The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of Idolatrous Compromise (1)

Psalm 2                          Romans 13:3-4                       Revelation 2:12-17         (Daniel 7-8)

The Sermons to the Seven Churches: The Church of Idolatrous Compromise (1) 

A few months ago, Brad Smith from Men of Valour gave us a striking illustration of our need for unity as believers. He placed the strongest man in the room at one end of a rope and someone slightly less strong at the other. When they pulled against each other, the outcome was predictable—the stronger man won with ease. But when two more men joined the weaker side, the balance shifted, and the tide was turned.

It’s never easy to hold your ground when someone stronger than you is pulling in the opposite direction, is it? However, when you have a team pulling on your side, the stress factor drops dramatically. But, if one or more of your team members turn and either no longer pull together with you or, worse, if they begin to pull in the opposite direction, against you, then the stress factor increases to beyond what it was before because you now no longer have only one opponent, but several and, as Jesus said, a kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand.

This was the sad reality of the church in Pergamum.

The city was named after Pergamos, a legendary hero from Greek mythology. According to legend, he was the son of Neoptolemos and Andromache, and he captured the city and named it after himself. The name also means "steep rocky castle", "height”, or “elevation," which refers to the city's location on an acropolis, a high and lofty hill. The ancient city was also a major producer of parchment, an alternative to papyrus, allegedly created to deal with an Egyptian export embargo. For this reason, the Latin term for parchment is “pergamena”.

Pergamum was also known for its many spendthrift kings who sought to beautify the city like no other by erecting many monuments and temples. And apparently, in 133 BC the king at the time bequeathed all his riches to Rome, an act that was later supposedly misinterpreted to mean the entire city. So, in time, Pergamum became a Roman city, boasting the second largest library in the world at that time. Ironically, the parchments that were invented because of the Egyptian embargo, were later donated to the library in Alexandria during the reign of Queen Cleopatra.

There were huge temples in honour of Dionysus and Asclepius (the god of healing), and there was a great altar of Zeus that was later restored and reassembled in the Berlin Pergamum museum. More about that great altar soon.

Asclepius, who was later give the title “saviour”, was paradoxically portrayed as holding a staff with a serpent wrapped around it. This snake-entwined staff, known as the Rod of Asclepius, is the modern symbol of medicine and is his most recognizable attribute. Surely this image must have reminded believers of the curse and indeed of Satan himself, as well as the bronze serpent in the wilderness and Jesus’ allusion to that image in reference to his defeat of Satan on the cross. There were also smaller temples to Roma, the goddess of Rome, and Athena, the goddess of Greece. 

But the imperial cult was arguably the most pervasive and significant religion in first-century Pergamum. The city was designated as the first imperial cult centre in the East, making the worship of the Roman emperors a primary and compulsory religious and political activity. So, all in all, Pergamum was a thoroughly pagan city.

The city was also the centre of Roman political activity. The proconsul of Rome was seated there, or, in other words, the very throne of the Roman Empire for the Province of Asia was in Pergamum. The proconsul had the power to dispense Roman justice in the area, making it a centre for Roman authority.

Perhaps this is the reason why Jesus identified himself in the Christ Title as the one who wields the sharp two-edged sword, an image echoing John’s description of Jesus in chapter 1:16. “In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” 

Interestingly, there are two Greek words translated as “sword” in the book of the Revelation. The first is “machaira” which was a short sword or dagger of about 46 centimetres (see Revelation 6:4; 13:10, 14). The second, which is the word used here, is “romphaia” which was a long, slightly curved sword of about 1 and ½ metres used by the Thracians that could slice through an opponent’s shield with one single blow (see Revelation 1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21). The image of Jesus with a deadly “romphaia” issuing from his mouth stresses the power of his role as supreme judge, even over the proconsul, who often carried a sword or dagger as a symbol of his power to judge.

Now, the first thing we need to notice is that this massive two-edged sword was not in the Lord’s hand but proceeded from his mouth. Why is this significant?

Well because the sword represented two things. Firstly, it represented the truth. In Hebrews 4:12-13 we read, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword (in this case the word used is “machaira”), piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” It is the very Word of God that ultimately governs all things, and all are held accountable to him, even the proconsul of Rome.

In Ephesians 6:17, the sword (machaira) of the Spirit, is identified as the word of God…a word that John linked to Jesus in his Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Therefore an encounter with the Word is an encounter with God….his Word reveals both his Person and his purpose and therefore all are held accountable to what it teaches.

But the sword is also an image of authority. In Romans 13:3-4, Paul said: “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword (machaira) in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.” The one wielding the sword is the one wielding authority to preserve peace.

But who gives these earthly rulers the authority to execute justice? During his so-called trial, Jesus said to Pontius Pilate: “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” It is God who gives authority to earthly rulers and therefore they are subject to him, whether they admit that or not. In Revelation 1:5, Jesus is described as “the ruler of kings on earth”. All power outside of the divine Trinity is derivative. All authority in both heaven and earth has been given to Jesus and he is presently reigning at the right hand of God the Father as King of kings and Lord of lords. 

The proconsul of Rome may have wielded the supreme authority of the earthly Roman Empire in Pergamum, but Jesus was the one who wielded the greater sword…the greater authority…as the universal sovereign.

Now, in the commendation section, Jesus said, “I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Once more we have the comforting reminder that our Lord knows everything about us. Jesus knew their circumstances, and he knew their courage. God knows all things because he made all things and sustains all things. Our knowledge is limited because we are limited…we are finite. But God is infinite and certainly not limited. According to Psalm 139, he knows our thoughts before we express them in words. He knew our names before we were conceived. He knew us before the universe was created and he chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).

God is not ignorant of the future, and he certainly is not ignorant of you. He knows all about you and cares for you more than you could ever imagine.

Now, Jesus said he knew that they lived where the “throne of Satan” was. There have been several suggestions made by various scholars over the years as to the identity of this “throne”. The first suggestion has to do with the shape of the acropolis itself, as some think the hill upon which the city was build resembles a throne. The second suggestion is that the throne of Satan was the healing centre of Asclepius, the god of healing. The third suggestion is the great altar of Zeus which currently resides in Berlin and, indeed, does look like a gigantic throne. And finally, the fourth suggestion is the seat of the proconsul of Rome.

But as this throne seems to be connected to the martyrdom of a man named Antipas, possibly the Bishop of Pergamum appointed by John, it is more likely to be referring to the seat of the proconsul. 

Now, as Jeff Weima says, precise identification of the throne of Satan must remain tentative, but it may be that John himself gave us a few clues. In Revelation 12:3 we read, “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.” Who is this great red dragon? John tells us in verse 9 of the same chapter. “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world…” 

Now, I want you to remember John’s description of Satan because in Revelation 13 he described a beast that had authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation. He wrote: “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea (now, you need to know that in the Old Testament the sea was often a metaphor for the chaotic and turbulent world of Gentile nations, for instance, the four beasts rising from the sea in Daniel 7-8 are interpreted as the Gentile empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome), but what is interesting for us to note is that this beast rising out of the sea in Revelation 13 had “ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.” 

So, Satan was described as having “seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems”, and here a Gentile empire is described as having “ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns”. Very similar imagery used here, don’t you think? But the question we need to ask is, at the time John was writing, which empire covered nearly the whole known world and also persecuted the Church? Yes, only one empire fits that description: Rome

But is it possible that John’s nearly identical descriptions of Satan and Rome is meant to alert his readers to the diabolical nature of the persecution they were about to suffer? Indeed, in verse 2 John tells us that the dragon (in other words, Satan) gave his power and his throne and great authority to this beast that rose from the sea (in other words, the Empire of Rome). 

But then there is yet another beast, one that rises from the earth and this beast made people worship the beast from the sea. Those who did not worship the image of the beast were executed. 

Does this all sound familiar to you? The imperial cult in which the Roman emperors were worship as gods was compulsory. You could worship any god you liked, as long as you paid homage to Rome and, by extension, worshipped the Emperor as god. 

So, if we compare these descriptions of the beasts in Revelation with those beasts in Daniel, I think we can safely say that these beasts are not individual people, but rather the first beast from the sea is the Empire of Rome ruled by various individual Caesars and the second beast from the earth is the Emperor cult. 

To me this makes more sense when dealing with the number of the beast from the sea (The Empire) that the beast from the land (the Emperor cult) made everyone worship…the number 666. John tells us that “this calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of (a) man, and his number is 666.” The word translated “man” here does not have the definite article, so one could just as well translate this as “man” in general or as “humanity”. So, my translation would be, “for it is the number of humanity, and that number is 666”. 

What is my reasoning for this translation? you may ask. Well because in the Old Testament, the number for humanity was six because humanity was created on the sixth day, as were the beasts. This number six was often contrasted with the number seven, which, as we have seen before, symbolized divine perfection and completion. 

Since six is one less than seven, it is often interpreted as a symbol of something that falls short of perfection.  If we understand the number 666 in Revelation through this lens, where John tells us that it can be calculated  and understood by his readers (all that was needed was a bit of biblical wisdom) and where he explicitly called it the number of man or humanity, then I think we can safely apply it to Rome or, more precisely, to the Emperor of Rome at that time, in other words, Nero Caesar. 

The number 666 then simply represents a counterfeit, satanic, earthly, limited yet powerful Empire that craved and demanded worship by force from all its subjects. But I do think that this principle remains true for all time. All rulers are just humans under the authority and control of God…all sixes…even those that multiply themselves six hundred and sixty-six times…all sixes are subject to the Divine Seven. 

How comforting this must have been to the seven churches in Asia and how comforting this is to us today. The powerful people in the world and the empires they represent are just human…they are fallible…and, what’s more, they are empowered and driven by a defeated enemy. They are all subject to the one who wields the sharp two-edged sword. 

Now, we don’t have to live in an ideal eutopia in order to be followers of Jesus. Often the strongest Christians are those living in the very midst of evil. Jesus did not pray that we should be taken out of the world, but that we should be kept from the evil one. He said that in the world we would have tribulation, but that we should be of good cheer as he has overcome the world. The wheat and the weeds grow side by side until the end of the age. We are meant to disciple the nations of the world, not escape from them. As Jesus was sent into the world, so he has sent us into the world.

The believers in Pergamum were very much in the world, but, like Jesus, they were faithful even to the point of death. “You hold fast my name,” Jesus said to them, “and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

Tradition tells us that this Antipas was commanded to recant his Christian faith under threat of death. He refused and was martyred by being roasted to death inside a large, hollow bronze bull. The screams of Antipas were amplified by musical instruments built into the bull making it seem as if the bull itself was making sounds.

It is interesting that Jesus, who was called the faithful witness in Revelation 1:5, applied the same title to Antipas here. Both were faithful even to death.

It has been said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. It is true that many came to believe in Jesus through the witness of the dying martyrs. Martyrdom is an exceptionally powerful witness. It is often when the Church seems to be weak that God does something wonderful. When we are weak, then he is strong. The apparent defeat on the cross led to the disarming of principalities and powers and the removal of the penalty against us…the cross led to the defeat of Satan, sin, and death. 

Is it possible that the struggles of the global Church…a struggle that is often interpreted as the so-called “signs of the times” (a concept, by the way, that ignores the context of the biblical text itself)…is it possible that this struggle is simply the ongoing tribulation Christians have faced since the First Century? 

In the world, Jesus said, you will have tribulation. All who seek to live godly lives, Paul said, will suffer persecution. If the blood of martyrs are indeed seed, is it possible that the suffering of the Church throughout the ages is part of our call to make disciples of all nations? Every war has its casualties. 

The church in Pergamum was commended for standing fast despite severe persecution. They were faithful. They did not seek an escape route, but stood their ground, even if that action resulted in torture and death.

Now, one would have thought that a group of believers who were in the decided minority and who lived in a hostile and deadly societal environment…one would have thoughts that they would stand together as one united group. And yet, as we shall see next week, their battles were not only against the devil and his followers…there were people within their community that were not pulling in the same direction. Some held to heretical teachings, and they were undermining the witness of the church.  

As I said at the beginning of this talk, it’s never easy to hold your ground when someone stronger than you is pulling in the opposite direction, but when you have a team pulling on your side, the stress factor drops dramatically. However, if one or more of your team members turn and either no longer pull together with you or, worse, if they begin to pull in the opposite direction, then the stress factor increases to beyond what it was before because you now no longer have only one opponent, but several and, as Jesus said, a kingdom divided against itself, cannot stand.

Whatever the false teachings embraced by modern church goers may be…whatever their choice of compromise…they weaken the witness of the church…even the church filled with faithful witnesses.

So, let us turn to the one who knows us better than we know ourselves, and ask him to search and examine our own hearts…and then let us ask him to come with his sharp two-edged sword and remove whatever is not of him.

Shall we pray?

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2025.