Pergamos
EV 2:12-17The Church is in fellowship with the world. This is what the Lord reveals in His message to Pergamos. The Church is not a stranger on earth; she is dwelling where Satan's seat is. Satan's seat, or throne, is this world. Here only is the sphere that owns, nor will any other ever own, his sway, and in it she is seen by the Lord's eye; not hastening through it, as through a defiled and defiling scene, to which she does not belong, but dwelling in it, as though at home there. And the Lord presents Himself to the Church in this condition as "He that hath the sharp sword with two edges." By presenting Himself to her thus, He declares that He will sever the unholy league into which, as one seduced, she has entered. There can be no tolerance of it. "All judgment" is committed unto Him, and upon the world it must fall, however unfaithful-the professing body may be. And fellowship with the world, while professing at the same time to be for Christ, is the Church's condition.
For it is very evident that the Church as addressed here has not cast off the profession of His faith and name. She does profess to be His, however unfaithful she is. He tells her this. "Thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith. Yet while He can own this, He does not withhold that the doctrine of Balaam is there also. And how feeble, how imperfect the Church's testimony And if she is untrue to her calling, the Lord will show her what true faithfulness is. Antipas, not the Church, is His faithful witness. How touching the allusion, if the Church has any heart to respond to it, when He says, "Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth." "My faithful martyr," says the Lord-words which He should have been able to use as to the whole company. But this is impossible. The Church in fellowship with the world can no longer be the "faithful witness." And Antipas gives up his life as a testimony in the midst of the Church that should have been true to her absent Lord.
But there is more than this, more than the inability of the Church to be a faithful witness. There is a reason for it. The Lord continues, " I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam." This is positive wickedness. It was an endeavor to seduce the people of God, and at any price, into association with the world. For in speaking of Balaam, the Lord throws back the veil, and shows that which destroyed all possibility of devotion to Him. That hidden spring, working under the assumed guise of " increased liberality," is friendship with the world. Toleration accepted, there is then only a short step to amalgamation, and this is " the doctrine of Balaam." God's thought, the one great thought which can be traced like a golden thread running from Gen. 1:2,32And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:2‑3), down to Rev. 22:14,1514Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:14‑15), is not toleration, not amalgamation, but everywhere " SEPARATION " from what is evil. " God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." You can introduce no toleration of evil, and His thought for His people is consistent with Himself. It is ever so; and even Balaam, the deluded tool of the enemy, has to declare that separation is God's thought. "The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (Num. 23) But, unable to curse God's people, and compelled to speak only what the Lord would have spoken concerning them, what did Balaam teach? He "taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
There are always steps to be traced in decline in the history of our souls, and we can trace them here. Forgetting her true relationship to Christ, who is not on earth, how easy for the Church to forget that His place is hers. As He was not of this world, so the Church is not of it. As He is heavenly, so she is also, for she is His body. -The first thing that we read about Israel after Balaam had failed to curse God's people is this, " And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab." So the Church is said by the Lord to be "dwelling" where Satan's seat is, dwelling in the midst of the place where the Lord had no place. He had on earth "not where to lay His head." And what was the next step with Israel, and the next step in the Church's decline? Why, as dwelling there, Balaam's counsel is, "Let us be all together; let us be social;" and, oh, what a subtle delusion is this of the enemy this plea of friendship! "And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel." (Num. 25:1-31And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3And Israel joined himself unto Baal-peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. (Numbers 25:1‑3)) And we see in this address to the Church on earth that she has repeated Israel's history, and that this is why the Lord refers her to it. The false prophet is within the Church, and the result of his doctrine is 'manifest in her present condition. He is teaching that she may eat things sacrificed unto idols; that she may enjoy Moab's food. He is teaching that she may, without fear, form alliances with this world, and so stop to rest (on her way to GOD'S rest) among those who have never any intention of going there.
And if we admit the complete analogy and parallel, as seen in the past history of Israel and the present condition of the Church, we must, notwithstanding; thank God that it is He in His grace who calls our attention afresh to it. Still more is it to be regretted that any who call themselves Christians should now, nevertheless, remain blind and deaf to what is said -unable to "hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." For if it is fairly admitted, and people do fairly admit (without apparently any exercise of conscience), that they do not understand even these two chapters which are especially and only addressed to the Church; is there-not both blindness and deafness as to what is the Church's present condition? Yet the Spirit says as to this Book of the Revelation, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." He attaches a special blessing to the reading, and hearing, and keeping of what He here puts before us. And how can the soul keep what it has never in faith received?
One other matter the Lord speaks of before closing this address to Pergamos, and it is with reference to the Nicolaitanes. Much has been written as to the meaning of this word, and as to what these people were, and perhaps much of what has been said is right. As there is not in Scripture any explanation of the meaning of this word, nor of the word Pergamos, we may calmly weigh what godly men have written to explain each. It has been said that the word Pergamos has some relation to the Greek word for marriage, and that it points to the "marriage of the Church and the world." No doubt there is some important meaning for each word, and for the use of each. Enough is written in the Word, however, for us. The Nicolaitanes have been mentioned before in the address to Ephesus. We may compare these two references to them. We learn then, from chap. 2: 6 that although the Church has left her first love, she is not yet quite prepared to sanction that thing which the Lord hates. He says, " But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate." But He does not thus speak to Pergamos. Again he refers to the Nicolaitanes, but He cannot now say that the Church hates them. No; as He has said that she allows within them that hold the "doctrine of Balaam," so now she allows within also "them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes," "which thing I hate."
The reader, as a Christian, will see the inconsistency, and weigh the value of what is said to the Church respecting this evil. She is said to hate their dads, then to allow within them that hold their doctrine. You see that the PERSONS are allowed. But "God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:3434Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (Acts 10:34)) And the Church must be governed by God's Word; she does not make it, she is taught by it. It says, "If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin." (James 2:99But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. (James 2:9)) And "God accepteth no man's person." (Gal. 2:66But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me: (Galatians 2:6)) When once there is a departure from a right path, with an assumption of rectitude, the Word of God must, in sonic form or another, be given up, however much of it may be retained. But for the Church, as well as for individual Christians, there is then no way of recovery but by the Word of God; and if we do not use it as the way of recovery, HE must and will maintain the truth. And the address to Pergamos closes thus: "Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth." It is the unsparing judgment of all evil.
May we give heed to the word that follows to the overcomer: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." And, seeking to be delivered from what the Lord condemns, may we be found individually feeding upon Christ in the sense of the immensity of God's present favor to us. Amen.
H. C. A.