The Sharp, Double-Edged Sword
Revelation 2:12 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.”
We read this in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” These are the words of Jesus, for Jesus/God is the author of the Scriptures, the living word of God. They cut to the heart and they pierce through the soul in conviction of truth to our consciences and to our hearts. They convict the sinner of sin and they call for the sinner to repent of sin.
For the Word of God is not the wishy-washy, light, and fluffy feel-good stuff which leaves people feeling good about themselves and perhaps feeling as though they did something religious or that they connected with God (or a god), but which never pierces to the division of the soul and spirit, never discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. For the “feel-good” stuff is not intended to cut to the heart in conviction of sin and of gospel truth. It is intended to keep the sinner still bound in captivity to sin without God.
Where the Throne of Satan Sits
Revelation 2:13 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“13 I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.”
The throne of Satan sits on the earth, which is where we humans live. And when we are born into this world, we are born with sin natures in the image of Adam, the first man created by God, and the first man to sin against God. So, only by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, but which comes from God, and is gifted to us by God, can any of us be free from our bondage to sin and live holy lives pleasing to God. And this faith must be persuaded of God as to His righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we die to sin and obey His Word.
And then we can be those who follow our Lord in walks of obedience to His commands in holy living, in the power of God, and for whom sin is no longer what we practice (our habit), but for whom righteousness, godliness, moral purity, uprightness, self-control, honesty and faithfulness are our practice, by the grace of God. In the power of God we can walk worthy of the calling of God, we can hold fast to the teachings of the Scriptures, to obey them, and we can persevere in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord even in the face of much opposition and persecution – all in the power of God!!
A Few Things Against You
Revelation 2:14-16 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. 15In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
Now the church in Pergamum was the collective body of Christ throughout the city. And most likely they did not regularly meet all in one place, which was dependent on the size of the city and the number of believers in Christ within the city. Mostly the early church met in people’s homes which were generally not large, and so a normal congregation may have been the size of not more than 20-30 people all in one place. So, in some people’s homes they may have taught the teachings of Balaam, a false prophet, while in other homes they may have held firmly to the gospel of Christ Jesus.
And this may be how these separations of teachings and theologies took place, perhaps much like we have multiple “church denominations” today which do not all hold to the same teachings. Some of their teachings are way off base, while others make compromises here or there, while even fewer in numbers are literally holding to the teachings of Christ and of the New Testament apostles, as taught and adhered to in their correct biblical context. The majority in the USA appear to have accepted a diluted gospel message which is intended to attract the ungodly to their gatherings.
So, it appears the majority are teaching that repentance (dying to sin) and obedience to God and to His commandments are not requirements of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God as long as the sinners have “prayed the prayer” to “receive Christ.” So that leaves the door wide open for them to continue in deliberate and habitual sin against God in moral impurity, sexual immorality, adultery, lying, cheating, and stealing, etc. So, this is a call of God to repent of sin, i.e. to die to sin and to now walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to God’s commands or face judgment.
He Who Has an Ear
Revelation 2:17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
“17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.”
And here is the good news! If we listen to God and to what His Word teaches us, in the correct biblical context, with open minds and with open hearts to receive His teachings into our lives in order that we might now walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, and so that, by the grace of God, we will no longer walk in deliberate and habitual sin against God, then we will have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. We will be in relationship with our Lord, we will have fellowship with Him, and we will have Him with us all the time guiding and directing us in the ways of God.
But if we close our ears and hearts and minds to the truth of the gospel, and we embrace the lies which tickle itching ears instead, and so we keep on living in deliberate and habitual sin against God, and not in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord’s commands, we do not have the hope nor the promise of eternal life with God. What we have is a promise that we will spend eternity in the fires of hell because we refused God and His commands and we chose our sins to obey them instead. So choose God! Turn away from sin. Obey God’s commands. Then you have true hope!
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Then You Have True Hope!
An Original Work / October 11, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
The Spirit Calling
An Original Work / November 12, 2019
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Hear the Spirit calling. He’ll keep you from falling.
Tenderly He’s calling, “Come and follow Him.”
Walk with Jesus daily. Don’t give in to lazy.
Folks may call you crazy. Fellowship with Him.
Follow where He leads you. Eat what Jesus feeds you.
His love will renew you if you follow Him.
Do what Jesus tells you. Don’t let your faith fail you.
His love will avail you if you walk with Him.
Jesus, Lord and Savior, reigneth now forever.
He gave us His favor so we’d live with Him.
Turning now from our sin, Holy Spirit live-in.
Holiness we walk in, purified by Him.
