The church we studied today was the Church in Pergamum. Revelation 2:12-17
Here is a reflection and additional thoughts about my message today:
Pergamum is referred to as the city where Satan has his
throne. Revelation 2:13 says that
Pergamum is where “where Satan has his throne” and also says “where Satan
lives.” This may be the only place in the bible where Jesus actually gives a
physical address for Satan. At Pergamum
it is plainly obvious what John, the beloved, is referring to as “the throne of
Satan”.
Pergamum, like most ancient cities has the common people
living below in the valley, and the elite and religious leaders living high in
a temple fortress. In the Acropolis of
Pergamum all the local leaders had their grand palaces, but even grander were
the palaces of four major Roman deities.
These included Dionysus/also called Bacchus (next to amphitheatre);
Athena (Wisdom; whose temple is next to library); Zeus (most powerful god);
Trajan (Roman Emperor from 138AD) on top of the mountain. Surrounding the
mountain were other minor deities.
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An Archaeologist
sketch of Pergamum in the first century.
The white marble grandiose temples would have easily been
considered a wonder of the world in the days of the early church. These deities represented power and control
through the worship of Emperor Trajan.
This was more than just a political maneuver, but he was regarded as a major
god. With his divine status the Emperors
could demand anything they desired.
Sexual immorality and other kinds of debauchery (our
English word “debauchery” comes from the name of this god Bacchus also known as
Dionysus). Next to every temple to
Dionysus is an amphitheater. Here they
performed dramatic plays, tragedies and comedies yet included performances
which strived to seduce and bring out erotic sexual behavior. Dionysus was a god who was worshiped with all
kinds of sexual immorality beyond what I am prepared to explain in this blog.
Literally everything you can imagine was done.
Zeus is the supreme God of the Greeks and represents the
strongest and most powerful of deities.
Zeus was the chief of all deities.
He could control and manipulate other gods as well. This altar to Zeus was one of the most
significant places of worship in Anatolia (or Turkey). Zeus was to be feared and served. The emperors and all other deities were
subject to his power as well. Thus, Zeus
has always been a significant deity worshiped by political leaders who need
power and control to remain in their positions.
Athena represents wisdom and the power of humanism. Next to every temple of Athena is always a
library. Athena is worshiped as a source
of knowledge. The Greeks were the most
advanced civilization of their day and much knowledge we have today in science,
medicine, religion, engineering and even politics is derived from the libraries
collected at Athena’s temples. Pergamum
was a significant temple which included works from the Alexandria library (the
biggest in the ancient world) given to them by Cleopatra herself. Worship of Athena represents the power of
humanity to conquer and understand everything.
It is the human pride and centers on humanism.
Together, this mountain of worship represents what
Revelation, and Jesus himself, refers to as the throne of Satan. But does the story of Pergamum stop
there? Are the ruined temples of the
throne of Satan mean that Satan is defeated?
No, not by any means.
In the early 1980’s I lived in the Northern Virginia area
outside of Washington, DC. I visited the
Capitol building itself and I was stuck by something odd. The name of the center of the capitol, the
rotunda, is referred to as the “Temple of Liberty”. In that temple, it is full of Greek
gods. The entire architectural style is
Greek as well. George Washington, our first President, is depicted as a deity
in the center of the rotunda. He is
surrounded by depictions of numerous Greek gods. The capitol building itself sits on a hill. Other immediate buildings include the Supreme
Court (most powerful body in the United States). It is surrounded by libraries and museums
which gathers knowledge from every part of the world in the various Smithsonian
buildings. The Presidential palace (White
House) is nearby, along with the National Treasury (a very real god of America). In the immediate area are also some of the
most incredible places for performing arts, such as the Kennedy Center. At the
other end of this elaborately designed city are the military offices, including
the national cemetery with the entombed remains of America’s heroes. The Pentagon remains the largest building in
the world by square footage. This one
building controls armies, nations and millions of soldiers across the entire
world. There are US military in hundreds
of nations of the world. The resemblance
to Pergamum is easy to view. I am not
suggesting that Washington, DC is the throne of Satan, but in this place we
find power, wisdom, the arts, military, commerce, education and many more keys
to controlling not only a nation, but global influence. Millions, if not billions of people’s lives
are impacted by what happens in these places.
Where does Satan live today? Where is the throne of Satan? It is not for me to say as I do not
know. Only Jesus knows. What is Pergamum (the ancient throne of Satan)
today? Nothing. It is a tourist
attraction for people who like to study and see the broken stones of empires of
the past, which have ceased to exist.
The throne of Satan is no longer in Pergamum. It has moved and it did so long ago. Satan continues to exert his influence around
the world causing evil in every form to grow stronger and stronger.
Jesus has called us believer to “overcome”. Be faithful in the truth that we know in
Jesus Christ. Do not waver. They will threaten, oppress, torture,
persecute and despise true believers, but you must not give in. We have a promise from God as to what will
happen to Satan and his followers.
“When
the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go
out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to
gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They
marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s
people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And
the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where
the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever”
(Revelation 20:7-10).
The day of Satan and his control is coming to an
end. Satan is active producing evil of
every kind all over the world. We have
to stand strong till the end. The end
will come, and Jesus will win.
He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white
stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (Revelation
2:17)
Jesus Christ said he would give us a white stone with a
new name written on it. Do you think
Jesus is literally going to hand you a white stone with a new name?
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