Rev. Ron Sumners
February 13, 1994
If you have read this passage of Scripture in more than one translation of the Bible, than you will notice that there is a difference in the name of this city in the different translations. The K.J.V. calls it Pergamos, while the R.S.V. and several other translations call it Pergamum. Pergamos is the feminine form of the name, and Pergamum is the neutral form of the name. In the ancient world it was known by both forms, but Pergamum was much more common, so that's what we will call it.
Pergamum was not on any of the great roads as Ephesus and Smyrna were; but historically it was a great city. It had been the provincial capital for almost 400 years. Back in 282 B.C. it was made capitol of the Seleucid Kingdom; one of the sections into which the empire of Alexander the Great was broken. When Asia-Minor became the property of Rome, Pergamum remained the Capitol. There is always something special in the air and atmosphere of a capital city and Pergamum had held that position for 400 years.
Pergamum could never achieve the commercial greatness of Ephesus or of Smyrna, but it was a center of culture which surpassed both these cities. It was famous for its library, which contained no fewer than 200,000 parchment rolls. In the ancient world it was second only to the library of Alexandria. Pergamum gloried in its knowledge and in its culture.
Pergamum was one of the great religious centers in the ancient world. In the letter it is said to be the place where "Satan's Seat" is. What could this mean? Let's look at some possible explanations.
Pergamum regarded itself as the custodian and defender of the Greek way of life and the Greek worship of the Gods. About 240 B.C., Pergamum had won a great victory against the invading Gauls. In memory of that victory, a great altar to Zeus was built. It was built in front of the Temple of Athene which stood eight hundred feet up on Pergamum's central hill. It was forty-feet-high, and it stood on a projecting ledge of rock. It looked exactly like a great seat or throne on the hillside; and all day every day it smoked with the smoke of sacrifices offered to Zeus. It has been suggested that that great altar was Satan's seat.
Pergamum was associated with the worship of Asclepios. Asclepios was known as the "Pegamine God." Asclepios was the god of healing; his temples were the nearest approach to hospitals in the ancient world. From all over the world people, many of them wealthy, flocked to Pergamum for relief for their pains and their diseases. There could have been a couple of things that would cause Christians to call the Temple to Asclepios "Satan's Seat."
First, the most common title for Asclepios was "Asclepios the savior". It might have been that the Christians could not let the title savior be applied to anyone but Jesus Christ.
Second, the emblem of Asclepios was the serpent. Many of the coins of Pergamum had Asclepios' snake as part of their design. The snake was always a symbol of evil to the Jews. So, they may have felt that Asclepios represented Satan.
Satan's Seat is the following one. It was the administrative center of the province of Asia. That means that Pergamum was the center of Caesar worship for the province of Asia. Rome saw in the spread of Caesar worship a unifying force; and so, it became the law that once a year every Roman citizen should go to the temple of the Emperor, burn incense and say "Caesar is Lord.” But the one thing that no Christian would say was: "Caesar is Lord." For him Christ, and none other, was Lord. The Roman government was incapable of understanding this point of view, and Christians were regarded as disloyal and revolutionary citizens.
Caesar worship was organized with a provincial center and Pergamum was the center of that worship for the province of Asia. Even before Smyrna, in 29 B.C. a temple to Caesar had been erected in Pergamum and the worship of Caesar had its center there. That meant that every Christian in Pergamum was under permanent threat of death. He never knew when the sword would fall. That's why Pergamum was "Satan's Seat," it was the place where men must take the name of “Lord” and give it to Caesar instead of Christ; and to a Christian there could be nothing more Satanic than that.
This letter calls the Risen Christ the "one who has the sharp two-edged sword.” Roman governors were divided into two classes, those who had the power of life and death and those who did not. The right to execute was called lus gladii (the right of the sword). The Roman proconsul, who had his headquarters at Pergamum, had the "right of the sword", and he could use it against the Christians. This letter begins by reminding the Christians that the last word is still with Christ who has the "ultimate right of the sword". The Power of Rome was great; the power of the Risen Christ was greater!
It was not easy to be a Christian in Pergamum. We've seen what a concentration of pagan worship there was there, and the threat of death for not worshipping Caesar was an ever-present danger.
So, Christ says to those Christians, "I know where you stay." The Greek word is katoikein; and it means to have one's permanent residence in a place. This is not the normal word used to describe a Christian's place in the world . Usually it is paroikein, which means to be a stronger and a sojourner. Which means that our home is beyond this world with God. But here we have a different point of view. The easiest thing those Christians could have done was to run away, to leave Pergamum. But God had a purpose for them there.
Here is something very important. The principle of the Christian life is not escape, but conquest. It may be that we often feel it would be very much easier to be a Christian in some other place and in some other circumstances, with some people who are more sympathetic and, in a circle, where witness is easier. But the duty of the Christian is to witness for Christ where life has set him. The Christians in Pergamum had to be Christians where Satan's throne was, and there they had to stay. If in the early days Christians had run away every time they were confronted with hardships, we would have no place to stand today. And if we run away every time things get tough then our children will have no place to stand tomorrow.
The Christians at Pergamum proved that it was perfectly possible to be a Christian under such circumstances . Even when martyrdom was in the air they did not run. We don't know who Antipas was, but Christ calls him "my faithful martyr."
The Greek word MARTUS is the word which means "witness." In the early church to be a martyr and to be a witness were one and the same thing. An early Christian knew that his stance could lead to death. How that hits us today! There are so many who are prepared to demonstrate their Christianity in Christian circles, but who are equally prepared to play down their faith in places where Christianity is met with ridicule, contempt, indifference or opposition. We must remember that being a witness may cost us something.
In spite of the loyalty of the Church at Pergamum there is a problem there. There are those who follow the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. We have seen that there were those who wanted to conform to the world's standards. They tried to persuade Christians that there was nothing wrong with conformity to the world.
The man who is not prepared to be different need not start on the Christian way at all. The most common word for the Christians in the New Testament is Hagios. We have translated it Holy, but the basic meaning of that word is different or separate. The temple was Hagios because it was different from the other buildings; the Sabbath was Hagios because it was different from other days; God is Hagios because He is totally different from other men. A Christian is to be Hagios, because he is to be different from other men.
So, we, as Christians, are faced with a dilemma. We live in this world but we are to be different. This difference does not mean isolation and separation from the world. It does not mean contempt of, and hatred for the world. It means that we are to bring the world of Christ! The fault of the Nicolaitans was that they were seeking to adjust Christianity to the level of the world rather than lift the world to the level of Christianity. They were following a policy of compromise because it was the easiest way to go. To live in Pergamum and to be Hagios is not easy and many have adopted the philosophy of the Nicolaitans.
Christ says that unless they repent, He will come and fight against them with "the sword of His mouth ." What is the sword of Christ? The writer of Hebrews speaks of the word of God which is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4-12). And Paul speaks of "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). The sword of Christ is the word of Christ! "Heaven and Earth shall pass away but the Word of Jesus Christ shall not pass away." The Risen Christ is saying that unless they obey His word and adhere to His standards they will perish .
To each of the seven churches Christ makes a promise to those who stand firm in their faith. The first thing He promises the faithful in Pergamum is a share of the "hidden manna" to eat. This phrase has several possible interpretations. When the children of Israel had no food in the desert, God gave them manna to eat. When the children of Israel got to the promised land they did not forget. A pot of the manna was taken and was put into the Ark and was laid up before God in the Holy of Holies in the Temple (Ex. 16:13, Heb. 9:4). Early in the sixth century B.C., the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The rabbis had a legend that when that happened, Jeremiah took and hid the pot of manna on Mt. Sinai and when the Messiah came, Jeremiah would return and the pot of manna would be discovered again. So, to a Jew, to eat of the hidden manna meant that the Messiah had come. Jesus was the Messiah, and he offered the blessings of His Kingdom to all who were steadfast.
(2) But there could be a wider and more general meaning than that. Ex.16: 15 calls manna, "The bread which the Lord hath given you to eat." Psalms 78:24 calls it "bread of the mighty". It can also mean "Heavenly food." So, John could have been saying: "In this world you cannot share with the heathen in their feasts and in their banquets and on their special occasions; you cannot sit down and eat meat that has been offered as a sacrifice to an idol. You may think that you are missing a lot. But if you abstain from these polluted things, the day will come when you will feast on heavenly food." Christ could be saying to Pergamum and to us today, we must abstain from the seductions of the world, if we plan to enjoy the blessings of Heaven.
(3) There is one other possibility. Some have suggested that the hidden manna is the Bread of God which is given to the Christians at the Lord's Supper. Jesus Said, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:31) If the hidden manna is not only the bread of the Lord's Supper; it stands for Christ Himself. He is the bread of life and this could be a promise that Christ will give Himself to those who are faithful.
The final promise is that Christ will give all the faithful a white stone with a new name on it. What is the symbolism of this statement? There are numerous ideas and I'll not attempt to cover all of them but here are several possible meanings for the white stone.
The white stone was given to a man who had been tried and acquitted. He carried it as a sign that he was free of the charge of crime which had been placed against him: Christ forgives us!
The white stone was given to a man who was freed from slavery and made a citizen. He carried the stone as an indication of his citizenship: Christ makes us citizens of Heaven!
The white stone was given to the winner of a race or contest. Christ gives us the victor's crown! We need not fear the enemy for in Christ we have the victory!
Finally, the faithful one is given a new name. One of the features of the Old Testament is the giving to a man a new name to mark a new status with God. Abram became Abraham , the father of a nation . Jacob became Israel, Prince of God. Saul of Tarsus became Paul the Apostle.
The custom of giving a new name was known all over the ancient world. The Caesars often changed their names when they became head of the Roman government. The name marked a new status.
Christ promises a new status to those who are faithful. He bears the name of Christ Himself and will sit one day with Him in Paradise. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!!
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