Rev. 2:12-17 (ESV)
"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
[13] " '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. [14] 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. [15] So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. [16] Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. [17] 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.'
“you have some who hold the teaching of Nicolaitans.” A church of two confessions cannot stand. I hear of them from time to time. There used to be a plethora of Reformed/Lutheran Congregations, which asked the members to compromise on their doctrine. Today you find some churches that allow their members to be Baptist while the rest is Presbyterian or something. This can’t be. At times it is just true there are doctrines that don’t mix. Doctrinal error is sin, it must be addressed as such. Repent. The doctrinal error prevalent here is that of the Nicolaitans. Perhaps this passage gives us insight into just what their sin was. It seems they were perhaps Christians on Sunday morning, but pagans on Friday nights. Pagan temples of the ancient world were often both restaurants and brothels. The food would be dedicated to certain deities, and when you ate the food it was as if you were dining with that deity, and the feast/ party/ orgy would be continued with temple prostitutes. It was considered part of your civic duty to partake in these festivities. Christians would be noted for their refusal which many believed would invite the wrath of certain gods. There was immense pressure to be both. But us Christians in this world as we are cannot afford to be of it at the same time. We cannot compromise our confession in such manner.
2 comments:
“Christians would be noted for their refusal which many believed would invite the wrath of certain gods.”
You know I never thought about it in that way, the reason why they at least in part hated the Christians was because if Christians didn’t partake it would invite the wrath of their gods on them. I never made that connection before, that fear factor that drove their hatred of Christian refusal.
Kind of puts a twist on the idea of the pagan environmental warming cults/religions. I.e. if we don’t do as the priest of global warming say, make the sacrifices, take part in them, the wrath of their “god” will be upon us in the form of global catastrophe. This they could hate Christians and persecute them for as they don’t partake in the non-sense.
“Christians would be noted for their refusal which many believed would invite the wrath of certain gods.”
You know I never thought about it in that way, the reason why they at least in part hated the Christians was because if Christians didn’t partake it would invite the wrath of their gods on them. I never made that connection before, that fear factor that drove their hatred of Christian refusal.
Kind of puts a twist on the idea of the pagan environmental warming cults/religions. I.e. if we don’t do as the priest of global warming say, make the sacrifices, take part in them, the wrath of their “god” will be upon us in the form of global catastrophe. This they could hate Christians and persecute them for as they don’t partake in the non-sense.
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