The mention of truth. in Scripture Before love is not a secondary teaching. It is a primary teaching. Way back into the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter 8, I will be their God in truth. and righteousness.
Because without truth you have no righteousness. When Jesus said, I am the truth. It was a very big deal. It still is. and always will be.
What would you rather in its place? You're listening to Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Revelation, chapter 2, with today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio.
So we are going to take Revelation chapter 2. And we will read verses 13 to 15. Revelation two, verse thirteen I know your works. And where you dwell where Satan's throne is, And you hold fast to my name. and did not deny my faith, even in the days in which Antipas, was my faithful martyr, Who was killed among you where Satan dwells?
But I have a few things against you. Because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, Tort Balak. To put a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols. and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those Who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans Which thing I hate I'm not trying to be dramatic, I'm just reading it the way it It him.
impresses me. It's y it's just such powerful section. Pragama's love corrupted. And so far it's worked out. We have Ephesus, love lost, Smyrna, love tested, And pragama is love corrupted.
I I'm not doing that intentionally, it just Seems to be right there on the surface. The Smyrna, the church that we had previously considered, that persecuted church, they turned their persecutions into opportunities to witness instead of opportunities to escape. That alone should resonate with all of us. This church had an opportunity to witness too. By chasing out invaders.
Instead, they tolerated them and they harboured them. And there is a lesson right there. It is safe to say That each of these seven churches started out. Loving the Lord, passionate about Him, determined to be obedient. What happened?
Well that should grab our attention.
So we go right to verse 12. And to the angel of the church in Pragamus, write, these things say he who has the sharp Two edged sword, Well, in our English language that definite article, THE, sharp two edged sword. is meaningful.
So when God moves to edify or correct his people, He starts out with his pastors. That's the routine that he has established with the goal of reaching the people. And so the messenger, as we've covered for each church, he's speaking to the pastor, and that pastor is to send this message on to the congregation.
Now Pergamon will first talk about the city, then we'll put its corresponding historical Timeline in place, which will take up a little time. And then we'll get to the verses. But this city It was a religious Centered city, it was cultured. It was a college town, had a medical university there. Most well-known of the ancient world.
And they were in love with their Caesars. I don't mean to dressing. And this was a problem, and it is to this day when you have. A decadent people in love. With the emblems of their decadence, you have a problem.
The capital city in that part of the Roman Empire in Asia Was Bragamis, and that made them politically strong, and that was something they would be proud of. which has added to the persecutions that They would be eager to heap on the Christians. When it presented itself, They expected others to hold them in awe. There are a lot of people like that. You better put a pinch of recognition on their accomplishments.
Be careful, Christian. That's carnal. The temples that were outstanding in this particular city were dedicated to Zeus. Athena Dionysius who was their patron god, Zeus had a 40-foot high altar for him overlooking the city. They boasted about that.
That's Significant Also, they had Ascepolis as one of their gods. He was the god of healing. His icon were or was, and is, you could even say, two coiled snakes around a staff. That to this day is modern medicine's symbol. I think the EMS get one of the serpents on their emblem.
This doesn't make the people who have these on their ambulances and such, and doesn't make them worshipers of Ascepolis, but that's where it comes from.
Now this school of medicine It connected their temple worship to this god with the medical. They intermingled the medicine with their superstition. One historian has Recorded that A prescription Sleep on the temple floor. while serpents slithered over them.
So that they could Infuse. the patient with some healing. When Jesus said, I know where you dwell. This is it. He knew what their surroundings had for them.
And so, with as with all the seven churches, Christians lived amongst the people in love with their gods and the practices and the immorality that went with it, and then stood against it. Unfortunately, this church did once stand against it, but now is caving.
Some in this church were brave. And so with all the churches, as I mentioned, in these cities, This created opposition towards the Christians who held all those things in contempt. As we do. When someone says You know, I think abortion on demand is a woman's right. We hold that in contempt to their face.
They don't sneak around the corner and say, Well, I don't believe that. Say it right out. They remained firm during a deadly persecution, where, as we read, where the faithful martyr Antipas was killed. But that is not enough. To hold a church strong because they then tolerated lies about salvation.
which that doctrine of Balaam and the Nica and Laatins infused into this church.
So, in time, others found a way around courage. Compromise. began to suit them well. The mention of truth. In Scripture Before love is not a secondary teaching.
It is a primary teaching. Way back into the Old Testament, Zechariah chapter 8, I will be their God in truth. and righteousness. Because without truth you have no righteousness. When Jesus said, I am the truth.
It was a very big deal. It still is. And it always will be. What would you rather in its place? John, in his second letter.
She said, Grace, mercy, and peace. will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. You see, each time that I'm reading to you, truth is coming first because it is paramount. What love is this if it has not truth? Then it's a lying love.
And who wants a piece of that? Without truth, love has no chance of being God's love. And I'm pointing this out because the Church of Pergrammus held to the name of Christ. It would say, we love the Lord. Then, why are you forsaking truth by letting these imposters, these interlopers, why are you allowing them in?
and not doing anything about it. Ephesus Their love was being lost, but in Pragamus, They had the love, if you have asked them, but truth was being demoted. Ephesians 4, speaking truth. In love, see truth again, first time, first mention, first place. First position.
may grow in all things into him who is the head. Christ A.W. Tozia said, we are too nice. We are too tolerant. We are too anxious to be popular.
We are too quick to make excuses for sin in its many forms. The Lord has put the church on point. where to lead through the jungle. Through the cities. We're to watch out for booby traps and we're to call them out.
So that those who are following You don't step on them. 1 Timothy, I write, so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God. A lot of Christians think, because they're Christians, they have a say-so, and they don't have to conduct themselves according to whatever church they're attending to. They don't know how to conduct themselves. And the scripture says, don't presume that you have it automatically.
Paul said, I write to you that you may know, that you can learn how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church. of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth. Not the pillar in the ground of love. God is love. But God is truth.
There were still some faithful churchgoers here. Holding fast a name. Again, But failing or unable to salt the church. to slow down the intermingling of what the world had to offer. Which was fabricated in hell.
So that's the city. and the church in that city. But there is a corresponding age For each one of these churches. I don't think we can escape the parallels between what Jesus said to these churches and historical events that unfolded through the centuries, and they overlap to some degree. This corresponds with the church age.
From around 314 years after the coming of Christ to around 590 years after His coming. This is the compromised period. Which saw Rome embrace Christianity and put the leaders on the payroll.
So, you have the church at Corinth. We're now talking about the history it corresponds to. We'll get back to that church, but the likeness is. Inescapable. is a church that was being compromised.
As Christendom was being compromised, When Constantine embraced it. It was the Well, if you can't beat them, join them. Will Durant, I referenced him last session. in his eleven volume set, I think it's the History of Civilization by Will Durant. He writes, Constantine had seen in his lifetime the failure of three persecutions, and it was not lost upon him that Christianity had grown despite them.
So the historian is saying, we looked at all the records and we found out that Constantine was alive, and the church was being persecuted, and they couldn't stomp the church out.
So he becomes a Christian. You can debate whether it's genuine or not, but now's not the time or place for that. With Christians in such a minority in that empire, I'm not now reading from Will Durant. But it comes out of the history books. that Constantine felt he could not risk offending the pagan majority.
And this is why, when you read in the history, and he says, okay, Christianity is now the state church. Why did he outlaw paganism?
Well, you cannot legislate righteousness, number one. But again, he had too many pagans.
However, another emperor is coming, and he will do that, and that's going to be a big problem for the church. Dark day for the church. when they mandated people be converted to Christianity. And so, Constantine remained tolerant of the pagans. Interestingly enough, Pergamon The city that we're talking about.
is made up of a compound Greek word. Pergas for fortress or citadel. and gamas for married. It was a married fortress or fortress of marriage. Ideally speaking, it is a noble thought.
that marriages would be a citadel. Marriage signifies the mystery of the union between Christ and His Church. We read that, at least some do, I do, when we are administering the vows. To the husband and the wife. Christianity was joining itself to Antichrist in an unleavened, or pardon me, in a leavened marriage.
They weren't supposed to do this, but they were. A corrupted relationship. It was a sinful. Union. And it was an instant failure.
Will Durant again writes: In the chaos and terror of the third century, men fled from the weakened state. to the constellations of religion. And found them more abundantly in Christianity than in its rivals.
So, what he is saying there is that in those days, When Constantine Right before Constantine. The pagans were coming to Christianity.
So this is a better religion. This is a better faith. And in time the Christians in many cities were the majority. And he continues, he said, the church made Rich converts now, in contrast. built costly cathedrals.
and allow the adherents To share in the joys of this world. In other words, the Christians could now sin without being. Convicted. or rebuked. The Odium Theologum Theological hatred.
subsided among the people, Christians Intermingled more freely with pagans, even married them.
So here's Will Durant saying, this. time of Peace between Rome and the church beginning in about 314 AD. That was when this union happened. But it parallels what was going on. In Pergamus, over a hundred years before Constantine came along.
And you just notice, you say, wait a minute, I've seen this in history for the church overall, not just in Pragamas. In Pegamus, they were having these Mixed relationships And it just brought sin, and that's why they're going to get rebuked. Like Israel in Hosea's day, This church Was leaving their first love.
Now here it comes. By adding other loves. You can't do that. Ephraim is joined to idols. Why?
Who would be so? What? Spiritually deceived. and accountable. A tragic day for Christendom.
That continues to this day. When peace was made in such a way that the Christians began to do as the world does. And so this phrase in church history. This phase in church history led to, eventually, Roman Catholicism and the papacy. And that comes with the church at Dyatira, which we see parallels there.
Then came Roman emperor. Flavius Theodosius. And he comes into power around 379 years after Christ. But around 391 years. I know if I get you lost on the numbers, you can just play back the message and Do the calculations there.
Well, he banned all forms of pagan worship. He considered himself, and as did others, a pious Christian. He meant to do well, but you know, good intentions are not enough. Good intentions can get people harmed killed. Messed up.
So he made church membership compulsory. What did that do? That forced unconverted people to fill churches Unregenerate, impenitent people in high places still. Serving their pagan gods, but now in positions of authority within the government and within the churches having a say-so. This was the worst calamity that could ever befall.
The church. And of course, we're talking about Europe is where this was taking place Western civilization. History is replete with the plunge of Christianity into apostasy in Christ's name, beginning with this. work at this phase. We're still in historical Uh phase of Pergamus and what happened to Christianity.
How did we get to the dark ages?
Well, this was the big step.
So, while Christianity converted the world, the world began converting Christianity. and pulled it off. Pretty well. The Dark Age, the Middle Ages are appropriately called the Dark Ages. The church that was once chased to death by the Caesars was now being embraced to death.
By the Caesars. That crafty devil. We're supposed to be aware of these things. Again, interlopers calling themselves Christians soon led persecutions. on various peoples.
The Jews and on devout Christians. Their hatred is seen by the time John Wycliffe and Men like John Wycliffe and William Tyndale come along. William Tyndale, they dug his body up some almost 80 years after his death just to drag it through the street in contempt. because he dared translate the scripture. into English.
This kind of hatred. that Satan had.
Sowed. and Western civilization in the name of Christ. These weren't pagans digging him up. They were. But they weren't flying that flag out loud.
And so we now come back to the church that Jesus was addressing. These things says he who has a sharp two-edged sword.
Well, that's scripture in judgment in this context, with one A edge of that sword. Converts to Christ are convicted unto salvation. You can't convert them if you can't hurt them. You have got to strike deep, and so there is that repentance: that woe is me, I am an unclean man. Otherwise, who needs Christ?
Why do I need Jesus? If really I'm not that bad. But you are that bad. And you need them because there's nobody else. The other edge of this double-edged sword.
cuts towards the impenitent sinner and the apostates. Who undo? The things that Christ wants to do every chance they get. But this sword cuts unto eternal judgment. And this is part of our message to the lost world.
The word of God is a sword. It cuts two ways. You can let it cut you to conviction and salvation. Or you can just let it cut you to eternal Damnation is up to you. In verse thirteen, Jesus speaking to them says, I know your works, where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast my name, and did not deny my faith, even in the days in which Atipas, my faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
You know, you'd love to hear when Moses went into the tabernacle and spoke to God, and he heard the voice of God, and the apostles heard Jesus. You'd like to I'd like to know, was it a monotone voice? Or was he passionate like me? Yeah.
Well, not really.
Well, anyway, coming back to this. I have to take these little breaks every now and then, trying to recall the information that I find to be so special and not confuse you. is um Quite a Pleasant challenge.
Well This I know your works, repeated to all the churches to this very day. Christ will look at this church and say, I know what you guys are doing there. And we say we know. We know that. But.
In every You buy aluminum foil, the little long thing, and every one of those. Yeah.
And you can shape it and put it on and the government can't read your thoughts. And maybe God can't hear you either. I hope you laugh at that because it is ridiculous. The part about God hearing, the part about it blocking out the government, it works, I'm told. Ask Pastor David.
He's the one that still told me. No, you know. Yeah.
All right. Anyway. This church now this is important to us. They did good things But we're losing Christ because of worse things.
So you find a church, you say, you know, they do some good things. Maybe they have a pantry or something, but they do worse things. What could it be? What could it possibly be?
Well They're not preaching the word of God. They're not calling sinners sinners. They're hiding the truth from people. They're suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. At that point, who cares that you have a good soup kitchen?
He says, I know where you dwell.
Well, he knows the surroundings that impact us.
So we shouldn't say, well, you know, God doesn't know what's happening. He does know what's happening. The culture. Had walked into this church. and was allowed to infect it.
And God knew all the time that they were susceptible to this, but this was the outpost of Christ. They were supposed to be ready, and it would not have taken much to say, get out. Where Satan's throne is. This is John's way of saying that here in Pergamus, Evil was at its wicked worst. The citizens gave Satan Power.
They wanted what he had to offer, even if they didn't recognize him as Satan. The citizens gave. into Satan without calling him Satan. still happens. A throne.
Of Deadly deception. Mm. Uh This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand.
Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings. While you're there, you can also find links to follow our program on your favorite podcast app, as well as links to get connected with us on Facebook and YouTube. There's also an interviews tab where you can learn more about Pastor Rick's heart for ministry.
Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Hello.
