Back to the Future: Revelation - Letter to Pergamum

Revelation: 2:12-16 | “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and to commit acts of immorality (NASB). In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

• What was the church in Pergamum doing well? 

• What was the church in Pergamum not doing well? What did they need to change? 

• How do you relate to the church in Pergamum? 

  • Which of the following things are you doing well? What do you need to start doing or to do better? 

    • Loyal to God when people around you don’t follow Him

    • Publicly acknowledging your faith, even when there are consequences

    • Tolerating false teachers

    • Tolerating or encouraging sin 

• The people in the church at Pergamum were followers of Jesus. Why was growing in these other areas also important?