Reading for April 16th

Read Revelation 2.12-17 In 2.12-17: The letter from the warrior to Pergamum: Resist evil. Pergamum was a strongly fortified, mountaintop city that had dominated this whole region until Rome's power prevailed. Two-edged sword is Jesus' word: see 1.16. In verse 13: It is no longer possible to decide what John meant by Satan's throne, but throne points to a politcal context. Nothing else is known about the martyr Antipas, the only named martyr in this story. In verse 14: Balaam was an ancient prophet who failed to curse Israel but still damaged the Israelites by counseling cultural accomodation; see Num 22-25. Food sacrificed to idols would encompass nearly all meat offered for public sale in a major city, since it would be dedicated to a god when butchered. Fornication is probably spiritual. In verse 15: On the Nicoliaitians see 2.6. In verse 16: I will come is another present tense; see 2.5. In verse 17: Manna was the miraclous food that preserved Israel in the wilderness after the Exodus (Ex 16), perhaps now symbolic of the Eucharist, see Jn 6. The meaning of the white stone remains obscure, though white is associated with victory in Revelation; juries voted with white and dark stones. The new name is a metaphor for a changed person (Gen 32.24-28); that no one knows it shows that the change in the person is beyond ordinary understanding see comment on 19,12. Comments or Questions..