He Knows Part 4

REVELATION Number 42
He Knows Part 4

In the letter to Pergamum, Revelation 2:13 reads, “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold firmly to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (NASB 2020)

The Lord Jesus knows the difficulties we face. The folks in the fellowship of believers at Pergamum found themselves in a city that hosted the earliest temple to the Roman emperor. As this cultic religion gained a foothold, aided by the prominent beastly political power of the day, great pressure was placed on the saints at Pergamum to participate in the rites and rituals of this and other religions.

As we watch the news today, we see the same sort of things, don’t we? In some countries, Christians are killed or imprisoned. In other countries, they are marginalized and made the brunt of jokes. Here in the United States, they are often painted with the broad brush of political affiliation and maligned or belittled for their “antiquated” beliefs.

The Lord sees all this. There is a curious statement in the Old Testament. Six times, we read that God is “a jealous God.” Then the apostle Paul says, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NASB 2020) This godly jealousy is, I think, what we see in the Lord Jesus here. He sees what is going on in the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom to which we are deployed as ambassadors. He knows the hardship this causes; not just physical, but mental and emotional. It all matters to Him.

The scripture passages that always spring to mind for me when thinking about this are three in Acts that recount Saul’s encounter with the Lord on the road to Damascus. In Acts 9:5, 22:8, and 26:15, the Lord tells Saul that it is Jesus who he has been persecuting. Additionally, we read in 1 Corinthians 3:17 “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (NASB 2020) This passage is speaking of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Lord does not take lightly the persecution of His blood-bought children.

He points out that despite Antipas, one of their own, having been martyred, these people have “held firmly to [His] name and have not denied [His] faith.” It is good for us to take notice here that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the focus of attention here. It is His name and His faith that are held firmly and not denied. As Dr. Paul Ellis points out in his wonderful book “Letters from Jesus-Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches”*, “Some people like to talk about their faith and their works, but in these letters Jesus keeps the focus on himself. He repeatedly refers to my name (Rev. 2:3, 13, 3:8), my faith (Rev. 2:13), my works (Rev. 2:26), my word (Rev. 3:8), and my patience (Rev. 3:10). This is where Jesus wants our attention—not on our faith but his. Our faith may waver and fail, but the good news is that we are justified on account of his faith.”

The faith by which Jesus lived when He walked the earth and the faithfulness with which He carried out His redemptive mission is of primary importance. Apart from this, we would still be “separate from Christ, excluded from the people of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12 (NASB 2020)

Before we move on to more things the Lord knows about His Church, I want to make note that the Lord refers to Antipas as His witness, His faithful one. We have heard about the faithful witness before in our study of The Revelation. In Revelation 1:5 the blessings of grace and peace are sent to the churches “from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness” (NASB 2020). This might prompt us to think of 1 John 4:17 where we read, “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world.” (NASB 2020)

The Lord Jesus closely identifies with us. Hebrews 2:11 tells us that He is “not ashamed to call [us] brothers and sisters.” As we face ever increasing tribulation, we can take great comfort in the sure knowledge that the Lord Jesus sees all of it. He knows every aspect of the persecution we face and it grieves Him. He takes it rather personally because we are His family, His body, His bride.

*Ellis, Paul. Letters from Jesus: Finding Good News in Christ’s Letters to the Churches . KingsPress. Kindle Edition.