Question on the rewards for church at Pergamum. Martin?

[Doc]

I'm just curious if any of you have studied out/ have an understanding of the significance of the rewards promised to the church at Pergamum, viz.; the secret manna, and the white stone with a name on it that no one else knows.

Help is appreciated.

[martincisneros]

Nicolaitanism was a short lived heretical group in Ephesus and Pergamum that started in the late 80s A.D., and that heretical sect was apparently removed by the book of Revelation.  Many of the early Church Fathers had absolutely no idea what the heretical sect was even about.  Some people have tried to make much of the name Nicholas and to therefore try and claim that it was abuses of the clergy over the laity, so their brilliant solution often times is to go to the other extremity and defy Christ by getting away from any kind of clergy whatsoever.  There's not much written about the Nicolaitans in the early Church although there are speculations from Scofield, Barnes, and some others in the last couple hundred years without ever stating their basis for it.  The Church at Ephesus is commended for "hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."  It's a testimony to the prayer lives of those early Churches that they stomped out that heresy, to where even people in the early Church never even knew what the heresy was about.

Several of the early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Epiphanius, and Theodoret mentioned the Nicolaitans. Irenaeus discusses them but adds nothing to the Apocalypse except that "they lead lives of unrestrained indulgence." But that may have been a confusion in his writing or a slip of the tongue with a secretary writing his comments because those who hold to the doctrine of Balaam are also mentioned in Revelation, that they were eating things sacrificed to idols.  Tertullian refers to Nicolaitans, but apparently knows only what is found in the book of Revelation. Hippolytus of Rome based his narrative on Irenaeus, though he states that the deacon Nicolas was the author of the heresy and the sect (Philosph., VII, xxvi). Clement of Alexandria exonerates Nicolas, and attributes the doctrine of promiscuity, which the sect claimed to have derived from him, to a malicious distortion of words harmless in themselves. Eusebius (H. E., III, xxix) said that the sect was short-lived.  The common statement, that the Nicolaitans held the antinomian heresy of Corinth, seems not to have been proven by any scholars.

Evidently, there was an area of false doctrine that they overcame and Christ's promise of hidden manna would likely be a reference to giving them true revelation of His Word.  In the Gospel of John, Christ contrasted the eating of the manna that fell in the wilderness with the eating of His flesh and blood that He'd give for the life of the world.  Not just the Jewish world, but all Christians should enjoy the Bread and Cup with an understanding of the Blood Covenant, which is another study entirely.  Really great materials on that are by H. Clay Trumbull.  St. Paul indicates a rock that followed the Jews in the wilderness that provided water was Christ, and there's not really a reason to think the stone was something other than Christ when a few centuries earlier Jacob laid his head on a stone and had a dream of opened heavens and angels ascending and descending on him.  In the Gospels, a stone, or the rock, is a revelation of Jesus as the Anointed and as the Son of God, so the rock could entail the water of life, the ministry of angels, and fresh revelation of Jesus Christ in His Priestly Kingship that He's been in for a couple thousand years now, after the order of Melchezedec. 

If I get into what the revelation of Him as Melchezedec is on these boards, I'll bring all of the wrath of the Sanhedrin down upon my head around here.  I've tried "going there" several times on these boards over the last 7 years and have never failed to have someone try to hand me my stones over it.  But you're not left with alternative options in the Scriptures since the Scriptures are sooo careful in their details about Melchezedec and won't say more than is absolutely necessary.  Whatever else manna might be, it's sole usage in Scripture was the sustaining of physical life and vitality.  It was food, or material for the material necessities of this life.  It was prosperity when Israel was in the wilderness.  And it fed absolutely everybody!

A new name usually involves the ministry of angels in Scripture, because in Scripture new names were usually given by angels, but it also speaks of an individualized covenant with God related to your own destiny.  I've had my new name for a while.  For me and how that's worked out in my life is that the Covenant of Redemption has moved from the general to the specific aspects of my life that it's been needed in, both in my life and through my life with expanded opportunities for ministering to others specific things and in specific ways.  John said in 1John that the victory that overcomes the world is our faith.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for -- in this case: overcoming that produces the stone, name, hidden manna -- and it's the evidence of things not seen by the 5 physical senses.  Thankfully, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, according to Romans 10:17.  Those that work miracles, according to Galatians 3, do it by the hearing of faith.  Overcoming is not hard and the rewards for this life and the coming life are more than worth... whatever!

[fullarmor2]

I agree,   it is amazing what God is able to do for us and in us by his Spirit ministering in our hearts and minds.  All we have to do is pray in faith. For me I just simply approach God very humbly and respectfully and simply start talking to God about what is in my heart.  And the next thing I know I feel the Spirit burning inside me and then its not very long and I am thinking about all kinds of things with God's help.   Its as if when I pray,  God  raises me up to a higher level so I can pray even better.  I suppose you could call it being "stirred up" by remembering the things you know of God.  But its the actual relationship that makes the difference though. A conection has to happen between God and us. All  I have to do is  get God's attention some how.  I think all you need to do that is to have a sincere heart towards God. You don't have to know anything, except perhaps the basics or the a,b,c's of the faith.

[fullarmor2]

  Doc,  I did a little research regarding the secret manna and I believe it refers to communion with the Holy Spirit in the context referred to in the verses dealing with this.  Also,  that communion will involve things we don't know about now. For example, it could involve  actually receiving some kind of heavenly bread with the Lord in some kind of get together up there. 
  Now I'm making myself hungry!  Its lunch time where I am now.

[martincisneros]

For example, it could involve  actually receiving some kind of heavenly bread with the Lord in some kind of get together up there.

:cloud9: Yup! :Sparkletooth:

[Doc]

Ok; Thanks guys!  :thumbsup: