Revelation 2:12-17. Comment: When a King of a Nation marries a wife she becomes the Queen! The Greek name “Pergamos”, means “Married to Power.” The new queen only has power because she is married to the King! Most of the world wants to have power! Political power! Financial power! Military power! Religious power! Why? Mostly to dominate and control other people! My Bible says his church his bride is married to Christ!That gives us power! Power not to bring people into bondage and slavery but to free people from the bondages of sin! Has the church had abuses with it’s power? Yes! Jesus is very careful who he gives power to! Knowing man has the potential for using his power for his own gain at the sacrifice of people he is very selective with his power! No mortal is perfect and God understands this as their creator! The Church at Pergamos was married to Christ! Jesus commends them for holding fast to their faith even though Satan’s seat was very close to them! Much about the mission field is walking into Hell and delivering captives from the fire! Our three years in India enabled us to experience this! The fire is all around you yet not burned! Mission work is a fiery furnace experience! Antipas a member of this church was martyred yet they kept their faith in Christ! However Jesus was disappointed in some church members who held unto the Doctrine of Balaam? This caused some members to commit fornication! Some church members clung to the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans! You cannot be married to Christ and Satan at the same time! You must divorce one and marry the other! Jesus asked them to repent or he would fight against them with the sword of his mouth! That is judgment would come to them according to his Word! So 21 centuries later what Doctrines in the American church oppose the Word of God? The Doctrine of Darwinism! That is atheism! Evolution! The Doctrine of Socialism! Founded by Marx, Engel, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini and others who were all followers of Darwin! Homosexual’s, lesbian’s and transgenders are Doctrines that oppose the Word of God! The list goes on but the more obvious examples! Do not forget drug use with 73000 casualties last year here in America! How about abortion! The casualties are millions yet if we stay married to Christ and not to the prostitutes of our culture Christ will carry the day for us! Jesus holds all power for good and he will and does have the last say because he is God! All judgment is rendered unto him yesterday, today and forever! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: pergamos
Vanity Fair! Revelation 2:13
Jesus said Antipas is my faithful martyr! Antipas was the Bishop of the church at Pergamos during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian. The Apostle John ordained Antipas as Bishop of the church at Pergamos. Antipas was burned inside an idol which was a bull shaped copper structure. His crime was casting out demons worshipped by the local population! Some of the hero’s of the Faith are listed in Hebrews Chapter eleven! Stephen was a faithful martyr listed in the Book of Acts! Antipas was most likely a Greek who converted to Christianity. Antipas is the shortened name of Antipater. Remember that was the name of one of Alexander the Great successful Generals. (397-319 B.C.). Remember Herod the Great was known by this name! Jesus will avenge the blood of the Saints! Why did Jesus call Pergamum Satan’s Seat? Even Ephesus with all of its advantages with the Great Temple and bustling port, could not match the importance of the once royal seat of the Attalids! Situated on a scenic acropolis Pergamum was embellished with the largest number of Greek and Roman Temples in the whole of Asia Minor! Examples are Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Demetia, Dionysis and Aphrodite. On another site was housed the largest Aesclepium of the Empire. Its library of two hundred thousand volumes rivaled the renowned library in Alexandria! The eminent Doctor Galen was among her favorite sons! Roman Emperors came to seek healing at the famous Aesclelpium! Aesclepium was honored as the god of healing in the classical world. When the cult of “Dominus et Deus”, was initiated at Pergamum, the great Basilica was erected, adding to the rostrum of numerous idol Temples! The visitor today Bergama (Turkish name of the present day city), will see the immense structure at the edge of the bustling center. Basilica became the monument of vice and cruelty! Every citizen was forced to burn a few grains of incense here and worship the Emperor of Deus. Then they would proceed to their preferred practice a common syncetistic act which never lacked its double-faced devotees! For anyone who refused to submit to this profane practice death was imminent! Where as the Temple of Zeus was referred by the early Christians as the “Seat of Satan”, the appellation was later transferred to this center where some Christians felt compelled to pay obeisance! Source: Thomas Cosmades Comment: Remember God’s church was established in the midst of all this evil! The venerable Polycarp followed Antipas in martyrdom! Christ and his Cross was raised up over “Satan’s Seat”, to defeat Satan the eternal enemy of man! This battle rages on today between the One True God and the millions of the gods of men! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Who Are They? Revelation 2:6
Who are the Nicolaitians? The word in the Greek means the conqueror of the people! Specifically in the Church of God! They are only referred to twice in the Book of Revelation. Both the church at Ephesus and the Church at Pergamos had the same problem! (Verse 2:15). The Nicolaitians were Bishops and prelates of the church gaining a triumphal victory over the laity! This is the very sin that brought forth the Reformation! It is mostly responsible for all our denominational and non-denominational churches around the world! The Nicolaitians compelled and forced church members to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men who have become the ones which the eternal hates! The Apostle Peter warned us that those who are leaders among God’s people must not dominate the faith of others but rather exhort them to do right! (1 Peter 5:1-3). The Nicolaitians are people in the church who have established a hierarchy of power and dominion under a government of ecclesiastical rulers! Comment: Yes! God hates these folks! Correction is very different from condemnation! We take the word disciple from the word discipline. Jesus used the techniques of correction and commendation very effectively! We as parents either tend to over correct and under commend or over commend and under correct! Everything I do cannot be right and everything I do cannot be wrong! That is why I need a Savior! My experience in ministry over the past 45 years has shown me people do not like to submit to authority! This is the nature of Satan! Most people will submit to authority if commended and corrected in love! However some will never! Hell is reserved for these folks! Why will some never submit? Because they want to replace God! This explains why the world is a war! War on God! Jesus asked the churches at Ephesus and Pergamos to repent! Sunday our Pastor Oscar Cope made an important point to us in his sermon! He said that the beginning of repentance is the end of judgment! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com