LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM

Ap. 2: 12 - 17.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things says he who has the sharp sword with two edges:
I know your works, and 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 of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
But I have a few more things against you: because I have there those who follow the doctrine of Balaam, who taught.
Balaam caused a stumbling block before the children of Israel, so that they would eat of the sacrifice of idolatry and engage in sexual immorality.
So you also have those who follow the doctrines of the Nicolaitans, which I hate.
Repent, for soon I will come to you, and against them I will battle with the sword of my mouth.
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give to eat from the hidden manna, and I will...
he - it is a white stone with a new name written on it, which no one knows except the one who receives it.

HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL DATA OF THE CITY.

Period: Era of Constantine (the rise of Roman Catholicism)

From a historical point of view, Pergamon was the largest of all the cities in Asia. It had been prominent since 400.
a.C
Its geographical position was important because it was built on a high, conical hill.
The main characteristics of Pergamon were: to be a cultural center and a great religious center of the ancient world.
The cultural aspect included art, sculpture, and philosophy. In Pergamum, there was a very famous library;
In the religious field, Pergamon was a great center of pagan worship. There were two famous sanctuaries, the temple of
Athens is of Asclepius. There was also an altar of Zeus erected on a mound 250 meters high, with the appearance of a
throne. In the worship of Asclepius, people from all over the world ran to seek cure for their ailments.

ESSENCE OF THE LETTER

The Lord presents Himself as a double-edged sword (His word)

The Lord knows the situation of the Church; (encouragement to courage: Antipas, my faithful witness)

The error of tolerance towards the doctrines of Balaam: things sacrificed to idols and prostitution;

You did not deny my name: there was a faithful remnant;

Call to repentance;

promessas : maná escondido , pedra branca , novo nome .

PROPHETIC APPLICATION IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

The manna was a prophetic symbol of Christ, of His abundant life offered to the believer. The bread that came down from heaven and gives
life to the world. (John 6: 48 - 51). They did not need to participate in the banquets of the world, for the Lord
He prepared a heavenly banquet for his redeemed people.
The white stone was a symbol of the defendant's acquittal. In the courts of Greece, the jurors displayed a stone each.
how I vote. If it were to condemn the defendant, the stone would be black; if it were to acquit him, the stone would be white. Besides that, the stone
white law the forums of heavenly citizenship to the saved.
The new name was a symbol of identification with the Lord and of appropriating His power to accomplish His work.
By the Edict of Milan in 313, Constantine freed the church from persecution and allowed paganism to invade.
the fairs of Christianity, The church begins to divorce itself from the simplicity of the Gospel and to delve into
paganism's pantanals, whose reflections still intensify within the Roman Catholic Church, although without any
biblical foundation

HERETICAL INNOVATIONS IN THE CHRISTIAN CULT

Worship of the martyrs (Saints)

Worship of sculpted images;
e) The seven sacraments (Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick);
The transubstantiation;
the candles, the censers, the candlesticks, etc.;
The convents;
simony (sale of sacred positions)
n) The purgatory (heretical doctrine invented by Gregory I);
o ) The intercession for the dead (All Souls' Day); ---- p ) The indulgences (selling forgiveness of sins); .
Monastic orders (center of moral corruption);
the right of universal primacy claimed by the Pope of Rome;
The auricular confession, besides the right of excommunication and canonization of clerical celibacy, pilgrimages, immaculate
conception and papal infallibility.

CONSIDERATIONS

Between the martyrdom of Stephen and the death of Antipas, the period of martyrdom and suffering of the church is characterized.
which begins in the period of Ephesus and ends in Pergamum with the great persecution of Smyrna that was
characterized by the massacre initiated by Nero and concluded by his successors.
The Church of Pergamum was caught up in an unexpected maneuver by the enemy who used his throne to offer to
a church a much longed-for truce. The involvement of the church with the official paganism of the Roman Empire was so coherent,
that Constantine in 312 had no difficulty in making the perverted marriage.
The mixing of the weeds with the wheat yields its fruits, and both grow together. Mt. 13:30 Let both grow together.
until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers: gather first the weeds and bind them in bundles to be burned;
but gather the wheat - or into my barn. ( Christianity and paganism --- wheat and tares ).

PERGAMUM
Gamo - marriage - Pergamon means perverted marriage.
The historical period of this church runs from 312 to 600, and the prophetic period, as in the other letters, is not easily
identified, passing from one period to another until reaching the consummation of the centuries.
The tares here are represented by:
Doctrine of Balaam
The reflection of this doctrine has translated into stumbling, prostitution, and sadness, which are the fruits of the tares observed here.
The work of the Nicolaitans in Ephesus (tares) grows in Pergamum and transforms into doctrine.
In this Church, there was a faithful remnant that kept the faith and confessed the name of the Lord Jesus.
You did not deny my faith. - You hold my name. Ap. 2:13.
This loyalty was linked to the name of Antipas, the last witness of the period of suffering.

PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

Matthew 13:31-32
Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man takes...
sowed in your field;
Which is really the smallest of all seeds; but when it grows, it is the largest of plants and becomes a tree.
so that the birds come from the sky and nest in its branches -
The mustard seed, despite being such a small, almost imperceptible seed, contains a life within it.
latent that is a mystery, capable of turning into a large shrub. And for this to happen, it is necessary that the
dead seed.
Thus, our faith is so small and intrinsic that it dies when externalized.

The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed

THE MAN TAKING GRAIN, THROWS IT IN HIS FIELD.

This is the work of man; it transforms the work of God, simple and full of life, into external, dead things, where the
your field is translated by interests, flesh, will, disobedience, culture, lies, appearance,
religion, rites, liturgies, etc.
 The man's yearning is to see his own promotion, to lead, to grow his organization even if the resources
come from sources unauthorized by the Lord.
Faith during this period became theoretical (theology), alienated, intellectual, rationalist, preparing man and a
religion to defend the interests of the antichrist who would be identified in the last period.
The life of the church of Pergamum was dominated by the birds of the heavens that made nests to hatch the eggs of:
Nicolaitism
Returning to the parable, we understand that what was intrinsic in Smyrna is externalized in Pergamum.
For many, the tree should house nests, but we must agree that the tree is to bear fruit and not to create.
little birds that destroy and annihilate the fruits.

JESUS WORKS IN THE CHURCH

Ap. 2: 12 - 'And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: This says he who has the sharp two-edged sword:'
Ap. 2:16 - "I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

The Lord's promise continues to intervene in the life of the church, it was a comfort for the remnant and the expression or
The title given to the Lord in this letter denotes the way the Lord would act, using the word so that the doctrine...
that Spirit was restored. "Sharp two-edged sword" --- "Soon I will come to you and fight."
Promise identified with the struggles of the pre-reformers and the great reform that would come in the 16th century.
"Double-edged sword" was also the expression used to separate the doctrine of reason or of the flesh, for doctrine.
revealed and lived.
The word was forgotten and there was only room for tradition, dogmatic teachings, ecclesiastical organization, politics,
philosophy and so many things of the flesh.
The Spirit of the Lord worked in the:
a) Wisdom --- And you hold my name, you did not deny my faith. Rev, 2: 13.
b) Intelligence --- "I am annoyed by the doctrine of Balaam, the Nicolaitans, and idolatry Rev. 2:14-15
c) Council ---- Repent - Ap. 2:16
d) Fortress --- Firmness in faith and in the name of Jesus in the face of death. Rev. 2:13
e) Knowledge --- "Still in the days of Antipas Ap, 2:13.
f ) Fear ---- Against them I will battle with the sword of my mouth Rev. 2:16.

PROMISE
a) "Soon I will come to you (It is the Lord's promise for the comfort of the faithful church)".
I will give to eat from the hidden manna
I will give you a white stone.
a new name