Pergamos: A Message for SRA Persons

There is an amazing message to satanically ritually abused persons contained within Jesus’ message to the church of Pergamos. In order to view this, we need to see it in a specific framework. One amazing thing about the Scriptures is that they can be viewed from different perspectives that reveal truth in different arenas. There is the historical perspective which is the one most easily seen. There is an outward perspective that could be applied to a group of people today. Then there is an inward perspective that would reveal things about a person’s soul. This is the view I am taking here. In order to see what I want to reveal here, we must put on a “pair of glasses” labeled “satanic ritual abuse.” What we will see is absolutely amazing.

Jesus’ heart of love and compassion goes out to persons who have been satanically ritually abused. He understands their plight and wants to help them. He does not harshly judge them for what they have done in light of the fact that they were often forced to choose between evil and evil. They were forced to do things under the influence of demons that were purposely called into them by their perpetrators. Let’s take a look now at this portion of Revelation and see it as a letter written to 21st century satanically ritually abused persons. It also applies to all persons who have suffered abuse as little children.

Rev 2:12  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

For our inward interpretation, Pergamos represents the soul of a person who has suffered from any form of childhood abuse. Pergamos means “fortified,” from a root word meaning “a tower or castle.” When children are neglected, abandoned, beaten, sexually abused or suffer any other form of abuse, they learn to fortify their soul from pain by building inner walls to hide behind. When they become adults, parts of themselves are still locked behind walls and no one but Jesus knows how to reach them. He comes with a sharp two-edged sword to cut through walls and bring out those portions of the soul hidden away in fortified places.

This represents the souls of multitudes all over the earth today. In America, with the casting off of Christian morals, at least half of all marriages end in divorce. Many couples choose to live together without getting married. With no covenantal commitment, marriages are more likely to break apart. This hurts children immensely. People are no longer shocked by sexual behavior that was unheard of a few decades ago. Children are routinely sexually abused in all cultures. When Americans chose to cast aside biblically based mores, our whole culture began a downhill slide into an abyss of filth that destroys the soul. People are broken. They have lost sight of their true self. Only Jesus can help them find their true identity and come out from behind their walls.

Rev 2:13  I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

This verse contains more information about the abuse this person has suffered. Unknown to most church people is the fact that multitudes in our society have been abused by satanic cults. This is a complicated subject that is explained fully in my book, Restoring Survivors of Satanic Ritual Abuse. People seldom speak of this abuse because many of them don’t remember it. During the abuse, the person dissociates…splits off from the mainstream of consciousness and forms other “personalities” that hold the memories of the abuse. Demons are purposely called into the persons to block all memories of the abuse and to torment the person for the rest of his/her life.

The book of Revelation would not be complete without some mention of those who have suffered such extreme abuse. These people are all throughout our society and in our churches, but they go unrecognized. They are often diagnosed as having mental disorders such as schizophrenia, paranoia, bipolar disease, depression, etc. Mental health professionals most often consider people with these emotional problems as having a disease, when in reality they are severely abused and don’t remember it. They are medicated for their “disease” and the root of their problem, satanic ritual abuse, is never addressed.

Satanic ritual abuse has been practiced on children probably since the fall of man. It is seen in the Old Testament as making the children “pass through the fire.” Babies and children were sacrificed to the god Molech and possibly other gods as well (Deut. 18:10, Isa. 57:5, 2 Kings 3:23). Satanic ritual abuse is a major component of the enemy’s plan to rule the world in the end times. (See my book, Sanctification in Reverse, for more on this.)

I know thy works…Jesus assures this person he knows about everything that ever happened to him/her and his/her responses to it all. He knows how this person labored to survive. And where thou dwellest…Jesus knows where all the dissociated parts of this person’s soul are hidden. He will be reaching out to them and restoring them.

Even where Satan’s seat is…The word “seat” is thronos in Greek and can be translated “throne.” In people who have been satanically ritually abused, Satan rules over parts of their soul. They were forced to make vows to Satan against their will. Demons were purposely called up from hell and put into them during the rituals, so there are definitely places in their soul where Satan reigns. Jesus knows about this and understands the difficult situations this person was forced to endure.

And thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith…Jesus is commending this person that even though they were subjected to these things, they never stopped believing in him. In the face of such horrendous abuse they could have easily turned against God and blamed him for all that happened to them. Jesus says to this person, “You never did that. You remained faithful.”

Even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr…the word “was” is in italics in the text. This means that the word was not in the original Greek but was added by the translators. It therefore should read, Even in those days wherein Antipas, my faithful martyr. Taken this way, Jesus could be speaking to the person represented by Pergamos and calling him/her “my faithful martyr.” That is exactly what people who are abused in this way and remain faithful to God should be called. They are literally tortured for their refusal to do the evil things the cult wants them to do. (Remember, most of them don’t remember their abuse because of dissociation and there are many of these people…they are just not recognized because people don’t know about this and, therefore, don’t recognize it.)

The only thing known about Antipas comes from tradition, and tradition is not a very reliable source of information. There are no records of anyone being martyred by this name. If we examine the meaning of the name, we will see that it fits perfectly with our inward interpretation of abuse. The word “Antipas” is derived from two other words…anti meaning “opposite” and a derivative of pater meaning “father.” Thus we come up with a definition meaning “the opposite of a father” or “the opposite of what a father was intended by God to be.” Pater is from a word signifying “a nourisher, protector, upholder.” Most people who have suffered extreme abuse had a father who was the opposite of what a father should be. A father should nourish, protect and uphold his child in all the difficulties of life. Unfortunately in our society today, many fathers are just the opposite…they abuse their children horribly. I have ministered to troubled people one-on-one for the past 23 years and have heard numerous accounts of sexual abuse, physical abuse, abandonment and neglect from fathers. Unfortunately this is a major factor of the end times. Fathers are either absent from the home or they don’t fulfill the role God intended for them. Very seldom do I talk to anyone who had a loving and protective father who affirmed them and helped them grow up with a healthy identity. How appropriate that our loving heavenly Father included something in Revelation for his people in the end times who have suffered in this way.

With this in mind we can see that Jesus is saying to this person, “Even in the days when your father was being the opposite of all I intended a father to be (even in those days wherein Antipas), you were still faithful and never denied your belief in me (my faithful martyr).” Who was slain among you…all your hopes of having a father died in those days. Parts of your soul also seemed dead because they were locked behind walls, crushed, bruised and broken, where you could not find them.

Where Satan dwelleth…God understands that when one’s life is filled with abuse because the father did not protect him/her and may have been a primary abuser, Satan gets inroads into a person’s life. There will be demons in these persons, and God understands this and does not hold this against the person.

Rev 2:14  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.

Jesus has just a few things against these persons who have suffered abuse and yet remained faithful. The word “few” in Greek is oligos, meaning “puny (in extent, degree, number, duration or value).” This suggests to me that although there are some things wrong in them, Jesus is not going to judge them harshly. He understands that the things he will be judging in them resulted in part because of their abuse.

Historically we know that Balaam led the people into idolatry and immorality. We can look even deeper as we examine the meaning of his name. Balaam, Bil’am, in Hebrew, means “not of the people, i.e. a foreigner.” People who have been abused think they are not as good as other people. They feel they don’t belong, and that they are the only person who feels the way they do. This is called “shame,” and it permeates the thinking of all persons who have any kind of abuse in their background. The name “Balaam” is from the root word, bal, meaning “a failure, nothing.” Abused persons suffer from the thought that they are a failure in life and that they are as nothing in the eyes of God and others. They are often filled with self-hatred.

These false beliefs and emotions lead to Balac whose name means “waster, to annihilate.” Persons filled with the results of abuse open the door to the waster to destroy any possible fruit in their lives. The enemy feeds on their feelings of not belonging, failure and self-hatred.  This casts a stumbling block in their lives. It becomes a vicious cycle. Their judgments against themselves open the door for the enemy to make sure they will not be successful. Their feelings of self-loathing and their expectation to be rejected are unconsciously projected out to others who respond accordingly by rejecting them. In their desperation to cope with their feelings of rejection, failure and self-loathing they focus their time and attention on finding ways of easing their pain and frustration. These ways of coping become idols. Some people overeat to manage their pain. Others stop eating (anorexia). Many turn to alcohol and drugs to ease their pain. Some bury themselves in their work or escape in fantasy. Whatever we might do to cope with our feelings, if we are not finding our fulfillment in Jesus Christ, it is an idol.

The temptation to commit immoral sex is greater in those whose need for love was not met by their parents. Girls starved for a father’s approval and love will often seek it from another man in an immoral relationship. Men who were not affirmed in their masculinity, something that only a father or father figure can do, will sometimes turn to homosexuality. The breakdown of the family along with the forsaking of Christian morals has unleashed an epidemic of sexual immorality in our nation and around the world.

Rev 2:15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

The inward interpretation for this verse lies in the word “Nicolaitanes” which comes from two Greek words…nicao meaning “to conquer,” and laos meaning “the people.” To conquer is to dominate, intimidate and manipulate which are all characteristics of a controlling personality.

People who have been abused feel a need to control as part of their attempt to protect themselves. As little children who felt helpless in their abusive circumstances, they made unconscious vows such as “when I grow up I’m going to be in charge,” and, “I’ll never let anyone control me ever again.” Therefore, they are locked into the need to control. They only feel safe in situations they can control. These vows need to be renounced because they are actually self-imposed curses that will hinder their Christian walk.
Jesus hates this because it will keep these persons from ever coming into the rest he has for them. Only when Jesus is in control will we find peace in our soul. It also militates against these persons forming meaningful relationships in the body. Most people don’t like being controlled or manipulated. Without trust and the mutual give-and-take of healthy relationships, these persons will never find the depth of relationships in the body required for their own healing.

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

This is stern warning from Jesus. Even though he understands how the human mind works when children are in abusive situations, he wants these issues dealt with immediately. The Greek word for “repent,” metanoeo, means “to think differently.” It takes time to change the way we think, partly because we are unaware of some of these attitudes and beliefs, and also because we have formed deeply-ingrained habitual patterns of thinking. However, there is no excuse for not changing our thinking. We need to spend time with Jesus everyday, praying about these issues, memorizing scripture, studying, seeking help from other Christians and doing whatever it takes to come out of it. Jesus will help us.
Jesus warns that if we don’t, he will fight against us.

Abused persons who do not deal with their issues face many difficulties and disappointments in life. Each difficulty or disappointment, when encountered with the right attitude, can become an opportunity to deal with our issues. We must make the decisions in these circumstances. If we continue to postpone dealing with our sinful thinking and attitudes, the Lord will allow greater calamities to come our way in hopes that in our suffering we will become willing to come to him and submit to his ways…ways that will bring healing and deliverance from our own self.

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

These are indeed wonderful promises of specific blessings for those who have suffered abuse. First of all, they will eat of the hidden manna. Hidden manna refers to our spiritual bread…words and insights from God that lie hidden beneath the surface of the Word or words received intuitively when we are not reading the Bible. People who have suffered abuse see things others don’t see for two reasons. First, as children they learned to see beneath the surface of things in their attempts to protect themselves. Second, when abuse is occult in nature, demons remove parts of the veil that separates us from the spiritual realm. Over the 21 years I have ministered to abused persons, I have seen again and again that they see and hear things intuitively that others do not perceive. This is a great blessing that comes out of their extreme suffering as little children when they were abused by perpetrators and demons.

Jesus will give them a white stone. A stone has to do with our identity. God builds the foundation of our life with precious stones (Isa. 54). Jesus is our rock. When our feet are firmly planted on the Rock, it is because we have found our identity in our relationship with him. People who know they are loved, that they have worth and value because Jesus loves them and died for them, are very secure people.

Abused persons suffer greatly over their lack of identity. They have dissociated many times and spent their lifetime trying to be what others want them to be so they won’t be hurt. Their overriding sense of shame has held them down in depression and self-hatred. When they find their identity in Christ, when they know they are righteous in him (white), they will find rest from a life of misery.

Jesus also gives them a new name. A person’s name is symbolic of their character. With an identity in Christ (white stone) will be the releasing of the true gifts and traits of this person’s personality that have been buried under shame and their own efforts to be the person they thought others wanted them to be. What a glorious gift that will be!

Healing and deliverance will come much more quickly if these persons will spend time alone with Jesus, going to him in their imagination and talking about their life and the Word in this special time. They need to hear the Lord’s gentle rebuke. They can also listen to hear the Lord’s words of affirmation…words they longed to hear as children that never came. God himself wants to affirm us in our identity and minister to us for the deep hurt and emptiness left there by a troubled childhood.