Recall in our last study at Revelation 2:13, God mentioned a person named Antipas within the church of Pergamus, who did not compromise and he died for the truth. The name ‘Antipas’ means ‘against all’. So a church that is intolerant and a church that’s against all the world and uncompromising is a good church.

The name ‘Antipas’ could be a certain specific individual at that time who died for the name of Jesus or it could be a reference, a spiritual application, referring to the martyrs during the Pergamus time period where they were against all. Because the church of Pergamus was a type that compromised with Balaam’s doctrine. As we covered before, Balaam and Balak’s doctrine, we see a mingling here of church and state, religious and secular powers. Balaam’s doctrine is your religious power and Balak is your state/secular power. In your Bible, Balak was a pagan Moabite king.

If you’re going to think of a system that is secular and religious, the most powerful one that fits the bill the most is the Roman Catholic church. The Roman Catholic church would be a reference to Balaam and Balak’s doctrine, that’s what the passage would be referring to. During the time of Christians being persecuted, the one who was persecuting and producing all the martyrs was Rome. So when the Bible says where Satan’s seat is which is, in which Antipas was martyred in there, the best city to think about is Rome. That’s why the Roman Catholic church is again the best candidate.

We can put Pergamus within the timeline around 325 to 500 AD, this is the timeline of Constantine. Constantine combined Roman and religious power together, that’s how the Roman Catholic church was born. Pergamus had a problem compromising with this wicked doctrine.

There’s a key thing here with Balaam’s doctrine, at verse 14, it was to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication. If you think about the root cause of this religious system that Balaam adopted and today is adopting some form of it, this religious system is known for two things: fornication and idolatry. If you go way back when this was born, it was all the way from Semiramis and Nimrod’s religion. It’s Babylon. This is not just an ancient religion, it’s still continuing today, the Catholic church continued it.

How do we know that? If you look at the Catholic statues of today, it matches up with the Nimrod’s and Semiramis’ religion of those statues back then. Not only that, it explains the world religions today who have similar statues of a mother and the baby in her arms. Also, the sun on her head and the moon on her feet, that’s Semiramis ancient Babylon religion.

When Balak and Balaam produce doctrine for the children of Israel to follow at the book of Numbers, where did they get the doctrine from? It was from Semiramus and Nimrod. Greece, Rome, and all the other world religions adopted this form of fornication and idolatry from Semiramis’s religion. In the Catholic church, everything is different but they all come from a common, similar root. Even though the Catholic church may have differences compared to how it was back then, but it was just carrying the same root system that transitioned into different forms. History always does that.

God says this Babylonian religion system was a lie of Pergamus’s timeline and what fits that bill is the Catholic church. They emphasize a lot about a female deity. Even though they claim they don’t worship Mary, but the worldwide results are actually different from what they claimed. Millions, if not then thousands, worship Mary but that’s taken from Semiramis ancient Catholic system.

Revelation 2:15 “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”

God says that these people within the church of Pergamus are holding another wrong doctrine, which is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. And God hates the doctrines of the Nicolaitans.

Remember, Nicolaitans means ‘conquering the laity’, where they rule like kings over the common people. Laity means ‘church members, common people.’ What religion, again, if you’re going to think about it, especially during this timeline, ruled over the church members? The Catholic church.

The Catholic church is all over within Revelation 2, within this church history. Everything wrong that is found in Revelation 2, you’ll see the Catholic church practicing those forms.

That’s what God hated about the church of Pergamus because the Christian church was compromising with the pagans now. That is a historical fact during Constantine’s timeline, he mingled both together. And because of that, the Catholic church held these ideals where it carried Semiramis religion, ancient Babylon religion and they also had an idea of conquering the laity.

If we read Numbers 31, you’re going to find out that Balaam actually wanted Balak to use his own people to do fornication and idolatry with the children of Israel, so it’s hinted here. If you know your Bible story, Balaam could not curse the children of Israel, but he still wanted that reward from Balak. If you read 2 Peter and Jude, the Bible says Balaam went to hell because he coveted a reward, money, so it seems like Balaam still got his reward at the end. But how did he get his reward in the end?

Numbers 31:15 “And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.”

Verse 15 is referring to the Moabite women, Balak’s women. They spared them, but why?
In verse 16, Balaam couldn’t curse the Jews but he counseled Balak, ‘That way the Lord don’t curse me, why don’t you just let your women fornicate with the children of Israel and cause them to do idolatry’. But that specific term of fornication and idolatry is not found until you look at Revelation 2. Revelation 2 was very clear that they did fornication and idolatry. The specifics were very clear over there: through Balaam.

If you look at ancient history at all world religions, there is no doubt that sex was associated very heavily with idolatry. We are heading toward there real fast. In this day and age we live in, it’s all about the latest idol. Whatever you see on the screen is in celebrity idol, sports idol, whatever idol you want, and lot’s of sex. We’re getting there. Balaam’s doctrine is spiritually alive and infecting but it’s transitioning in different forms because it has to learn to adapt to different cultures.

We live in a day and age where we’re all tolerant and flexible and fluent and where we want to mingle and adapt to different cultures. Satan knows and loves that adaptation tolerance. Why? Because Satan is that type of being, he transforms and adapts. The Bible says he transforms into an angel of light, that’s Satan.

Our God, though, is an unchanging God. He said ‘I never change, I move not’. Though this day and age hate that.

Revelation 2:16 “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

“Repent;”

God obviously wants them to repent, get right.

“or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

What we see here is a tribulation application now. So far from verses 12 through 15, we were looking at a church age application. It’s important to have double application when you study the book of Revelation. In verse 16, we see more of a tribulation application here.

Why? Because it’s talking about Jesus said ‘If you don’t get right and repent, I’m going to come very soon and I’m going to conquer these people who are giving Balaam’s doctrine and Nicolaitans doctrine and kill them with the sword of my mouth’. That’s Revelation 19 and 2 Thessalonians 1, when Jesus Christ comes down after the tribulation is over, He comes down and wipes out His enemies with the sword coming out of His mouth.

This is Jesus, the scary Jesus that the world doesn’t want you to know. He needs to rightfully get back what belongs to Him, He needs to get that glory back. But people think that Jesus is loving so they can take His name in vain, cuss Him out, degrade pastors and Christianity, talk bad about them, do dirty things. They think it’s alright. Do they think that’s the real Jesus? No, Jesus is loving but He’s going to take back the glory, what rightfully belongs to Him.

This is a day and age of grace. In dispensationalism, we believe in different time periods. So we are in the church age, also called the age of grace. The next age is a tribulation age, and that’s not called grace, it’s called wrath.

If we go backward, let’s look at it as a tribulation application.

Verse 12 and 13 are pointing out, in a tribulation timeline, Antipas means ‘against all’ so truly a tribulation saint is going to be against all the world because the Antichrist is going to be ruling over all the world. That’s why they’re going to be a martyr. The word ‘martyr’ is mentioned in verse 13, if you compare that with Revelation 20, the Bible says the tribulation saints who are beheaded are called martyrs. These are martyrs who are Antipas, against all. Not only that, it says where Satan dwelleth, where Satan’s seat is. That means Roman power. So that means then, the Roman power will be that ancient Babylon religion. If it’s reviving ancient Babylon religion, the Catholic church, it makes sense at Revelation 17 and 18 about Babylon being at the end times. So the Catholic church will be alive at the end times and it will be responsible for the martyrdom and persecution of the Christians.

Verses 14 and 15, we see right here the Catholic doctrine revived. We’re not just talking about some form of spiritual fornication and spiritual idolatry revived. This spiritual thing is going to be more literal. In the book of Luke, Jesus said that just like the coming of the Son of Man, it’s going to be like the days of Noah. In the days of Noah, they were, drinking, marrying, given in marriage. There’s sex going on.

In Genesis 6, what’s it talking about the days of Noah? The Bible said the sons of God, those fallen angels, mingled with the daughters of mankind. That’s like superhumans and aliens mingling with humans. Daniel 2 talks about they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men right before Jesus comes down and consume them with the sword out of His mouth.

We’re living in a day and age now where people don’t care who you have sex with, so that’s not going to be a problem. In the early 1800s and 1900s, the common people look down on you when there’s homosexuality going on or this kind of sexual fluidity, they call it. So fluid that you’re going to be co-mingling with aliens, those sons of God and beings. We live in a day and age where you watch movies brainwashing the younger generation that it’s cool to have sex with vampires, superman, Wonderwomen etc.  If the rapture happened right now, these people will co-mingle with them, no problem. When you keep promoting sexual fluidity garbage, this is where you’re heading towards.

So this spiritual fornication, spiritual idolatry, and Babylonian religion were spiritually revived in the Catholic church during the church age. That’s the spiritual application.

Remember double application. The doctrinal application is at tribulation, we see all of this more literally alive.