The origin of the ancient city of Pergamos goes back into the shadows of time, even before Lysimachus received the old
Citadel of Pergamum from Alexander the Great when he divided his Empire among
his four surviving generals, as prophesied in Daniel 8.
The present city, now called Bergama in Turkey, lies about 20 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. With a population of
60,000, it attracts many tourists due to its ample accomodations and abundant
historic features. First-time visitors are surprised at the great number of old
ruins in and about the city, testifying to its once-magnificent status as the
capital of Roman-ruled Mysia in Asia Minor.
Those who know something of its
history can point out the remains of its Acropolis, once the site of the huge
Altar of Zeus, or to the vestiges of the Amphitheater, the Emperor Trajan’s Temple to Athena, and a Roman palace. There is still a great basilica dating from early
Christian days, now a mosque. They may also recount its years of bygone
splendor, rivaling even Alexandria in "almost outrageous luxury" with
its glorious gardens and imposing library of over 200,000 books which
Alexander, although not their owner, took away as a gift to Cleopatra. Pergamos
was famous for its superb cloth of gold, as well as for pergamena charta,
or parchment, named after the city. Rich merchants once mingled with the
throngs at its enormous market place. But, as an archaeologist has written of
Pergamos:"Of its ancient finery, only rags are left."
In the Book of Revelation the Lord
directed the apostle John to write to each of the seven churches in Asia messages that were to encompass the past, the present, and the future (Rev. 1:11,19).
These messages apply not only to each individual church or assembly as
constituted in John’s day, but more importantly for our counsel and guidance
today. They set forth prophetically the consecutive epochs of Christendom’s
history. Pergamos is the third of the seven churches addressed by the Lord.
EPHESUS was the first church,
corresponding prophetically to the days of the apostles to the year 167 A.D.
when persecutions of Christians increased violently in the reign of Marcus
Aurelius. The Ephesian saints were commended for their labor and patience in
rejecting evil men and false apostles; nevertheless, they had left their
"first love" (Rev. 2:4).
SMYRNA was the second church
addressed. Its name means "myrrh," one of the gifts brought by the
Magi to the child Jesus after His birth. A "sweet smell unto God,"
myrrh was also used for the burial of the Lord after His death on the cross. Secular
histories record ten phases (compare Rev. 2:10) of cruel persecution of
faithful Christians by edicts of Roman rulers down through the reign of Emperor
Diocletian, ending in 305 A.D. Diocletian made a concerted effort, not only to
kill all Christians who refused to worship the Roman gods, but to destroy
utterly every written word of Holy Scripture.
The historian, Tertullian, has
written, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." And so
it was:the light of the gospel of Christ, far from being extinguished,
continued to spread over the Roman world and beyond. Satan’s efforts, using
human tools, had failed. It was time for Satan to change his tactics.
PERGAMOS. Following the death of
Diocletian, Constantius reigned as Emperor for about a year. He and his wife,
Helena, were religiously inclined and favorable to the Christians. When
Constantius died, his son, Constantine, became one of six men who sought the
throne and the title of Emperor. Constantine’s mother strongly influenced him
and urged him to "accept Christianity" as she had done. Like his
father, he showed favor to Christians, but first and foremost Constantine was a
soldier, proud of his many victorious battles against his rivals.
In the year 312, Constantine was
leading his weary troops from Gaul toward Rome to face his most powerful enemy,
Maxentius. Greatly outnumbered, his battle-worn army approached the Milvian
bridge over the Tiber River. Deciding to attack the next morning, Constantine stood in the opening of his tent, considering which of the many gods to
supplicate for success in the coming battle. As the sun began to set, he saw a
strange apparition in its fading light, a foreboding figure that remained in
the sky even when the sun had set. This phenomenal event has been described by
the historian Eusebius who received the account directly from Constantine years later. There is also an account by Lactinius, a theologian and tutor of Constantine’s son, Crispus.
What did Constantine actually see?
The weight of evidence seems to favor a vision of intersecting rays over the
sun—a two-forked beam of fire, crossed diagonally to resemble the Greek letter chi
(χ). While he gazed at
the marvelous sight, he heard a voice saying, "In hoc signo vinces"
("In this sign shalt thou conquer"). Convinced that it was the voice
of Christ, he told his tired, dispirited troops of his vision. Eusebius writes
that the Saviour had instructed him to adopt his vision as a battle-cry and
victory symbol. Consequently, he superimposed the Greek letter rho over
the chi, thus making the first two letters (in Greek) of Christ’s name.
The soldiers made banners showing the chi-rho, and painted it on their
shields and helmets. Constantine’s army numbered 40,000; they faced an enemy
140,000 strong and rested.
The ensuing battle resulted in a
great victory for Constantine and his army. The opposing leader, Maxentius, was
found after the battle, drowned in the river. Constantine gave all the credit
to Jesus Christ, and immediately sent for Christian teachers and requested instruction
about the true God and the meaning of Christ and His cross. He issued an edict
granting full tolerance and favor to Christians. Soon, a gradual transformation
began. Formerly meeting in secret, Christians started to hold services openly
in church buildings. Constantine ordered the erection of new church buildings
in many cities, including one "of wondrous beauty" in Jerusalem on the supposed site of the crucifixion of Christ. Huge cathedrals and basilicas
were built, employing the finest architects, artists, and artisans of many
crafts to adorn the lavish buildings with paintings and statuary. Singers and
musicians were hired to "praise God" in a "professional"
manner. Temples to Astarte, the fertility goddess, were converted to churches.
The substitution of Mary for the Roman goddess made little difference to many
of the congregants. Commerce increased as pilgrims came, often from great
distances, to visit the new shrines and "holy" sites. Jesus Christ
was made "popular." About eight centuries earlier, the Word of the
Lord came to Zechariah, saying, "For who has despised the day of small
things?" (Zech. 4:10). And the Saviour Himself said, "Fear not little
flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom"
(Luke 12:32).
The Emperor had offered—and the
church accepted—the patronage of the world, which is Satan’s throne (Rev.
2:13). An encyclopedia editor has written:"The beautiful influence of
Christianity spread through the earth until it became stronger than the Empire of
the Caesars, which fell to nothing while Christianity took possession of the
world." But was that the case? William Kelly wrote:"If the world
gains in some respects, the church loses in everything, because it is at the
cost of the will and glory of Christ." Satan looked on with satisfaction
as what had been a Spirit-directed organism became a human-directed
organization.
Ever since Paul’s message to the
Ephesian elders (Acts 20:28-31), unfaithfulness had been growing. The apostle
Paul had to deal with Hymenaeus and Philetus who "overthrew the faith of
some" (2 Tim. 2:16-18), and the apostle John exposed Diotrephes who
"loved to have the preeminence" (3 John 9), to name two examples of
false teaching early in the apostolic age of the Church. Paul’s prophesied rise
of "grievous wolves" and "perverse" teachers reached
fulfillment with the appearance of such false teachers bringing "damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them" (2 Pet. 2:1). The
scriptural gifts of "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers" (Eph. 4:11) were supplanted by a hodgepodge of "religious
orders" such as monks, nuns, cardinals, and the like, none of which are
found in the Bible. The Roman Emperor became the recognized "Protector of
the delivered Church." Paul wrote:"I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). The true
citizenship of the believer is in heaven, not of the earth (Phil. 3:20).
The name Pergamos means "much
marriage" or "many marriages." The Lord said, "I know where
you dwell, even where Satan’s seat [or throne] is" (Rev. 2:13). Many
alliances were made between the church and paganism by Satan’s wicked devices.
The voice of the "god of this world" was heeded by professing
Christians rather than the voice of Him who had "the sharp sword with two
edges" (Rev. 2:12). Paul wrote:"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to
those who are lost; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those
who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:3,4). Of the Pergamos
period, Walter Scott writes, "Heathenism reigned supreme."
In 325 A.D., Constantine, together
with Pope Sylvester I, summoned a Council at Nicea in Asia Minor to affirm the
primacy of the Roman Church and to settle the Arian dispute as to the eternal
Sonship of Christ. Arius was teaching that Jesus Christ was a created
being of God the Father, "inferior" to Him in nature but still
superior in power and glory to all other beings. But while fundamental
doctrines of the Christian faith were starting to be eroded, there were some
who held fast the name of the Lord and did not deny the faith (Rev. 2:13).
Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria, judged Arius to be "the forerunner of
Antichrist," and Athanasius, who succeeded Alexander in 326 A.D.,
vigorously and scripturally defended the Saviour’s eternal Sonship against the
teachings of Arius. Constantine failed to realize the serious nature of the
diabolic heresy of Arius and called for moderation on both sides. (The Arian
heresy, sadly, has resurfaced and is very active today among the Jehovah’s Witnesses.)
Unlike the Church periods
represented by the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna, the "Pergamos Era"
did not come to an end:it is still with us today. However well-meaning he may
have been, Constantine allowed himself to be used by Satan to bring the world
into the Church. His aim was to unite the Christian Church with the secular
State. He gave favors and recognition to bishops as Counsellors of State, and
he gradually extended judicial rights to them, with legal force to their
decisions. When the devil took the Lord Jesus up into a high mountain, he
showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and said
unto Him, All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship
me. Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan:for it is written, You
shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve" (Matt.
4:8-10).
By 326 A.D. Constantine’s only
remaining rival, Licinius, died, and he claimed the title he had long sought of
sole Emperor of the Roman world. Now no man exceeded him in power and
authority.
While many humble believers were
spreading the good news of salvation, other professing church members
had drifted away from their position as "strangers and pilgrims on the
earth" (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). Satan’s subtle plan was to make the true
calling and purpose of the Church appear to be the opposite of the
Lord’s prayer to His Father:"I have given them Thy Word; and the world
has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. I pray not that Thou should take them out of the world, but that Thou
should keep them from the evil" (John 17:14, 15). Had they forgotten so
soon? The apostle Paul wrote:"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world;
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1,2).
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).
There were those in Pergamos who
held the "doctrine" of that hireling prophet, Balaam. Although he
said some things that were true, his spirit was not in them; he also taught
Balak, king of Moab, to corrupt "the people who could not be cursed"
by tempting them to marry Moabite women (Rev. 2:14; Num. 22; 23; 31:16). Eating
"things sacrificed to idols" and "fornication" were not
unknown in "the church in Pergamos" nor in churches in the
"Pergamos Era." The mere profession of Christianity (real or
unreal) became a means to Imperial favor and even riches. At their religious
festivals great crowds, wearing white garments, thronged around the clergymen
designated to baptize them, while the Emperor presented each with 20 gold
pieces and, to the needy classes, new garments.
Andrew Miller wrote of Constantine:"As a statesman, he owned and valued Christianity; but God only knows
whether as a lost sinner he ever embraced the Saviour." (Constantine did not request baptism until on his death bed.)
On first entering one of Constantine’s still-standing "temples of Christian worship," the visitor is
almost overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, the odors, the gold, silver,
precious stones, carved marble, statuary, the soaring organ notes, and choral
singing. But where in all this excess appeal to the fleshly appetites is the
humble Servant of Isaiah 53 and Mark 10:23-45?
Is there an application in all of
this for the Christian Church today? While the links between Church and State
that were forged by Constantine have largely disappeared in most countries, the
marriage of the Church and the world has only increased. The world’s methods
are used to increase church membership, the world’s entertainment is brought in
to keep the congregation interested, the world’s fund-raising methods are used
to keep the church financially sound, the world’s standards of morality are replacing
the Bible’s standards among members of many so-called Christian churches. To
the "overcomers" in "the church in Pergamos," Christ
gives the "hidden manna," which speaks of Christ Himself and of our
appreciation of Him. He also gives a "white stone" that represents
His approval of us, with a name known only to the Giver and the receiver (Rev.
2:17). May the Lord help each of us to be true overcomers in this age of such
compromise of the Church with the world.
"Blessed is he who reads, and
they who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are
written therein; for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3). "He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches" (Rev. 2:17).
"He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so
come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen" (Rev. 22:20,21).