Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Church of Pergamum, Part 7: The sword in the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. .
Sunday, February 22, 2004
Some teach that the seven churches portray seven historical stages the church would go through in chronological order.
Others teach that it refers to the seven different types of churches or individual believers that live in every generation.
Pergamum was a place with an ever growing population and the center of religious and cultic worship.
1. Compromising their doctrinal beliefs.
2. Contradicting their doctrinal beliefs.
Sharp two-edged sword – rhomphaian – r/ = a long and broad sword representing a weapon used for divine discipline against the believer.
The machaira sword – an 18″ sword made for thrusting and used by the Romans.
EPH 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
HEB 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,
The rhomphia sword is used symbolically in the word of God for a wake up call of divine discipline from God under the principle of a warning from the supreme court of heaven.
LUK 2:34 And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this {Child} is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed –
It is also used, REV 2:16, for the purpose of rebounding or else.
In REV 6:8, the rhomphia sword is used for killing.
In REV 19:15,21, the rhomphia is used for instituting capital punishment.
If it is a place surrounded by carnality, remember the importance of not compromising.
Throne – thronos = Satan’s capital, or his chief center of authority or the place that he sets up shop to produce the historical trends he desires for the cosmic system.
His throne is found usually where there has been a meltdown of values and volition, related to divisions of divine establishment, and a meltdown of values related to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to Bible doctrine.
They had not compromised their doctrine in any way even though they were under satanic attack, and therefore they had not given up their testimony for TLJC.
Deny – arneomai = to contradict, compromise, disclaim, decline, or to renounce.
In the most intensive days of persecution and evil and satanic activity during this time, we have this man named Antipas, and Jesus Christ refers to him as a faithful witness of His.
He attained that status through evidence testing, which probably included his execution in one of the worship services of the pagans in Pergamos who were worshipping the serpent god, the “god of healing.”
Antipas was singing hymns to TLJC, and it totally blew away the demon possessed and demonized priests; the result of his singing hymns to TLJC in that heated brazen bowl = right at Satan’s throne, TLJC was glorified in the midst of all that demon activity.
We know so little of Antipas, by just this one phrase, but we know so much about him because no one gets called a faithful witness unless they glorified God and TLJC in the historical phase of the angelic conflict.
In the era that Antipas was an invisible hero, in a place of tremendous satanic activity, and one of the most intense times of demonic activity at the time, he glorified TLJC in the midst of demonic activity.
In every local assembly or every congregation, some believers succumb to false doctrines and the assault against the soul.
Balaam was hired by the king of the Moabites, to curse the Children of Israel, the people of God, NUM 22:6.
He did so because, 2PE 2:16, he was a psychotic believer.
2PE 2:16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.
Paraphrenia = madness, insane, psychotic.
ROM 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not.
If you can control the tongue of a jackass, you can control the tongue of a human.
He made the erroneous assumption that money is a means of happiness, that it could buy power and authority, and that money can buy security.
The doctrine of Balaam was to use religion mixed with the Phallic cult, which promoted idolatry, feasting, getting drunk, and entering into sexual relationships outside of the divine design.
The Phallic cult included: Fornication, prostitution, homosexuality, LEV 18:3-25. Frenzied group sex, LEV 20:1-5. Bestiality and incest, LEV 20:14-21. Masturbation, DEU 12:29-31. Merchandising feminine beauty, EZE 16:15. Excessive use of alcohol.