from her altar was an elegant
temple to Athena. In Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Zeus, born
full-grown and armed with her father’s brain. Athena was commonly known as the
goddess of wisdom, industry, and war. In Homer's Iliad, she is called “the
goddess of counsel and law.” Afterward, she was identified as the goddess of
peace. The city of Athens Greece derived its name from her.
3. Dionysus -
Better known as Baccus (Latin) or the goat god was the son of Zeus. Dionysus was
the god of nature and all growing things, especially grapes (associated with
wine and alcohol).
He is depicted as having horns, the upper part of a
man, and the lower part of a goat, with cloven feet and a forked tail. [The
idea many people think Satan looks like that today does not come from the Bible
– it comes from Baccus, the god of wine].
Note:
The presentation of this background on myth-gods is for you to notice how Satan
counterfeits God Almighty and everything He represents to us as believers. This
directly points to verse 13 where Jesus says, “I know where Satan’s throne is.”
Presently,
Satan’s throne is not in Hell. At the time of this letter, Satan’s throne was
in Pergamum. Remember, he is the God of this world:
2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god
of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the
image of God, should shine unto them.
1
Peter 5:8 - Be sober (clear-minded), be vigilant (alert);
because your adversary (enemy) the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour.
By observing major metropolitan cities in
retrospect to Pergamum, you can determine where Satan's throne is at present.
The introduction of the next temple will clarify some other doubts or misconceptions.
4. Asklepios
(Greek) or Aesculapius (Latin) – Asklepios was
the Greek god of medicine, health, and healing. Visitors from all over the
world flocked to worship at the Temple of
Asklepios for healing from sickness or disease.
The temple was void of furniture. If a person were
to attend one of its healing services, here is what they would expect:
Sick
persons would lie on the temple floor overnight. They would be subject to
having over one-thousand non-venomous snakes crawling around. Each time someone
was touched, music and soothing female voices were heard (from holes in the
floor) crying, “You are healed, you are healed.” That would be considered the
healing touch of the god Asklepios.
Unique to this temple was also a medical college.
The symbol, on which they prided themselves, was a wreathed serpent on a pole (known
as the serpent savior) – Ironically, the symbol of the AMA (American Medical Association).
Question: What was one aspect of Jesus’ ministry
on earth?
Answer: The Ministry of Healing.
Mark 9:12
- But when Jesus
heard that, He said unto them, “They
that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick.”
Luke 9:11 – (Jesus) spake
unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.
So, Satan’s tactic is substituting Jesus’ healing
ministry with Asklepios.
Other Worship:
A. The practice of Emperor Worship
1. The Temple to Caesar Augustus – Making this a
royal city
2. The Temple to Emperor Trajan – The Jewel of
Pergamum
B. An Egyptian Temple called The Red Basilica honoring Isis or Sarapis (signifying abundance and
resurrection) dates back to Babylonia.
C. Lesser temples
to various Anatolian gods and goddesses.
The key to understanding the Church at Pergamum
being married to the world is a moral compromise. The above discussion is only
the setting, part and parcel of our discussion thus far. In the proceeding
study, major theological issues surface. Biblical truth and worldliness – like
oil and water – do not mix.
QUESTIONS:
1. In this letter, to whom is Jesus speaking?
2. What is the meaning of the word Pergamum?
3. Why was A.D. 312 vital to understanding church
history?
4. In what way(s) is Pergamum comparable to our
cities?
5. What factors made Pergamum a capital city of Asia
Minor?
6. Why was the serpent used as a symbol?
7. How could a Christian survive in Pergamum’s
setting?
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to others.
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