Revelation 2:12-17 | The Problem with Tolerance

Revelation 2:12-17 | The Problem with Tolerance

Revelation 2:12-17
The Problem with Tolerance

I. Review

  1. This city was 45 miles north of Smyrna.



  2. We have looked at Ephesus, which had left its first love.
  3. Smyrna, which was the faithful church that endured crushing persecution.
  4. Today, we will consider the terrible error of being tolerant of ungodliness.

II. v. 12a Historical Background of Pergamos.

2 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:”

  1. The city was a noted center for culture and education, home to one of the great libraries of the ancient world, with more than 200,000 volumes.
    1. In 40 BC, Cleopatra was gifted the library at Pergamos to replace the damage done to the library in Alexandria.
    2. Eventually, the great Alexandrian library was destroyed in war.
    3. Pergamos was noted for popularizing the use of parchment rather than papyrus around 250 BC.
  2. Pergamos was a town filled with many temples worshiping false gods.
    1. Some 50 years before Smyrna won the honor of building the first temple to Tiberius.
    2. Pergamos won the right to build the first temple in 29 BC to worship Caesar Augustus in the Roman province of Asia.
    3. This town was foremost in emperor worship and is among the likely reasons why Jesus will call this location the seat of Satan’s throne.
    4. “Compared to all the surrounding cities, Caesar-worship was the most intense here. In other cities a Christian might be in danger on only one day a year when a pinch of incense had to be burned in worship of the emperor. In Pergamum, however, Christians were in danger every day of the year for the same reason.”[1]



    5. In addition to the emperor worship, there were other temples to the Greek and Roman gods Dionysus, Athena, Demeter, Asclepios, and Zeus.
      1. The altar to Zeus resides today in the Berlin Museum.



      2. Asclepios was the god of healing and knowledge. 
      3. There was a medical school at his temple in Pergamos.
      4. Because of the famous temple to the Roman god of healing, sick and diseased people from all over the Roman Empire flocked to Pergamos for relief.

        “Sufferers were allowed to spend the night in the darkness of the temple. In the temple there were tame snakes. In the night the sufferer might be touched by one of these tame and harmless snakes as it glided over the ground on which he lay.  The touch of the snake was held to be the touch of the god himself, and the touch was held to bring health and healing.”[2]

III. v. 12b Jesus as judge.

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:”

  1. This imagery was first introduced in Rev 1:16.
  2. Jesus reveals Himself as the one who has the two-edged sword.
  3. This was not meant to be a comforting representation of Christ because in 2:16, they are warned that He would come and fight against them if they failed to repent.
  4. That the sword is two-edged depicts the Word’s potency and power in exposing and judging the innermost thoughts of the human heart.

IV. v. 13 Jesus commends their faithfulness.

13 I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

  1. There was incredible pressure, as in Smyrna, to worship the emperor as well as to be part of the city’s regular culture.
    1. “Because civil and religious life were so intertwined, for believers to accept social engagements probably meant some involvement with paganism. Apparently many believers compromised anyway.”[3]
    2. Not participating would have consequences of death, social rejection, and loss of a job.
    3. To stand faithful was to stand outside the circle of the elite, acceptable, and wealthy.
  2. Jesus was aware of this church’s steadfast identification with His name.
    1. He commends them for not yielding to the pressure to engage in worship of the many false gods in their city
    2. Antipas was singled out as one who stood against the pressure to compromise his faith.
      1. He may have been one of the church’s leaders, who, according to tradition, was roasted to death inside a brass bull during the persecution instigated by Emperor Domitian.
      2. “During the reign of Emperor Diocletian, some Christian stonecutters were executed for refusing to carve an image of Asklepios (Mounce, Revelation, 96, n. 36).”[4]
  3. There were many gods and goddesses who were worshipped in this city, as noted in our introduction, and any of them may have been associated with the infamous title of Satan’s throne.

V. vv. 14-15 A word of correction.

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

  1. They were tolerant of false teaching.
    1. They are said to have in their company those who were engaging in idolatry and sexual immorality.
    2. The new living translation carries more of a specific rebuke than many other translations.

      Revelation 2:14 (NLT) And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.

    3. The Bible is clear that the Church cannot tolerate those who sin in her midst.

      Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
      1. This, of course, does not mean we run people off because they have fallen and are willing to repent.
      2. This is the command given to those who, after repeated exhortation and rebuke, refuse to repent.
  2. Idolatry
    1. Although they held firm to the doctrine of Christianity, some had made compromises in their actions.
      1. They had decided to go to the company party at the temple.
      2. This was rationalized as just a party, but Jesus rejected their idolatry and immorality that ensued at these wicked scenes.
    2. Balaam instructed Balak on how to bring God’s judgment upon Israel.
      1. He instructed them to send the Moabite women into the camp of Israel, bringing their idols that enticed men to worship their god and engage in sexual immorality.
    3. In Acts 15, the Jerusalem council concluded that believers were not required to be circumcised, but they should not commit sexual immorality and should keep themselves from things offered to idols, things strangled, and blood (Acts 15:29).
      1. All the above activities took place in the pagan temple.
      2. Paul told the Corinthians not to worship idols, but they were free to buy meat in the marketplace.
      3. Clearly, the actions of the church in Pergamos crossed into forbidden activity.
  3. Sexual immorality
    1. The mentality of the day was that sexual immorality was perfectly normal, and who dared to say otherwise?
      1. Cicero stated approximately 150 years earlier:

        “If there is anyone who thinks that young men should be absolutely forbidden the love of courtesans he is indeed extremely severe. I am not able to deny the principle that he states. But he is at variance, not only with the licence of his own age, but also from the customs and concessions of our ancestors. When indeed was this not done? When did anyone ever find fault with it? When was permission denied? When was it that that which is now lawful was not lawful?’ It is Cicero’s plea, as it was the statement of Demosthenes, that relationships outside marriage were the ordinary and the conventional thing.”[5]

      2. A very similar mindset has settled upon our culture, and sadly, many churches have become affirming of this sexual immorality.
        1. Lust, pornography, premarital sex, adultery, and same gender sex fall into this category of sexual immorality.
        2. Jesus lovingly calls you to repentance.
  4. They were intermingling with idolatrous practices in their pagan city.
    1. It is amazing and scary that some Christians are involved with pagan practices that have their roots and origins in eastern mysticism.
    2. To us, we must look and see if we are intermarrying our worship of the Lord with the worship practices of the religions around us.
    3. Today, we see many meditation practices that have their roots in Eastern religions and paganism making their way into the Church.

VI. v. 16 Jesus calls them to repent.

16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

  1. Repentance means to change.
    1. To cease living in the same manner.
  2. Although tolerance is the doctrine of our day and the unfortunate culture of the church at Pergamos, it is not considered a commendable attribute of the Church of Jesus Christ.
    1. We are not called upon to tolerate sin and false teaching.
    2. Certainly, we are called upon to love, show mercy to the needy, and be patient with those who are struggling.
    3. But that was not the case at the church in Pergamos, nor does it seem to be the prevailing problem in our day.

      “The church at Pergamum, like much of today’s church, had failed to heed the biblical warnings against worldliness. Consequently, it had drifted into compromise and was in danger of becoming intertwined with the world. That would be the next step in the downward spiral from the Ephesian church’s loss of its first love for Jesus Christ.”[6]

    4. Our new life in Christ began with repentance.
    5. Repentance is an ongoing discipline in the life of a GROWING church and believer.
  3. Warning in Scripture.
    1. Here is the warning that if repentance is not forthcoming, then Jesus will stand in opposition to His Church.
    2. Peter warned that judgment would begin at the house of God.

      1 Peter 4:17 Judgment will begin at the house of God

    3. Paul exhorted us not to allow the world to shape or fashion us to its image.

      Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

    4. We are taught to deny lust, not indulge it.

      Titus 2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age

    5. Worldliness and those who engage in it are enemies of God.

      James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
  4. The imagery of the sword is very much associated with Christ’s second coming.
    1. Revelation 19 speaks of this sword coming from the mouth of the Lord to destroy Christ’s enemies.
    2. The picture is of an unrepentant, sin-tolerating church that will not experience the blessedness of overcoming, but rather the darkness of being judged by Jesus.

VII. v. 17 The promise.

17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

  1. Hidden manna
    1. The Lord provided manna for 40 years in the wilderness, and He certainly could care for them.
    2. These people may have been threatening their jobs and ability to put food on the table, but the Lord reminds them that He is able to be their provider.
    3. “The symbolism of future reward, an allusion to Christ as the true manna, and present satisfaction of believers with this spiritual bread as a foretaste of future fullness are all in the background of ‘the hidden manna.’”[7]
  2. White stone
    1. The white stone represents acceptance or even a ticket into a feast.
    2. “In the ancient world there were two ways that one received a white stone. One way was when a person was found innocent in a trial; he was given a white stone as a symbol of acquittal. Another way was when a person was to be received into the membership of a private club; he would be given a white stone, which was a symbol of his acceptance.”[8]
    3. “The ‘hidden manna,’ the other part of the reward in v. 17, suggests a reference to the Messianic feast. The white stone is, then, a personalized tessara, which would serve as his token of admission to this great future feast (Mounce). This furnishes sufficient incentive for faithfulness to Christ in the meantime.”[9]
  3. New name
    1. This speaks of individual care.
    2. Jesus will give to every believer one of these stones with a name He has chosen for us.
    3. It is a name that is known to the Lord and the recipient alone.
    4. Much care, thoughtfulness, and time are given to this stone.

VIII. Conclusion

  1. We need to stand strong in our commitment to Jesus Christ like Antipas.
  2. We must be careful not to tolerate compromise in our midst.
  3. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to be drawn into other religious practices.

[1] Robert Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 179–180.

[2] William Barclay, The Revelation of John, vol. 1, rev. ed., The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), 87.

[3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 56.

[4] John MacArthur Jr., Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 86.

[5] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 3, rev. ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 177.

[6] John MacArthur, Revelation 1–11, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), 83.

[7] Robert Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary, 199.

[8] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, 56–57.

[9] Robert Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary, 201.

Previous
Revelation 2:8-11 | The Faithful Church
Next
Revelation 2:18-29 | The Corrupted Church