Church at Pergamos: Promise, Prophetic, Application
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it." (Revelation 2:17 - New American Standard Bible)
The one who trusts in Jesus and gains spiritual victory in Him will be given manna. This is God's provision for all our needs: both physical and spiritual. If we depend upon God, instead of worldly wisdom and compromise, God will look after us.
He will also give us assurance of His favor and blessing upon our lives. The one who denies his faith will not have this assurance because he will be out of God's will. He also will not be able to depend upon God to care for him.
Some believe that this church represents the period of Church History from about 316 to 500 AD. This was a time of great change within Christianity. The conversion that Constantine claimed resulted in a huge flood of people claiming to be Christians. Many of them brought their heathen practices into the Church.
Rather than reject these people, many of the churches compromised in many areas. They did not want to lose the sudden popularity that had come their way. Not only were many compromises made in worship but the large number of unregenerate people coming into the Church lead to moral decline as well.
The merging of government and Christianity soon produced a political structure ruling over the churches. Power was taken away from local congregations and given to groups of clergy. Those Christians who refused to go along with the trend away from New Testament practices suffered persecution as heretics.
The doctrinal system of Augustine in the early part of the fifth century gave the Christian persecutors an excuse for their wicked attacks on those who refused to accept the changes within Christianity. He taught that people had no choice in whether they were saved or not. So if God used spiritual force to bring people to Christ, why not use physical force as well.
The main lesson for us to learn from this letter is the importance of obeying the Faith laid down in God's Word. We are not free to worship and serve God as we desire, we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, if we want to please Him.
Although we should seek to be at peace with all people, we cannot compromise the truth in order to be accepted by others. We also cannot change the teaching of Scripture for our own advantage or pleasure. God will judge us by His standard not by any that we create.
If we will stand true to the Bible, God will take care of us and give us personal assurance of our relationship with Him. If we ignore God's Word, we can expect to suffer under his judgment.
The one who trusts in Jesus and gains spiritual victory in Him will be given manna. This is God's provision for all our needs: both physical and spiritual. If we depend upon God, instead of worldly wisdom and compromise, God will look after us.
He will also give us assurance of His favor and blessing upon our lives. The one who denies his faith will not have this assurance because he will be out of God's will. He also will not be able to depend upon God to care for him.
Some believe that this church represents the period of Church History from about 316 to 500 AD. This was a time of great change within Christianity. The conversion that Constantine claimed resulted in a huge flood of people claiming to be Christians. Many of them brought their heathen practices into the Church.
Rather than reject these people, many of the churches compromised in many areas. They did not want to lose the sudden popularity that had come their way. Not only were many compromises made in worship but the large number of unregenerate people coming into the Church lead to moral decline as well.
The merging of government and Christianity soon produced a political structure ruling over the churches. Power was taken away from local congregations and given to groups of clergy. Those Christians who refused to go along with the trend away from New Testament practices suffered persecution as heretics.
The doctrinal system of Augustine in the early part of the fifth century gave the Christian persecutors an excuse for their wicked attacks on those who refused to accept the changes within Christianity. He taught that people had no choice in whether they were saved or not. So if God used spiritual force to bring people to Christ, why not use physical force as well.
The main lesson for us to learn from this letter is the importance of obeying the Faith laid down in God's Word. We are not free to worship and serve God as we desire, we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, if we want to please Him.
Although we should seek to be at peace with all people, we cannot compromise the truth in order to be accepted by others. We also cannot change the teaching of Scripture for our own advantage or pleasure. God will judge us by His standard not by any that we create.
If we will stand true to the Bible, God will take care of us and give us personal assurance of our relationship with Him. If we ignore God's Word, we can expect to suffer under his judgment.
posted by David Frank Wilson | 12:47 PM
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