1. Read Revelation 2:12-17.
2. When God wants you to know what something represents, He always tells you somewhere in His Word. His Word is your plumb line–everything else has to line up with it; it shows what is true. Let Scripture interpret Scripture and you won’t be led astray by anyone’s false teaching, dreams, visions or imaginations. After looking up the following Scriptures, explain the meaning of the sharp double-edged sword.
a. Revelation 1:16 Where does the sharp double-edged sword come out of?
b. Hebrews 4:12 What is sharper than a double-edged sword? What does It do?
c. Ephesians 6:17 What is the sword of the Spirit?
d. Revelation 19:15; Isaiah 11:4 What will Jesus do with the sharp sword, the rod of his mouth?
3. Jesus commends this church because, although they live right where Satan has his throne, they have not denied His name. In biblical times a person’s name was very significant, for it showed the person’s character and/or attributes. Consider the following verses. To deny Jesus’ name would be to deny what the Word of God says about Him.
a. Psalm 138:2-3 What is exalted about all things?
b. Matthew 1:21-23 What do the names of Jesus mean?
c. Philippians 2:9-11 What will happen because the name of Jesus is exalted above all names?
d. Acts 4:12 What is given only by the name of Jesus?
4. If you were to deny His name, what would you deny about Him?
5. The church of Pergamum had not denied Jesus’ name nor His faith. Examine the following Scriptures. What would it be to deny, as Jesus said, “My faith”?
a. Matthew 5:17-20 Who is the fulfillment of the Law? What is necessary besides knowing what the Word of God says? How is a person able to do this?
b. Luke 24:25-27 What does the Scriptures tell about?
c. 2 Timothy 3:16a Where does the written Word come from? What has to be done with Scripture in order to make it real?
d. 2 Peter 1:20-21; 3:1-2 How was the Bible written? What is needed besides the written Word of God in order to have saving faith?
e. Jude 3-4 What was the faith that was once and for all entrusted to the saints? Why should the Christians content for the faith in this instance? How might they do this?
f. Revelation 22:17-20 What would you be denying if you were to add or subtract from the meaning of Jesus’ words? Who may “take from the free gift of the water of life?”
6. How diligently would you earnestly contend for the faith? Would you even if it meant martyrdom?
7. The church of Pergamum had not denied Jesus’ name nor His faith even though they lived in the presence of Satan’s throne. Satan is the father of lies–his first recorded words were “Did God really say…” Yet they permitted people that held to the teaching of Balaam. What would you answer someone that asked what was wrong with the teaching of Balaam? There is no more concise answer than recorded in Revelation 2:14.
8. Read Numbers 22-24.
a. What did Balak, the king of Moab, want Balaam, the pagan diviner, to do and why? Was this necessary? Read Numbers 21:22 to find how Israel treated a neighbor of Moab.
b. Why couldn’t Balaam do what the king wanted?
9. What had the Moabites done to the Israelites? Read Deuteronomy 23:4-5; Joshua 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:5.
10. What did the children of Israel do that caused God to judge them even though Balaam could not curse them? Read Numbers 25:1-9; 31:16-18 Baal-peor was a false god, an idol. Immorality was involved in the worship of Baal.
11. What was Balaam’s end as mentioned in Number 31:8 and Joshua 13:22?
12. 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11 talks about Balaam. Read 2 Peter 2 and Jude 10-16 and note what God says about these ungodly men and their fate.
13. Before Gentiles came to salvation in Jesus Christ, idols and immorality were an accepted life-style. What does the stand of the church fathers tell you about the importance of avoiding these sins (Acts 15: 19-20, 22-29)?
14. What kind of teaching today would correlate to the teaching of Balaam? This is Jesus’ word to the churches and “…there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9b.
15. Read Revelation 2:6; 2:15. Some identify Nicolaitans are being an early Gnostic group. A explanation of Gnosticism is given at the end of this lesson.
“Nicolaitans. A heretical sect within the church that had worked out a compromise with the pagan society. They apparently taught that spiritual liberty gave them sufficient leeway to practice idolatry and immorality…A similar group in Pergamum held the teaching of Balaam (Rev. 2, 14-15), and some in Thyatira were followers of the woman Jezebel (Rev. 2:20). From these heretical tendencies it would appear that all three of these groups were Nicolaitans.” NIV Study Bible
“None of the earlier church writers (or latter ones, for that matter) have anything good to say about the beliefs or practices of this group. The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles states that ‘those who are falsely called Nicolaitans, are impudent in uncleanness.’ Tertullian (with regard to marriage) says, ‘The Nicolatians, in their maintentance of lust and luxury, destroy the happiness of sanctity.’ Irenaeus writes, ‘they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence,’ and teach ‘it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.’ Ignatius brands them as ‘lovers of pleasure, and given to slanderous speeches.’ He also says that they ‘affirm that unlawful unions are a good thing, and place the highest happiness in pleasure.’” The Nicolaitans by Al Maxey
“Nicolaitans” comes from Nicolaos, a composite of two words: nikos (victory, to conquer) and laos (the people, the laity). It could means “victory over the people” which implies a position of authority and dominance over the believer or “the people rule.” which implies lack of submission to authority. In either case a corrupt relationship between the church and laity seems to be involved in the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
An example of this seemingly contradictory meaning: The Children of God—The Inside Story by Deborah Davis (the daughter of the founder Moses David Berg) explains that a corrupt, immoral leader can easily deceive those who were rebellious at heart. A person with an unsubmissive attitude toward the authority whom God has placed over him can easily be led into giving too much control of his life to someone whom God has not placed in authority over him.
Consider these verses to determine a correct relationship between leaders and laity.
a. Revelation 1:6 Who did Jesus make to be a kingdom of priests to serve Him?
b. 1 Timothy 2:5 Who is the only mediator between God and man?
c. Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-22 Who is our High Priest that we can draw near to?
d. Hebrews 10:24-25 What are some people in the habit of doing? Why is it important to meet together? What makes it more and more important?
e. Hebrews 13:7, 17 Who are we supposed to obey and submit to?
f. Acts 2:41-47 Why is it important to belong to a church? What does it mean to belong to a church?
g. Acts 6:1-7 Why did the early church find it necessary to appoint offices? What relationship did the apostles have to the early church?
h. Acts 13:1-3 What important duty did the early church have? How does that relate to what the church does today?
i. Acts 14:27 Paul, the great apostle, reported back to the leaders of the local assembly. Why is that significant?
j. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9 What should be the character of men who are leaders?
k. Ephesians 5:22-6:9; 1 Peter 3:1-7 Who are we each to be submissive to in our individual lives?
16. Who would God have you submit to? How are you carrying out your role?
17. Jesus held the church at Pergamum responsible for having people there who held to the teaching of Balaam (Balaam had enticed the Israelites to sin) and for having those who held to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Consider these Scriptures in determining who is held responsible for sin, both individually and as a church?
a. Exodus 20:4 What influence can parents have on their children?
b. Jeremiah 23:1-2 Who are held responsible for sin according to this Scripture?
c. Matthew 18:6 A terrible punishment awaits a terrible crime—what is it?
d. Ezekiel 33:1-6 When is the watchman held responsible for sin? When is he not?
e. Deuteronomy 24:16; Jeremiah 31:30 Who is ultimately held responsible for sin?
f. 2 Corinthians 5:10 Who will be judged where?
h. Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9 Who is very powerful in influencing the whole world to sin?
18. How would you explain to someone his or her responsibility for sin?
19. How does Jesus’ description of Himself relate to what He says to the church in Pergamum?
GNOSTICISM
One of the most dangerous heresies of the first two centuries of the church was Gnosticism. Its central teaching was the spirit is entirely good and matter is entirely evil. For this unbiblical dualism flowed five important errors.
1. Man’s body, which is matter, is therefore evil. It is to be contrasted with God, who is wholly spirit and therefore good.
2. Salvation is the escape from the body, achieved not by faith in Christ but a special knowledge (the Greek word for ‘knowledge’ is gnosis, hence Gnosticism).
3. Christ’s true humanity was denied in two ways: (1) Some said that Christ only seemed to have a body, a view called Doetisim, from the Greek dokeo ((‘to seem’), and others said that the divine Christ joined the man Jesus at baptism and left him before he died, a view called Cerinthianism, after its most prominent spokesman, Cerinthus. This view is the background of much of 1 John (see 1:1, 2:22; 4:2-3.
4. Since the body was considered evil, it was to be treated harshly. This ascetic form of Gnosticism was the background of part of the letter to the Colossians (2:21-21).
5. Paradoxically, this dualism also led to licentiousness. The reasoning was that, since matter–and not the breaking of God’s law (1 Jn 3:4)–was considered evil, breaking his law was of no moral consequence.
The Gnosticism addressed in the NT was the early form of the heresy, not the intricately developed system of the second and third centuries. In addition to that seen in Colossians and John’s letters, acquaintance with early Gnosticism was reflected in 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and 2 Peter and perhaps 1 Corinthians.” NIV Study Bible