In Revelation 2:13 the Lord Jesus said to the church in Pergamos, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.” Satan’s dwelling place is the world. Because the church entered into union with the world and became worldly herself, she began to dwell where Satan dwells-in the world. The church in Pergamos also dwelt where Satan’s throne is. This again refers to the world, which is not only Satan’s dwelling place but also the sphere wherein he rules.
In 2:14 the Lord said, “I have a few things against you, because you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat idol sacrifices and to commit fornication.” Balaam was a Gentile prophet who caused God’s people to stumble. For the sake of reward (2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11), he brought fornication and idolatry to God’s people (Num. 25:1-3; 31:16). In the worldly church some began to teach the same things. When the worldly church disregarded the name, the person, of the Lord, she turned to idolatry, which issued in fornication. The teachings of Balaam always cause people to enter into union with the worldly things. This is to eat idol sacrifices and to commit spiritual fornication.
Fornication actually denotes confusion. According to God’s holy ordination, a woman should have only one husband. To have more than one husband is to commit fornication, and this brings in confusion. Spiritual fornication is fully related to idol worship. We should love God, our unique Husband. But if we worship idols, we make these idols husbands to us. Hence, in principle, worshipping idols is the same as fornication.
In Revelation 2:15 the Lord went on to say, “You also have those who hold in like manner the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” “Nicolaitans” is an equivalent of the Greek word nikolaitai, the root of which is nikolaos, composed of two words: niko, meaning “conquer” or “above others” and laos, meaning “common people,” “secular people,” or “laity.” Hence, nikolaos means “conquering the common people,” “climbing above the laity.” The Nicolaitans, then, must refer to a group of people who esteemed themselves higher than the common believers. In the church in Pergamos their works (Rev. 2:6) progressed into a teaching. They not only practiced the hierarchy but also taught it. This hierarchy destroys the function of the believers as members of the Body of Christ, thus annulling the Lord’s Body in expressing Him.
In 2:17 we have the Lord’s promise to the overcomers of this stage. To overcome here means specifically to overcome the church’s union with the world, the teaching of idolatry and fornication, and the teaching of the hierarchy.
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