[Special - Seven Churches] A Letter of the Lord to the Church in Pergamum (2)
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July 10, 2011 |
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* The Church of Ephesus
* The Church of Smyrna
* The Church of Pergamum
* The Church of Thyatira
* The Church of Sardis
* The Church of Philadelphia
* The Church of Laodicea
"But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 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 2:14-17) ".
 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
Chairman, The United Holiness Church of Jesus Christ
Permanent President, The World Christianity Revival Mission Association
Joint President, Association of Lovers of National Assembly and Prayers for the Country
Founder & Board Chairman, Global Christian Network
Founder & Board Chairman, World Christian Doctors Network
Founder & Board Chairman, Manmin International Seminary
Founder & Board Chairman, The Alliance Holiness Theological Seminary
Doctorate of Ministry, and Honorary Doctorate of Divinity
Senior Pastor, Manmin Central Church
His sermons were broadcast by the Far East Broadcasting Company and the Asia Broadcast Station
His Christian columns appear on The Chosun Ilbo, The Hankook Ilbo, The JoongAng Daily, The Dong-A Ilbo, The Munhwa Ilbo, The Seoul Shinmun, The Kyunghyang Shinmun, The Hankyoreh Shinmun, The Korea Economic Daily, The Korea Herald, The Shisa News, and The Christian Press.
He conducted crusades in Tanzania; Argentina; Los Angeles, Baltimore, Hawaii, and New York City of the USA; Uganda; Japan; Pakistan; Kenya; the Philippines; Honduras; India; Russia; Germany; Peru; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Israel; and Estonia.
The Church in Pergamum, which is the third church among the seven churches, was commended and rebuked by the Lord. The letter of the Lord to the Church in Pergamum teaches us not to forsake our faith in any circumstances, but to become true witnesses of the Lord. It also tells us not to fall into the temptation of Satan.
It is also the Lord's message to today's churches where believers live a Christian life as they think fit and who are stained with heretical thought following the worldly desire and compromising with the world.
1. You have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam
Balaam, the son of Beor living near the river Pethor, knew how to communicate with God. One day, Balak, the king of Moab, sent a messenger to Balaam and asked him to curse the people of Israel. At that time, the sons of Israel were about to enter into the Land of Canaan after 40 years of life in wilderness.
As written in Numbers 22:12, when Balaam asked God what His will was concerning Balak's request, God replied, "Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed". So, Balaam turned down Balak's request. But, when Balak promised to honor him by having more distinguished leaders of Moab escort him, his heart was shaken.
He seemed to pass the first test. But, he ended up letting the leaders who had come before him to tempt him stay with him. This is because Balaam was greedy for money and fame. He left room for compromise. When he asked God again, God said to Balaam, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do" (Numbers 22:20). God just left it to his free will since He knew that he was double-minded and also knew why he was asking God again.
When Balaam went with the leaders of Moab, an angel of the LORD took his stand in his way as an adversary against him. God even opened the mouth of Balaam's donkey to let him understand God's will. However, Balaam ended up teaching Balak, the king of Moab, how to entice the sons of Israel into a trap. At last, he told Balak to invite Israelites to the sacrifices to their gods.
In Numbers 25:1-2 we find that while the sons of Israel were watching the sacrifices that were filled with obscene dancing of the daughters of Moab, they began to commit adultery with them and ate the food sacrificed to idols. In Numbers 25:9, as a punishment, 24, 000 of them died of plague.
The Lord calls those who followed Balaam's way 'people who hold the teaching of Balaam'. What is the spiritual lesson that we have to learn from the incident of Balaam?
The first warning concerns living a Christian life as we think fit and compromising the truth with the world. Even though he knew God's will, Balaam went the way of destruction as the price he paid for his love of wickedness. Similarly, those who compromise with the world even if they say they believe with their lips, have no choice but to be led to death. This is because they love the worldly things more than God.
Some befriend the world and committed sins before God because of greed for money as in Timothy 6:10. Others, as recorded in Malachi 3:8, violated the Sabbath or robbed God of tithes and offerings which belong to God. There are even pastors who are greedy for money and honor and befriend the authority of the world although they are supposed to devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
Secondly, when we make up our minds we must not have changing hearts. We must not lead a haphazard Christian life as we see fit and we must not forsake the will of God knowing that it is for money, fame, and authority.
Though time passes and situations change, the people of God never change their hearts. It is very important to have an unchanging heart in any given circumstance for today's Christians who live during the last days when sin and evil are so rampant.
2. You also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in the same way
As we compromise with the world following the teaching of Balaam, we fall deeper into the world and eventually come to hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. They argued, "No matter how much we commit sin with our body, we will enter Heaven because our spirits are pure." We can see how this argument stands against the truth from the Bible (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Today, many believers live Christian lives that they think are appropriate. So we should keep ourselves not to follow the teaching of Nicolaitans. If you pray and give service in the way that you think fit, or you sin by interpreting the Word of God as you think appropriate, you must realize that you definitely hold to the teaching of Nicolaitans.
The teachings of Balaam and Nicolaitans share a similarity in that they make believers lead Christian lives that they think are proper, but the teachings have differences as well. The teaching of Balaam is serving God with two hearts. It is to love money and material things. It is compromising with untruth to acquire fame and authority while confessing the love of God. It is to change the heart that was set on God in the beginning and longing for the world again which results in going against God's will and going the way of death.
The actions of Nicolaitans also differ. While committing sins, they teach others that the commission of the sin has nothing to do with salvation so that they tempt others to go to the way of death together with them. The teaching of Nicolaitans ultimately questions the crucifixion of Jesus on our behalf.
Jesus was nailed through on His feet and hands in order to redeem us from our sins that we commit by deeds. But they say we will be saved even if we continue to sin. That is to deny the Lord who bought us with the price of His blood.
Of course, to commit sins itself is not the deed of Nicolaitans. When a new believer has weak faith, he does not have enough strength to keep the word, and he sometimes commits sins and repents and turns back. As he goes through these things, he gradually casts off sins. But we should remember that if we keep on following the deeds of Balaam and compromise with the world believing we can be saved even if we commit sins, we will be affected by the teachings of the Nicolaitans as well and be subject to capture by Satan.
3. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth
'The sword of My mouth' means the Word of God. Therefore 'I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth' means that the Lord will let them know with the word of God what is right and what is wrong, so that they can turn back. It is the love of God who wants us to repent and turn away from sin. When one is going the wrong way, another person may advise or even admonish him with the Word of God. If the former can understand and turn away, it is blessing.
If we are true children, we should listen carefully to the Word of God. (Proverbs 22:17) Even if the word appears to be a rod to us, we must pay more attention to it, and find our true self and change. Then the word will be a good medicine to us and be a very deep benefit to remove sin. But those who are arrogant and full of evil in the heart will not listen to the Word of God. Their ears will rather want to hear evil things. (Proverbs 17:4)
We should realize the end of all things is at hand; be of sound judgment and sober for the purpose of prayer, and pay attention only to the truth. We should not be affected by heretical thoughts. Even if we were affected, we should hear the voice of God wanting us to repent and turn away quickly.
4. Today's churches that are like the Church in Pergamum
The message given to the Church of Pergamum is for the churches where believers live a Christian life that is as they see fit and are smeared with heretical theories. It is for the churches whose members call on the name of God but deny Jesus Christ, and those who cunningly change the Word of God.
The first half of 2 Peter 2:1 says, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies." Here, 'false' is not just telling lies to cheat others, but it is the denial of Jesus Christ who is the truth.
As said in 1 John 2:22, a liar is a person who denies Jesus is the Christ, and anti-Christ is the one who denies the Father and the Son. The anti-Christ are those who stand against Jesus Christ by cunningly distorting the Word of God. They deny the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Not acknowledging Jesus Christ is an antagonistic acts against God and tantamount to standing against God. (1 John 4:1-3)
The Lord wants to give chances to repent and turn, to those who hold to heretical ideology. Through the word given to the Church of Pergamum, the Lord wanted to leave a reminder to awaken those believers and churches of today that are like the Church of Pergamum.
5. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone
The hidden manna refers to our Lord, Jesus Christ. The manna actually was food given by God to Israelites who marched through the wilderness. As recorded in Exodus 16:31, it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. However, the manna was just for them to keep their fleshly lives and satisfy their hunger.
John 6:49-51 reads, "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." Here 'My flesh' refers to the Word of God, which is spiritual manna. Those who eat it can have eternal life.
Therefore, to give us hidden manna means that we can be saved through Jesus Christ. Even for those who lived a Christian life as they thought fit and those who followed the teaching of cults, the promise of eternal life can be given if they repent and turn back.
Then, why did the Lord say that this manna was hidden? The fact that Jesus came to this earth in flesh and died on the cross to redeem human beings from their sins was God's providence that had been planned since before the ages, but the secret could not be revealed to anyone until the time came, so it had to be concealed. That's why Jesus Christ is called 'manna'; a hidden manna. (1 Corinthians 2:7-8)
Now, the Lord promised to give us hidden manna and also a white stone. What is this white stone? The color 'white' means there is no sin and evil. So the white here indicates it is unblemished and refers to Jesus Christ who is without spot or blemish and in whom there is no sin or darkness.
'Giving the white stone' means that by struggling against and throwing away our sins and evils and by acting upon the Word of God—eating the manna, which is the flesh of the Lord that refers to the Word of God our faith can grow and we stand on the rock of faith. (Matthew 7:24-25)
The new name written on the white stone is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:11-12). Only those who listen to the word of truth, put it into action, and stand on it by faith can recognize this name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. To confess 'I believe in the Lord' with lips doesn't always mean knowing the Lord. Only when we act according to the truth can it be said that we truly know the Lord.
In order to receive hidden manna and the white stone, we must be one of those who overcome. To overcome is to live in the truth, by resisting the sins and darkness, and to march on with unchanging faith. Only those who overcome can receive the manna and the white stone on which the Lord's name is written so that they can understand who Jesus Christ is, believe, put hope in heaven, and live in joy and thanksgiving.
Dear brothers and sisters, many people say they know and believe in God, but not all of them can be saved. Likewise, only when we believe and obey the teachings of the Lord and overcome sins and evil, can we receive the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ. These are the ones who know the name of Jesus Christ. It's not enough just for us to know the Lord. The Lord Himself has to know us. Therefore, we should obey the word of God, practice the truth, and possess the promise of eternal life given by the Lord, so that we will bear abundant fruits in all aspects of our lives.
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