I have a question about the church at Pergamos. I have been working through your Bible study on the book of Revelation, and I am puzzled by something.
Could you please explain to me a little bit more about the parable of the Mustard Seed, and how this ties in with the church at Pergamos? I do not quite understand it, and I thought that perhaps you might be able to explain it to me. I would appreciate further insights into this passage of scripture and how it fits with Rev. 2:12-17.
I also want to tell you how much I appreciate your studies! They are wonderful, and I have learned so much through them.
In Matthew 13:31-32 the Lord describes a mustard seed becoming something it was not supposed to be, a tree large enough so that the birds perch in its branches. Earlier the Lord explained that birds symbolized the evil one (Matt 13:19).
The Church in Pergamum became something it wasn’t supposed to be either, a place of refuge for the Babylonian Pagan religion. In His letter to Pergamum the Lord complained that Satan had His throne there.
The idea in the Parable of the Mustard Seed is that the Church, having begun as a number of small independent fellowships, has become so big and diverse that even Satan can “perch in its branches.”(2 Cor. 11:14) The church was supposed to go into all the world, but beginning in Pergamum, the world came into the church. My three part series on the Kingdom Parables can give you more insight into this.