(Revelation 2:12-17)…..12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 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 wasMy faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 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. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 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.” ’
The church in Pergamum was know as the “compromising” church, and “the church settled in the world.” So we can see by its name that it was not where God wanted them to be. Pergamum was a town of around 160,000 people, located about 75 miles north of Smyrna and about 15 miles inland from the coast, and it’s fame was in its culture not in its economy. It was known as Asia’s most illustrious city which possessed a vast library with some 200,000 volumes of papyrus. Not a surprise since the librarians there also developed what is known today as parchment. The city housed the treasury of Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals. Pergamum was also famous for its hospital, a pagan temple devoted to the physicians arts.
Because of the city’s fame it also hosted a variety of pagan temples, much like Ephesus and Smyrna had in them. The temple of Zeus, who was considered king of the god’s in Greek mythology, the god of sky, thunder, law and order was there. It’s altar was one hundred feet square and forty feet tall. The temple of Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom, handcraft, and war (in Greek mythology) was there along with the temple of Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility, the temple of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, winemaking, fertility and ritual madness, and the temple of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, healing, rejuvenation –and physicians.
Their idol being the form of a serpent was worshiped when people who suffered from various physical issues were allowed to spend the night in the darkness of the temple where snakes were let loose, and in the night the sufferer might be touched by one of these snakes, the touch of the snake was held to be the touch of their pagan god and the touch was believed to bring health and healing.
The Babylonian cult of “Magians” is said to have taken refuge there. The title of the Magian high priest was “chief bridge builder” – meaning the one who spans the gap between mortals and satan. In Latin the title is written “Pontifex Maximus,” which means “high priest of the heathen.” This title now belongs to the Pope. This worship had its roots in the time of Nimrod (Genesis 11:1-4), this is interesting since the name “Pergemos” means height, elevation, and fortified.
Emperor worship was also encouraged, so temples were erected in honor of Julius Caesar after his death in 44 B.C., and Augustus (meaning “revered”), a title given to Octavian when he became ruler of the Roman empire in 27B.C. He was emperor at the time of Jesus’ birth and eventually came to be the one who deified the Roman emperor’s. Once a year, every Roman citizen was required to walk into this temple and place a pinch of incense on an altar and say “Caesar is god,” and to not do so invited trouble from Rome.
The city became the capital of the Roman province of Asia in 129 A.D. and held that position for 250 years – but is now the city of Bergamo containing a population of 15,000 people, having ten mosques, two churches, and one synagogue
c. Enough was going on in Pergemos concerning pagan worship that the they had become much like the world around them – so the LORD has to come to them with His word for their correction
a. As with the previous two Churches – Jesus describes Himself to the Church at Pergamos. Notice what Jesus says – (2:12)…..“These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.” Read: (Isaiah 11:4) (Isaiah 55:11) (Revelation 1:16) (Revelation 19:15) (Revelation 19:21)
This reminds us of the passage in – (Hebrews 4:12)
With all of the pagan teaching surrounding His Church in Pergamos – they were in desperate need of His word – they needed sound doctrine in their midst.