D. Scott Meadows

An Exposition of Revelation 2.12-17

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is…

With impressive brevity, Jesus Christ addressed this first-century local church’s particular needs, and His word with the rest of Scripture still helps all churches today to think as we ought to think and to do as we ought to do with wisdom and strength until He comes. This passage, and the whole book of Revelation, is not for speculation, but for adoration of Christ, and for application to our lives. We have God’s Word written so we may know God’s will and do it. Remember how that great principle is stated so beautifully in Deuteronomy 29.29, “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Too many times people would pry into things Revelation does not say instead of paying attention to what it does say and prayerfully applying its glorious message to the nitty-gritty of everyday life in this present world.

This passage we have just read is the third of seven letters, or what I prefer to call “prophetic messages,” since they are not really in the form of letters, to seven local churches in Asia Minor in the first century. They are not symbolic representations of seven periods of church history, but they all have abiding relevance to all Christ’s churches everywhere at all times. That means they are Christ speaking to us right here today.

The message to Pergamos follows the familiar pattern of all the messages, with the seven parts we have seen before: 1) a charge to the writer, 2) a description of Christ, 3) a commendation of the church’s virtues and service, 4) a criticism of the church’s sins, 5) directive counsel in the light of these things, 6) a call to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches, and 7) a closing promise to those who trust and obey the word of Christ, thus proving to be spiritual overcomers.

CHARGE TO THE WRITER (v. 12a)

Write Christ’s Words

And so we begin with opening charge or command to the writer, the Apostle John. This statement is directed to John, without naming him, in the imperative, as a command: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos, write” (v. 12a). To paraphrase and expand it, “I, Jesus, command you, John, to write the very words I say to you, and deliver them to the angel of the church of Pergamos, who shall deliver them to that congregation, and from there, they are to be shared with all the churches everywhere until I return from heaven in power and glory.” And then Jesus dictated to John the exact message in particular words, the very words which we still have today in the Greek New Testament. This should evoke our awe. We have read Jesus’ own words—not just His ideas, or worse yet, John’s ideas with a little inspiration from Jesus. No, Jesus’ words have been transmitted from heaven to us right here, right now! After all these years, I am still amazed that we have the living Word of God.

This is the whole Bible’s teaching about itself, from Genesis to Revelation. Through His prophets God gave particular words, not just ideas, and pure words, both inerrant and internally consistent words, with no mistakes, in the Bible. And these words have been given in plain, human language, in an understandable way, with a vocabulary people know, and observing rules of grammar and syntax so we can make sense of them. God’s words in Scripture are particular, pure, and plain or perspicuous, that is, clear.

And here is another point that needs to be stressed today—they are preserved words. The words of the original manuscripts of Holy Scripture have been not been lost. Providence has kept them pure in all ages. Yes, some old manuscripts are more reliable than others, but Christ has not failed to keep His promise: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matt 24.35). Our official confession of faith recognizes this when it says,

The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic (1689 LBCF I.8).

And we have these words from God translated into excellent English for our edification today. Jesus regard the Septuagint as God’s Word, even though it was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Not only can we confidently affirm that a good English translation of the Bible is God’s Word, but even poorer translations do not lose that sacred identity.

The translators of the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible understood all this. Here is how they stated their shared conviction:

The very meanest [probably in the sense of “least respectable”] translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession, (for we have seen none of theirs of the whole Bible as yet) containeth the Word of God, nay, is the Word of God. As the King’s Speech which he uttered in Parliament, being translated into French, Dutch, Italian, and Latin, is still the King’s Speech, though it be not interpreted by every translator with the like grace, nor peradventure so fitly for phrase, nor so expressly for sense, everywhere (from “The Translators to the Reader” in the preface of the AV).

They argued that just as truly good men have faults and are still virtuous, and a good-looking man may have a wart or a scar on his hand and is still handsome, so imperfect Bible translations are still God’s Word. Now this does not mean that faults and warts are good or insignificant. Some translations are so bad they do not deserve the name, and we should absolutely treasure a very excellent translation. But the point is that I am urging you to regard your English Bible as the Word of God. This is a matter of faith, and only if you believe Scripture can you expect to be saved and sanctified by its holy words. And if you have an expert knowledge of the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic and Greek, then by all means read the Bible in its original languages.

Write for Pergamos

Now let us consider that ancient city called Pergamos (Latinized, Pergamum) where another Christian congregation was found. Like Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamos was a major city of Asia Minor. It is about 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea, with a river running through it. It is also about 70 miles north of Smyrna. Historians tell us that Pergamos was the first place where a temple for the worship of the Roman emperor was built, and it was dedicated to Caesar Augustus. Pergamos is also distinguished for a couple other things. It had a temple dedicated to the cult of Asclepius, the supposed god of healing and medicine. You probably have seen the Rod of Asclepius, entwined with a serpent, an image still associated with medicine today. Other gods like Zeus also received religious attention in Pergamos. Idolatrous customs were woven into the very fabric of society in areas like business and politics. Citizens were expected to participate in them. Christians faced tremendous social, financial, and legal pressure to compromise their unpopular religious principles and convictions. Violent persecution had already begun against nonconformists. And unsurprisingly, some in the church were making excuses as to why it was alright to blend in with the overt paganism of Pergamos.

CHRIST DESCRIBED (v. 12b)

We Must Know Him

Our Lord Jesus Christ started each message to the churches by describing Himself, implying that above all, for our salvation and spiritual well-being, we need to know Him as He really is in His character, offices, and ministries, and to know something of His plan for the future.

Today people have all kinds of different ideas about these things. If we had to rely on popular opinion, we would get a very distorted view of Christ. Our feelings and intuition are also unreliable guides. In some respects He is not what we, as sinners, would want Him to be. That is why, to know Jesus truly, we must resort to Scripture again and again.

In Revelation 1, John testifies that he heard from behind him a great, trumpet-like voice, and when he turned around to see who it was, he saw this glorious Christ (vv. 10 ff.). John described the vision of One who was standing in the middle of seven golden lampstands wearing a long robe with a golden sash around His chest. He had very white hair, fiery eyes, and gleaming feet. He was holding seven stars and He had a sharp sword coming out of His mouth. His face shone brilliantly like the sun at high noon on a cloudless day.

As Christ addressed each of the seven churches, He used one or two of these things from the vision as especially appropriate for that particular church to consider. For Ephesus, Jesus referred to the seven stars and seven lampstands, since they were in danger of being removed from the witnessing churches. For Smyrna, Jesus emphasized His deity and that He had risen from the dead, since some of them were about to martyred for Him and they were too fearful about dying.

We Must Know Him as the Authoritative Avenger

To Pergamos, Jesus describes Himself as “He who has the sword, the two-edged, the sharp [one]” (my literal translation). In a threatening way, He mentions this terrifying weapon again in verse 16, I “will fight against them [certain sinning church members] with the sword of my mouth.” In both cases it is the same Greek word for “sword,” one which designates not just any sword but “a large and broad sword used by non-Greek speaking peoples, especially the Thracians” (BDAG), which were not far away. This is a military-grade weapon specifically designed for killing as many enemies as possible on the raging battlefield. It is the kind of sword wielded by the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse when he goes forth to slay a fourth part of the human race (6.8). Jesus specifically says His sword is sharp and that the cutting edge is on both sides, so that whichever way it is swung, it is deadly.

This is the sword Jesus holds very threateningly, even menacingly. It is comparable to a hooded man standing on the gallows and holding a noose, except a sword is bloodier method of execution. A modern analogy might be a soldier with Thompson submachine gun.

Yes, the sword-wielding Lord is a disturbing portrayal, but it is His own portrayal. We should be curious as to why. Well, first, the sword was a well-known symbol of the authority of the Roman government to inflict the death penalty, and as that is the most severe sentence, of what was considered its unlimited authority over its subjects. It was called in Latin, “ius gladii,” “the right of the sword.” They may well have used a sword like this to kill some of the Christian martyrs, and Jesus stands as the great Avenger of such hideous state crimes. This realization ought to comfort the persecuted Church. The Lord will conquer His enemies one way or another.

But there is a second reason for Jesus mentioning this to the church at Pergamos. He also stands as the Judge and Executioner who will punish the wicked within the church, as well as outside of it. Many times the greater danger to a congregation is found among its own members. Jesus has limited patience with professing Christians spreading doctrinal error and corrupting the church’s morals, as these were. Christ also warns a church that tolerates enemies like this in her ranks.

The Christians at Pergamos especially needed to see Jesus Christ as the righteous Warrior-King with infinite authority to condemn and kill all those He deems guilty of capital crimes against His own. Some people reject this image of Jesus. They say, “I prefer to think of Him as a kind shepherd holding a little lamb in His arms.” Well, He is a kind Shepherd, the kindest of all! Of course we gladly affirm His compassionate heart, His faithful care, and His tender love for all real Christians. But that is not all He is. The good Shepherd also carries a rod to drive away the wolves. He hates the lions and wolves and bears and kills them for the protection of the flock, even if the combat costs Him His own life. He is not only a Savior. He is also a Judge, a King, and a Warrior.

We should never get to the point in our Christian life, experience, and thinking where we lose sight of this true Christ with the sharp, two-edge sword. That is an indispensable part of His character and holy ministry, and it is useful for our sanctification to remember it.

Standing there with His sword, Christ first speaks with love and appreciation to His disciples at Pergamos, and commends them.

COMMENDATION (v. 13)

For Your Witness to Me

We see repeatedly in Revelation, and throughout Scripture, the importance of Christ’s churches maintaining a bold and faithful witness to Him. A public testimony for Christ is not considered virtuous by the world, nor prized enough by us, but clearly Jesus teaches that it should be among our highest priorities. This is the reason that after He ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1.8). In Revelation, He characterizes the churches as light-bearing bodies, comparable to shining stars and luminous lampstands. That is a reference to their public witness for Christ.

To the church at Pergamos, He says, “I know thy works,” and then He highlights the works in particular of their witness. “Thou holdest fast My name.” Jesus is saying that they were continuing to be true and loyal to Him, and that they were maintaining a public association with Him for the sake of His glory and reputation in the world. That is the implied by the phrase, “My name.” He elaborates on this when He says, “and hast not denied My faith.” In view here is not Jesus’ own personal faith, but their faith in Him. One good translation is, “you did not deny your faith in Me” (LEB). This potential denial would have been seen in their capitulation to anti-Christian forces in the culture, and in apostasy, whatever form it happened to take. So Jesus commends the Pergamos Christians for owning Him openly and publicly in the world.

Let me give a word of personal testimony. For years I thought of myself as a Christian but I tried to fly under the radar, so to speak. Yes, I attended church, and in that setting I talked about the Lord. But when I was among unbelievers, my testimony was almost completely muted. I even had a good friend in college who was surprised when I told him I was a Christian, since he had known me a full year and I never gave any indication of it to him. But when the grace of God finally broke through to me and renewed my soul, I wanted nothing more than to be known as a Christian. Suddenly I found myself boldly testifying about Him in front of my unbelieving college friends, and even once in a group setting, as I recall. After I was born again, I had this sincere feeling, “Whenever people think of me, I want them to think of Jesus Christ my Lord. I want everyone to know that I am His and He is mine!”

Do you feel that way, too? A glad, open confession of Jesus is one of the first signs of salvation. He said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 10.32-33). And Scripture also says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” (Rom 10.9-11). Test yourselves, friends.

For Your Witness to Me among Mortal Enemies

In circumstances when continuing to live openly as Christians is especially costly and dangerous, it is the most precious thing to the Lord Jesus, because it clearly shows the greatest love to Him. A little love will move you to tell a close friend you’re a Christian. More love is required to tell your neighbor. But only the greatest love for Christ will move you to risk your life.

So Jesus acknowledges that it was not easy for the believers at Pergamos, first, because of where they lived: “Even where Satan’s seat [Gk., thronos, Eng., throne] is.” King Jesus commends His loyal subjects temporarily living behind enemy lines in Satan’s wicked realm, where he holds sway over his perishing subjects and inspires them to lie, seduce, and murder at his pleasure. Now this whole, fallen world is in one sense the kingdom of Satan, but in those days Pergamos was Satan’s capital city, so to speak. It was in some heightened way “where Satan dwelleth,” where he made his special abode. And right there in the shadow of his dark palace, Christ placed His church, and they openly defied that rival king and original rebel, the devil. Therefore their testimony was all the more special and impressive to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in Pergamos, some days were darker than others. The church there continued faithful to Jesus “even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr.” The original word for “martyr” also means “witness,” but in this context martyr is the best translation because it has the connotation of being slain for loyalty to Christ. Now we don’t know anything else about this man Antipas, because this is the only place where he is mentioned either in Scripture or the historical records. I agree with Dr. Beale when he comments on this passage that we should not assume much about Antipas, either that he was the only martyr in those days, or that he was a resident of Pergamos or a member of the church there. It seems that Christians may have been brought to Pergamos for the test of whether or not they would offer incense to “Lord God Caesar” as he was called in those days. Sometimes failure to comply was a death sentence.

There is nothing like this to test the sincerity of professing Christians. If the day should come that American believers are rounded up and forced to recant or die, without a doubt many will renounce their faith to be spared. Many supposed Christians are not really converted; they are just nominal Christians. Yes, they said they believe and they were baptized and added to the church, but when push comes to shove, they really have no sincere love for the Lord.

But thank God, some of our brothers and sisters are real, and you who are can count on sufficient grace to honor Him in the worst times. May He strengthen us to stand firm, no matter what. Amen.

—————————–

While the Pergamos church as a whole was commendable, there were still some very serious problems among them, the most serious so far in these messages to the seven churches. To the first one, Ephesus, Jesus said, “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee.” They had left their first love, which is bad enough. For the second church, Smyrna, Jesus had nothing but praise and encouragement.

CRITICISM (vv. 14-15)

To this third church at Pergamos, the Lord said, “I have a few things against thee.” He did not say, “I am against you,” but “I am against a few things about you.” There is a world of difference. Christ loves His true churches, even those with serious doctrinal and moral faults. And as many as He loves, He rebukes and chastens (3.20).

Two groups within the church, or perhaps one considered under a couple names, are singled out for censure.

Some Hold the Doctrine of Balaam

Balaam the son of Beor was a false prophet in the days of Moses whose doings are recorded in the Old Testament, and a knowledge of the narrative is helpful to understand this verse in Revelation. “Balac” or “Balak” was a pagan king of Moab who felt threatened by the Israelites. In fear, King Balak hired Balaam the prophet to put a curse on them. Even though great riches and honor were promised to Balaam if he cursed them, the Lord constrained him to bless Israel instead, and Balak was frustrated. Numbers 22-24 faithfully relates the whole account.

But here in Revelation the Lord Jesus refers to the much lesser known sequel to the Balaam story found in Number 25. Curiously, Balaam is not mentioned there, but we know he played a key role in Israel’s downfall on this occasion from another passage. Here is what happened in Numbers 25. Israel was dwelling at a place in the wilderness called Shittim, and there they began to commit “whoredom” with the Moabite women. Without a doubt this involved not only sexual immorality but participation in their worship of false gods—a spiritual adultery against the LORD who was like a husband to Israel and demanded their exclusive loyalty. “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” that is, in My presence, the First Commandment says (Exod 20.3). Numbers 25 graphically portrays Israel’s sex sins with the Moabites and participation in their idolatrous worship. “And they (the Moabite women) called the (Israelite) people unto the sacrifice of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods” (Num 25.2). This shameful record even describes a Jewish man and Midianite woman who were killed while they were fornicating together (vv. 6-8).

On that shameful day, the fierce anger of the LORD was stirred up against the Israelites, and He called for the execution of their wicked leaders, which Moses commanded to be carried out immediately (vv. 4-5). Phinehas threw a javelin through the abdomens of coupled Zimri and Cozbi, killing them, and the Lord approved of that (vv. 10-13), but He had already sent a plague to kill 24,000 for their sins (v. 9).

It is only later in the holy history that we learn of Balaam’s involvement in all this. Immoral women caused the children of Israel to sin on that day “through the counsel of Balaam” (Num 31.16). Balaam could not hurt Israel by cursing them, but he successfully lured them into divine judgment by tempting them to fornication and idolatry.

Now this gives us a much better idea what was going on in Pergamos that provoked censure by the Lord Jesus Christ. It was something comparable to this: “Balaam . . . taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” Evidently there was a group of professing Christians within the church that thought they saw a way out of suffering so much as believers in an ungodly society. Antipas had died already, and perhaps others. Why take such costly stand over refusing to eat meat associated with idol worship? The “fornication” of which the Pergamos Christians were guilty might have been spiritual rather than physical, and if so, the sin allowed by some church members would have seemed more plausible. As Beale writes on Rev 2.14:

The false teachers were arguing that believers could have closer relationships with pagan culture, institutions, and religion than John [more importantly, Jesus—DSM] thought proper. This is the significance of the expression “to eat things sacrificed to idols and to fornicate,” which applies here not only to the Numbers account but also to the problem in Pergamum, as is evident from the application of the identical phrase to the situation in Thyatira (2:20).

This was no mere issue of indifferent things and matters of conscience, as some propose was the case in 1 Corinthians 8. Perhaps token public acknowledgments to Caesar are in mind or participation in pagan festivals, or even both, since all the guilds formally recognized Caesar’s deity. (Polycarp was accused of being a “puller down of our gods, teaching many not to sacrifice or worship” [Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:1–2].) In particular, what may be included are trade guild festivals involving celebration of patron deities through feasts and sometimes immoral activities. Refusal to participate in such activities could result in economic and social ostracism. Therefore, there was much pressure to compromise. And just as Israel was influenced to fornicate both sexually and spiritually, the same was true of Christians in Pergamum.

Like Balaam, this was a group of false prophets [at Pergamos] who were encouraging participation in idol feasts by teaching that such permission was permissible for Christians.

My fellow Christians, even though in America we are suffering relatively little for our testimony, are there not whole swaths of people within the Church arguing that believers can have closer relationships with pagan culture, institutions, and religion than is proper according to a biblical standard? The conventional wisdom that any discrimination is inherently evil and that charity requires tolerance, which means virtual acceptance for others, of all kinds of false doctrines and even sexual perversion, has been embraced by many professing Christians today. As a result there is little judgment preaching at all, except against a few who dare to criticize false religions and blatant violations of God’s moral law! And so-called Christians are convincing themselves that they can silently blend right into corrupt American society unnoticed.

The same problem is being seen on the mission field in countries dominated by some false religion like Islam or Hinduism. It is becoming more common to find people who belong to “insider movements,” which have been variously defined and described. For example, proponents have defined their point of view this way:

An insider movement is any movement to faith in Christ where the gospel flows through pre-existing communities and social networks, and where believing families, as valid expressions of faith in Christ, remain inside their socio-religious communities, retaining their identity as members of that community while living under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.

And here is another sympathetic description:

You follow Jesus as a Hindu, as a Muslim, as a Buddhist, or as whatever other variety of socio-religious community you might be from.¹

This kind of thinking is not limited to liberal denominations. The conservative PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) is having to combat it within their own ranks at this year’s General Assembly.²

It is easy to understand how this happens. None of us want to become the scourge of society. We hate to suffer ridicule or ostracism, much less in our jobs or physical well-being. And this kind of compromise sneaks up on us little by little. The new Christian comes to realize that he does not have to mention Jesus at every opportunity, and that if he is to influence others, he should be wise and judicious about when to witness. And we think that we can go to that office party with drinking and carousing as long as we don’t drink, or at least we don’t drink more than just a little. And before you know it our faith is almost completely a private matter, and we are almost indistinguishable in the judgment of others from anyone else who is not a Christian. We never speak up in protest of scandalous sin, or if we do, we do it in a moralistic way, without glorifying Jesus by name. Conservative talk show hosts who claim to be Christians do this all the time. Are we much better than they are in our own personal conduct?

Jesus said to Pergamos, “I have a few things against you.” The second one seems to be this, that besides the group we could call the “Balaamites,” there was a group called the Nicolaitans.

Some Hold the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans

“So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine [or, teaching] of the Nicolaitans.” The wording seems to imply that this was something at least a little different from the Balaamites, but all that we are told about it is that Jesus “hates this thing.” That is strong language, but it is not the first usage. Jesus had commended the Ephesians in these words, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Rev 2.6). They joined Jesus in His holy hatred for the doctrine and the deeds of the Nicolaitans. But Jesus criticized Pergamos because they tolerated these things in their midst and in their church members.

One of the most important things we can learn from these prophetic messages to the churches is that Jesus abominates our remaining sin, and so should we. Every church is made up of sinful people, with sinful beliefs and regrettable moral compromises. Jesus loves us anyway, and we should not become perfectionistic about the church in a bad way. But neither should we give up the good fight to purify the church of its errors and sins. That requires us to admit into membership and retain in membership only people who are doctrinally orthodox with a credible profession of faith, and who show evidences of love to the Lord and His people. And besides that, we must not water down biblical preaching because it asserts many truths that are despised by outsiders. Furthermore, when the inevitable happens and some members prove to be false teachers and advocate immoral compromise with the world, we have a responsibility to discipline them, and if they will not repent, to excommunicate them, so the church might retain a holy witness to Jesus in this wicked generation.

COUNSEL (v. 16)

Repent!

What is the advice that Jesus gives to such a church? It can be summarized in one word: “Repent.” Change your mind, change your attitude, and change your ways. Obviously the Lord means that they should stop compromising in these sinful ways with the carnal culture and live in such a way that their identity as Christians and loyalty to Christ is perfectly obvious to everyone.

Repent or Else!

Jesus not only directs them to turn things around, but He issues an ultimatum. “Repent or else” has a threatening tone, and that is intentional. The bad consequence of impenitence is the Lord’s dealing with them in severe discipline, if not punishment. “I will come (Gk. verb: “I am coming”) unto thee (that is, the church at Pergamos) quickly, and will fight against (Gk. verb polemeo English “polemics,” lit., “wage war”) them (the compromisers) with the sword of my mouth.” Jesus is impartial in His opposition to all sin; He hates it in the world and in the church.

There could be couple allusions here to the story of Balaam. First, remember when he was riding his donkey on a trip where he was hopeful of great gain for cursing Israel. He came to a narrow place where the donkey would not go forward, despite his command and beating. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes so that he could see an angel holding a great sword to kill him, which was the reason the donkey wouldn’t proceed. “Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face” (Num 22.31). And here, the sword of the Lord was also poised to strike the foolish Pergamos Christians, except they would repent.

Second, on the day of Israel’s great sin with the Moabite women, swords may have been used to slay the offenders at the Moses’ command (Num 25.5).

When we have sinned like this, there is no alternative but to repent. Making excuses or crafting clever arguments will not sheath the sword of the Lord. Pleas that moral compromise is necessary for effective evangelism are useless for escaping judgment. The church needs a reformation from our weak witness. It is not likeness to the world that will get their attention, but difference from it. We must demonstrate that our loyalty is to Jesus Christ above all others, and that means that in many things, we will be counter-cultural and politically incorrect, even scandalously so in the eyes of nonChristians.

CALL TO HEAR (v. 17a)

Near the end of this prophetic message, we have the familiar call for the one who has ears to hear (that is, believers, those who are not spiritually deaf), to trust and obey what the Spirit says, referring to the content of this prophetic message. Faith in the words of Christ is our moral responsibility, and faith works, that is, it puts into practice the things Jesus commands us to do.

CLOSING PROMISE (v. 17b)

Seven times, Jesus makes promises “to him that overcometh.” In the Greek there may be a deliberate play on words. The “Nicolaitans” (practically a transliteration) are destined to be losers in the contest with Jesus, but the anti-Nicolaitans prove to be the true overcomers or victors (Gk. nikonti). All real Christians will prove to be overcomers at last and receive an eternal reward, variously described in many passages.

The Right to Eat of the Hidden Manna

Here, the reward is described in two tantalizing things. First, Jesus Himself will give the overcomer the right “to eat of the hidden manna.” Old Israel in the wilderness has been brought to mind by the Balaam story, and manna is first mentioned in Scripture in connection with those days. Manna was the bread-like substance which fell from heaven and sustained God’s people in the wilderness, where they were separated from all the nations as His chosen ones. Later, Jesus explained that this historical reality also had a symbolic significance, pointing to Him. Jesus had lately multiplied loaves and fishes to satisfy the hunger of a great multitude that had begun following Him around wherever He went. And they said to Him,

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst (John 6.31-35).

“Hidden manna” here, then, is a symbolic representation of the realization of full fellowship with Jesus that is unknown to outsiders but to be experienced by faithful believers in the age to come when He makes all things new. Beale agrees and elaborates,

The promise of “hidden manna” is a metaphorical portrayal of end-time fellowship and identification with Christ, which will be consummated at the marriage supper of the Lamb and which those refusing to participate in pagan feasts will be rewarded with (in loc.).

A White Stone with a New Name Written Known Only to Him who Receives It

Second, Jesus will give the overcomer “a white stone, and a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” This is likewise wonderful and obscure, a blessing justly craved even if we cannot fully appreciate exactly what it is. Engraved stones appear in the biblical record, for example, upon the high priest’s shoulders with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, six on each shoulder (Exod 28.9-12). But the translators think these were “onyx” stones, and probably not white. In the extrabiblical literature and experience of the ancient world, engraved stones also had several uses. Again, Beale is helpful.

There may be no single background for the “white stone.” It could be intentionally allusive and suggest diverse but compatible historical associations. . . . A white stone was commonly associated with a vote of acquittal or a favorable vote. Conversely, a black stone indicated guilt. A white stone sometimes was also used as a pass of admission to special occasions. Against this background, the meaning here probably refers to the reversal of the guilty verdict issued by the world’s institutions against the overcomer because of refusal to participate in its idolatrous meals. Accordingly, the “white stone” becomes the invitation to take part in Jesus’ supper (cf. 19:9). The notion that a banquet meal is in mind is supported by the reference to “manna” (in loc.).

Revelation 19.9 says, “Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

I am persuaded that the “new name” in this white stone is not a personal name for you and me, but a reference to God’s own name which will be ours in association with Him. This is the idea that comes out in Revelation 3.12 where Jesus promises, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” It is called “new” because it is associated with the new age of the eternal state after Jesus returns.

A Closing Word of Encouragement

In closing, I would offer a word of encouragement and motivation to my despised brethren. Your coming to Jesus Christ and joining His church is a sign of His gracious, special love for you from eternity. The world hates you because Jesus loves you, and you have chosen, by faith, to confess Him openly. It can seem like a long time between your conversion and your entrance into the fully-consummated reward of the faithful, but once you receive the reward, it won’t. You will see that your earthly days were fleeting, that redemption was drawing near all the while, and that His second coming was at hand.

It is even as the apostle Paul wrote, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor 4.17-18). Now is not the time to cower in fear and to compromise with the world! We have entered a marathon and our race is almost fully run. We need to hold out until the end when we break the tape as champions to receive our reward.

Let us witness boldly to unbelievers that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let us tell them how He is a merciful Savior to all who trust in Him and that He will be a terrifying Judge to everyone else. Soon and very soon, we shall see Him as He is. Our brief days of suffering and shame will be over, and we shall enter into perfect happiness and blessedness, forever with the Lord. Amen.

Notes:

1 http://biblicalmissiology.org/2011/03/20/the-insider-movement-a-brief-overview-and-analysis/
2 http://theaquilareport.com/the-insider-movement-2014-pca-general-assemby-overtures/

All rights reserved.