I. Commission
– And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
1. Pergamos/Pergamum
2. 20
mi inland, north Smyrna
3. “Pergamum
was a university city, famous for its library of
200,000 parchment scrolls, second only in size to the
library of Alexandria in Egypt. Indeed, parchment was invented in Pergamum, for
when its king decided to establish a library and enticed Alexandria’s librarian
to head up his library, the Egyptian king banned the
export of papyrus to Pergamum. This forced
Pergamum’s scholars to find an alternate writing material, and they invented
parchment. Parchment lasts much better than papyrus, so this invention played a
big part in preserving the Bible for us.” - Tony Garland (Monty S. Mills)
4. “It
used to be common to credit Eumenes II, king of Pergamum shortly after 200 B.C., with the invention of parchment.
Eumenes was building up his library to rival the great library of King Ptolemy
in Alexandria. The king of Egypt moved to cut off the supply of papyrus to
Pergamum, and in response Eumenes was forced to develop “parchment.” This story
is true if taken in the sense that Eumenes was the first to make use of
parchment or leather; for long before the second century, animal skins for
writing were unquestionably in use. In Egypt, for example, mention is made of
leather documents as far back as 2500 B.C. . . . So Eumenes was by no means the
first to use animal skins for writing, although he may have developed and
perfected a better process for treating the skins. Whatever the case, Pergaumum
and parchment are indisputably connected, the word “parchment” being derived
from the Greek term pergamene. “ -
Tony Garland (Neil R. Lightfoot)
5. Temple
of Exculapius/Askelpios – serpent (Satan's seat? Or Zeus? medicine, scalpel
(OT, Num., look at snake on pole)
II. Commencement
– The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
1. Two
sides, life/death
2. Able
to separate them from the world
III. Commendation
– I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my
name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful
witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
1. Antipas
unknown, possibly burned in bronze/brass bull, Christ watches all of his own,
for emperor worship, none else brought death, hold fast my name, witness martus
to martyr because so many people died as witnesses
2. Evils,
persecution, culminated in Askelpios serpent worship, of healing, medical
symbol, magian high priest, “Chief Bride Builder” between devil, demons, and
men, pope, Julius Caesar
3. Dwell
– see as stranger to world and ambassador of Christ, do not become comfortable
4. Satan
does not live in hell, but on earth
IV. Condemnation
– But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the
teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons
of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual
immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
1. “This
is in contrast to “the way of Balaam,” that is, selling his prophetic gift for
money (2 Peter 2:15) religious work for personal gain, and “the error of Balaam,”
his assumption that God would curse Israel (Jude 11)” – Bible.org
2. Balaam
taught intermarriage, real problem in Pergamum, feasts, food, immorality,
idolatry
3. Temptation,
there must be a want outside of God's will for Satan to get us, Jesus' temptation
4. “The
problem for the church at Pergamum was not that
Nicolaitans existed in the city, but that they were
within the church.” - Tony Garland
5. Church
responsible for purity, cannot blame on evil but on tolerance, allow to feel
comfortable
V. Command
& Coming – Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war
against them with the sword of my mouth.
1. Christ
will fight them
2. Coming
linked with command, live in light of it
VI. Challenge
– He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To
the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him
a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except
the one who receives it.
1. Tony
Garland
1. Spiritual
manna vs. pagan sacrifices
2. In
an intentional comparison between Himself and the feeding of Israel in the
wilderness, Jesus fed the multitude (John 6:1-14). Afterward, Jesus taught the
significance of the event, which was not found in the miracle itself, but in
what it signified:
3. “Our
fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from
heaven to eat.'” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My
Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to
them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John
6:31-35)
4. Jesus
is the true manna which gives eternal life. The
manna in the wilderness sustained the Israelites for a time, but they still
died in the wilderness:
5. “I
am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven,
that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that
I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:48-51)
6. The
overcomer has faith in Christ and is a partaker of His flesh given on our
behalf. Thus he has eternal life:
7. “As
the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on
Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not
as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live
forever.” (John 6:57-58)
8. This
manna is said to be hidden. “There
can, I think, be no doubt that allusion is here to the manna which at God’s
express command Moses caused to be laid up before
the Lord in the Sanctuary (Ex. 16:32-34; cf. Heb. 9:4). This manna, as being thus laid up in the Holy Place, obtained the name of ‘hidden.’ ”
9. The
allusion is ultimately traceable to Ex. 16:32-34, where the
Lord commanded a sample of manna to be preserved as a memorial for future
generations. Tradition was quick to explain its subsequent disappearance. It
was taken to have been originally kept in the ark of
the covenant (cf. Heb. 9:4), and
on the destruction of Solomon’s
temple Jeremiah, according to 2 Macc. 2:4-7,
was warned to take the tabernacle, the ark and its
contents to Sinai and there hide them underground.
There they would remain until the coming of the Messiah,
when Jeremiah would reappear and deposit them in the new Messianic temple in Jerusalem. A variant in 2 Baruch 6:7-10, ascribing
their concealment to an angel, is almost contemporary with the Revelation.
neither of these passages mentions manna, but its inclusion in this tradition
is inferred from Heb. 9:4 and explicit in the Rabbinic
sources (so Yoma 52b).
10. Christ
Himself may be considered hidden manna,
being no longer visible since His ascension:
11. Life
eternal commences on this side of the grave, and not first on the other; and
here in the wilderness Christ is the bread from heaven, the bread of God, the
true manna, of which those that eat shall never die (John 6:31-33,
48-51). Nay, more than this; since his Ascension he is in
some sort a “hidden manna” for them now.
12. The
fact that the manna is described as “hidden,” points to the mystery of eternal life, a mystery that is only
perceived through faith. The hidden (or secret) manna seems to be the bread of
life which is a secret from all who have not experienced the saving grace of
Jesus Christ.
13. From
the perspective of the saints at Pergamum, the
hidden manna was a reminder of God’s provision in spite of deprivation. “The
person leaving the state church might be deprived of his job and welfare. But
in spite of what he may be deprived of, God will provide his sustenance.”
2. a
white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the
one who receives it.
1. Token
of Innocence in court
2. Gladiator
privilege, win, no come
3. Good
Omen, pot each day
4. High
Priest's Headdress, precious stone w/ name of God
5. Urim/Thummim,
white, sparkle, diamond, any engraving only known by priest
6. 10
Commandment Stones, both (manna) from same time in history, rewards (tree of
life, crown of life, more to come), God writing, moral law against polluted
environment
7. Scripture
by Scripture
8. Either
new name for the believer, or new name/characteristic of God
9. John
MacArthur, what name is it?
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