Two contrasting presentations of the gospel, along with a comparative analysis that highlights their fundamental differences. The document includes:
A Compromised Gospel: Written in the voice of a Nicolaitan teacher, presenting a persuasive case for accommodation with Pergamum’s idolatrous practices and sexual immorality, framing them as merely social customs rather than spiritual compromises.
The True Gospel of Revelation: A presentation that captures the substance of the Christian message as articulated throughout Revelation, with a winsome yet uncompromising tone that focuses on Christ’s lordship and the call to exclusive worship.
Comparative Analysis: A structured comparison that examines the fundamental differences between these competing gospels, including:
- A comparison table highlighting key contrasts
- Theological analysis of differences in Christology, eschatology, ecclesiology, ethics, and soteriology
- Analysis of the rhetorical strategies used by each
- Implications for the church in Pergamum
The analysis reveals that what the Nicolaitans presented as “small compromises” were actually fundamental betrayals of the gospel’s essence. Their teaching didn’t merely adjust Christian practice but redefined Christian identity from “those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes” to “those who follow the Lamb wherever convenient.”
Setting the two gospels side by side illustrates the nature of compromise and the distinctive character of faithful witness in hostile environments, drawing parallels between the challenges faced by the church in Pergamum and those confronting believers today.
Two Contrasting Gospels for Pergamum
A Compromised Gospel: The Voice of a Nicolaitan Teacher
Brothers and sisters of Pergamum, honoured citizens and friends,
Peace be with you all. I come to you today with a message of harmony and practical wisdom for our beloved community. As followers of the Way in this great city, we face unique challenges that require thoughtful navigation rather than rigid obstinance.
Let me begin by affirming what we all believe: Jesus Christ is indeed our Saviour who died for our sins and rose again. Nothing I say diminishes this central truth. But I ask you—did Christ not come to set us free? Did Paul not write that “all things are lawful” for believers? Our Lord Himself ate with tax collectors and sinners, showing that holiness exists in the heart, not in external rituals.
Our Roman neighbours invite us to their feasts and celebrations honouring the emperor and our city’s gods. They ask only that we participate in the customary rituals—a pinch of incense, a respectful bow, a token offering. These are merely social customs, friends, not matters of the heart. When we participate, we do so with the knowledge that “an idol is nothing” as Paul himself teaches. Our minds remain fixed on Christ even as our bodies engage in these harmless civic duties.
Consider the practical reality of our situation. We live in Pergamum, seat of Roman authority, home to the temple of Augustus, the Asklepion, and the great altar of Zeus. Our livelihoods, our children’s futures, our very safety depend on maintaining harmonious relations with our neighbours. Is it worth sacrificing all this for mere symbols and gestures that mean nothing to us internally?
Some among you quote the Jerusalem Council, which instructed believers to abstain from food sacrificed to idols and from sexual immorality. But look at how Paul nuanced these teachings! He permits eating food sacrificed to idols so long as it does not trouble your conscience. As for the union of bodies, is this not also subject to context and intention? The sexual rites of the temples are cultural expressions—ways that our neighbours worship according to their understanding. When we participate minimally to maintain social bonds, our hearts remain untouched, still belonging fully to Christ.
Remember that our Lord taught us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Wisdom in Pergamum means finding accommodation with the powers that be. The rigid position some advocate—refusing all participation in civic festivals, declining dinner invitations where libations might be poured, avoiding the gymnasium because of its patron deities—this is not spiritual purity but social suicide. It brings unnecessary persecution upon us and closes the ears of those who might otherwise hear the gospel.
Some will point to Antipas who died rather than compromise. I honour his conviction but question his wisdom. Did his death advance the gospel? Did it not rather harden attitudes against us? Christ does not call us all to martyrdom when simple accommodation would allow us to live and spread his message more effectively.
As for intimate relations, let us be mature in our thinking. The body’s pleasures, when enjoyed with moderation and mutual respect, harm no one. The temple prostitution some condemn so vehemently is simply the way business and social bonds are cemented in our culture. To reject these customs entirely is to reject integration with our community. Would you become like the Jews, a people set apart and increasingly resented? Or would you be salt and light, present in the world even while your heart belongs to Christ?
Consider this practical wisdom: when invited to a temple feast, go with thanksgiving. When asked to acknowledge the divine emperor, do so outwardly while inwardly giving allegiance only to Christ. When business customs involve the sacred prostitutes, fulfil your social obligations with discretion. These small compromises preserve your place in society while surrendering nothing of your true faith.
Those who oppose this balanced approach cite the words of Revelation, speaking of the “teaching of Balaam” and “sexual immorality.” But these apocalyptic warnings use symbolic language not meant to be applied literally to everyday social customs. The true spiritual adultery is hardness of heart toward God, not participation in the harmless rituals of our culture.
In closing, I remind you that the kingdom of God consists not in what we eat or drink, not in rigid adherence to behavioural codes, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death, free from the burden of ritual purity, free to live as responsible citizens of Pergamum even as we remain citizens of heaven.
Let us therefore embrace this liberty, maintaining our inner devotion to Christ while outwardly respecting the customs of our neighbours. This is not compromise but compassion; not betrayal but bridge-building. In so doing, we make the gospel attractive rather than alienating, and we secure for ourselves and our children a future in this great city where God has placed us.
May wisdom guide your paths as you consider these things.
The True Gospel: Christ’s Message in Revelation
To the churches in Asia Minor and to all who have ears to hear,
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
I bring you not my own message but the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. This is not a new gospel but the eternal truth now made urgent by the times in which we live.
Behold the heart of our message: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!” This is our identity and our calling—a royal priesthood purchased by blood, not a secret society seeking to avoid detection.
Here in Pergamum, where Satan has his throne, I speak these words plainly. The risen Christ stands among us with a sharp, double-edged sword. He speaks both comfort and challenge: “I know where you live,” he says, acknowledging the pressures you face daily. Yet he also declares, “Repent, or I will soon come to you and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
Friends, the gospel we proclaim is not one of accommodation but transformation. The Lamb who was slain now stands at the centre of God’s throne. The powers of this world—Rome, its emperors, its gods—are passing away. The living creatures never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Before this reality, all other claims to worship crumble to dust.
What does this mean for us in Pergamum? It means we cannot serve two masters. When the choice comes between Caesar and Christ, between Zeus and the Living God, between the fertility cults and bodily holiness—we must choose Christ, whatever the cost. For “they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
This may sound harsh to modern ears accustomed to compromise. But consider the invitation Christ extends: “To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” This intimate knowledge of Christ, this heavenly sustenance, this new identity—these are worth more than social acceptance or economic advantage.
Our gospel proclaims that in Christ, a new creation has begun. The old order of power through domination, of worship through fear, of identity through sexuality—all these are being renewed. “Behold, I am making all things new,” says the one seated on the throne.
I speak especially to those tempted by teachings that permit idol feasts and sexual immorality. These are not harmless customs but profound declarations of allegiance. Each time you enter the temple of Zeus or bow before Caesar’s image, you declare with your body what your lips deny. Each time you join in sacred prostitution, you unite the temple of the Holy Spirit with that which desecrates. As it is written, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
Yet hear this clearly: our gospel is not primarily about what we must not do, but about who we worship. “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” When this vision captures your heart, the allure of idol feasts and temple prostitutes fades to nothing.
The choice before you is stark but simple: Will you be among those who “follow the Lamb wherever he goes”? Or will you take the mark of this world’s systems on your hand and forehead—living outwardly by its values while claiming inward devotion to Christ?
To the churches I say: Be faithful, even to the point of death, and Christ will give you life as your victor’s crown. Remember Antipas, Christ’s faithful witness, who died among you where Satan lives. His blood, like that of all martyrs, is seed for the church’s growth.
To those outside the faith I extend Christ’s invitation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” The feast Christ offers surpasses all earthly banquets. The intimacy he provides fulfils all human longing for connection.
Our calling is clear: to witness to Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth—including Caesar. We are called to be an outpost of the New Jerusalem in the midst of Pergamum, living as citizens of a kingdom “not of this world” while transforming the world around us.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let all who hear this message say, “Come!” Let all who are thirsty come and take freely the water of life. For the time is near. Christ is coming soon. His reward is with him, and he will give to each person according to what they have done.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Comparing the Two Gospels
Fundamental Differences
| Aspect | Compromised “Nicolaitan” Gospel | True Gospel of Revelation |
|---|---|---|
| Core Identity | Citizens of Pergamum who also follow Christ | Kingdom and priests belonging to God |
| Primary Allegiance | Dual loyalty permitted | Exclusive worship of Christ demanded |
| View of Idolatry | Harmless social custom | Spiritual adultery |
| View of Sexual Immorality | Cultural business practice | Defilement of the temple of the Holy Spirit |
| Response to Persecution | Accommodation to avoid suffering | Faithful witness even unto death |
| Source of Authority | Pragmatic reinterpretation of apostolic teaching | Direct revelation from the risen Christ |
| Vision of the Future | Peaceful coexistence within Roman society | The New Jerusalem replacing all earthly kingdoms |
Theological Analysis
- Christology: The compromised gospel minimises Christ’s lordship, making Him one loyalty among many. The true gospel proclaims Christ as “ruler of the kings of the earth” with absolute authority.
- Eschatology: The Nicolaitan view is essentially present-focused, seeking comfortable existence within the current order. Revelation’s gospel is shaped by the imminent return of Christ and the coming judgment.
- Ecclesiology: The compromised gospel sees the church as a private association that must adapt to society. The true gospel envisions the church as a counter-cultural community, “a kingdom and priests.”
- Ethics: The Nicolaitan approach divorces external behaviour from internal belief. Revelation insists on integrated holiness where body and spirit both belong to Christ.
- Soteriology: The compromised gospel emphasises salvation as freedom from rules. The true gospel presents salvation as freedom from the dominion of sin and the beast’s system.
Rhetorical Strategies
- The Nicolaitan teacher appeals to:
- Pragmatism and self-preservation
- Reinterpretation of apostolic teaching
- False dichotomy between heart and actions
- Fear of social and economic consequences
- The true gospel appeals to:
- Worship and wonder at the slain Lamb
- Direct revelation from Christ
- Integration of belief and behaviour
- Eternal rewards that outweigh temporal suffering
Implications for the Church in Pergamum
The church faced a decisive choice between two fundamentally different visions of Christian identity and witness. The Nicolaitan teaching offered a path of least resistance but would ultimately render their witness meaningless. The true gospel called them to costly discipleship but promised both eternal reward and authentic impact.
This comparison reveals that what the Nicolaitans presented as “small compromises” were actually fundamental betrayals of the gospel’s essence. Their teaching did not merely adjust Christian practice but redefined Christian identity from “those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes” to “those who follow the Lamb wherever convenient.”