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. Plough
. Servant
of God Studies
A
Closer Look at the Church of Pergamos
By Servant of God
Two Bible translations are used in this study: KJV, and
Bullinger's. All scripture is noted as such. Also note
that REVELATION 2:12-17 is a main
thread in this study, and so REVELATION 2:12-17 is highlighted.
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KJV REVELATION 2:12
12 And unto the angel of the
Assembly in Pergamos, write ; These things saith he who hath the
sharp two-edged sword.
KJV Revelation 1:16
16 And he had in his right hand seven
stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:
and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
KJV Revelation 2:16
16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my
mouth.
KJV Numbers 31:8
8 And they slew the kings of Midian,
beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and
Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of
Beor they slew with the sword.
KJV Joshua 13:22
22 Balaam also the son of Beor, the
soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword
among them that were slain by them.
Bullinger: This attribute of Christ is taken from 1.
16. It is used here and in the closing threat of the Epistle (2. 16),
because the judgment upon "the error of Balaam" was executed
with the sword. See Num. 31. 8, "Balaam also, the son of Beor,
they slew with the sword " (So Josh. 13. 22). Hence all the
significant references to the "sword" in this epistle. In
1.16 the sword proceeds out of Christ's mouth, teaching them how, by
the word which cometh out of His mouth, He can chastise and destroy.
Hearken therefore to Him.
KJV REVELATION 2:13
13 I
know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is:
and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in
those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among
you, where Satan dwelleth.
Bullinger: [I knowest where thou dwellest,
even where Satan`s throne is.] Here we
have a special reference to the scenes and circumstances of Rev. 13.
2, where the Dragon gave the Beast "his power, and his throne,
and great authority." In Rev. 16. 10, "the fifth angel
poured out his vial upon the throne of the Beast," &c. So
that at that time, in the Day
of the Lord, there will be a special place where Satan's throne
will be set up in this world; and when he and the Beast will receive
that worship which it is and has ever been his aim, all through, to
obtain from mankind. This throne is evidently to be in Pergamos.
Now we know from 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Satan's throne will be set up in
the Temple of God, and that is in the Holy Mount in Jerusalem, not in
Pergamos.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above
all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he
is God.
KJV Revelation 13:2
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto
a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as
the mouth of a lion : and the dragon
gave him his power, and his seat,(Throne) and great authority.
KJV REVELATION 2:13
13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat
is: and thou holdest fast my
name, and hast not
denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful
martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Bullinger: [and thou holdest fast my
name] in not receiving the mark of the Beast. See
Rev. 11. 18 ("which fear thy name"); and compare 13. 13-15.
2 Thes. 2. 11, 12. [and didst not deny my faith, [even] in
the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among
you, where Satan dwelleth] Here is another
allusion to Satan's future special presence on the earth in the days
here referred to.
KJV Revelation 11:18
18 And the nations were angry, and thy
wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets,
and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
KJV Revelation 13:13
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he
maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
KJV Revelation 13:14
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the
earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the
sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they
should make an image to the beast, which had the
wound by a sword, and did live.
KJV Revelation 13:15
15 And he had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should
be killed. (Spiritually)
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:11
11 And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:12
12 That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:14
14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel,
to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
KJV REVELATION 2:14
14 But I have a few things against
thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam,
who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication.
Bullinger's Translation for
REVELATION 2:14
14 Nevertheless I have against
thee a few things, that thou hast there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication.
Bullinger: What "the error of Balaam" (Jude
11) was may be seen from Numbers 25. 1, &c., and 31. 16, &c.
The whole scene has to do with idolatry of the grossest kind, where
fornication will be made religion! and when religion will be turned
into fornication, as it was and is in all the great heathen systems of
idolatry. This was the essence of idolatry of old; and this is what is
again coming on the earth. Otherwise, what mean those significant
words in chap. 9. 20, 21?
KJV Revelation 9:20
20 And the rest of the men which were not
killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands,
that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver,
and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,
nor walk:
KJV Revelation 9:21
21 Neither repented they of their murders,
nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
KJV REVELATION 2:15
15 So hast thou also them that
hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Bullinger's Translation for
REVELATION 2:15
15 So hast thou also those that
hold fast the teaching of the Nicolaitanes (v. 6) in like manner.
KJV REVELATION 2:16
16 Repent; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the
sword of my mouth.
Bullinger's Translation for
REVELATION 2:16
16 Repent therefore ; otherwise I
will come unto thee speedily, and will fight against them with the
sword (v.12) of my mouth.
Bullinger: We have seen before, how foreign is such a
warning and threat as addressed to the members of the Church of God
to-day. On the other hand, we seethe actual fulfillment of this threat
in chap. 19. 11-21.
KJV Revelation 19:11
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make
KJV Revelation 19:12
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and
on His head were many crowns ; and He had a name written that no man
knew, but He Himself.
KJV Revelation 19:13
13 And He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood : and His name is called The Word of God.
KJV Revelation 19:14
14 And the armies which were in heaven
followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean.
KJV Revelation 19:15
15 And out of His mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations
: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; and he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
KJV Revelation 19:16
16 And He hath on His vesture and on His
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
KJV Revelation 19:17
17 And i saw an angel standing in the sun
; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in
the midst of heaven, “Come and gather yourselves together unto the
supper of the great God ;
KJV Revelation 19:18
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and
the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of
horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both
free and bond, both small and great.”
KJV Revelation 19:19
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of
the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him
that sat on the horse, and against His army.
KJV Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was taken, and with him
the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he
deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone.
KJV Revelation 19:21
21 And the remnant were slain with the
sword of Him That sat upon the horse, which
sword proceeded out of His mouth : and all the fowls
were filled with their flesh.
KJV REVELATION 2:17
17 He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth
saving he that receiveth it.
Bullinger's Partial Translation
for REVELATION 2:17
17 He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit is saying to the Assemblies: To him that
overcometh will I give of the hidden manna
Bullinger: This promise follows in the order of Old
Testament illustration. (1) To Ephesus it was the tree of life (Gen.
2.). (2) To Smyrna it was not to be hurt of the second death (Gen.
3.). Now, to Pergamos, it is the manna of Exod. 16. 32-34. We have to
remember how the false prophets and teachers were all fed at Jezebel's
table (I Kings 18. 19). So all these false teachers will be supported
by the State of which the Beast will be the head. The faithful remnant
of the woman's seed will be again driven into the wilderness (12.
13-17).
Bullinger: How beautiful therefore to be thus
reminded, just here, that God can spread a table (not Jezebel's) for
them in that wilderness, as He did of old (Ps. 78. 19), when "man
did eat angels' food, and He sent them meat to the full" (Ps. 78.
24, 25). It is in this connection that the promise of the manna is
given. In Ex. 16. 34, 35 we are told that the manna was specially
given "until they came to a land inhabited." Until then, God
has "hidden manna" with which to support His people.
KJV Psalms 78:19
19 Yea, they spake against God; they said,
Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
KJV Psalms 78:24
24 And had rained down manna upon
them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.
KJV Psalms 78:25
25 Man did eat angels' food: he sent them
meat to the full.
KJV Exodus 16:34
34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron
laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
KJV Exodus 16:35
35 And the children of Israel did eat
manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat
manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
KJV REVELATION 2:17
17 He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh
will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white
stone, and in the stone a new
name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Bullinger's Translation for
REVELATION 2:17
17 and I will give unto him a
white stone, and on the stone a new
name written, which none knoweth save he that receiveth it.
Bullinger: This new name
for the new Israel is the subject of prophecy. Isa. 62. 2 tells of the
time when "Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of
the Lord shall name" (see also Isa. 65. 15). Rev. 19. 11-16 is
the fulfillment of this promise. What that new name will be is not yet
revealed, but its association with the "white stone" reminds
us that as they will be "a kingdom of priests," so they will
have the priestly signs as Aaron had (Ex. 28. 36,&c.). On the
front of his mitre was a plate of gold "holy to the Lord."
Here, instead of a plate of gold, they are to have a white stone, on
which will be an inscription equivalent to Aaron's, with their new
name: thus distinguishing them in a most emphatic way from those who
will worship the Beast and receive his mark in their forehead. Those
who will be on the earth in those days will thus be divided into two
opposing parties: the party of the Beast, and that of the Lamb;
KJV Isaiah 62:22
22 nd the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and
thou shalt be called by a new name, which the
mouth of the LORD shall name.
KJV Isaiah 65:15
15 And ye shall leave your name for a
curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his
servants by ANOTHER
NAME:
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The tools used
to produce these Bible studies were:
The
King James Companion
Bible
Companion
Bible Appendixes
Strong's
Concordance
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