What do we know about the church in Pergamum?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Of the seven churches Jesus spoke to in Revelation, Pergamum was the most politically dangerous for Christians. It was the Roman provincial capital and a major center for emperor worship and other pagan practices. Thus, Jesus’ letter (Revelation 2:12–17) focuses on those dangers. He starts by acknowledging their difficult circumstances, living where Satan’s throne was located (v 13a). Some scholars believe Jesus was referring to the famous altar to Zeus located in that city. Jesus praised them for their faithfulness despite real threats of martyrdom (v 13b).

However, serious errors were allowed to fester in the church. Jesus referred to some who held the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans (v 14–15). In the Old Testament, Balaam led the Israelites into sexual immorality (Numbers 22–25), which was also happening in Pergamum. While the Nicolaitans are not well known, the second-century theologian Irenaeus suggested they held gnostic beliefs, including the belief that bodily acts did not affect one’s soul. Because they were mixed, both strong believers and sinful ones, Jesus commanded them to repent (Revelation 2:16) while promising reward for those who remained faithful (v 17b). From this letter, we learn that we must not compromise with the society around us, standing firmly for the truth despite external pressures.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The church in Pergamum is not mentioned in the Old Testament.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The only passage that mentions Pergamum is Revelation 2:12–17. We know nothing else about it from Scripture, though historical studies indicate that it was a heavily pagan city. This means that believers there were in direct conflict with demonic-like spiritual practices, explaining why Jesus focused on their remaining faithful despite their environment.
• The letter opens with Jesus reminding them that He is the judge (the two-edged sword reference in Revelation 2:12), intended to comfort them, knowing that Jesus sees their situation and is rightly judging between right and wrong.
• He starts with what is right: despite living “where Satan’s throne is … 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” (Revelation 2:13). While what Jesus means by “Satan’s throne” is uncertain, some scholars believe it’s a reference to the altar of Zeus in that same city. If so, then that altar represented Satan’s throne as the primary form of false worship.
• After commending what they are doing right, Jesus notes that “some there … 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” (Revelation 2:14). In Numbers 22–25, Balaam was hired to curse Israel. God prevented him, but he managed to tempt Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality. Referring to that event, Jesus was saying that some in Pergamum were falling for the same trap.
• Jesus called those falling for that as holding “the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (Revelation 2:15). There is not much known about the Nicolaitans. Perhaps the best information comes from Irenaeus, who lived in the second century and was known for dealing with heresies. He suggested that they held gnostic-like beliefs, specifically that what happened in the body did not affect the soul. This dualistic view of humans led some to sin freely because it was “only the body.” That may have been the temptation the Nicolaitans were using to have some Christians also engage in idolatry and the sexual perversions associated with it.
• Jesus told the sinful Christians, “repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth” (Revelation 2:16). Conversely, He encouraged those who were being faithful to continue to persevere, saying, “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” (v 17b).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Jesus did not lower His standard for Pergamum, and He does not lower it for us because truth does not bend to culture and holiness is not seasonal. We are sent into a world that will challenge, seek to reshape, and pressure us at every turn. Yet, we are not called to absorb its values but to confront darkness with light, clarity, and courage. That means refusing to call sin acceptable, refusing to let truth be redefined, and refusing to trade conviction for comfort. Everything from feminism to abortion rights to gender identity has infiltrated the church because some churches have capitulated to the world’s way of thinking, but we are called to be faithful and stand firm. Faithfulness is not only for when things are easy. It's our calling day in and day out, in the big and small, even when things are difficult.

And it also means refusing to withdraw in fear because the same Lord who calls us to stand also sends us to shine. While it is difficult, we must stand against all ideologies and thoughts that set themselves against the truth of Scripture (2 Corinthians 10:5).

At the same time, we are not just to be people known for what we are against but for what we are for. We are for God, for good, and for human flourishing. We are to be lights in this world (Matthew 5:14–16). So, the charge is simple but weighty: hold fast to Christ when it costs you something, speak truth when it is unpopular, and live faithfully when no one is watching. The world will not drift toward holiness on its own—but the church must not drift with it.

UNDERSTAND

• The church in Pergamum lived in an extremely hostile environment filled with emperor worship and pagan influence, yet remained faithful to Christ under pressure and even persecution.
• Jesus commended their endurance in holding fast to His name but rebuked them for allowing compromise within the church through idolatry and sexual immorality influenced by false teaching.
• We are called to faithful perseverance regardless of culture and warned of the danger of compromise that weakens spiritual integrity.

REFLECT

• What would God commend you for and challenge you on if He wrote you a letter?
• Where in your life are you most tempted to redefine or soften biblical truth in order to avoid tension, rejection, or discomfort?
• How does Jesus’ call for both courage in persecution and purity in personal holiness challenge the way you currently think about what it means to be faithful?

ENGAGE

• How are you challenged by the truth that believers can remain strong under external persecution yet still be weakened through compromise?
• How can believers recognize when cultural influence is shaping us more than Scripture is?
• What does it look like for believers to hold fast to truth without becoming harsh, isolated, or disconnected from the people it is called to reach?