What is the Seat of Satan?

We learned that the city of Pergamum and the church there was all about compromise. What we need to understand is not only how it related to the church at that time, but how it relates to us today. No matter where you live, there is a spiritual dynamic at work, in your community, in your churches, in your government, in your schools, even in your own family, there is a constant battle, the ebb and flow of what's right and what's wrong. A world view if you would. A biblical world view. Pergamum was challenged with an alternative world view that began to infiltrate the church. Jesus tells the church, "I know where you live, I know who's throne is in your neighborhood." We hear it all the time, location, location, location. Well in the city of Pergamum, the seat of Satan was right in the heart of the city. Satan himself was dwelling there in a sense, but Jesus was saying, "I know you are there."

Even though they were sitting in the middle of hell, Jesus wanted them to resist compromise. When we live in a place that is compromising, we need to remember Jesus' authority. "These things says He who has a two-edged sword." It was a sword that is sharp on both sides, however there was a Roman sword that was blunt on one side and sharp on the other. They would have to wield it around like a helicopter. But the sword Jesus has is one that when He swings it one way, He can cut someone down the knees in judgment, and when He swings it the other way, like a skilled surgeon He will cut out the pride in a man's heart, or apathy or false doctrine as this church would experience. It is interesting to note that Jesus was saying, "You need surgery and I am the great physician, and I'm going to give you my Word, that in the book of Revelation, we learned is a sharp two-edged sword that comes from Jesus' mouth in Revelation 1:16 and in Revelation 19.

Will you as a Christian, throw up your hands, give up the reins of your life and let Jesus rule inside your heart? Because if He is not the Lord in our life, then He is nothing to us. He calls the shots. If any church or pastor tells you anything that does not line up with scripture, that is outside of scripture, it's wrong! If that ministry points to a chapter and asks you to read it, telling you these are the verses that apply to your situation, then praise the Lord, they are watching out for your soul. I am going to go to heaven with or without you. I'm going because Jesus died for me on the cross. I'm going because He took away my sin. I'm still a sinner, but I hate it now. I hate my temper. I hate my thoughts, I hate it. But I know I am going to heaven. The Bible says He has washed me in His own blood. My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. People will spend three hours wasting their time sitting in the movie, but get the slightest bit grouchy when their pastors go over on their messages.

What kind of church are we, when compromise has surrounded us. (Verse 13).

Revelation 2:13 ~ "I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives."

Pretty rough neighborhood. We live in Southern California where things are pretty black and white. But not everything - shades of grey are creeping in. It is the Babylon in America. We are home to the pornographic industry of the world. We have more amusements in the world so people can unplug. Things are not always as real as they seem here. In Southern California where people's very existence is based on what they drive, or what they wear, where they live. People come here to visit and they aren't sure if they can lean on that wall, because it might be fake. People don't know if the laws here are real or not. Is this man going to be a governor or an actor? The only thing people who live and were born here in Southern California know for sure, is if that was an earthquake or not. We are getting pretty experienced on fires, what a great place, shaking and baking huh? Southern California, it is known as the Babylon to the world. Have you noticed when some people come to visit, they say, "They can't wait to go back home?" And we think they are crazy! We wonder why there are not totally in love with this place. Why don't they want to move here permanently? People who are Christians, don't understand how we can put up with what we do. What we hear on the radio or on television. They have to cover their eyes and ears. What some people wear either, they simply can't take the temptation living right among us.

We live in a modern day Pergamum! The dangerous thing was in the time of Pergamum it was popular to be a Christian, if you did what the community did. They were surrounded by compromise. Eventually however, compromise creeps in.

Notice that He gives three commendations.

1. Where you dwell.  2. Where Satan throne is.  3. Where Satan lives.

Three geographical comments. Where do you live? Jesus knows about it. He knows exactly what city and place you are staying in. The word "dwell" means address. So in a sense, Jesus is saying, I know the address your stuck with. He is saying, "I know you live in a place that is very hard and all these things are pulling on you. I know that.

Secondly, it is where Satan's throne is. How would you like to live there? I'd love to show you a new house, Oh where is that? It's where Satan's throne is. What's that demon doing on your house? Oh you know that's just part of the neighborhood. How would you like to live there? Well Christians did. So why was it called that? Because on the throne of Athena, and on these various three gods we talked about yesterday, because based on archaeological discoveries, the serpent was present in all of their architecture. The serpent was worshiped along with things I can't share that deal with Satanic worship that they did with snakes, and the snake was exhaulted, placed on a pole and bowed down to, with perverse twisted acts. Children were sacrificed to these things. Aren't you glad you didn't live back then? That is what they did publicly on the mountainside on that great mesa of an altar. Nowadays people just go into the solitude of their own home. Turn on their computer and sacrifice their children as it were. They just turn on their altar. It's not 90 feet by 90 feet, and 40 feet tall. Not like the one they unearthed in Pergamum. No this one is just a couple hundred dollars and it's a 17 inch monitor and you type in a password, and you can go to hell on earth. Aren't you glad no one knows you're doing that? How do you know someone hasn't told someone what is on your computer?

Sacrificing children? You would say that would never happen today! It happens every single day. People are having marriage problems over what is happening inside their homes. They don't pray together anymore, they don't read the Bible anymore, they aren't showing one another they love each other in a physical way any more. They are broken completely. What you come to find out, is that the husband or wife is on the internet, dealing with pornography, or dealing with chat rooms with members of the opposite sex pouring out their hearts to someone on the other end who they think understands them. If that is the case in your home? Get rid of it. Throw it away, smash it so it can't invade your home again. If your concerned with how much money it costs, consider what it is costing your marriage, your family, your kids? What is the cost of how much that is worth you? That is called bondage and compromise. Don't think that doesn't have a lasting impact in the lives of those who are part of that circle.

Jesus knows about our commitment of faith. He knows about our conviction. Jesus knows when we are surround by a world that is full of compromise, will we stand firm in our faith? Will we stand for what is right? Are the lines going to be so skewed that it's okay if this and that happen, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and we soon find we no longer have any convictions, we have no rudder, we would be liberal as a church and as a Christian. You no longer really look to the Bible for answers and instead look at a 12-step process to prosperity instead or perhaps how you can have a happy life, a carefree life and we are going to use THIS book instead of the Bible, that's compromise!!!

Jesus Christ is very clear about things. If the lines are grey, then why did Jesus have to die at all? If the lines are grey, then why did He have to suffer on a cross? If the lines are grey, then why did He give us a manual for life called the Bible? The truth is the lines aren't grey. God doesn't operate in the lines of grey because there is no grey. Look at people who are blessed by having Jesus in their life, when the world comes crashing down, they have a peace about they, and how they get through it. Then look at those who don't have Jesus, and how their life is so stressed and so worrisome and so bound up in the cares of this world. It's so sad. Life is never supposed to be like that.

 Fresca from the Pergamum Museum in Berlin

The church of Pergamum allowed the doctrines of the world creep into their lives and their church. One of the things they had to put up with in their community was Askleeppus SoTar, the serpent savior. These were the chantings and worship of the altars in which the church of Pergamum grew up around. They also had doctrines and instead of them fighting against them, they gave up. It came into their church.

Jesus said to them, "You have not renounced your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives." This is the conclusion of the three commendations Jesus gave to the church before His rebuke to them in verses 14 and 15.

Revelation 2:14-15 ~ "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans."

Can you imagine Jesus saying, "I hate this?" Balaam, you may have read about him in Numbers 22-25. He was a prophet of God. Balaam found out that after being in the ministry, he could make big money, so he used his office as a prophet, for a profit. He was a prophet for profit who prophesied to pagan nations for money. He sold his office, like Judas so to speak, sold his position with Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Balaam went to the enemy kings of the Israelites and he went to Moab and he said, "You want to whip Israel?" and they said, "Yeah! We sure do!" He said, "Pay me some money and pronounce a curse, I'm a prophet of God." So he goes and stand on the top of the hill and pronounces a curse over Israel. His own people! Is this guy Balaam not a wolf in sheep's clothing or what?

What we take away from the church of Pergamum is despite where they were living, He doesn't want them to compromise. You might be living in a place like this, the response from Jesus is the same to YOU. Don't compromise. Don't give up.  The most loving person to ever come to this planet was Jesus. How do you reconcile this? The most hated person who graced this place was Jesus Christ. The church, the Christian is supposed to be exactly the same way. We are supposed to be the most loving institution and people on the face of the earth. But if we associate with Jesus, we are also going to be one of the most hated. Go figure that out. We just don't want to go around being hateful, ugly, mean and rude. We need to go around standing for the truth, and let our light so shine before men right, as it were, as Jesus said to do and people are responding to the light that is coming out of the churches or out of our lives, coming out of our families, you want to make sure that you are out of the grey zone. Be the light. We have to do that if we want to be that light. Be different.

It is interesting to realize that while we know the Bible to be true, the fact that archaeologists have dug up and reassembles the seat of Satan or the temple in the Museum of Pergamum is pretty amazing stuff.  By the time you get to the top of this altar, you see the seat of Zeus, and all these biblical references in this secular museum from the Bible founded in this altar. I love that people are discovering the truth that we have always known from the Bible.

You're Going to Get a New Name in Heaven!

To understand the Book of Revelation you have to understand the Old Testament. When we were studying yesterday about the church of Pergamum we were understanding what Jesus was referring to when He reprimanded the church for holding to the doctrines of Balaam, who was called and ordained by God,  and here, the best way to understand what that was is to go back to Numbers 22-25 and read how Balaam was a prophet of God who found he could make a serious profit selling his services to those who wants blessings or cursing issued upon their enemies. He was basically prostituting his office for money. Isn't that what we are seeing a lot of today?

Just like Satan's tactics are designed to lead us astray so was that very same thing happening not only to Balaam but to those in the church of Pergamum as well as the believers and churches today. We all need to be aware to judge what we hear based on the Bible and the Word of God, over what the world would have us believe.

Acts 17:11 ~ "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

We need to be doing the same in every part of our lives, all of the time. Rightly dividing the word of truth from that of the world. Let's go back and see Jesus' reprimand in its entirety to the church of Pergamum and those believers who compromise in their spiritual walk even today.

Revelation 2:14-15 ~ "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have people who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak, to entire the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. "

We remember that when Balaam attempted to curse the Israelite's, God pronounced a blessing over them instead. We know that Balaam went back to the kings, enemy of Israel and asked for more money to try it again, they paid it, he tried to pronounced a curse but once more God gave Israel a blessing instead. He is able to manage to convince the king one more time to pay him to curse Israel,  but it doesn't work and God continues to bless them instead, the same as before. At this point Balaam knows his time is up, the king is about out of money and Balaam is quite wealthy. You've heard the saying, If you can't beat them, join them? Remember what happened to the church of Smyrna, when they resisted against temptation? Satan simply tries something else. There is a Greek proverb that says, "Whom the gods could not destroy, they made great." If they couldn't destroy them, they simply exulted them instead.  Man can't handle exultation!

So what Satan did, was marry them to the world since they could not be destroyed. Balaam basically told the king of Moab, and all the surrounding kings to bring their finest women, all the most beautiful and hot women and bring them down. Bring them with their pornographic idols, have them bring those as well. Don't forget to bring some sacrifices too, and have them walk real seductively down to the men of Israel. Now remember these men have been away at war for quite some time. Have them begin to flirt with the men of Israel, and he proclaimed that the men would fall for every single one of the women. So that is just what the kings did. The men did exactly what Balaam said they would do and they followed the women to the altars of their pagan gods. They set down their idols and said, "Let's do this. Let's do that." After they completed the acts, they sacrificed the animals, on the altars and then they ate it together. God turned and killed thousands of those Israelis soldiers that day. Why? Because they compromised.

"Oh I will just lower my standard so I can date this person or that person. Surely God will know and understand." You allow compromise in and who knows if you would have just held out for one more moment, when God's answer was coming and you simply gave up. God had that wonderful person for you, or that perfect job all lined up or whatever it might be and you simply gave up. You compromised. Jesus turns and rebukes the church and if you're a Christian, you know what that feels like when He rebukes. It hurts!  He says, "When I spank you, cause I'm about to spank you, when he spanks in His correction and rebuke, He carries you upward as His hand comes down, right into His arms. He never comes down on you! When God disciplines, He puts a stop to our behavior because He knows it's not beneficial to us. When He spanks it's one that lifts us up into His arms.

But will we be willing to be judged like that from the Lord? Will we let Him judge us? He says, I have a few things against you. He mentions the doctrine of Balaam, you know about that know. We have to be willing to be judged by the Scriptures, but also this, we have to be willing to refuse false doctrine in our lives. "Thus you also hold to the doctrines of the Nicolaitans which I hate." The Nicolaitans were these guys, scholars can't agree, there were disciples of Nicholas, who were a bunch of weirdos, or the Nicolaitans, which is a compound word in the Greek Nico = rulers, kings or judges, hierarchy, a status in a religious setting, that ought not to exist. Laitans = laity, the people. Jesus says, "I hate the teaching that a church gets from a select group, that presides over the church, thereby the servants, flock or church, become servants to a select few. Nicolaitans, rulers over the people, who fleece the flock. They take money from them. Who Peter says, "that they through preaching, might acquire money, position, status. Jesus says, I hate it! People who have designated lives, "Don't talk to him, he's the Pastor." What?

How many of you have been in the corporate world, understand the corporate ladder, the pyramid? Who is at the top? The CEO, or the stockholders. The stockholders employ the CEO to ensure the company is working right. And everyone else serves him so to speak. The pyramid goes up. Well not in church. Not in the church of Jesus. It goes upside down. The church is lifted up. The church is exulted, that is why as Pastors of churches, if they are going to be true pastors, that if you're doing something right, they should be encouraging you. If you're sleeping with someone's wife or husband, they are supposed to say, 'You can't do that! Right here in the Bible it says you're not supposed to do that! You're going to ruin your life!' They will do anything they can to help you stop doing the things you shouldn't be doing. But instead, people will turn on their pastors and say, they should be the ones judging them, but all they are merely doing is pointing out what Jesus says, and He has the authority to judge. They are simply helping you to try and get back on track again. To repent and get right with God.

Do you really think when you tell your pastor off, that they are put off by the fact that they care more about your soul than you do? But the truth of the matter is that you are going to ruin your own life and someone else's life as well. The thing is regarding false doctrine, these Nicolaitans, they existed, the church at Pergamum, was the first period of church age, historically through Constantine. It became most prominent. That Constantine, of the Roman Empire said, "You know what? Enough of this. I want Christianity to be the official religion of Rome of the Roman Empire. I want it's headquarters moved to Rome. And to show my token of sincerity, I will appoint Bishops under me. Constantine declared himself to be Pontiff. If you don't know this, than you haven't spent much time in history. Alexander the Great said, I will be the Pontiff, the Pope, and I will declare all of these to be my bishops, and as a token of sincerity I will drape you in robes, I will set you apart from the people. I will grant you basilicas and cathedrals. He commissioned them to be built. He declared that the church would be just like the world. And the world would be just like the church. And the lines were skewed. Now I am not coming down on the Catholic church or religion at all, I'm just telling you that if there is any church, group, denomination, that says, "We are the ministers, and the pastors." People might say that pastors stand behind a piece of wood above everyone else, but it is simply to see everyone else. Not to be above everyone else.

But if your pastor can't interact with you, something is wrong. If pastors have to have a designated life, I eat here, you don't eat here, I sit here, you don't sit here; I park here, you don't park here; that is Nicolaitan!  It creeps into the church, it's all over the place. It's wrong. If you're church shopping, put this verse on your shopping list.

"Jesus said but you, do not be called masters any of you, for one is your teacher, that is the Christ, and all of you are brothers."

That means if I am not born again, I'm not going to make it to heaven. It doesn't matter how high a pulpit is built or if you give a pastor a parking space, or a million bucks, if there are not born again, they are not going to heaven. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one gets to heaven but through me." Jesus told Nicodemus, the religious leader of that day, unless you are born again, you will never see the kingdom of God. It's not about how much money you give, Jesus doesn't need your money, it's not how much you serve, He doesn't need your service; He wants your heart, the part you won't give up. He wants your heart. If you are not born again, you will not see the kingdom of heaven. No one will make it in, unless they are born again. Despite how wonderful they might appear. God does not judge based on performance. Where did we get that?

No one welds any power but whatever God gives them. You can't buy faith. It's free. You don't get it by following anyone else but Jesus.

Revelation 2:17 ~ " He who has an ear, let him heart what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna,. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. "

No more manna to eat. No more sacrificial food, sacrificed on altars. He says He will give us a white stone, the stone of acquittal. All of these sins you have racked up against you, all of these things you have done, Jesus says, He will give you a white stone. In those days if you were acquitted of a crime, the judge would give you a white stone. Isn't that cool! It also says He will give you a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it, that is a great reference to 2 Corinthians 5:17, ~ "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 

God's going to give us each a new name. Do you have a new name waiting for you? When you arrive into the presence of eternity, are you going to get a new name? Is God going to hand you a white stone, which means, you've been acquitted of all crime, sin, wrong doing in your life. If you do, when you turn it over, there is going to be a brand new name that is fit for heaven. You'll get a whole new life. Is your name written in heaven? You can have that by asking him to forgive you of your sins and ask Him into His life.

Heaven is going to be an awesome sight and you missed it because of religion and you missed out on the relationship with Jesus. We don't need to compromise because God is on the throne. Remember that no matter where you find yourself, what kind of job, community, school or neighborhood you live in, you don't have to compromise! Stand strong! God's on your side.

What is the Seat of Satan?

We learned that the city of Pergamum and the church there was all about compromise. What we need to understand is not only how it related to the church at that time, but how it relates to us today. No matter where you live, there is a spiritual dynamic at work, in your community, in your churches, in your government, in your schools, even in your own family, there is a constant battle, the ebb and flow of what's right and what's wrong. A world view if you would. A biblical world view. Pergamum was challenged with an alternative world view that began to infiltrate the church. Jesus tells the church, "I know where you live, I know who's throne is in your neighborhood." We hear it all the time, location, location, location. Well in the city of Pergamum, the seat of Satan was right in the heart of the city. Satan himself was dwelling there in a sense, but Jesus was saying, "I know you are there."

Even though they were sitting in the middle of hell, Jesus wanted them to resist compromise. When we live in a place that is compromising, we need to remember Jesus' authority. "These things says He who has a two-edged sword." It was a sword that is sharp on both sides, however there was a Roman sword that was blunt on one side and sharp on the other. They would have to wield it around like a helicopter. But the sword Jesus has is one that when He swings it one way, He can cut someone down the knees in judgment, and when He swings it the other way, like a skilled surgeon He will cut out the pride in a man's heart, or apathy or false doctrine as this church would experience. It is interesting to note that Jesus was saying, "You need surgery and I am the great physician, and I'm going to give you my Word, that in the book of Revelation, we learned is a sharp two-edged sword that comes from Jesus' mouth in Revelation 1:16 and in Revelation 19.

Will you as a Christian, throw up your hands, give up the reins of your life and let Jesus rule inside your heart? Because if He is not the Lord in our life, then He is nothing to us. He calls the shots. If any church or pastor tells you anything that does not line up with scripture, that is outside of scripture, it's wrong! If that ministry points to a chapter and asks you to read it, telling you these are the verses that apply to your situation, then praise the Lord, they are watching out for your soul. I am going to go to heaven with or without you. I'm going because Jesus died for me on the cross. I'm going because He took away my sin. I'm still a sinner, but I hate it now. I hate my temper. I hate my thoughts, I hate it. But I know I am going to heaven. The Bible says He has washed me in His own blood. My name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. People will spend three hours wasting their time sitting in the movie, but get the slightest bit grouchy when their pastors go over on their messages.

What kind of church are we, when compromise has surrounded us. (Verse 13).

Revelation 2:13 ~ "I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives."

Pretty rough neighborhood. We live in Southern California where things are pretty black and white. But not everything - shades of grey are creeping in. It is the Babylon in America. We are home to the pornographic industry of the world. We have more amusements in the world so people can unplug. Things are not always as real as they seem here. In Southern California where people's very existence is based on what they drive, or what they wear, where they live. People come here to visit and they aren't sure if they can lean on that wall, because it might be fake. People don't know if the laws here are real or not. Is this man going to be a governor or an actor? The only thing people who live and were born here in Southern California know for sure, is if that was an earthquake or not. We are getting pretty experienced on fires, what a great place, shaking and baking huh? Southern California, it is known as the Babylon to the world. Have you noticed when some people come to visit, they say, "They can't wait to go back home?" And we think they are crazy! We wonder why there are not totally in love with this place. Why don't they want to move here permanently? People who are Christians, don't understand how we can put up with what we do. What we hear on the radio or on television. They have to cover their eyes and ears. What some people wear either, they simply can't take the temptation living right among us.

We live in a modern day Pergamum! The dangerous thing was in the time of Pergamum it was popular to be a Christian, if you did what the community did. They were surrounded by compromise. Eventually however, compromise creeps in.

Notice that He gives three commendations.

1. Where you dwell.  2. Where Satan throne is.  3. Where Satan lives.

Three geographical comments. Where do you live? Jesus knows about it. He knows exactly what city and place you are staying in. The word "dwell" means address. So in a sense, Jesus is saying, I know the address your stuck with. He is saying, "I know you live in a place that is very hard and all these things are pulling on you. I know that.

Secondly, it is where Satan's throne is. How would you like to live there? I'd love to show you a new house, Oh where is that? It's where Satan's throne is. What's that demon doing on your house? Oh you know that's just part of the neighborhood. How would you like to live there? Well Christians did. So why was it called that? Because on the throne of Athena, and on these various three gods we talked about yesterday, because based on archaeological discoveries, the serpent was present in all of their architecture. The serpent was worshiped along with things I can't share that deal with Satanic worship that they did with snakes, and the snake was exhaulted, placed on a pole and bowed down to, with perverse twisted acts. Children were sacrificed to these things. Aren't you glad you didn't live back then? That is what they did publicly on the mountainside on that great mesa of an altar. Nowadays people just go into the solitude of their own home. Turn on their computer and sacrifice their children as it were. They just turn on their altar. It's not 90 feet by 90 feet, and 40 feet tall. Not like the one they unearthed in Pergamum. No this one is just a couple hundred dollars and it's a 17 inch monitor and you type in a password, and you can go to hell on earth. Aren't you glad no one knows you're doing that? How do you know someone hasn't told someone what is on your computer?

Sacrificing children? You would say that would never happen today! It happens every single day. People are having marriage problems over what is happening inside their homes. They don't pray together anymore, they don't read the Bible anymore, they aren't showing one another they love each other in a physical way any more. They are broken completely. What you come to find out, is that the husband or wife is on the internet, dealing with pornography, or dealing with chat rooms with members of the opposite sex pouring out their hearts to someone on the other end who they think understands them. If that is the case in your home? Get rid of it. Throw it away, smash it so it can't invade your home again. If your concerned with how much money it costs, consider what it is costing your marriage, your family, your kids? What is the cost of how much that is worth you? That is called bondage and compromise. Don't think that doesn't have a lasting impact in the lives of those who are part of that circle.

Jesus knows about our commitment of faith. He knows about our conviction. Jesus knows when we are surround by a world that is full of compromise, will we stand firm in our faith? Will we stand for what is right? Are the lines going to be so skewed that it's okay if this and that happen, just a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and we soon find we no longer have any convictions, we have no rudder, we would be liberal as a church and as a Christian. You no longer really look to the Bible for answers and instead look at a 12-step process to prosperity instead or perhaps how you can have a happy life, a carefree life and we are going to use THIS book instead of the Bible, that's compromise!!!

Jesus Christ is very clear about things. If the lines are grey, then why did Jesus have to die at all? If the lines are grey, then why did He have to suffer on a cross? If the lines are grey, then why did He give us a manual for life called the Bible? The truth is the lines aren't grey. God doesn't operate in the lines of grey because there is no grey. Look at people who are blessed by having Jesus in their life, when the world comes crashing down, they have a peace about they, and how they get through it. Then look at those who don't have Jesus, and how their life is so stressed and so worrisome and so bound up in the cares of this world. It's so sad. Life is never supposed to be like that.

 Fresca from the Pergamum Museum in Berlin

The church of Pergamum allowed the doctrines of the world creep into their lives and their church. One of the things they had to put up with in their community was Askleeppus SoTar, the serpent savior. These were the chantings and worship of the altars in which the church of Pergamum grew up around. They also had doctrines and instead of them fighting against them, they gave up. It came into their church.

Jesus said to them, "You have not renounced your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives." This is the conclusion of the three commendations Jesus gave to the church before His rebuke to them in verses 14 and 15.

Revelation 2:14-15 ~ "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans."

Can you imagine Jesus saying, "I hate this?" Balaam, you may have read about him in Numbers 22-25. He was a prophet of God. Balaam found out that after being in the ministry, he could make big money, so he used his office as a prophet, for a profit. He was a prophet for profit who prophesied to pagan nations for money. He sold his office, like Judas so to speak, sold his position with Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Balaam went to the enemy kings of the Israelites and he went to Moab and he said, "You want to whip Israel?" and they said, "Yeah! We sure do!" He said, "Pay me some money and pronounce a curse, I'm a prophet of God." So he goes and stand on the top of the hill and pronounces a curse over Israel. His own people! Is this guy Balaam not a wolf in sheep's clothing or what?

What we take away from the church of Pergamum is despite where they were living, He doesn't want them to compromise. You might be living in a place like this, the response from Jesus is the same to YOU. Don't compromise. Don't give up.  The most loving person to ever come to this planet was Jesus. How do you reconcile this? The most hated person who graced this place was Jesus Christ. The church, the Christian is supposed to be exactly the same way. We are supposed to be the most loving institution and people on the face of the earth. But if we associate with Jesus, we are also going to be one of the most hated. Go figure that out. We just don't want to go around being hateful, ugly, mean and rude. We need to go around standing for the truth, and let our light so shine before men right, as it were, as Jesus said to do and people are responding to the light that is coming out of the churches or out of our lives, coming out of our families, you want to make sure that you are out of the grey zone. Be the light. We have to do that if we want to be that light. Be different.

It is interesting to realize that while we know the Bible to be true, the fact that archaeologists have dug up and reassembles the seat of Satan or the temple in the Museum of Pergamum is pretty amazing stuff.  By the time you get to the top of this altar, you see the seat of Zeus, and all these biblical references in this secular museum from the Bible founded in this altar. I love that people are discovering the truth that we have always known from the Bible.

Is the Church of Pergamum Being Resurrected?

 Replica of Throne of Zeus from the Pergamum Museum in Berlin, Germany

If you followed my blog post from yesterday, living in a compromised world as a Christian, now more than ever, I see our world rushing towards an end point in its fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. I've always been an absolute huge fan of the Book of Revelation, because like a great stories, it is promising to know how it will all turn out in the end. For some, not so happily of an ending, but for followers of Jesus Christ, we have more hope than ever before in the last days ahead of us.

Again, remember that the Book of Revelation 1:3 ~"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what it written in it, because the time is near." (NIV).

It is the ONLY book in the Bible that offers a blessing on those who not only read it, but hear it. How wonderful is that? Who wouldn't want to read it? And yet, there are many churches today that are completely avoiding the Book of Revelation in their teaching. I believe we are seeing a change in what the church is teaching, but also who it is trying to gain as members. It is trying to become more of a form of entertainment than teaching the profound and glorious Word of God.

Each of the seven letters are addressed to one of seven churches in Asia Minor, but more importantly they apply to the hearts of a believer. We will all fall into one of the seven categories of where our faith is right now.

In the letter to the church of Pergamum, there's was a church founded on the knowledge and Word of God. (By the way, the entire temple of Zeus has been unearthed and reconstructed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. The video is below)

Revelation 2:12-13 ~ "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives."

Everyday a spiritual dynamic is in play in your life, whether you are at home, at work, or in your community and even your church. No matter where we go, we need to resist the urge to compromise. At no time is this warning needed more so than right now, as Christians remain silent and ignore what is happening all around us. Now I have heard the argument from well meaning Christians, that we shouldn't defend God. He doesn't need our defense, but the Bible does call us to stand up for what is right. He knows about our conviction, but will we stand up for what is right? It seems lately we are beginning to make compromises, and we begin to skew the lines of what is right, in light of what the world wants.

We can see the path of compromises the church in the United States of America has made since it's foundations. Yes, despite what the media or other forms of news communication would lead you to believe, we, The United States of America, was founded on Biblical principles. We have watched as those small compromises have not only changed how we live, to what is acceptable in our society today, while Christians remain the most hated group in the world today. Why is that?

I believe it is because they don't like our absolute moral convictions that come from our knowledge of God's Word and our belief in Jesus Christ. We have watched them strip prayer from our schools, to removing the 10 Commandments from government offices, to nativity displays being removed, our Constitution being called into question to see if it is simply an outdated document, while more laws are being created statewide and nationwide than ever before to appease those minority groups who are demanding their civil rights. Where is the voice of the Christian?

I believe we have remained silent for too long. People have assumed that because we voice no objection, then we must be willing to accept and tolerate what is happening in our neighborhoods, our communities, cities, states and even the nation. We are graying the lines of absolute moral truth. You would think looking around at what you see all around you that we have compromised in a big way. Look at what is on television, the movies in the theaters, on our computers, by way of ads that pop up or are on your sidebar, what is on the news or even the music we listen to. Why do we continue to do so? Well because so might argue, the Bible doesn't say anything about not doing those things?

Oh really? Let's consider this:

Philippians 4:8 ~ "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV)

Think back to the last thing you saw or heard on the radio or television. Did this verse of scripture apply? Like that steamy commercial for Carl's Jr's latest burger? Seriously is it really selling a burger?

Romans 12:2 ~"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV).

Colossians 3:2 ~" Set you mind on things above, not on earthly things." (NIV)

Romans 8:5-7 ~"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (NIV)

Mark 7:20-22 ~ " He went on: what comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean." (NIV)

Just taking a look at these past scripture verses outlines what the believer and follower of Jesus Christ should be doing, but are we? Have we allowed compromise to enter our lives?

Think about the computers we allow into our homes. It is like a license to allow subtle things that pop up or appear even when we aren't looking for them, have a way of simply showing up. What are your children viewing on their computer? Do you know with absolute certainty it is wholesome and pure? Pornography is running unleashed in our homes, destroying families and marriages. Seemingly innocent chat rooms are enticing members of the opposite sex to share a conversation with one another. Just how much is this really worth to have in your home? What is the price you are willing to pay to watch your family destroyed?

Not I am not condoning getting rid of the computer, because it helps make our lives so much easier. It's that idle time being spent on a device rather than our relationships with family and friends. You can see the effects happening right around us. Our children are more engaged with their smart phones and computers than with one on one conversations. Einstein even stated, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction." 

The Bible states what we need to do quite clearly:

Psalm 101:3 ~ "I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me." (NIV)

1 Peter 1:13 ~ "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you living in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;" (NIV)

Proverbs 4:25-27 ~ "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or left; keep your foot from evil." (NIV).

Is this not happening today? In our homes? Are we losing touch with our family and friends because we are more engaged in our technology than in people?

We need to stop being a compromised believer! We need to turn back and repent from our sinful ways and remove these compromises in our homes, and in our lives. We can not allow the lines of what we believe to be grayed.

If the lines are gray, why did Jesus die for our sins?

If the lines are gray, why did He have to suffer?

If the lines are gray, why did God give us the instruction manual for life in the Bible?

In the church of Pergamum, which was literally in a location so evil, the church stopped doing anything about what was happening all around them. They chose to ignore it. Slowly it began to filter into the church itself.

But we need to remember Jesus' authority in Revelation 2:12b ~ "Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword." He welds a sword to cut us down in our sin, to remove it and cut it out through the power of His Word.

Revelation 1:16b ~ " out of His mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword." (NIV).

If Jesus isn't Lord in your life, than He is nothing.

Remember Jesus knows where we dwell. That where you live, life may be very difficult. Christians are supposed to be the most loving people are earth, but we will also be the most hated too by the world!

We need to ensure we are not mean, ugly and hateful, but stand on the Word that is the absolute truth.

Matthew 5:16 ~ "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." (NIV).

We need to step out of the "gray zone" and be the light of this world.

Are You Living a Compromised Life in the Church?

In the book of Revelation, the only book of the Bible in which there is a blessing for those who read it and hear the words, there are seven letters written to the seven churches that existed in Asia Minor at that time. However each of these seven issues the churches were having is still relevant in that in the heart of the believer, one of these problems exist in the life they are living today.

Hard to believe right?

A compromising church is one that has been founded on the Word of God, knows the true doctrine of God, but has allowed false doctrine to enter their church, or teachings that govern how that church operates. We see this happening all around us, especially in the media spotlight, and oh how condemning some Christians can be when someone's sin is put on public display for all the world to see. We should be praying for them and leading them back to the teachings of the Bible, back to basic essentials of the church.

There are so many different denominations in the Christian church, from Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Protestant, and the list goes on and on. Why? Why are there so many different divisions within the church if they all believe the same thing?

All of them believe in the essentials of Christianity and thus what makes them Christians!

They all believe in the deity of Jesus Christ.

They all believe in the Resurrection of the dead.

They all believe in His return.

They all believe in the Word of God.

It is the peripheral issues that makes them different. Some churches will say you have to be baptized forward while another one says backward, some have strict dress code issues on what you wear, others on what you eat, still others on when you eat. These things are not essentials of the Christian faith. These are based on who founded the church and what they perceived the Word should entail, and thus fellowship was founded. We can't let these peripheral issues keep believers of Jesus Christ apart. These denominations have spun off because of peripheral things.

These are not what God is interested in, just the essentials. When you hang out with people, you become like them. Did you know that? A message is transmitted by the life we live, either for good or bad.

Certainly no one wants to be involved with a compromising church. They are weak. They are all things to all men, so that men attend it. It tries to establish itself in the community and become like those in the community, but lacks Biblical conviction and instead merely mimics the community it serves instead of the other way around. It wants great crows of people to attend and will make the gospel message convenient to those who attend so as not to offend anyone. It is a church that runs itself more like a business, with the Pastor as the CEO and its associate pastors just executive members. It is trying to present itself in such a way that people can't tell their in church and it looks more like a self help gathering on a Sunday morning instead.

We have to remember that churches generally don't start off that way, but when leadership is lacking, compromises find their way into the heart of a great church. It is a spiritual law of God, that you would find Jesus wherever there was a need. Today if there were prostitutes on a corner, you'd find Jesus there, homeless people, Jesus would be feeding them. Jesus was the church.  God puts the calling on the heart of those who want to serve him. Pastors are held to a level of the highest accountability.

James 3:1(NIV) ~ "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."

We need more than ever especially in light of these confusing and compromising times where it becomes difficult to tell right from wrong and wrong from right, to stay focused. The best way to do that is to stay in the Word of God. Stay on course. Verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and then being in the heart with people ministering to their needs right where they are instead of insisting they come to the church.

Hebrews 13:17 (NIV) ~ "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."

Most people look at church leadership with disdain. Mostly because when confronted with biblical truths, they feel it doesn't apply to them or their situation, they don't want to hear it, or they are above biblical counsel of the church. This is precisely what was happening to the Church of Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-17.

Once a very wealthy, prosperous and well known church built high on a rocky hill with a view of the Mediterranean. It was well known for having the largest library at that time, with more than 200,000 rolls of parchment or vellum but they allowed idol worship to continue in the city of Pergamum, especially to the gods of Zeus, Athena, and Asclepius. The temple of Zeus was once one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. The remnants are still there today. They dedicated their children to the temples which involved horrible sexual acts until they died, all in the name of worship. The temple of Athena was considered the seat of Satan based on the types of worship one could find there and in the rest of the temples. The temple of Dionysus and the snake god Asclepius was dedicated to the healing through sacrificial practices and is the symbol of a serpent or two intertwined along a rod, that is synonymous in our medical practices today. People would come to the snake temple that was filled with snakes all over the place, with the belief if a snake touched you, you would be healed from whatever ailed you.

Remember during these times, worship of Caesar was required during the time of Jesus' ministry. They demanded that citizens swear their alliances and worship to him. In fact the city of Pergamum was so riddled with evil that if Satan needed a place to stay, this was it! Kinda like how you just know some places are evil without having to visit there, kinda like the impression Las Vegas creates in your mind, not that there isn't great churches there, but their motto is simply, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!" Doesn't promote a very great definition of what you will find there does it? It's like saying do whatever you want, we won't say anything.

But the believers living in the city were struggling to hold on to their faith living where they were. Perhaps that is your situation. Things are difficult at your job, your home, in your neighborhood and you're the only Christian around. People are angry at you once they learn you're a Christian. People harass you for your faith. But Jesus understands where you are coming from.

In Revelation 2:13, "I know where you live - where Satan has his throne." (NIV).

But we know that the Word of God changes our own lives. It changes the lives of those around us. It changes the communities we live in and all that is thanks to the church.

The church does not exist to serve the leadership, the leadership of the church has been ordained to serve the people. Let us all be faithful to remember that in light of the trying times we find ourselves. 

More on the compromising church of Pergamum tomorrow and how we can learn not to live a compromised life in the midst of the dark times ahead of us.