Jesus was completely God, as if He had never been a man. And He was also completely human, as if He were not God. Both are true at the same time. The believers in Pergamum understood this and refused to give up this truth, even when their lives were at risk.
Faithful Even Unto Death
Jesus praises them for staying faithful, even when a man named Antipas was killed for his faith. He calls Antipas “my faithful witness.”
We don’t know much about Antipas, but his name means “against all.” Tradition says he was the first Christian to be martyred (killed for his faith) in Asia. It’s said that he was roasted alive inside a metal bull that had been heated extremely hot Pergamum A City of Power and Pagan Worship.
He paid the ultimate price for standing strong in his belief about who Jesus is.
Two Serious Problems in the Church
Even though the church in Pergamum was strong in some ways, it had two major problems. These issues were starting to weaken and corrupt the church from within.
The Teaching of Balaam
The first problem was that some people in the church followed the “teaching of Balaam.”
This story comes from Numbers 25 in the Old Testament. Balaam was a false prophet hired by a king named Balak to curse the Israelites. But every time Balaam tried to curse them, God turned his words into blessings instead Private Tour Guide Ephesus.
So Balaam used a sneaky plan instead:
He sent beautiful women from Moab and Midian to tempt the Israelite men into sexual sin and idol worship. This worked—and Israel fell into serious sin and disobedience.
Modern-Day Balaam: Sexual Sin in the Church
Today, we face a similar problem. Many churches are being weakened by the same kind of sin—what Jesus calls the “error of Balaam.”
This includes:
Pornography
Sex outside of marriage (fornication)
Living together without being married
These practices, often accepted or ignored by some Christians and churches, are dangerous because they lead people away from God’s truth.
