Fri.’s Devo - The True Church in Pergamos

Read Rev. 2:12-13 We are slowly going through this, because there is so much to say about these churches. Pergamos reveals God as a two-edged sword. This is the Word of God that divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and thoughts and intents of our hearts, according to Hebrews 4:12. “Word” means a thought or concept. The concept of God was expressed in Jesus. He was God who became flesh to dwell among us. Verse 13 starts like the beginning of all the church ages: “I know your works.” He is addressing the true church and the false church of every age. Our works flow from what is in our hearts. First, he addresses the true church who knows and holds to his name. They are not afraid or ashamed to be called Christians. In this age, the church had turned from the truth of salvation by the name of Jesus only, and taught that there were many ways to God. The Word was no longer the standard. Humanism had taken its place. The true believers were commended for not denying the faith, even in the days when Antipas was martyred. I can’t find any account in history, or the Bible to tell us about Antipas, so we can assume that he stood for one of many who gave their lives for the truth. You might wonder how Pergamos became the seat of Satan when Babylon is always depicted as Satan’s stronghold. The answer is in history. When the Babylonian kingdom fell to the Medes and the Persians, the Babylonian priest, Attalus fled to Pergamon and set up his satanic kingdom there. In the midst of that Satanic stronghold, there were spirit-filled believers who stood strong in their relationship with God. Lord, remind us today that greater are you who dwells in us, than the devil who roams about the earth.