Throne of Satan

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live — where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city — where Satan lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

This is the third letter written. The first was to Ephesus in which they were told that they had lost their zeal for Jesus. The second church, Smyrna invoked no rebuking but was told that they would suffer and to hold fast that their reward was coming. This letter is written to the church of Pergamum where the theme is the struggle of spiritual compromise.

Pergamum was not a port church however it held the second largest library, was home to great temples: Asclepius, Caesar, the alter to Zeus and according to Jesus the throne of Satan.

Asclepius: Asclepius had the power to raise from the dead and he himself was restored to life by Zeus and for this reason he was thought to have also a snake form and tame snakes were kept in his temples as these animals were regarded as a symbol of regeneration (snakes shed their skins every year).

The main symbol of Asclepius is a physician’s staff with a snake wrapped around it; Caduceus

Caesar: When Rome took over and Augustus Caesar established the cult of emperor worship close to the turn of the first century, Pergamos was chosen as the headquarters, and a temple was built in honor of Rome and Augustus, approximately 29 BC. At least once a year citizens where required to confess their allegiance to Ceasar. Those who didn’t would suffer or give their lives. Antipas the pastor of the church of Pergamus, refused to say Ceasar was God and he was boiled in the belly of a brazen- bull shaped alter.

Zeus: The Altar of Zeus is the largest Greek altar that is known to exist.

During that period of time, the church of Pergamum was in a very pagan atmosphere, completely perverse to Christian testimony. In the middle of that was situated this little church to which Christ addressed the letter. In fact, in verse 13 you will note that He says, “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.”

Jesus describes himself as the one who has the sharp double-edged sword which is the word of God. He will have things to say to all that is unbiblical in this church. First, he does commend them. I know where you live — where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. Satan’s throne IS NOT in hell. Satan is not omnipresent: he is a created being. Satan’s performance is all over the world, but he’s got his throne there. That’s quite an amazing statement. Make no mistake, the devil’s throne is not in hell. It’s in this world. This is his field. Hell is the place of his imprisonment. This is the place of action. His power was unleashed from this city and some in the Pergamum church had fallen victim to Satan and become thoroughly embroiled and even married to the world. It isn’t persecution but this kind of compromise is the fastest way to destroy the church’s life and testimony. So according to Jesus Satan’s throne was in Pergamum amid compromise.

Jesus does find faults. There were members of the congregation who follow Balaam.

Who and what is the doctrine of Balaam?

We must head back into the Old Testament Numbers 22. Balak king of Moab knew the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. He was terrified that they would destroy Moab so he summoned Balaam a sorcerer for prophet. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balak did not know that God had already promised not to hurt the Moabites. Balaam tried to curse the Israelites but because they were God’s people, every time he opened his mouth to curse them God sent out words of blessing. This angrier Balak who finally refused to pay Balaam and sent him away.

Now dear reader we most travel to the writing of that great Jewish historian Josephus. In Antiquities Book 4, chapter 6.

When Balaam was just upon his journey, in order to pass the Euphrates, he sent for Balak, and for the princes of the Midianites. He told them that since God was not going to allow anything horrific to happen to the Israelites, that Balak and Midianites should send their most beautiful and alluring daughters to the camps of the Israelites. So they did and men were seduced with food and sex. So the teaching of Balaam is a backdoor seduction and drifting from the truth.

Back to Revelation 2:17

To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna.

Remember manna from Exodus 16. God sent the manna to sustain the Israelites. It was bread from God. This manna promised in Revelation is the hidden manna is an example of a symbolic illustration of Jesus. As the manna God provided to sustain and strengthen the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert, Jesus is the manna that strengthens and sustains us daily in our spiritual walk.

I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

The white stone imagery might come from trial procedures in Pergamum. [1]Osborne writes, “In ancient trials jurors would cast a white or black stone into an urn to vote for acquittal or guilt (cf. Acts 26:10); while no name was written on the stones, the trial setting could make sense in the Pergamene situation.

[1] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 138–139.

Jesus’ message to the Church of Pergamum and to those who are compromising in the church today, is that beware Judgment is coming.