The church in Pergamos

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, “These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.  Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”  Revelation 2.12-17

The Church that stands firm, and yet tolerates false teachings.  Boy is that the Church today. Somewhere along the line enough of our leaders, and perhaps our people, lost enough faith that compromise for the sake of the Gospel became compromise to avoid proclaiming the Gospel.  Note the warning.  It does no good to be faithful in so many things.  If the Church does not repent of allowing false doctrines to mingle with the Gospel, the One with the sharp two edged sword will come quickly and will fight against them (those promoting the false teachings) with the sword of My mouth.  

That’s always struck me as an odd thing.  You call that a threat?  I was expecting ‘you will be cast into the outer darkness’ or ‘I will take away the keys to the Kingdom’ or something of the sort.  But that?  I can only imagine it’s a reminder that we might at times take God a bit too casually.  The threat reads as a sort of ‘those people whose false doctrine you tolerate, let’s assume for reasons like you love them, will face the wrath if you don’t do something soon.'  If we really care about the ones we’re accommodating despite their embrace of heresies and falsehoods, perhaps the best thing to do is stop accommodating.  If nothing else, for their sake.