The church in Pergamos still held fast the Lord’s name, the reality of the person of Christ. According to history, the church at that time was still orthodox. This was the time of the first Nicene Council in A.D. 325. The church still adhered to the faith of the Triune God, believing in the Lord’s divinity and humanity and opposing the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. The church still held fast the Lord’s name and did not deny the Lord’s faith amidst difficult circumstances. This was known to the Lord and approved by Him (Rev. 2:13).
Nevertheless, when speaking to the church in Pergamos, the Lord said, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is” (v. 13). Satan’s dwelling place is the world. Because the church entered into union with the world and became worldly, she began to dwell where Satan dwells—in the world. The dwelling place of the church in Pergamos was where Satan’s throne is. This indicates that the church at that time was in the sphere of Satan’s rule. For example, at the Nicene Council Constantine the Great utilized his imperial authority to eliminate contentions and to establish the creed. Customs, power, and authorities of the world were brought into the church, and this interfered with the administration and the faith of the church and manipulated God’s serving ones. As a result, the church began to rely on worldly power and thus lost her heavenly position and status as well as her spiritual nature and content.
In His word to the church in Pergamos the Lord prophesied that the church that entered into union with the world would hold the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans (vv. 14-15). Balaam was a Gentile prophet who caused God’s people to stumble. For the sake of reward (2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11), he enticed God’s people into fornication and idolatry (Num. 25:1-3; 31:16). Balaam’s teaching turned the worldly church to idolatry, which issued in fornication. The teaching of the Nicolaitans, that is, the teaching of hierarchy, destroys the function of the believers as members of the Body of Christ, thus annulling the Lord’s Body as His expression.
After the church entered into union with the world, she began to accept many heathen ceremonies and festivals, such as worshipping Mary, worshipping angels and ancient saints, being superstitious concerning holy communion, and celebrating Christmas. All these became part of Christian worship and Christian festivals. Due to the teaching of the Nicolaitans, the church also began to have a hierarchy to rule over the laity. Those who were wise, capable, and powerful were elected to be leaders. Thus, the church, having changed in nature, became organized like a worldly organization. The genuine church life as revealed in the New Testament, however, always holds and enjoys Christ as the unique person. Moreover, the church is not a human organization but an organism with all the members functioning according to life so that the Body of Christ may be built up. Hence, the Lord warned the church in Pergamos that she needed to repent. But if she would not repent, He would come to her quickly and would make war with them with the sword of His mouth (Rev. 2:16).
The building up of the church remains a great prophecy yet to be fulfilled. The building up of the church began at Pentecost, and this prophecy is being fulfilled in the church age. Believers should yearn to see the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy concerning the building of the church.
The seven epistles written to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are a prophecy of the stages of the church. The first epistle to the church in Ephesus provides a picture of the church at the end of the initial stage during the last part of the first century. At the end of the initial stage the church was able to try false apostles. The works, labor, and endurance of the initial church were approved by the Lord. The church in Ephesus also hated the works of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord also hated. But they left their first love toward the Lord.
The church in Smyrna prefigures the suffering church under the persecution of the Roman Empire from the latter part of the first century to the early part of the fourth century. The persecuted church was the continuation of Christ’s suffering. They were slandered by the Jews and persecuted by the Roman Empire, but the church of the living Christ, who became dead and lived again, withstood the persecution victoriously and multiplied flourishingly by the indestructible resurrection life.
The church in Pergamos prefigures the worldly church, which lasted from the time that Constantine the Great accepted Christianity to the latter part of the sixth century when the papal system was established. The worldly church entered into union with the world and became a fortified tower. Although they held fast the Lord’s name and did not deny the Lord’s faith, the Lord rebuked them for dwelling where Satan’s throne is and for holding the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Hence, the Lord warned the church in Pergamos that she needed to repent. If she did not repent, He promised to come to her quickly and make war with her with the sword of His mouth.