“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna,.."
(Revelation 2:17a)
In Pergamum the victor is the believer who not only stands fast in the face of external pressure "where Satan's throne is" but also resists temptations to conform for the sake of personal convenience. Jesus promises hidden manna. Manna was the bread of heaven that nourished Israel in the desert; and Revelation portrays the church's life between Christ's ascension and His return as a sojourn in the wilderness, in which God sustains it. Moses had shown that the manna pointed beyond itself, teaching that "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD" (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4). Jesus announced that the manna pointed to His sacrificed body as the true "bread out of heaven" (John 6:32-35). Though the church's circumstances seem as desolate as a desert, Jesus sustains it by His word, revealing Himself.
(Dennis E. Johnson)
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