Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 2:13

"I know where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan`s throne is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwelleth." — Revelation 2:13 (ASV)

The speaker’s knowledge is searching: he knows that they live in a hostile and difficult place—“where Satan has his throne.” This certainly refers to Pergamum as a center for the worship of pagan gods, especially the emperor cult. The first temple in the empire established in honor of Augustus was built in A. D. 29 at Pergamum, because it was the administrative capital of Asia. It was also an idolatrous center; and to declare oneself in that place a Christian who worships the one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ, would certainly provoke hostility. Furthermore, the risen Lord knew their loyalty to him in all that he is revealed to be (“my name”), even when “Antipas, my faithful witness... was put to death in [their] city.” Nothing further is known about Antipas. The proximity of the name “Satan” before and after Antipas in v.13 makes it virtually certain that his death was instigated by the enmity of pagans in Pergamum. He may have been the first or most notable of martyrs. Christ pays this hero of the faith a noble tribute: “faithful witness”—words that John applies to Christ himself in 1:5. Satan tries to undermine loyalty to Christ by persecution; Christ strengthens that loyalty by commending those who are true to him and by exposing those who are deceitful. 14–15 The speaker’s verdict reveals that the church in Pergamum was divided. Some had followed Antipas and did not deny Christ’s name or his faith (v.13). Others held to the teachings and practices of the Balaamites and Nicolaitans that

Christ hates (2:6). Since “Balaam” can mean to “conquer the people” (i.e., the same meaning as “Nicolaitans”) and since they are mentioned together in this letter, both groups may be closely related. The deadly effects of the error are described as “eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality” (cf. “Jezebel” in v.20).

The OT names Balaam and Jezebel serve to alert the church community to the insidious nature of the teaching that was not until now recognized as overtly evil. Since Satan’s chief method is deception, his devices are not known until they are clearly pointed out. Christ exposes error here by identifying the false teaching in Pergamum with clear-cut evil such as that of Balaam and Jezebel. Balaam, who found he could not curse the Israelites (Numbers 22–24), devised a plan whereby the daughters of the Moabites seduced the Israelite men and led them to sacrifice to their god Baal-peor and worship him (Numbers 25:1ff.; 31:16; cf. 2 Peter 2:15;Jude 11). So through Balaam’s deception, God’s judgment fell on Israel because of fornication and idolatry. What Satan could not accomplish at Smyrna or Pergamum through intimidation, suffering, and death from outside the church, he achieved from within through unconscious subversion.

A great altar to Zeus stood out prominently in Pergamum. This city also boasted being an official center of emperor worship.

The combination of “food sacrificed to idols” with “sexual immorality” may refer to the common practice of participating in the sacrificial meal of the pagan gods (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:19–22) and indulging in sexual intercourse with temple priestesses. It is entirely possible that some Christians at Pergamum were still participating in the holiday festivities and saw no wrong in indulging in the “harmless” table in the temples and the sexual excitement everyone else was enjoying (cf. 1Jn 5:21). This is the more normal way to understand the term “sexual immorality,” though some feel that the term refers to spiritual unfaithfulness and apostasy from Christ (cf. Isaiah 1:21; Ezekiel 23:37).