Hard By Satan’S Throne
HARD BY SATAN’S THRONE
REVELATION 2:12-17
For those who remained firm there would be a reward: the gifts and riches of Christ.
Pergamum had once been the important capital of an independent little kingdom, but now its political importance was a memory and it had been outshone commercially by Ephesus. It remained famous for the temple of Zeus which topped its hill: “Satan’s throne” (2:13). Life was dominated by it, and its priests had early claimed the life of Antipas, who is otherwise unknown. In such surroundings there had to be a clearcut response to the official paganism of the city, which presented no difficulty to true believers. More subtle by far was the suggestion that they should recognize the hidden truth in it, an attitude that is prevalent in some missionary thinking today.
The mention of “Balaam” (2:14, see Numbers 25:1-9,16-18; 31:8,16) shows that the syncretism they were threatened by was a grosser form of Gnosticism, in which those initiated into it were encouraged to indulge in sins of the flesh to show they had risen above the restraints of the Law. If you meet such people (for they still exist) shun them; they carry a spiritual plague. The mention in the same context of the “Nicolaitans” (2:15, see also 2:6) suggests that Nicolaus’ teaching was also a Gnostic one, though probably not so gross. When a church permits such things, God’s judgment on sinners will affect it as well (2:16).
“The hidden manna” (2:17) in its literal meaning looks back to the jar of manna placed in the ark (Exodus 16:33; Hebrews 9:4), the contents of which were controlled only by God. In the context we have true spiritual secrets, “the name” and the nourishment, in contrast to the false wisdom and secrets of the Gnostics. For some, there is always a strong pull toward the idea that there are special teachings and meanings in the Bible which can be appreciated only by the elite. When such teaching is met, we should not stop to ask whether it is true—though it is well to remember that the unprovable has little to commend it—but whether it brings us to closer personal intimacy with God.