TP 26 WEEKLY

Additional matters with Cheryl Davis if she continues her teaching of the seven churches of Revelation. Today the truth dreams exist to third church in the church of Pergamum also known as the church of her, being a Christian. Pergamum was not easy. Believers were often under great pressure to compromise their principles and convictions of faith and live as pagans. Pergamum was a city where widespread Satan and idol worship occurred frequently, primarily because Satan's throne was located in the city was a city saturated with demonic activity and wicked behavior. Pergamum was also seen in the temple of the Greek goddess Athena was erected and exalted by idol worshipers.

Many in the church in Pergamum were faithful to Jesus. Write a letter to the congregation, warning them not to compromise the faith by accepting doctrines of devils for living unholy lifestyles years, Dr. Davis, the consequences of compromising faith hi Dr. Cheryl nanus and we continue in our survey Revelation. The letters to the seven churches last time we talked about the church at Smyrna as it was, they church that suffered intense persecution. There were no negative things. No opportunities for improvement found by Christ for them. Christ knew the tribulation their poverty, the persecution they told them to be fearless and faithful and that those that overcome would receive the crown of life.

The next church that we plan to survey is the church at Pergamum in verses 12 317 and reading versus 12 to 17 into the Angela Church in part a mess right these things says he has the sharp two-edged sword.

I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is and you hold fast to my name and did not deny my faith even in the days in which and this was my faithful martyr was killed among you, where Satan dwells that I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Baylon the child they like to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality that she also had those who hold the doctrine of manipulations, which thing I hate, repent or else I will come to you quickly will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear can hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna eat and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it.

Each time as we survey these letters we talk about the destination that this nation of this letter is to park a mess part of mess was the most northern of the seven cities is the capital of the Roman government in Asia is the greatest city in Asia had been the capital for 400 years when the letter was written was known for the production of parchment and parchment was a historical paper because it was the capital had the authority to carry out capital punishment, and it was licensed as a Roman sword to take life by historians or William Ramsey says Pergamum gives the traveler the impression of a royal city is the home of the authority is the intellectual center at the second largest library in the world at the time the largest happen to be in Alexandria, Egypt.

As each letter has a designation of the Lord, or characteristic of the Lord says these things says he in verse 12 has the sharp two-edged sword.

In verse 16 with the sword of my mouth. The sword represents judgment and the authority to judge Christ is prepared to use it. Pergamum is the church does not repent, which Pergamum is the capital of Rome and Asia, which it does have the authority to then use this ward to take Roman life and read Hebrews 4 verse 12 as it describes the word of God as a sward for the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is no creature hidden from the site that all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. Jesus continues to get into the diagnosis of the church. In this case, the church, a part of mess has a fourfold diagnosis three good things and one bad we think about it three or out of four are not bad right I may fear go to the doctor and he says well you the things that are good and then force when you need to improve upon your you know you can go out past yourself on the back. At least I got three out of four, except in this case with the force diagnosis was fatal. Let's get into the letter and first thing in verse 13 he says I know which he says to each church I know he knows where they do well.

He knows where Satan's throne is.

He knows where Satan dwells is really just giving context to his judgment that he knew the circumstances of their faith because the city in which they lived in how you think having a church where Satan dwelt in where his throne was work for them.

Manny think it works for the modern day church today is a struggle. Pergamum held in ancient wonder of the world the altar to Zeus was 90 ft.² but it was 40 feet high. The altar look like a throne many evils sacrifices were offered on this altar as clean up is the God of healing was known as the Pergamum's God. He was known as this clip is the Savior.

This was the root of the fence that the church had with the city. This is the image of a snake coiled around a rod was the emblem of the goddess Clea this another tradition from history says that when Babylon fail the center of Satan's pagan activity on earth moved its operations from Babylon to Pergamum's Christ understood the darkness in which the Christians at Pergamum's lived in so he knew the circumstances of their faith. Next he knew the conviction of their faith, he says in these verses that he knew the believers were trying to hold fast to his name were trying to hold fast to their fates that he knew the conviction of the faith in Jesus Christ also knew the courage of their faith. They had been courageous to the point of death antithesis died as a martyr. Christ called him his faithful martyr. He knew the courage of their faith. He also knew the compromise of their faith, which is where he gets into the force diagnosis in which this diagnosis was fatal.

He knew the compromise of their faith.

What I'm here to say today is that compromising will cost you your life. The problem with Ephesus is that they had lost their first love the persecution by the Roman empire with Smyrna really made them stronger because of persecution. But in this case, the church was weakened by compromise the same strategy. Baylon used against Israel is the same strategy that Satan brought against the church at Pergamum's in order to understand part of mess we must understand Baylon in the Old Testament that would like to just turn to rock to numbers 22 through 25 chapters 20 Thursday 25. We are not going to read all of these chapters, however, but if you read through them. This is basically the doctrine of Baylon. Baylon was a pagan prophet in the Old Testament who ran a business of getting the gods to grant favors. He would intercede with any God as long as the price is right. So, just to summarize the story of bailiwick, the kingdom of Moab tried to petition Baylon to curse Israel so that he could conquer Israel, but ultimately Baylon taught bailout how to put a stumbling block in the path of Israel in the form of enticements of the Moabite women. I'm going to read numbers 25 verses one through three. Now Israel remain in Acacia greater than the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the people ate and bowed down to their gods so Israel was joined to bail or pay your and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. In response, God killed 24 Israelites compromise in the face because Baylon taught bailout how to make the Israelites stumble the doctrine of Baylon is that if you cannot curse them you corrupt them. In this case by intermarrying with the Moabite women, their faith was diluted by intermarriage. The people of Pergamum thought they could indulge in the pagan practices around them without harm to their spirituality.

But really, by adding the practices of the pagans of Pergamum's they were compromising their face so you basically corrupt yourself from within and therefore you lose power and you curse your own sales by weakening and compromising. Also they had the doctrine of the collations. In addition to the doctrine of Baylon. We encountered them at the church at Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2 verse six they wanted to divide the church into two classes.

Basically, priests and laity just let the pagan temples really what this did it destroy the unity of the body of Christ, a pattern of compromise can become a practice of compromise. Pretty soon after you compromise then you began practicing it and you have deleted your faith so just like when Christ gives the diagnosis. He often offers a remedy for their sin. And this is demands that he places on the church basically he says repent or else I will come quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He says clean up the mess, or I will come and fight against the guilty ones.

The sword of my mouth. In verse 17 and he delivers promises and really promises to deliver the church and gives them to promises to them that overcome the first one is hidden manna. Heavenly food, God gave the Israelites to keep them alive in the wilderness is known as manna and we've seen that and exist. Chapter 16 verses 11 to 15 God has food for them to sustain them that they cannot retake at the table that is sacrificed to idols.

It's the hidden manna that he's offering to them to help really stop them from compromising get them to turn away from compromise in the last promise is a stone with a new name the Whitestone that has a name written on it which no one knows this is really hard symbol to interpret the something the Whitestone is in a sense, but we will be given a new name but really the main message here is that you don't have to compromise your faith to get what you need. All we have to do is believe the promises of God's promises are yes and amen really the problems of parking must have been lived out in history. Pergamum was the church that was married to the world after Diocletian the evil Roman Emperor died, Constantine won control of the Empire, she decided that the whole empire should become Christian and declared it to be said.

This is really an unholy marriage of church and state that resulted in Christianity being forced on people much like Emperor worship. There is no evidence that Constantine was a born again Christian.

When you think about this pagan temples became churches pagan holidays became Christian holidays pagan statues became Christian icons and pagan priests slipped into positions of Christian influence the world entered the church, with the blessings of the Emperor thereto warnings here, never. It's about anyone but Christ and never compromise your face. We can do a lot of good things for Christ.

But bringing the world into the church can signal the end we can do a lot of good things for Christ. But bringing the world into the church can signal the end.

That is, each time as we finish these letters that like us to just really reflect on our church and our relationship with God, and in particular here. What part does the world have in our lives what part does the world have in our church and would not be pleased with that. And are we compromising are we committing that fatal mistake of compromising. Until next time, we hope you'll join us again were next to the truth matters with Cheryl Davis today was the Revelation series over the next several weeks helping each of us to better understand the importance of this intriguing, especially sensitive for those alive during the last days of the church for those will endure the great tribulation. There truly is. We see the global events happening around us today. One consistent with the apostle John wrote in the book of Revelation is unfolding before our eyes. Dr. Davis will continue this journey through the book as we study next week.

Church of Thyatira. If you would like to contact Dr. Davis if you can email her@cheryldavistruthprojectmatters.com or by mail at PO Box 159 St. Paul's, NC 28384. Listen to a podcast of today's message on project truth matters.com or listen to the station for the next broadcast of truth matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis truth matters as a production truth project