When Jesus confronts the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2-3, He either commends or condemns them.  He gives each church its appropriate measure of both actions.  Jesus condemns the church at Pergamos more than He commends it.  His condemnation centers on the biblical doctrine of separation.  He says concerning the church at Pergamos in Revelation 2:14-16:

14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

First Level of Separation

Jesus

This is Jesus talking, so “I” in “I have” refers to Him.  That’s the first level in the text, Jesus Himself.  And what about Jesus?  He has a few things against thee, He says.  With the singular objective pronoun, “thee,” it refers to a singular noun, which is either the messenger, the pastor of the church, in verse 14.  Or, it is the church of Pergamos as a whole, which is singular in verse 12.  It could be either, but I would argue for the pastor of the church at Pergamos, having this directed toward him.  He’s responsible for the church, even as seen in verse 16.

If it was the whole church, that would put everyone in the church in the same category of accepting this wrong behavior.  Maybe every person in the church won’t separate from its sinning brothers.  Perhaps every member of the church at Pergamos did not purge themselves from these vessels unto dishonor (2 Timothy 2:2).  That occurs sometimes.  However, that would not explain an Antipas in the church, who is faithful to the end in Revelation 2:13.  Nevertheless, when a pastor won’t lead in separation, that does not excuse the membership from appropriate judgment.

Against Thee

Jesus is “against thee.”  In this example, He is not against what someone is doing, but against who is doing it.  It doesn’t say, “against it” or “against that,” but against “thee.”  One could subtitle this section:  “How not to have Jesus against you.”  There is a higher goal for life than not having Jesus against you, but that at least should be a goal.

So, the first level here is Jesus Himself.  Jesus is the Head of the Church.  Revelation 1:19-2:1 show that Jesus walks in the midst of His true churches.  Romans 8:31 asks, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”  The flip side of this could ask, “If God (Jesus) be against us, who can be for us?”  In Revelation 2:16, Jesus commands:  “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Second Level of Separation

Thee and Thou

“Repent” is a singular imperative, commanding a single person to repent.  “Thee” is also singular.  However, Jesus on the first level will fight against “them.”  Jesus will deal with the ones (plural) who compromise with the world, if the one responsible won’t deal with it.  The Lord Jesus Christ will purify a church if its leadership won’t lead in it.  In essence, Jesus says, “Purge my church of these ungodly, immoral influences, or I will do it for you.”

The second level is the one He is against, who, I’m saying, is a pastor.  Whoever it is, the thing that he or the church as a whole is doing is the same.  What is that?  It is communicated by the simple two words, “thou hast.”  “Thee” and “thou” refer to the same noun.

Not Practicing Ecclesiastical Separation

Jesus is against a pastor because he accommodates, allows, and, therefore, continues in affiliation or association with people.  He does not lead the church in obedience to the doctrine and practice of separation.  Jesus is against the pastor, who does not lead in ecclesiastical separation from sinning brothers in the church.  This could apply to church discipline or also separation from some other church or organization or institution.

Scripture is replete with commands to separate from professing brothers for their disobedience to God’s will.  The pastoral epistles teach pastors to lead in this.

Delivered unto Satan and WithdrawThyself

1 Timothy 1:19-20, “19 Holding faith, and a good conscience;; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

1 Timothy 6:3-5, “3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”

Purge and Reject

2 Timothy 2:19-21, “19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

Titus 3:9-11, “9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. 10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; 11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.”

Jesus requires the leadership of the church, who is under His leadership, to lead in separation.  Pastors should teach separation and then lead in it.  When the leader won’t, then Jesus will intervene himself as seen in verse 16.

Third Level of Separation

Balaam

The third level in Revelation 2:14-16 are both those who teach the doctrine of Balaam (verse 14) and those who hold to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (verse 15).  The word “so” (houte) beginning verse 15 means “in like manner.”  Jesus views these the same.  They are two different influencers in the church toward the same destructive end.  Jesus bunches these together — those purveying either the doctrine of Balaam or the doctrine of the Nicolaitans — with the same responsibility, even as verse 15 also says, “hast thou.”

The story of Balaam in the Old Testament (Numbers 22-24) is one where he as a prophet attempts to curse Israel and fails.  Not succeeding through a direct route, he persuades Balac the Moabite to cause Israel to stumble.  That works.  Israel does stumble into idolatry and sexual sin through this indirect route.

Turning Grace into Lasciviousness

Within the church at Pergamos were those impacting other brothers to cause still other brothers to stumble.  The doctrine of Balaam was this strategy, causing someone else to be a bad influence on someone else.  Jude 1:11 calls this the “error of Balaam.” Within the context of Jude, cheap or false grace becomes the justification for the bad influence.  Jude mentions ‘turning the grace of God into lasciviousness’ as the mode of operation (Jude 1:4).  Grace provides the excuse for becoming cozy with the world.  It lures its targets into a false sense of security.  This is rampant in churches today.

In the parallel with Balaam, this third level doesn’t itself participate with the actual activity that leads to the sinning.  One could say the same of the pastor who doesn’t do anything about level two.  Each in this equation, however, are responsible for the ultimate demise of the one on the next level.  A chain exists here with everyone in the chain accountable for what occurs in the proceeding link.

Evangelicals who won’t practice separation mock and ridicule what I’m saying here.  They almost entirely will not teach or practice biblical separation.  They laugh at those who do.  The mockery will often point to second and third degree separation.  Ridicule is the strongest part of the evangelical argument against separation.  It doesn’t come from scripture.

Fourth Level of Separation

Balac is on the fourth level.  The real character is not named Balac, but he is “a Balac,” someone taking on that role in the church.  He does this by eating meat offered unto idols.

According to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:8, the one eating the meat offered unto idols is not the better or the worse for eating it (cf. 1 Cor 10:25).  It’s not the eating itself that’s the problem.  The problem is in the causing another brother to stumble (1 Cor 8:7-13, Romans 14:21-23).  Here Jesus pointblank says that it was causing others to stumble and He would not stand for that.

This fourth level some might themselves call a Christian liberty.  They justify an activity because no scripture verse prohibits it.  That’s not how the Bible or Jesus work.

All the way down to the fourth level, God does not prohibit the action in itself.  God permits eating meat.  He prohibits doing it if it causes someone to stumble.  With no uncertain terms, Jesus forbids activities that cause others to stumble.  This is how Balac got the job done in Israel, and how one or more people got it done in Pergamos.  Evangelicals in general will call to permit an activity like eating meat offered unto idols.  They don’t care.  Their ministries are full of sin-engendering actions.  They either don’t see, don’t comprehend, or just excuse them.

Fifth Level of Separation

The last level are those reverting to idolatry and fornication.  They are the ones who stumble.  These brothers in the church stumble because of the three previous levels between them and Jesus.  Irresponsibility trickles down to them.  They’re still responsible for their own sinning, but Jesus still connects to those above them.

Jesus in Revelation 2:14-15 traces the causes of sin in the church at Pergamos.  The main culprit in the chain is level two.  “Thou hast.”  Someone wasn’t taking charge of the situation.  This is the one Jesus calls to repent.  If he doesn’t repent, Jesus will also “fight against them.”  He will fight against the Balaam level, the Balac level, and the sinning brother level.  Everyone will receive their comeuppance and it starts with an unwillingness to separate.

The instruction of Jesus is not, “Write an article against the strategies of Balaam.”  He requires more than talking about it.  Jesus expects separation.  Writing an article or giving a speech does not constitute the teaching of Jesus here.  “Thou hast” must turn to “thou hast not.”  The great motivation in the text is the desire not to have Jesus against you, either the leader of a church or against the church as a whole.