The Seven Churches: Pergamum

 

Write this to the angel of the church in Pergamum…

Revelation 2:12

WHO IS SPEAKING:  Him who has the sharp two-edged sword – Jesus Christ.

WHAT IS GOOD:  God knows how they live.  They held fast to His name  and never denied their faith, even in the face of the murder of one of their own, which they witnessed.

WHAT IS NOT GOOD:  Some of the Pergamum church promoted the teaching of Baalam – a false prophet who led others into idolatry and immorality.  Some promoted the teaching of the Nicolaitans - a sect combining Christianity with paganism.

JUDGMENT:  Repent, or God will make war with them with the two-edged sword.

REWARD:  The victorious will receive the “hidden manna,” and a white stone with a new name written on it.

LESSON:  Not everything preached in church is, in fact, the truth.  God offers us the two-edged sword – the Word of God – to enable us to ascertain what is biblical and what is not.