Revelation 2:12-15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.
“14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. 15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
They Hold Fast to Christ
I live in the USA. I am pretty well informed of the
spiritual condition of the church at large in my nation and how it parallels
the church in Pergamum. From what I have read, observed, and experienced over
my 76 years of life in various states and cities and church gatherings within
my nation, I would venture to say that the minority fits the first paragraph
while the majority fits with the description in the second paragraph. Those who
hold fast to the name (character) of Jesus, and who do not deny him are in the
minority.
Few, it seems are teaching what Jesus taught as the gospel
of salvation:
Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self,
take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we
hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But
if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to
our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God.
For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the
one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
They Teach the People Lies
So, what is meant here by some of them held to the teaching
of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans? What they taught is what is so popularly
being taught in the majority of what are called “churches” in the USA today.
They taught spiritual and moral compromise. For they gave permission to those
who professed faith in Jesus Christ to continue in deliberate and habitual sin
and to participate in what is sexually immoral. For they taught that the people
did not have to repent of their sins or obey God, in practice, as a requirement
of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God.
Or, if they teach repentance and obedience to God, many
teach it as recommended but as optional. For they pervert the grace of God into
a license to keep sinning. They teach that God’s grace forgives their sins but does
not require that they die to sin and obey God in practice. Few teach that we
must die to sin and obey God as believing faith which saves and which promises
eternal life with God. But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is
training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (see Titus 2:11-14).
Revelation 2:16-17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“16Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.”
Repent, or Else!
The New Testament Scriptures, under the New Covenant (and
Jesus taught the New Covenant), teach us that faith in Jesus Christ comes from
God, it is gifted to us by God, it is not of our own doing, not of our own flesh,
but it is persuaded (convinced) of God as to his righteousness and holiness,
and of our sinfulness, and of our need (and God’s requirement) that we deny
self, die to sin daily, and follow our Lord in surrender to his will and in
obedience to his commands, by his grace and in his power. But if we refuse, and
we continue in sin and in disobedience, we will not inherit eternal life with
God.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
Where the Throne of Satan Sits
An Original Work / July 20, 2026
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
Seek the Lord
Based off Isaiah 55
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark
Bradley
“Come to Me all you
who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and
eat what’s good today,
And your soul will
delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and
you will live.
I have made an
eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of
the Lamb.”
Seek the Lord while
He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked
forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the
Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons
him.
“For My thoughts are
not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My
ways,”
declares the Lord,
our God.
“My word that goes
out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return
to Me unfulfilled.
My word will
accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal
I intend.
You will go in joy
and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will
burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees
clap their hands.”
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