Revelation 2:12–17 (ESV)
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “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.’
Jesus urges the congregation
in Pergamum to repent of the pagan practices into which they were slipping and to follow the example of one who stood fast, even to the point of death. Sadly, compromising the Gospel and committing sexual sins remain problems today. Yet, Jesus offers us repentance
and forgiveness also. He even prepares for us a seat at the messianic banquet that never ends.
I pray: Lord, I thank You for the godly example of those that surrendered
their lives rather than deny Your name. Give me a similar unwavering faith, that I may ever hold fast Your name. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 2203.