Repent

Pergamum

Pergamum was not at the ends of any roads of commerce, but became the cultural focal point of Asia Minor due to the great library built there. In fact, the name of the city Pergamum served as the base for our word parchment. In the 3rd century BC, Eumenes, king of Pergamum, desires to build a library that would rival the one in Alexandria, so he persuaded Aristophanes of Byzantium, the head librarian in Alexandria, to come to Pergamum. Of course this angered Ptolemy of Egypt, so he imprisoned Aristophanes and issued an embargo against Pergamum on the export of papyrus, the paper of the known world at this time. So the scholars of Pergamum invented parchment which is made from animal skins instead of reeds. In the end, parchment became the preferred writing material.

So being a cultural center in Asia Minor, Pergamum also became a religious center as well. Pergamum regarded itself as the custodian of the Greek way of life and of Greek worship. There was an altar to Zeus built on a cleft near the top of the conical hill in which Pergamum was built. Pergamum also worshipped Asclepios, the god of healing. Pergamum was also the center for Caesar worship in Asia Minor.

The Seat of Satan

Revelation 2:12–17 (NIV)

“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, not 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: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed 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.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

Pergamum stood as the beacon to syncretism. The subversive plot of the enemy is to compromise the faith of believers slowly but surely. It is a slow fade into worldliness.

Balaam was the one who guided the Midianite women to seduce the Israelite men. In this, Balaam has become synonymous with compromising ones beliefs for the sake of worldly pleasure.

Nicolaitans were the followers of Nicolaus of Antioch. These were members of the church there. The doctrinal heresy associated with Nicolaus is self indulgent gluttony. The view was that the salvation of Christ set one free to pursue all things freely.

Repent

Syncretism will lead us to look and act just like the world. The world will end up consuming ones heart if there is no repentance to turn ones heart back to the Lord.

Syncretism leads to self reliance. The world is founded on self reliance, but Christianity is rooted in godly dependance and surrender.

Manna was the bread of God that gave life to the Israelites in the desert. Jesus is the bread of life given to us by God for eternal life.