“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols” (Rev. 2:19–20).

The church at Thyatira was an industrious, hard-working church. In speaking to them, the Lord begins by commending them for their labors. He uses a number of overlapping terms to do so—He praises their works, using that work twice, once at the beginning and the other at the end of the list. He commends their works, and then their love, and their faith, and their steadfastness, and then their works again. The works at the end of the list were greater than the works at the beginning. Their labors were growing in volume and intensity. The church at Ephesus worked hard also, but had fallen from their first love. The church at Thyatira was given over to ever-increasing works, but they were also commended for their love (agape). All in all, they appeared to be a healthy church. [Read more…]

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“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass” (Rev. 2:18).

Thyatira was about 128 miles from Patmos, where John was exiled as he wrote these exhortations to the cities. What he wrote was delivered as a circular. From Ephesus, you would work northward toward Smyrna, and from there to Pergamum. At Pergamum, the route would turn east and head toward Thyatira. After Thyatira, the course would run southeast through Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. All the churches, and Patmos also, could fit inside a circle with a radius of about 86 miles. [Read more…]

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“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“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” (Rev. 2:17).

The letter to the church at Pergamum concludes with one of the most personal individual exhortations in the Scriptures. The general invitation is given. Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. The Spirit speaks to the churches corporately, and all Christians are invited individually to hear. To the one who overcomes—which is to say, to the one who is born anew, regenerate, born again—God promises to give him hidden manna. “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). The victory that overcomes the world is our faith, and it is by faith that we receive the free grace of justification. The only one to whom this happens is the one who is born of God. If a man is born of God, then he overcomes the world. If a man is born of God, then he receives hidden manna. [Read more…]

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“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Rev. 2:14–16).

The church at Pergamum had done well against the hostility of overt persecution. Even when Antipas was killed, they stood firm. But that does not mean that the church was above criticism. The Lord had a few things against them, and it pertained to what they were willing to tolerate in their midst. We know the content of the false teaching that had some presence there, but there are two ways to read what we call it. [Read more…]

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Grace and Peace
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11)

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.” (Rev. 2:12–13).

The church at Pergamum was a church that was already experiencing persecution. In the course of these letters, the Lord has been warning all the believers in Asia Minor of this impending reality, but in some places it had already begun. Pergamum was one of those places. John says that “Satan’s seat” was there, which is likely a reference to emperor worship. Even though the emperor was in Rome, the most organized location for emperor worship was in Asia Minor, where these seven churches were. The cult of Rome had been planted in Pergamum as early as 29 B.C. and there was no quicker way for the Christians to prove their lack of patriotism than to refuse to go along with worship of the emperor. [Read more…]

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