Revelation 2 – Pergamum (Adam and Kyle)

by Opcomm · Published July 29, 2010 · Updated March 17, 2016

Teaching 7.29.10
The Church in Pergamum
Revelation 2:12
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.”
- Double-edged sword: the word of God
- Able to touch your very reason and emotion
- Powerful
Revelation 2:13
“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”
- Spiritually difficult to live here
- Center of pagan worship
  - Temples, shrines- worship false gods, sex with prostitutes, rituals
- Most important temple: one to the emperor, Caesaer
  - True lord and saviour?
  - Citizens were forced to do this or die
  - Very crazy to go against this
- Amazing how some people remained faithful to Christ
- Jesus is praising those who worship God
- 1 John 2:1-2
  - “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Revelation 2:14
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.”
- Here Jesus is rebuking
- Christ has this beautiful relationship with us and wants it to last
  - And yet we’d throw that away for an hour
Revelation 2:15
“Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
- Nicolaitans: to rule over the people
  - Big hot shots who call the shots
  - “Mediator” between the low people to the high people
  - Hierarchy would tell people what to do in order to “praise” God the right way
    - WRONG!
    - Looking into the kosmos for their power
    - Roman sword vs. Christ sword
    - Tolerating sin among them
    - People look at these leaders and see what horrible people they are
    - We are NOT these people
Genesis: The Fall of Man
Adam and Eve had a sweet relationship with God
But then Satan came and entices Eve into biting the fruit
Adam and Eve choose to be separate from God
Man was seperated from God
God gave control of the world to Satan
- Satan got to work and knew he needed to control people
- Created systems and knows how to do it well
- You cannot find God through the systems
The whole book of Revelation is about prophecies and/or predictions
Represents the different ages that the church will go through
Pergamum
Issues:
- Bringing institutions into Christianity
  - Constantine
  - About 320 A.D.
- Christianity had to be an underground movement
  - If caught then you would be persecuted
- Constantine makes Christianity the legal religion
  - Good? NO
  - One of the worst things ever done to Christianity
  - Terrible because of Constantine’s “kosmos” power
    - Merges pagan rituals with Christianity
    - TERRIBLE
    - He is the “head” of all Christianity
      - His say goes trumps what God says
      - Trumps all the Christian leaders of that time
      - He taught that you would have to go through the leaders to get to God
      - With power, you can control people
        
        “Religion is the optiate of the people”
        
        Many were afraid to stand up against the leaders
        
        Taught adultery and paganism
        
        Follow the rules = get to God
    - We see this today
      - To get to God you have to go through a priest
      - Not biblical
      - Churches merging with the kosmos
      - World system is into mergent religion
        
        Every religion is right as long as you feel spiritual
        
        Again… WRONG
        
        Truth?
        
        Weak compared to God’s truth
James 4:4
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
- You cannot love the world and God
1 John 2:15
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
- We are aliens from the world/kosmos
- Not part of the world system
- God’s kingdom is eternal because of our relationship with Jesus Christ
  - Love
  - Systems are anti-relationships = anti-love
  - Systems can be enslaving and doesn’t last
2 Peter 3:10
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”
Revelation 2:16
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
- Sword of the mouth: truth and power to end the system
  - Sounds harsh
  - But systems ultimately self-destruct
    - They can’t save themselves or us
- Jesus destroys the system
Galatians 5:1
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
- Christ’s kingdom is freedom
- Christ’s plan to rescue people
  - Pull people out of the system
  - This is our job
    - Pull people out of the system and bring them to Christ
Revelation 2:17
“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. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
- Hidden manna
  - God sent manna to the Israelites to save them
  - Same with us
- Our names written on the white rock
  - Each one of us has an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
    - More than just a god, He knows us personally
    - No one else can see your name except you and Jesus
      - We are set free to learn how to truly love
      - Be in eternal paradise with God