Revelation 2:12-17 (Pergamum)

Introduction

Bertrand Russell was an Englishman, an atheist, a philosopher, and a prolific writer and speaker from the early 1900s until he died in 1970. He was a major critic of Christianity, and he made headlines back in his day for directly criticizing the Jesus of the Bible. Mr. Russell said that Christ was a false prophet and a defective teacher. And he said that both Buddha and Socrates were wiser and more moral than Jesus.

Bertrand Russell was a forerunner to the sort of aggressive atheists that rose to notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s. Some of you might recognize names like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. We don’t hear much of that kind of atheism today (at least not like we did 20 years ago), and even Richard Dawkins (who wrote a book called The God Delusion in 2006) has now said that he’d prefer a Christianized society over the anarchy and tyranny that seems to threaten the western world at present. Even old-school atheists are realizing that ideas of consequences, and if you get rid of transcendent truth or absolute truth or what Francis Schaeffer called “true truth,” then you are left under the boot of whatever regime has the power today.[i]

Now, the reason I’m bringing up Bertrand Russell (and other atheists like him) is because those who make public arguments in direct contrast to Christianity (I think) actually help us to better understand what we believe and what is at stake.

Russell said, “All religion is borne out of fear” (which I believe is true, and I will explain in just a moment). But he also said that “fear is the main source of superstition… To conquer fear,” he said, “is the beginning of wisdom.”

For Bertrand Russell, then, fear is something one must conquer in order to be free from the constraints of God and religion. It is as though Mr. Russell believed that non-religious people are less superstitious and less fearful than religious ones. But that’s ridiculously untrue, and the Bible says as much!

Proverbs 28:1 says, “the wicked [or “guilty” or “unbelieving ones”] flee when no one pursues.” Throughout the Proverbs, “the wicked” or the “unbelieving ones” are those who “have no future” (Prov. 24:20), who “stumble in times of calamity” (Prov. 24:16), and who only “rule” or “rise” over the “poor” and “groaning” and “cursed” people (Prov. 28:15, 29:2, 24:24). In other words, worldly and unbelieving people certainly fear… but their fears are entirely of this world… They fear or revere or live in awe of what this worldcan give or take away.

The believer, on the other hand, fears God; and he or she benefits from such a fear. Proverbs 1:7 says, “the fear of the LORD is the beginningof knowledge [or “wisdom”],” directly contradicting Bertrand Russell. Proverbs 14:27 says, “the fearof the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” And Proverbs 23:17 says, “Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fearof the LORD all the day.”

Friends, the Bible teaches us (and life experience confirms) that we will always fear – We cannot NOT fear or revere or live in awe of something. There’s a saying that goes something like this: “If a man does not fear God, he will fear everything else. But if he fearsGod, he need fear nothing else.”

All of us live with fear of some kind. Some of us live in fear of others (Will they like me? Will they make fun of me?). Some live in fear of the unknown (What if I lose my job tomorrow? What if I get a bad report from the doc? What if I can’t cope?). Some live in fear of failure (What if I risk it and it doesn’t work out?). Some live in fear of consequences (What if it takes a turn for the worse?). And some live in fear of missing out (Maybe you’ve heard the term YOLO – “You Only Live Once.” Well, this is FOMO – the “Fear Of Missing Out”).

All of these fears have consequences. Our fears drive our decision-making. For example, the fear of missing out may compel you to constantly check your social media and text messages. The fear of man(or fear of others) may make you say things you don’t mean or make you keep silent when you know you should speak up. And the fear of failure may prevent you from taking any risks at all, even if taking a risk (or making a change) is exactly what would do you some good.

We all fear or revere or live in awe of something or someone, and most of us vacillate between fears… one moment we fear this thing, and the next, something else… but these fears drive our decision-making all day, every day.

The overarching and repeated call of the Bible (with regard to fear) is for the reader to fear God above and beyond all else. It is those who “fear” God who will sing praises to His name around His throne on the final day (Rev. 19:5). It is those who “fear” the Lord who will avoid the outpouring of His wrath when His judgment comes upon the world (Rev. 15:3-4). And it is those who “fear” His “name” who will be “rewarded” and not “destroyed” in the end (Rev. 11:15-18).

Brothers and sisters, it is the fear or reverenceor awe of God that will compel us to “hold fast” to His “name” despite threats from the outside and despite the temptation to compromise on the inside. And this is (I believe) a major theme of our passage this morning.

Today we are continuing our study through the book of Revelation, and we’ve come to the third church in the series of seven – the church in Pergamum. The risen and glorified Christ has a word for each church, and there are good commendations and sobering warnings for us to hear as well.

As we read and consider our passage today, let’s listen for the implicit call to fear the Lord so that we might persevere (or conquer) through tribulation and resist temptation to compromise… and so that we might receive a reward on the last day.

Scripture Reading

Revelation 2:12–17 (ESV)

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war 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 the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Main Idea:

Jesus stands as righteous judge over the whole world, including Christians, and those who hold fast to His name will be rewarded and vindicated in the end.

Sermon

1. The Righteous Judge (v12)

As we’ve already discovered in our study through the first part of Revelation, all of these letters to the churches have the same basic structure… And they all begin with an emphasis on some feature or characteristicof the risen and glorified Christ… which establishes a kind of theme that pervades the whole letter.

For the church in Ephesus, they needed to regain their “first love” (Rev. 2:4). So, Christ was introduced to them as the one “who holds the seven stars… [and] who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Rev. 2:1). This is a symbolic description of Christ Himself with His people, and it was their love (intimacy, nearness, affection) for Him and for one another that needed to be rekindled. What a great recalibration! Don’t just do right things… Act and speak rightly out of love for Christ (who is withyou!) and out of love for one another.

For the church in Smyrna, they needed to prepare themselves to endure terrible persecution (or “tribulation”), and this would even lead to death for some of them (Rev. 2:10). So, Christ was introduced to them as the one who is “the first and the last, who died and came to life again” (Rev. 2:8). What a comfort this must have been! What a comfort this must be to every Christian who faces the hour of death! We know that there is one who has already conquered it, and He has promised to bring His people through uninjured by its sting!

Now, for the church in Pergamum, they needed to “repent” (v16). They needed to change the way they were thinking about sin and holiness. They needed to “hold fast” to Christ and to His “name” (v13)… and to let go of their “hold” on the false teaching and bad behaving that would lead to their destruction (v14-15).

What vision of Christ would they need in order to repent?

What feature of Christ’s character would provoke them to stop sinning and stop compromising? What would you or I need to know or understand about Christ that would lead us to repentance and faithfulness?

The picture painted for them is one of a righteous judgewho stands ready to deliver a verdict and also to pass sentencingupon the guilty. Jesus is described as the one “who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Rev. 2:12).

This image is an intense one, and even though it’s only used a handful times in the NT, it probably stands out as quite memorableto those of us who’ve heard it before. It’s especially vivid when we hear that this “sharp two-edged sword” extends from the “mouth” of Christ (Rev. 1:16; cf. Rev. 19:15).

Not only is this image intense and memorable, but it’s also disturbing. Axes and saws are used for cutting trees, scissors are for cutting paper, and lots of other blades are used for cutting all sorts of things… but swords… swords are for cutting men… Swords are for making war and for slaying an enemy.

And this is exactly how the Bible uses this image.

In the book of Hebrews, we’re told that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Heb. 4:12-13).

In other words, God is the one who judges even the secret thoughts and intentions of the heart, and He judges a person’s innocence or guilt… And when He does, the same sword of His word that renders the righteous judgment will also dispense the just and impartial punishment. God, with His “sharp two-edged sword,” cuts to the truth of the matter, and He cuts those who are on the wrong side of what is true.

This is the picture of Christ we are given here at the beginning of our letter this morning. Pergamum needed to envision Christ this way – the one “who has the sharp two-edged sword” – and they needed to know that they were in danger of having the sword-wielding Christ come to them for “war” (v16).

They needed to know that Jesus stands as righteous judge and true king over the whole world (including Christians, and especially over Christians), because the saints of the church in Pergamum were living at a time and place that seemed dominated by a false king… But this false king had and has a real throne.

2. Life Under a False King (v13)

Friends, our time in 21st-century American culture is not nearly as dangerous to life and limb for Christians as 1st-century Pergamum, but the false king (Satan) parades about today just as proudly and just as cunningly as he did back then and over there. “Satan’s throne” (v13) is symbolic of his influence in the culture and society and politics and judiciary of Pergamum, and one can easily see today a growing energy of anti-Christian and even satanic activity in the western world.

It's important for us to remember that this world is not our home, and that this world is (since Genesis 3) always under the influence of the evil one. There is nonation or government on earth that is completely free from satanic influence. All cultures, political structures, and judicial standards are tainted with worldly ambition, partiality, immorality, and all manner of confusion and corruption… because people are sinful… and the devil is real and active in the world.

Even Christians are still prone to sin, but non-Christians (those who remain dead in their sins, those who are still in bondage to their lusts and passions, and those who continue to suppress the reality of God and His character at every turn)… non-Christians (by definition) do not… will not… cannot… submit to Christ and His commands (Rom. 8:5-8). As a matter of fact, they are hostileto the imposition of Christ’s rule upon their lives… and this hostility is only amplified and energized when a non-Christian rises to a seat of worldly power or authority.

Psalm 2 plays out again and again all over the world every day. The psalmist says, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers of the earth take counsel together, against the LORD and againsthis Anointed [or “Messiah” or “Christ”], saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Ps. 2:1-3).

Brothers and sisters, non-Christians do not want to be restrained by God’s rule or God’s standards. They want (just as we are prone to want) the same sort of “freedom” that Adam and Eve did in the garden. But that kind of “freedom” (the freedom to rebel against God and to throw off His kind and wise restraints)… that kind of “freedom” always… always… always leads to bondage, regret, and guilt.

But this is the irrationalityof sin. Sin promises something good if you’ll just do or say something bad. Sin is the foolish hope that we can find real happiness or pleasure or satisfaction or contentment apart from God, in opposition to His word, and in rebellion against His rules.

And when our irrationality is confronted, what do we naturally do? Do we turn and say, “Thanks for showing me my irrational error! Now I understand that my way of thinking and living was wrong, and I want to make it right!”

No! When the irrationality of our sinful thinking is confronted, we often defend it with incredible zeal. We deny the accusation, we question the facts, we redirect the attention, and sometimes we even attack the messenger.

And if this is how Christiansare prone to respond (at least initially) to being confronted in their sin and rebellion, what are we to expect from unbelievers? We ought to expect unbelievers (non-Christians) to do all sorts of things to defend their pursuit of sin, to maintain their false-freedomto be in bondage, and to eliminate potential reminders that there is a true King who will judge rightly on the last day.

Like the previous letters to the churches, the first “word” from Christ to Pergamum is a “word” of “knowing” – He “knows where [they] dwell” (v13). Jesus knows that the church in Pergamum “dwells” or “lives” (NIV) where “Satan’s throne is” (v13). Once again, this is symbolic of how deeply pervasive satanic influence was in every aspect of society there – culture, politics, economy. And the Christians in Pergamum were right in the thick of it.

And Jesus gave them (well, at least some of them) a commendation. He commended them for their faithfulness! Even though they lived in such a hostile place, “Yet you hold fast my name” (v13).

They had every reason to fear, and to “deny” or “renounce” (NIV) or “disown” the “faith” of the Lord Jesus Christ, but at least some of them did not. They had seen great persecution, even the state-sanctioned murder of a Christian named “Antipas” (v13). But at least some among the church in Pergamum “held fast” to the “name” of Christ. That is, they did not take the name of Christ in vain. They were called Christ-ians, and they lived faithfully as such.

They did not participate in the pagan aspects of Pergamum’s economy and politics, and they did not practice the sexual immorality that was rampant in Pergamum’s culture. And when they suffered loss for the sake of clinging to and obeying Christ among a culture who hated them for it, they did not give in.

What a testimony! May God grant us all such a marvelous faithfulness and endurance… that we should be called those who “hold fast” to the “name” of Christ… just as the Scripture urges us. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 2, “Do all things… blameless and innocent, [as] children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life…” (Phil. 2:14-16).

Friends, a major feature of our Christian witness in the world is the life we live. The Bible teaches us that many in the world will not appreciate holiness, virtue, and obedience to Christ… and some people in this world will respond with direct hostility to such things. But whatever response we get from the world, it is our calling to bear witness to Christ both by believing Him and by obeying Him.

Not only does our faithfulness to Christ’s commands demonstrate our genuine love for Christ, but it also serves as a platform from which to make the claims of the gospel believable. You want to be an effective witness for Christ? Then live like you really believe this stuff and look for ways to increasingly shape your life by the truths and commands of the Bible… especially where it costs you.

3. Infidelity in the Church (v14-16)

Three of the first four churches who received a letter from the risen and glorified Christ (in Revelation) heard not only a commendationbut also a rebuke. To the churches in Ephesus and Thyatira, Jesus said, “But I have this against you…” (Rev. 2:4, 20). And to the church in Pergamum, Jesus said, “But I have a few [or “little” or “short”] things against you” (Rev. 2:14).

It seems that Jesus was using the word “few” like I often use it. I don’t necessarily mean “three” when I say “few,” and I don’t necessarily mean “two” when I say “a couple.” This causes no small amount of difficulty in my home, and I’m sure that at least some of you can sympathize with my wife.

But the Greek word here is not intended as a specific number (i.e., “few” = 3). Instead, it’s an indication that the rebuke Christ has for them is notgoing to contain a great many negatives. It’s really just a “small” or “little” quantity, but the rebuke is not small in its weight or seriousness.

There seems to me to be an explicit rebuke here and another that’s implicit.

The explicit rebuke is against those among the church in Pergamum who “hold the teaching of Balaam” (v14) and those who “hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v15). Note the contrast here between those that “hold fast” the “name” of Christ (v13) and those that “hold” to some other “teaching” that’s associated with some other teacher or prophet or leader(v14-15).

As Josh said some weeks ago (when he preached on the church in Ephesus), we just don’t know exactly who the Nicolaitans were, but it does seem likely that they were marked by the same sort of “idolatry” and “immorality” that Balaam apparently endorsed among the people of Israel back in his day.

The Apostle Peter (in his second general letter) warned Christians (scattered about the Roman empire) of “false teachers” who would “bring in destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1), and he too pointed back to “Balaam” as a bad trend-setter (2 Pet. 2:15). The ancient episode with Balaam is particularly instructive… both for the church in Pergamum and for all other Christian churches.

You can read the whole story in Numbers 22-31. Balaam was not an Israelite, but he was known as a “seer” or an “oracle” (today we might call him a psychic or a fortune teller). And God used this falseprophet to speak a true word to a pagan king in order to blessthe people of Israel. But the people of Israel (as usual) squandered their blessing and sinned against God in exactly the ways God had forbidden them to do – idolatryand sexual immorality.

According to Moses, Balaam encouraged Israel’s sin (Num. 31:15-17), and according to the Apostle Peter, Balaam is a perfect example of one who goes along to get along for the purpose of personal gain (2 Pet. 2:15-16). This (it seems) is exactly what some of the church members in Pergamum were doing. They were participating in the publicly acceptable economy and politics of Pergamum’s society, which included some features that ran directly against the clear teaching and ethics of Christianity. In other words, they were acting more like citizens of Pergamum than they were like citizens of Christ’s kingdom.

Friends, this has a direct correlation to some (maybe a lot) of American Christianity today. So many people claim to be Christians, and yet they live and work and act and playwith the exact same sexual promiscuity, chasing the same worldly ambitions, and embracing the same upside-down priorities as non-Christians. They seem to believe that as long as you’ve “said a prayer” or “been baptized” or as long as you say that you are a “Christian,” then it doesn’t matter if you speak or act in ways that are flatly defiant toward Christ’s teaching and commands… After all, everyone sins, and you shouldn’t judge, so who are you to point out that someone is living in contradiction to their claim to be “Christ-ians”?

Oh, friend… this is foolish thinking of the most absurd kind. And those “hold” to such a “teaching” or thinking need to hear Christ’s explicitrebuke this morning – “Repent. If not, [Jesus Himself says], I will come to you soon and war against [you] with the swordof my mouth” (Rev. 2:16).

Here’s how the Bible says it in Romans 2: “Do you suppose… that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:3-4). In other words, the fact that God’s judgment has not yet fallen completely upon you should not put you at ease, but it should provoke gratitude and action… There is still time to repent, but that time is running out!

If you do not repent (that is, turn from your sin, stop doing it, stop chasing it, stop making time for it… and instead cling to Christ, do the stuff that stirs your affections for Christ)… if you do not, then Christ will come to you with His “sword” for judgment… Or as Romans 2 puts it: “because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works… [and] God shows no partiality” (Rom. 2:5-11).

If you want to talk more about this with me or another pastor here this morning, then let’s get together as soon as the service is over.

But I said a moment ago that there was both an explicitand an implicit rebuke here. And the implicit rebuke in our passage this morning is against the whole church in Pergamum – including the faithful members who were “holding fast” to the “name” of Christ. You see, they were tolerating sin and unrepentant sinners among their number. And they were inviting Christ Himself to come to them as righteous judge instead of their gracious advocate.

We will get more into this sort of rebuke next Sunday (with the church in Thyatira), and since that letter delves more deeply into the need for and purpose of church discipline, I will wait until then to say more about it.

But for today, let’s at least notice the danger that was threatened upon the whole church in Pergamum because they were unwillingor unable or uninterested in dealing with unrepentant sinners among their membership. Christ Himself is always standing as the righteous judge over the whole world, and He always has the “sharp two-edged sword” in His possession. And this is always a threatening reality for all those outside of the covenant of grace, outside of Christ, outside of the New Covenant community… those outside of the church.

But for those who have heard and believed the gospel, for those who are trustingand following Christ, for those who are united in shared faith and love with other believers in the God-designed relationships of the local church… for those, the sword-bearing Christ is not a terrorbut a hope! We who are holding fast to Christ are looking forwardto that awe-filled day when Christ shall come and make waragainst His enemies and ours with the sword of His mouth.

But, brothers and sisters, if we welcome unrepentant sinners among our number… if we don’t address unrepentant sin in our membership… if we turn a blind eyeto compromise (in our own lives or in the lives of fellow church members)… then we invite the sword of Christ’s judgment to come upon us!

The sword of Christ’s judgment is coming to all people everywhere… and the only reason we have to believe that we will escape it… is not that we aren’t sinners (like everyone else)… but that we (individually and collectively) are repentingand believing sinners, turning from sin and holding fast to Christ’s name.

4. Reward and Vindication (v17)

If we will “repent”… if we will “hold fast” to Christ… if we will live as “faithful witnesses” of Christ and believing citizens of His kingdom… even if this world would threaten us with hostility… and even if this world would offer us empty promises of benefits for compromising… then we are promised both reward and vindication by the same one who holds the “sharp two-edged sword” (v12).

The sword-holding Christ gives a “word” of warning and a “word” of promise in our passage this morning, and this last verse emphasizes the promise of blessing for those who “hear” and those who “conquer” (Rev. 2:17). Specifically, to those who “hold fast” to the “name” of Christ (i.e., those who claim Christ with their mouths and also with their lives– their words and deeds)… “hidden manna,” a “white stone,” and a “new name” (Rev. 2:17).

These three features of Christ’s blessing (as we might expect in Revelation) are direct related to and contrasting with the circumstances described in negative terms throughout the earlier part of the letter. These symbols and images here are rich with meaning, so I’m only going to be able to summarize, but let’s consider each one briefly in turn.

First, Jesus says He will give a “white stone” to the one “who conquers” (Rev. 2:17) or “holds fast” to His “name” (v13). As I said, these symbols are rich with meaning, so there’s more here than what I’m able to say about each one this morning, but one of the uses of white and black stones was for votes of courtroom judgment – black for guilty and white for innocent. From “Satan’s throne” (v13) and from the judgment of many of their countrymen, the Christians in Pergamum had heard the verdict of guilty… they were guilty of disturbing the peace, they were guilty of breaking with pagan customs, and they were guilty of upsetting the normal operation of a sinful society.

But, if they would remain faithful to Christ, turn from their sin, and deal rightly with unrepentant sinners among their number, then on the last day, the one who has “the sharp two-edged sword” will render His own verdict. Christ will give them a “white stone” that will vindicate their actions as having been good and right, and Christ Himself will ensure their admission into glory.

Brothers and sisters, we too may hear all manner of insults and accusations from unbelievers around us when we say and do those things that are faithful to Christ and truly loving and good for others. But if we will remain faithful, Christ will speak a better and truer word over us.

Second, Jesus says He will give a “new name” to those who receive the “white stone” (Rev. 2:17). And the additional description here of a “name” that “no one knows except the one who receives it” need not confuse us (v17).

The promise of a “new name” is repeated in Jesus’s letter to the church in Philadelphia, and there it is clearly associated with His own “name,” the “name” of God, and the “name” of the holy city (Rev. 3:12). Later on, in Revelation (in ch. 14) it will become clear that the “name” of God and the “name” of the Lamb is what distinguishes those who are “redeemed from the earth” from those who will “drink the wine of God’s wrath” (Rev. 14:1-5, 9-10).

So, to have the “name” of Christ is to be associated with Christ or united with Christ. And this is all the more meaningful when we think of the true intimacy we see here (Christ will give “a new name… that no one knows except the one who receives it”)… this true intimacy is contrasted with the false or pretend or superficial intimacy of “sexual immorality” in v14.

Brothers and sisters, this world yells at us that what we need to feel loved and to be known and to actualize ourselves is to give ourselves over to complete sexual deviance and gender confusion. In fact, we’re told that the main reason we and others don’t feel loved, the reason we aren’t known intimately by others, and the reason we can’t seem to discover and show our true selves is because of the constraints of biblical marriage and the limitations of God-designed gender norms.

But if we will remain faithful to Christ’s teachings and commands, we will learn that we benefit much in this life from obedience, and we will enjoy greater benefits still in the life to come. In Christ, we can be truly and intimately known, and we are welcome to draw near to the immediate presence of God.

Third and finally, Jesus says that He will give “some of the hidden manna” to those who “conquer” (Rev. 2:17) or “hold fast” to His “name” (v13).

Many of us will know that Jesus compared Himself (during His earthly ministry) with the “bread” or “manna” that God provided for the people of Israel while they wondered in the wilderness. Jesus taught that the bread they ate (every day for 40 years) was meant to point toward a kind of “true bread from heaven” that God would ultimately provide His people (Jn. 6:31-34). And then, of course, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn. 6:35).

In fact, Jesus mixed two great OT images and themes when He transformed the OT Passover meal into the Supper of the New Covenant. When Jesus broke the bread, He said it was His own body that would be sacrificed for sin, and not that of a lamb anymore (Lk. 22:19). The image of the Passover lamb was combined with the image of the bread from heaven, and thus the Lord’s Supper is a church ordinance that reminds us that Jesus Himself is our Passover lamb… the one God Himself sent from glory to live and die on behalf of sinners.

But the Lord’s Supper is not only a solemn and hope-filled reminder of Christ’s death as our substitute. It is also a celebration and an anticipation of the Supper that is to come for all those who are repenting and believing ones.

It is very interesting that many of the images and themes we see here in our passage this morning show up again in Revelation 19. Jesus is described there as the “righteous… judge” who “makes war” (Rev. 19:11). Jesus’s “name” is revealed there as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16) and as “The Word of God” (Rev. 19:13). And there He is not just holding His “sharp sword” but using it to “strike down the nations [or “peoples”]” (Rev. 19:15).

And there we are also told that those who “fear” God are the ones who “rejoice… and give him the glory” because “the marriage of the Lamb has come” (Rev. 19:5-7). And it is those who are counted among the “saints” (v8)… it is those who are “blessed” by God (v9)… who are “invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9)… and get to experience the “hidden manna” for themselves.

Near the end of November this year, Barry will tell us how we ought to understand that coming marriage supper, when he preaches through Revelation 19. But today, we can at least know that the “hidden manna” Christ promised to give to faithful Christians in Pergamum is the same “hidden manna” He promises to give all Christians who remain faithful to Him throughout the ages.

Brothers and sisters, we may face all manner of inconvenience and ridicule, even hardship and maybe persecution… if we will set our minds and hearts on faithful living for Christ in this world… if we will hold fast to His name among people who may despise and hate us for it.

We may be accused of legalism or insensitivity by those who claim the name of Christ and yet want to live in opposition to Christ’s commands. It is no easy thing to call sinners to repentance… especially those unbelievers who think of themselves as Christians already.

But if we will hold fast… if we will fear and revere and stand in awe of the risen and glorified Christ… then Christ Himself shall be our reward… and Christ Himself will vindicate us on the last day.

Endnotes

[i] See this journal article that describes Schaeffer’s arguments and motives for Christian apologetics. The essay may be a little too philosophical for some, but it does a good job of arguing for a consistent Christian witness and a thoughtful engagement with unbelievers. https://cf.sbts.edu/equip/uploads/2021/01/SBJT-24.2-F.-Schaeffers-Enduring-Relevance-G.-Jesson.pdf

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