Part 8: The Seven Churches… The Compromising Church in Pergamum
The Seven Churches In the Book of Revelation... An Explanatory Case Study of Love Grown Cold: The Compromising Church in Pergamum
Part 8: Tuesday June 17, 2025
The church in Pergamum… the liberal, compromising church.
Revelation 2:12-17
Charge: Toleration of heresy
Revelation 2:12-17 NLT "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword: [13] "I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan's city. [14] "But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. [15] In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. [16] Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. [17] "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
Heresy is sometimes as simple as allowing bad doctrine to coexist with sound doctrine.
Jude 1:3 NKJV
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Wrong doctrine leads to wrong thinking, which in turn leads to bad behavior.
1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT
Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character."
The Seat of Satan
The name Pergamum means “Citadel.” It was built on a hill that rose about 1000 feet. It was a major center for pagan worship of Athena, Dionysius (also known as Bacchus, the god of drunkenness) and Zeus. It built the first temple to Caesar in Asia, and later became the capital of the cult of Caesar. On the acropolis, (the highest point) there was a throne-like altar built to honor Zeus. The church in Pergamos was situated in the epicenter of pagan spiritual and political pressure.
The Nicolaitans
Revelation 2:14-15 But I have a few things against you, because you there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. [15] Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which things I hate.
They adhered to a compromising doctrine. From their name, Nicolaus, which means “Let us eat” they were a group of people who lived for pleasure. They indiscriminately ate food offered to idols thereby participating in idolatry. Jesus connected their behavior to those encouraged by Balaam, when he advised Balak to have his girls seduce Israelite young men to feasts and fornication. By extension, they were practitioners of the doctrine of Balaam in the Christian era. The devil always recycles the same old tricks that worked in times past against older generations to new, ignorant generations.
Basically they taught and practiced the abuse of grace... “You can do whatever you please because you are covered by grace.”
They mixed Christianity with pagan practice, perhaps, so they could fit in with the society around them.
The Nature of Compromise
One of the problems with compromise is that it comes with justification. Every compromiser has a good reason for his compromise.
Compromise is often presented as the way of peace, a way of getting along with others, a way of avoiding offense.
In interpersonal relations, in business and in politics compromise is unavoidable. Actually, compromise is a good thing. It is the oil that prevents the gears of society from grinding to a stop. In a compromise, neither party gets everything they want, but they settle, giving a little and taking a little for the greater good. Where there is no compromise, negotiations stop; deals cannot be made, peace cannot be reached. We need to compromise. Husbands and wives, siblings, neighbors, all need to compromise if their lives are to be peaceful and fruitful.
So far so good. The problem comes when we try to use compromise as a tool in the spiritual dimension.
Spiritual Compromise
When it comes to spiritual compromise, we are caught between not wanting to offend God on one hand and wanting to please the world on the other hand.
Ironically, spiritual compromise always causes offense to both parties. God is not pleased and the world is not satisfied.
Matthew 6:24 NKJV "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
James 4:4 NLT You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
Compromise is missing the mark; substandard.
The sad reality though is that no matter how good the reason/justification is, compromise is always “missing the mark.” The set standard is not met, so what we have is substandard. We understand the reason why the standard is not met, but if a substandard product is accepted, that is also another compromise.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NLT Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? [15] What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? [16] And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. [17] Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. [18] And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. "
It is difficult to be a good Christian wife if you marry an unbeliever.
Those who became Christians after they were married often find the cross heavy to bear. The Christian woman who goes and marries an unbeliever is inviting trouble just like Samson when he partnered up with Delilah. Your goals are different, your values are different and every compromise to make for a good relationship is a compromise against your own soul.
Just as one good turn leads to another, one accepted compromise leads to another.
Accepted compromise always begets more compromise, and thus begins a race to the bottom.
To stop the descent, compromise must be stopped individually. We must hold ourselves to account.
When a church is weakened by the twin-pronged attack of lukewarmness and persecution, it will no longer be able to contend for the faith. It will start negotiating with the world and reinterpreting the doctrine which was once for all delivered to her in order to accommodate the world
around it. It doesn’t want to lose members, buildings, wealth status, etc and so will do whatever is necessary to keep the lights on. It will begin to tolerate the very things it once excoriated .
At an individual level, fear of facing backlash like cancellation, loss of income, status etc will lead the Christian to unimaginable compromises.
This is the pivotal point where the battle is won or lost. This is why Satan has chosen this to be his headquarters.., the place of compromise.
Satan always rules in the place of spiritual compromise.
Spiritual compromise is always insidious… starts out looking like a cute kitten but grows into a ravenous lion.
Revelation 2:13 I know your works, where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My Name and did not deny My faith, even in the days in which Antipas who was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you where Stan dwells.
There had been faithfulness even to the point of death in the past, but now, under constant pressure, compromise is beginning to set in.
Persecution against the church is bad, but compromise is much worse.
Persecution is from outside. Temptation is from within.
James 1:13-15 NKJV Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. [14] But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and
enticed. [15] Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
Matthew 4:3 NKJV Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
When we face persecution we are standing with the Lord against the enemy. When we compromise, we stand with the enemy against the Lord.
The Lord does not take too kindly to those who choose to stand against Him.
vs. 16 Repent, or I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Correction: Repent, and fear
Revelation 2:16 Repent, our else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Reversal
Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.
Compromise starts little by little, one step at a time. To reverse course, we must also take baby steps. We must make ourselves little promises and make sure we keep them.
We often want to do great and mighty things for God, when He has called us to do little things well.
Luke 16:10 LSB
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
While pursuing great things, many little things are allowed to fall by the wayside. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed us two religious people who were on their way to important religious matters. They had no time for “small matters like a man dying by the roadside.”
Many business men are so busy with important issues, they have little time for their families.
The way out is to take baby steps. Make a promise so small you can keep it. When you keep your small promise faithfully for long enough, you would have been transformed without realizing it.
Luke 16:10 LSB
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
When you are faced with doing great things, because you are a faithful person, you will approach everything faithfully.
Micro-Spirituality
This must be applied at the personal level first. A corporate culture is simply an aggregate of the behaviors of its individual members.
We want to change our country. That is a big, and great thing. We want to change our families, communities, the body of Christ, etc.
The way to do it is at the individual level.
Even when epistles are written to communities, the actionable steps are always personalised.
Jesus used the same phrase in the conclusion of every letter to each of the seven churches.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'”
(Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22;)
