Dr Clifford Hill unpacks the message sent to believers in Pergamum, modern-day Bergama (Turkey).

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 teachings 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 teachings of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against you 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.

Steep-sided theatre at Pergamum. See Photo Credits.Pergamum was a magnificent city on two sites, an upper and a lower. The Upper Site, the Acropolis, was originally the capital of Asia Minor, the region ruled by the Lydians, forerunners of the Greek Empire. It was the Greeks who built the massive altar to Zeus with its huge stone steps and figures depicting the war of the gods with the giants – monsters with tails of serpents instead of legs. From the town below where the Christians lived it would certainly have looked like the place where Satan sat enthroned – hence the opening salutation in the letter.

Just above the altar of Zeus stood the impressive 10,000-seat theatre with its panoramic view of the countryside that still offers a spectacular experience for visitors. Directly above the theatre are the ruins of the Temple of Athena, the chief goddess of the city. Next to her temple are the ruins of the magnificent library which had more than 200,000 scrolls, most of which were given away by Mark Anthony to Cleopatra when the Alexandrian library was burnt down.

The Lower Site was of great importance as a centre of healing with its famous link to Asclepius who claimed to have been healed by the venom of a snake. The healing centre was the most advanced medical facility in the ancient world and contained a theatre, a library, a temple and 'sacred' springs whose waters were reputed to have healing powers. Visitors today can walk among these ruins and even taste the waters of the spring. The snake symbol over the entrance to the healing centre has become the international symbol for the medical profession.

The Greeks built the massive altar to Zeus to fill the skyline over Pergamum – to Christians it would have certainly looked like Satan's throne.

A Two-Edged Sword

Christians in Pergamum must have felt surrounded by evil forces with the city in the valley where they lived filled with symbols of pagan gods and the mountainside above them dominated by the altar to Zeus, the father of pagan gods, whose presence filled the skyline at the top of the Acropolis.

The letter to the Christians reflects this in its opening words, which come from Revelation 1:16 where Jesus is said to have a sharp, double-edged sword. This implies that he is not only coming against the pagan gods of Pergamum but that there is a cutting edge also directed towards the people of God in the city.

The Altar of Zeus from Pergamum, brought to Berlin in late 19th Century. See Photo Credits.

Clearly there was something radically wrong with the teaching and practices of this fellowship that was being exposed in the message. The Christians were living in a hotbed of satanic practices: "You live where Satan has his throne". The world-renowned place of health and healing with its symbol of the snake and temples to pagan gods filled the very air they breathed. The Christians fought a daily battle to resist the powers of evil that surrounded them.

They had remained faithful even through terrible days of persecution that came upon them when Antipas had refused to acknowledge the divinity of Caesar and had paid the price with a fearful death, and when Christians were assaulted by violent mobs in the city streets.

The believers had survived those testing days - but there were still things about their fellowship that were not pleasing to God. They allowed people to remain within the fellowship who were following the teaching of Nicholas that separated body and soul. This led to the belief that it didn't really matter what they did with their bodies; so they could indulge in physical lusts without it affecting their spiritual life. This was a real danger and unless there was repentance they would feel the two-edged sword brought against the evildoers following this teaching.

Christians in Pergamum survived testing days and lived surrounded by evil forces – but there were still things about their fellowship that were not pleasing to God.

For Those with Ears to Hear...

The final part of the message to Pergamum is addressed to those who had an ear to hear what the Spirit was saying. It is a beautiful promise to the Overcomers, to those who withstood the pressures of idolatry and syncretism (the mixing of pagan practices with Christian beliefs). For them, there would be great rewards.

They would be given some of the manna such as had been put in the Ark of the Covenant during the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness when God miraculously fed his people.

In John's Gospel, following his account of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus referred to the manna in the desert as being the 'bread of life' which he would give to all who come to him (John 6:30-40). This would give Christians full access to an understanding of the nature and purposes of God which are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge to which Paul refers in Colossians 2:2-3.

Finally, the Overcomers were promised eternal life with Jesus. They would be given "a white stone with a new message written on it" which was similar to the practice of sending an invitation to a special event such as a wedding. The person invited would receive a white stone on which was written a message of invitation using a pet name of endearment that the believer would readily recognise. This would be an invitation to the 'Banquet of the Lamb'.

For those who withstood the pressures of idolatry and syncretism, the letter promised great rewards.

Relevance for Today

The message to the church in Pergamum is highly relevant for Christians today living in a post-Christian society, where the pressures to conform to the values of secular humanism are both open and subtle. In everyday life, we have to conform to convention that is established by law, some of which is directly contrary to the teaching of Scripture. Christians have to find ways of maintaining and witnessing to their faith while not falling foul of the law - though this is becoming increasingly difficult and ultimately, of course, our loyalty to the Lord must come first.

But we also face subtle attacks upon our spiritual lives through social engineering and brainwashing that takes place through the media. Meanwhile, all kinds of paganism and mysticism are making a comeback – proliferating across many spheres of society, including within the walls of the Church.

Young people are especially vulnerable as a whole generation has been deliberately subjected to social engineering by secular humanists. Many people are not even aware of the dramatic way in which our society's culture and values have been transformed in just a few years. We each of us need to read this message prayerfully, asking the Lord to show us where our own values are falling short of the standards God requires among those to whom he offers eternal life.

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