Jesus Speaks to His Church (2)

Remain true to my name.

Revelation 2:12–17 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 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. 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. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 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.”

As you approach Whitby from one of the Moor Roads - it doesn’t matter which one - and you begin to descend into Whitby you cannot help be drawn to the Abbey on top of the Headland, even in its ruined state it is impressive, imagine what it looked like when the town was a lot sparser and there were less high rise buildings! Awe-inspiring I guess!

“Something like that effect was created in the city of Pergamum, both by the natural geography, which gave it a high acropolis in the middle of the city, and by the majestic set of temples which sat there, dominating the view not only from the rest of the city but from much of the surrounding countryside. Many local inhabitants in the first century must have been proud of all this. But for the little Christian community it represented a threat—and a threat with which, it seemed, the Christians were not coping particularly well.”(N.T. Wright : Revelation for Everyone!).

Before we get into WHY the Christians were struggling in Pergamum let’s learn something about this great and powerful ancient city in Asia-Minor!

Pergamum or Πέργαμον (Rev 1:11) in its ancient Greek form (also Περγάμῳ in Rev 2:12) or Πέργαμος, in its modern Greek form, was certainly impressive!

Situated to the north of Smyrna about 15 miles from the coast - above the modern town of Bergama in Northern Turkey - the name derives from the Greek Πέργα meaning “earthy” referring to an earthy mound; hill or mountain and μονή, meaning abode or dwelling place. Pergamum was a citadel, built to protect a people, at an elevation of over 1000 feet.

Pergamum is believed to have been founded by the Aeolian Greeks around 1150 BC and was considered to be an almost impregnable city due to its height and the fortifications surrounding it. It did however suffer various defeats including to the Persians, who controlled it until they were defeated by the illustrious, Alexander the Great in 362BC. From there, through a series of successions, Pergamum fell under the rule of Attalus I and then his son Eumenes II. Both of these kings were part of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty and it was during this time that the majority of Pergamum’s most celebrated buildings and monuments were constructed, especially under Eumenes II (197-159 BC). The last King of the kingdom of the Attalids, Attalus III bequeathed it to Rome in 133BC.

From then on, Pergamum acquired great wealth, status and influence, with a population of over 200,000 residents at its peak under Roman rule, and indeed for a time it became the capital of the whole province of Asia Minor, where the Roman Governor (his presence in public was depicted by a large two edged sword - symbol of his office!) resided, until that honour was given to Ephesus.

Pergamum was also a city famous for its healing centre and was “the Lourdes of the ancient World!”(R.H. Charles). There was a temple dedicated to 'Asclepius', “the god of healing”, whose insignia was the entwined serpent on the staff, which is still a medical symbol today. One of its practitioners was the famous ancient physician named Galen, second only to Hippocrates, the most famous of Greek doctors after whom the Hippocratic oath is named and still honoured by medical practitioners today.

Pergamum was also an important literary centre having some 200,000 books in its public library, founded by Eumenes II(197-159 B.C.) and it is here that the word 'parchment' (pergamena) derived, with the city giving its name to the materials used for the scrolls found in the library.

But let me once again remind you of what N.T. Wright said: “Many local inhabitants in the first century must have been proud of all this. But for the little Christian community it represented a threat—and a threat with which, it seemed, the Christians were not coping particularly well.”(Revelation for Everyone!).

In his letter to the Christians of Pergamum, Jesus calls them to remain true to His name, in the face of the persecution and difficulties and temptations to compromise that they were facing both from outside the Church and inside it as well!

Structurally in this letter Jesus:

Commends them(v13) for staying faithful in the face of persecution.

Rebukes them(v14,15) for compromising their faith and giving in to idolatry and sexual permissiveness.

Warns them(v16) that they will be punished if it not repent.

Promises them(v17) that if they overcome these challenges and remain faithful, they will be rewarded.

And the message of this sermon has relevance to us today here in Whitby!

We also are called to REMAIN TRUE to Jesus in our day! To remain faithful to His word and to His cause of preaching the Gospel and making disciples in every nation, whilst seeking to navigate a world filled with conflicting spiritualities; ideologies and worldviews.

This letter warns us against THEOLOGICAL SYNCRETISM, where we are tempted to conveniently merge these ideologies with Christianity to make it acceptable and make ourselves acceptable to the world around us,

It warns us against MORAL COMPROMISE where we lower the moral requirements of Christ and the scriptures, in order to fit in with the world around us.

It also teaches us the importance of DISCERNING STEADFASTNESS in identifying and rejecting false teachings and practices which creep into the Church and cause division and lead to deception and ultimately unfaithfulness to Jesus!

In this letter then we notice that the Church is:

1. Commended for Courage

Revelation 2:12–13 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 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.”

The Church in Pergamum was under pressure and facing difficulties; discrimination and could even pay the ultimate price of death for remaining true to Jesus as it has in “in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city.”

Nothing certain is known of Antipas except this one, he remained "faithful until death' and so shall certainly receive "the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). However, the Christians of the church did know him or at least of him and would have been all too aware of the human agents behind this - the Romans; as well as the idolatrous worshipers of the Greek gods of Pergamum and the local, more secularised population who despised their restrictive lifestyle and secretive behaviours.

To these Christians, Jesus makes it clear that the real cause of their troubles was Satan! This is why Jesus commends them for remaining true to His name, because they did it in the very citadel of Satan! In the place where Satan’s throne was present - 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.”

Why is Pergamum described in this way? Probably because “it characterizes Pergamum as a whole as a stronghold of heathen religiosity” (Roloff, The Revelation of John (p. 52) and as such Pergamum was a place entirely given over to Satan’s control and sway. Indeed, Mounce notes that ‘...as the traveller approached Pergamum by the ancient road from the south, the actual shape of the city-hill would appear as a giant throne towering above the plain.’ This hill with its Acropolis at the top was a Shrine to Zeus, the chief and most powerful god of ancient Greece, its “King of kings” and it was shaped in the form of a throne.

Another reason to designate it as a place where Satan has his throne is because, under Roman rule, it became a city of Emperor worship, with a temple built, dedicated to the goddess Roma and to Caesar Augustus in 29BC and this provided the intellectual, economic and religious basis and motivation to seek to eradicate the Christian faith which openly opposed such idolatry and encouraged its followers to reject and turn from it!

And you recall that I mentioned their devotion to 'Asclepius', the 'the god of healing”, whose insignia was the entwined serpent on the staff. It is significant that Satan, is likewise referred to in Revelation as “that ancient serpent” (Rev 20:2; Rev. 12:9) and the temple in which they worshipped was furnished with non-poisonous snakes which they used as part of their healing rituals, including acts of worship and offerings of sacrifice and the use of narcotic drugs which entranced individuals had snakes crawl over their body in an effort to arrest the disease and reveal its cause to the minds in dreams, as part of their worship.

And along with the temples and gods already mentioned, other temples were present dedicated to Athene and Dionysius, the god of wine and revelry where every appetite and desire could be met, as well as multitudes of others for lesser known gods!

Little wonder that Satan is said to have his 'throne' there and unsurprisingly in the face of such Satanic presence and pressure, Pergamum was not an easy place for Christians to live in!!

Now, we live in a very different environment to that of ancient superstitious Pergamum but we should not because of this underestimate the very real challenge we face today from the Evil One as we seek to remain true to Jesus!

The Bible warns us that the Devil is ever seeking opportunities to wreak havoc in the Church and in the individual lives of believers wherever he can!

Consider Revelation 2:9–10 “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Remember also that Jesus described Satan as “the prince of this world’(Jn. 14:30); and John called reminds us that ‘the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one’ (1 Jn 5:19) so as “the accuser of the brethren”, Satan is in fact the great enemy of the church at Pergamum and the great enemy of the Church today!

Whether its persecution, using the tools and agents of the State leading to discrimination and suffering, or using agents of the Church in sowing seeds of compromise through deception, the Devil is ever “prowling around like a roaring Lion, seeking whom he may devour” and we must then “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert…Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:6-9).

We must resist the Devil and remain true to Jesus and as we do so, let us remember that Jesus has the power and authority to ensure our ultimate victory for He has "The sharp double-edged sword" c/f Revelation 1:16 “In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” .

The Christians of Pergamos lived under the threat of the Imperial sword (Rom 13:4) which the Governor of the city could reminded everyone when he paraded around, that he had control of and could use at will, especially if they stood out against 'Emperor worship' and other forms of idolatry. But, what these Christians have to realise is that the sword Jesus wields is more powerful and will be used in judgement against both the ungodly and the unfaithful (c/f Lk 12:4-5:Heb 4:12), so they should not fear man but God and remain true to Jesus as it is far more important that the church fear Christ’s sword than the Roman sword (Rev. 2:16).

Let us ever heed the words of Jesus in Luke 12:4–5 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

In this letter then we also notice that the Church is:

2. Confronted for Compromise

N.T. Wright asks: “How then should a Christian live in a city like Pergamum? What could one do, and what should one not do? We can only guess at the many anxious discussions, and varied teachings, that might have attempted to address these questions. Should one take part in the normal civic life—which included festivals of the gods, not least Rome and the emperor? Was there a way in which one might do enough to get by while drawing back from full involvement? Paul had addressed these issues in two letters (1 Corinthians 8–10; Romans 14), and had given careful and nuanced advice: no compromise with pagan temples and cult, but flexibility on food that had been offered to idols, and indeed on meat and drink in general.”(Revelation for Everyone).

“no compromise with pagan temples and cult, but flexibility on food that had been offered to idols, and indeed on meat and drink in general.” - This was part of the “threat” to Christians in Pergamum and the reason why some of them “were not doing well!”

We have already noted the commendation of those brave Christians who like Antipas were willing to remain true to Jesus, regardless of the cost but as Warran Weisbe says, “Despite their courageous stand against persecution, the believers in Pergamos were not faultless before the Lord. Satan had not been able to destroy them by coming as the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), but he was making inroads as the deceiving serpent. A group of compromising people had infiltrated the church fellowship, and Jesus Christ hated their doctrines and their practices.”(Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 573–574). Victor Books).

And so Jesus confronts the compromisers! - Revelation 2:14–16 “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. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Christ’s censure of the church for its toleration of heretical movements “who hold to the teaching of Balaam” as well as those known as 'Nicolatians'(c/f Rev 2:6) a group characterised by sensual indulgence whom we have already referred to because of their attempt to influence at Ephesus, which thankfully had been rejected there but sadly not here!(Rev. 2:6).

We don’t know much about the distinctive doctrines of these groups. The name ‘Nicolatians’ from the Greek νικάω meaning “to overcome” or rule” and λαοί meaning “people.” Thus we can conclude that the ‘Nicolatians’ sought to influence and rule the people probably not by intimidation but more subtly by promoting the “teaching of Balaam who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality” (Rev. 2:14).

Interestingly the Hebrew name Balaam also can by extension means “lord of the people” (Heb Bi’l’am - can be translated as “corrupter of the people” or simply “not of the people”). He appeared at first sight to be a prophet of God but in reality he was a greedy blasphemer, sadly motivated by greed.(Deut 23:4).

To get a feel for the heresy of the Balaamites and the Nicolatians we should recount the story of Balaam for a moment as described in Numbers 22–25. Balaam had the gift of prophecy but he was prepared to offer this gift for hire to the service of a pagan king of the Midianites named Balak, who hired him to curse the people of Israel. However, God prevented Balaam from actually cursing the nation, by turning the curses into blessings!

But, Balaam was clever and he hatched a plan with Balak to make friends with Israel, and then invite them to worship and feast at the pagan altars, which they did and as a result God’s anger was poured out on Israel through a great plague in which 24,000 people died because of this blasphemy of worshiping other gods and the spiritual adultery that it revealed. (see Num. 25:1–9).

So what appears to be going on in Pergamos appears to be of the same order. If Satan could not destroy the church through persecution, he could attempt to do it through seduction; through encouraging a compromise with idolatry, as required by Rome, who viewed these Christians as atheistic rebels and trouble-makers.

Hence this heresy that said, “you don’t have to remain true to Jesus at least not to Jesus only! Don’t get too hung up on doctrine; don’t be too rigid when it comes to what and how you worship and what you do with your body. Don’t be so zealous for holiness of life and faithfulness to the gospel, look at what that meant for Antipas who refused to compromise and was martyred! were falling victim to this heresy’ ‘

And thus these 'Balaamites' because of their compromise with Paganism, became a tool of the Devil “in turning the Israelites away from the Lord” (c/f Num 31:16) which manifested itself in their attendance at pagan-festivals; their engagement in idolatrous practices and their sexual indulgence with temple-prostitutes under the guise of Christian 'liberty!” - “and the pathway to them is the kind of temptation which is typical of worldliness in any age: ‘Where is the harm in it? Everyone else does it; why shouldn’t you?’(Michael WIlcock: Bible Speaks Today Series - The Message of Revelation)

“The Lord accused the Christians in Pergamos of sinning, of committing “spiritual fornication” by saying, “Caesar is Lord.” Of course, this compromise made them welcome in the Roman guilds and protected them from Roman persecution, but it cost them their testimony and their crown.” (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 574). Victor Books).

By this means “Satan was secretly instilling some of his poison into the Church itself”(Still).

Now we may not face such a heresy in our Church at the current time but we must be on our guard nonetheless to watch out for those Satanic deceptions which allow for subtle ways in which worldly ideologies infiltrate Christian communities.

Identifying and rejecting these compromises requires discernment and a firm commitment to biblical truth and a rejection of those compromises either in doctrinal or moral teachings of the Church in the name of modernity or inclusivity , and we must be careful to evaluate our own lives and adhere closely to the teachings of Christ. “Prove all things, hold fast to what is true.”

Jude tells us in Jude 3–4 “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”

Peter in 1 Peter 4:4 likewise warns about those who persecute you because “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” - “Seduction, or persecution—a choice of evils which the world offers the church. For a soft-centred permissive society can be curiously hard on those who refuse to go along with it…The…streets of Vanity Fair can still lead to prison and a stake: either you buy or you burn.”(Wilcock)

Right from the very beginning of the Christian Church, Christians have faced tremendous persecution for spreading the gospel.

Think of the Apostle Paul who was imprisoned, beaten, and faced death on a number of occasions and yet in his letters he encourages believers, urging them to stand strong and remain true to Jesus, come what may!

And still today, his words and the words of the rest of Scripture still give courage to believers today who stand firm in their own faith despite challenges they may face.

“One way or another, the problem in Pergamum is that much of the church has lost its cutting edge, its ability to say ‘no’ to the surrounding culture. As the earliest Christians found in Acts, the church always has to be able to say ‘We must obey God rather than human authorities’, even if the ‘authorities’ in question are not the official magistrates (though the magistrates, too, may pose a threat if the Christians refuse to join in with state religion) but simply the insidious pressures of people saying ‘but this is what everybody does’.(N.T. Wright).

So, notice the inevitable call to repentance!

The issue is not that they have sinned, however heinous their sin, it is a failure to repent of that sin.

Christians can fall into idolatry and adultery; they can commit sexual immorality and they can compromise with evil and even become the Devil’s agents for division in the Church BUT all of this can be forgiven as long as there is genuine repentance!

BUT notice also that a failure to repent leads to very real danger!

Christ threatens the Church with the 'sword of my mouth' (c/f Rev 19:11; Eph 6:17), unless they 'repent' for their toleration of what Christ hates is a heinous sin and one which is inexcusable!

This sword says Michael Wilcock, “It is the sword of judgment in two senses, discerning the truth (Heb. 4:12) and punishing the evil (Rom. 13:4), and he will use it even against those in the church who will not repent.”

And why such a harsh punishment? - “Revenge on transgressors is not his aim, but rather the preservation and purification of his church.” (Roloff, J. (1993). A Continental Commentary: The Revelation of John (p. 52). Fortress Press.

In this letter also we notice that the Church is:

3. Comforted with a Promise

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.”

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches

We as Christians and churches are, like the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness, battling with the evil one and his agents in the desert and we need feeding and protection on the way, just as the Lord protected Israel.

This is why Paul wrote the words of 1 Corinthians 10:1–14 “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things…”

And so Jesus offers a promise to those who remain true to Jesus; to those who are faithful and overcome.

The 'overcomer' is promised:

(i). 'hidden manna' - “the bread of angels”(Psa 78:25 see Deut 8:3).

God fed the Israelites with manna during their wilderness travels, and a “gold jar of manna” was placed in the ark of the covenant which is probably the “hidden manna” that Jesus is referring to here because only the High Priest could look at it! (Ex. 16:32–36; Heb. 9:4).

Instead of eating “things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:14), the believers in Pergamum needed to feast on God’s holy food, the bread of life found in Jesus Christ through the Word (Matt. 4:4; John 6:32ff).

Remember when Jesus got into controversy with the Jews about His authority to do and say the things that He did and they grumbled and asked him for a sign, similar to the one Moses gave the people in the wilderness when they were hungry for food: “Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” and to this Jesus declared “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”(John 6:31-35,47-51).

For those who remain true to Jesus, they shall be sustained and fed and nurtured and protected by Him for all eternity! - “Christ gives that man a personal invitation to the true pleasures of the banquet of heaven, which are, in fact, himself: for ‘all the promises of God find their Yes in him’, and he is the true manna, the heavenly bread (2 Cor. 1:20; Jn. 6:31–35).”(Wilcock).

(ii). “white stone”

A number of suggestions have been made as to the significance of these white stones. Among the more likely suggestions is that they reflect a tradition in Pergamum from the law court in which a stone was put into a vessel by a Judge in a court of law to symbolise acquittal!

N.T. Wright observes that, “Pergamum’s great buildings were made of a black local stone. When people wanted to put up inscriptions, they obtained white marble on which to carve them. This was then fixed to the black buildings, where it stood out all the more clearly.

Whilst we are not clear about exactly what these refer to, the idea of Geoffrey Wilson that it refers to 'the tessera' or 'token'' stone which give admission to banquets and thus indicating right of entry into Heaven, which includes “the marriage supper of the Lamb” has most appeal and seems to suit the context! (see Rev 19:9 and Morris on 'Revelation' I.V..F Commentary. p.8 or Vincent Vol. II Word Studies p.452).

(iii). “a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”

In the Bible a name is not simply a label but the revelation of a character; a reminder of something significant in history or a purpose - “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The bearing of a name is the equivalent of adoption and also sealing for protection and ownership as suggested in Revelation 7:3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

However, it is not clear whether this “new name” refers to Jesus name or to the individual character of the one who remains true to Jesus!

The fact that the name is engraved on the stone, might reflect the practice of the High Priest who carried the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on his breastplate, representing the people before God.

The fact that the name is mentioned but only known to those who have the stone, echoes in Revelation 19:12–13 “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” It also echoes Revelation 14:1 where “the Father’s name” is written on the foreheads of the “144,000” ; and also in Revelation 22:4 where the servants of Christ who are in the Heavenly Jerusalem, “see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” which might suggest that the white stone bears the name of Jesus as some unique part of His character known only to them!

However, the “new name” may indicate the new character of the overcomer, the faithful one who remained true and reflected their loyalty and faithfulness in the face of great trial! (Remember Matthew 16:16-18 Simon- Cephas, a small pebble becomes Petra, a rock upon which Christ builds His church).

James says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”(James 1:12)

In closing, let me give you a real life example of what it might cost to remain true to Jesus from Killing Fields, Living Fields - an unfinished portrait of the Cambodian Church by Don Cormack a British Missionary who documented first hand much of what he saw and heard from Cambodia at the time of great persecution and genocide. It’s appropriate because 17th April marked the 50th anniversary (1975-2025) of the fall of Cambodia to the brutal dictatorship of Pol Pot and the Kymer Rouge in the so-called “Year Zero”

The Killing Fields are sites in Cambodia where collectively more than 1.7 million people were killed and buried by the Communist Party of Kampuchea during Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Civil War(1970–75). The mass killings were part of the broad, state-sponsored Cambodian genocide. The Cambodian journalist Dith Pran coined the term "killing fields" after his escape from the regime and as a memorial to the clusters of corpses and skeletal remains of victims he encountered during his 40-mile escape.

At the beginning of the Civil war there were about 3 congregations in Phnom Penh, which by 1975 when the Khmer Rouge took over had grown to about 30, totalling about 10,000 members. During the Khmer Rouge it is thought that 90% of all Christians and Christian leaders were martyred or escaped the country. One of the Pastor’s kiled was Haim with his whole family: “The killers were generous. They allowed their victims a moment of prayer to prepare themselves for death. Parents and children held hands and knelt together near the open grave. After his family finished their prayers, Haim exhorted the Communists and all those looking on to repent and to receive Jesus as Savior. Suddenly, one of Haim’s young sons leapt to his feet, bolted to the nearby forest, and disappeared. Haim was amazingly cool as he persuaded the soldiers not to chase the boy but to allow him to call the boy back. While the family knelt, the father pleaded with his son to return and die with them. “Think my son,” he shouted. “Can stealing a few more days of life, as a fugitive in that forest, compare to joining your family here around a grave, but soon free forever in paradise?” Weeping, the boy walked back. Haim said to the executioners, “Now we are ready to go.” But none of the soldiers would kill them. Finally, an officer who had not witnessed the scene came and shot the Christians.”

By 1979 it was estimated that there were only 200 Christians remaining in Cambodia. The church was left vulnerable with many of its leaders systematically killed by the Khmer Rouge regime or fled the country. Yet by 2004, the Guardian newspaper reported that “Khmer Rouge Embraces Jesus.” reporting that, “at least two thousand” former Khmer Rouge soldiers “now worship Jesus.” “The Khmer Rouge's mountain stronghold, the town of Pailin in south-west Cambodia, has four churches, all with pastors and growing congregations.” (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/24/religion.uk). Many of them converted after encountering the faith of those they murdered,

Today from the small remnant there has grown an estimated 250,000 Christians and around 750 churches - “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Dying we conquer!”(Tertulian - Remain faithful to Jesus - “Remain true to my name!”