12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practise sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
The significance of our Lord's designation of Himself as 'He which hath the sharp sword with two edges' may be seen in relation to the situation then prevailing at Pergamos. The 'sword' refers surely to the Word of God, and the Word is the weapon by which the Church may defy the hosts of Satan (13), and root out error in its life and fellowship (14, 15). The important thing for us to notice is that it is possible to dwell where Satan's seat is, and still hold the faith. Faithfulness in situations of extreme difficulty and pressure is not an impossibility for the Christian, and unpleasant or uncongenial circumstances should never in themselves be made a pretext for contracting out of bearing a true and consistent witness there, and seeking a place where being a Christian will be much easier. It is a constant temptation to want to withdraw from some godless office or the pagan environment of some workshop, and we should beware lest the deceitfulness of our hearts lead us to persuade ourselves that the Lord is guiding us elsewhere, into some Christian atmosphere where the strain will be less. We may not withdraw from the place of His appointment just because it is hard and difficult. Christ wants witnesses where Satan's seat is - how otherwise will Satan's captives be set free? There must be no wrong or self-regarding application of the apostolic word in 2 Corinthians 6:17, 'Come out from among them and be ye separate'. We can be in the world without being of the world.