PERGAMOS The danger of worldly compromise. Revelation 2v12-17.
The Church: "I know where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is."
The very existence of a church in Pergamos was nothing short of a divine miracle. Jesus calls it "the place where Satan dwells, the place of Satan's throne". The city had become the very centre of his earthly operation. Satan operates unseen on a worldwide scale, but Pergamos had become his headquarters on earth! This unseen spiritual predator is described as "the prince of this world." (John 14v30); and " the god of this world" (2nd Corinthians4v4 ). He operates unseen but his presence in Pergamos was visible. What we have here is a church in the midst of a PAGAN CULTURE. Indeed, there is no church which symbolizes the churches of today like this one. In the western world we live in a pagan culture where everything is idolized except the true God in heaven. Whether it be pop stars, or sports stars, or film stars, or politicians, or big business, God has been marginalized. The doctrine of paganism prevails and the truth of God is suppressed. In the western world we are now secular not spiritual. On the 7th December 2015 the "Telegraph" reported Baroness Butler-Sloss who led a two year commission study on world faiths, declared "Britain is no longer a Christian country." The Huffington Post UK declared on 21st April 2014 "Britain is not a Christian country; so say 50 leading scientists, authors and academics". This year it was reported that 57% of people in Norway are atheist. We could multiply examples, but it is clear we live in a satanically- controlled pagan culture. Just like in Pergamos the evidence is all around us.
In the city itself, at that time, there were temples to Athena, the Caesars of Rome and the Greek god Zeus. The latter was built against a mountain and stood 100 feet square at the base and 800 feet tall. Here pagan rituals were proliferated, human sacrifices made, and devil worship was prevalent. Immorality and greed pervaded the city. Jesus takes note of where they were, just as He takes note today, It is not easy to maintain a testimony for God in a culture like this. In a climate where people were visibly devoted to a multitude of gods, which fed their natural desires, the existence of a church which proclaimed only one God would obviously bring conflict and discomfort. The opposition of paganism led to the martyrdom of Antipas. He stood for the truth of Christ in a pagan city and would not compromise. His name literally means "against everything." Legend has it that people said to him "the whole world is against you" to which he replied "then I am against the whole world." He refused to renounce his faith in Christ.
It was this martyrdom that possibly led some in the church to consider compromise. Fear of martyrdom, or a desire to attract the pagan world to Christianity by more integration with the world, became a real danger and a real temptation, which it still is today. In this kind of world there is always pressure for us to conform to the world's ways and teachings. This is seen today in the watering down of the gospel message such as omitting the doctrines of hell and judgement in order to attract people by worldly means. Unfortunately at the heart of this is the fear of unpopularity with the world. The tendency to compromise is a denial of the cross of Christ.
Satan had failed to rid the earth of Christians by means of persecution, and he now seeks to entice the Christians themselves to seek popularity rather than persecution. In this way, the gospel is contaminated and becomes less powerful. Indeed, it has the opposite effect of what we intend. Having failed as a "roaring lion" he now tries his hand at being an "angel of light." Instead of opposition, he tries corruption; instead of standing outside, he comes inside. Certainly this has been the most successful of his devilish schemes, and has led many away from the true Saviour. The problem is expounded in the reference to the doctrines of Balaam and that of the Nicolaitanes (which doctrines we shall consider later). We are thankful to know that this church must have repented because it continued for over 1000 years. This church stands as a beacon of warning to all churches today; do not compromise with a pagan godless world driven by Satan; do not mimic their methods or practices. Stand fast for the pure unmixed truth of God in the pagan culture in which we live. This is the only power we have against a formidable enemy.
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