THE PERGAMUM CHURCH
Dr. Stephen R. Phinney
Pergamum | Satan’s Dwelling Place
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’” Revelation 2:12-17.
Pergamum | The Hellenistic Period = Greek Gods
Pergamum was an ancient Greek city in modern-day Turkey, It was located in the northwestern part of Anatolia (Asia Minor), about 16 miles from the Aegean Sea, on a peninsula on the north side of the Caicus River. It became an essential kingdom during the Hellenistic period under the Attalid dynasty, in the period of 281-133 BC. Today, the modern city of Bergama is located nearby.
Pergamum was considered the most significant worship center of all ages. The city was not known for commerce, but was the capital of learning and educational expansion, much like America. It was embraced as the land of refinement, science, and particularly medicine. People traveled from all over the world, as they knew it, to receive healing. It was the international healing place for humanity as well as the throne place for Satan, and there are some connections we need to remember.
The Horned Moon Goddess
Diana was the idol (goddess) choice of Ephesus, and the god, Dionysus, was Smyrna’s choice. Pergamum was the most ungodly, as they worshipped idols at Satan’s throne. Jesus tells us in Revelation 2:13 that this was the place of Satan’s dwelling. The Temple Aesculapius was the bragging rights of the locals. Within this temple was the wreathed serpent, and behind this serpent was Satan (the old serpent), which was the idol used in rituals for healing the sick.
Special Note: Our medical symbol of the two serpent snakes comes from this temple. The staff (rod in the middle) is historically described as Moses’ staff, and the two snakes represent the Pharaoh’s magicians’ two snakes, which attempted to devour Moses. The winged symbol behind the snakes and the rod represents the wings of the angel of light, Satan himself. The irony here in reading the Biblical stories and the history of this particular event in the Old Testament is that we know Moses placed his staff on the floor, and it turned into a snake and devoured the other two snakes. Satan’s symbol got popularized as the two snakes that did not get swallowed but that have control over the staff of Moses.
Satan not only tried to bring the church of Pergamum down through persecution but also through education. As the cultural and educational center of the world, he decided to infiltrate the church to destroy its real character, and living testimonies by way of education equals transformation. Satan used highly trained and educated religious men to cause the members to question the simplicity of their faith and the simplicity of the gospel.
God Speaks Through An Ass
The Pergamum church began to “buy into” the Satanic beliefs of Balaam. Balaam (700 BC) originally was a non-Israelite demonic prophet (antichrist) whom Balak (king of Moab) urged to curse the Israelites, who were about to invade Moab. God stopped Balaam and did not permit him to curse His people. The king of Moab was the eternal symbol of the Beast, and Balam was the eternal symbol of the False Prophet. The reason we know this is because they kept popping up throughout continuous history. Peter even spoke of them in the New Testament, as well. In 2 Peter 2:15, it says, “Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
The time stamp on the address of Pergamum is about AD 313. Since the teachings and practices of Balaam and Balak were the ruling doctrines during this time, the spread of those teachings went throughout all of Asia Minor—a very significant point. We learn from this passage that Satan does genuinely have an earthly throne at all times.
Temple of Serapeum
The church of Pergamum held fast to their faith, despite Satan having his headquarters right in their city. The indwelt Christian church worshipped and housed itself in the Red Basilica (Temple Serapeum). But the church, as a whole, was struggling with the idea of embracing the teachings from the Temple Aesculapius. The appeal was the educational aspect of this “university of Satan.” It sounded right; after all, they had stories of healings. The majority of the people followed the teachings of this temple. God also addresses the fact that they were holding to the teachings of the Nicolaitans, who put a priest between God and man. Does that church sound familiar? God classifies this as spiritual fornication and formation. The church is married to Christ. Any other relations with other gods is immorality and idolatry to God. Pergamum’s greatest downfall was the toleration of evil men and allowing these Satanic graduates to teach in their fellowship. Seriously, can you imagine that? If you could just think of the most wile, evil, wicked training institute that teaches demonic doctrines and then invite them to come in to speak from your pulpit—that’s what was going on here.
Balaam is representative of this church. Yes. Balaam is present in our churches today. They are everywhere. They use their Satanic graduate degrees to convince the Body of half-baked truths. The “truths” sound good and seem to work, but God does not bless them. Pergamum is still with us today.
While it is true that America closely resembles Pergamum, I would not call the United States the modern-day Pergamum. One of the most alarming facts for the church today is the standards and requirements our churches have placed on pastors in getting a degree in theology before being accepted as an ordained pastor, or before being given the privilege to preach the gospel. Yes, America indeed is one of the only countries that require, by law, pastors to be certified or licensed by the State to perform the sacraments. How we got from God picking His pastors to the State approving our pastors is a short walk in the park—the Pergamum Park.
How do we discover a Pergamum church today? Watch for two things: One, Christian women (goddesses) dominating the governance of the church, and two, educational requirements to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was only a few short years ago when women were not allowed to lead, preach, or teach from the pulpit. Today, it’s a dominating movement that has taken place and is sweeping throughout most churches. That is why this is key in watching for some of the Pergamum beliefs which have infiltrated our church today.
The whole thing about educational requirements to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ is beyond ridiculous. God is always taught through some of the most humble, uneducated, and untrained men since the first days of the gospel. Peter and John were accused of being “uneducated and untrained.” But what they (on-lookers) identified as observers was that they (disciples) were with this Jesus. That is the requirement for being able to preach the gospel—that we have been with this Jesus; this Jesus has indwelt us; we are ready and willing to manifest the Holy Spirit (Life of Christ) within us to preach to a hurting world.
God challenges the Pergamum church to repent quickly because He is about to come and make war with them with His mouth. Their rewards were supernatural provisions: a white stone with their name written on it, as well as the great reward of eternal life.
When we read, and when we hear: “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will I’ve some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it;” we don’t know what this means entirely, and we probably will not understand until we’re on the other side, but there is a great gift given to those who survive the liberal, progressive thinking of the Pergamum church.
