In some translations the little word ‘and’ links all the seven letters to each other, like seven pearls in a chain. Now a letter is going to Pergamum, a university centre in antiquity. The largest library of the ancient world except for the one in Alexandria was located there, with over 250,000 parchment scrolls (the word ‘parchment’ is derived from ‘Pergamum’). There was a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medical science (the ‘Aesculapius’, the entwined serpent-symbol of the medical profession). This temple was well known for the great medical knowledge possessed by the priests and derived from the serpent god. There was an enormous altar for the chief Greek god, Zeus which is now displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It was the first city in Asia to openly support the emperor cult. A temple was dedicated to ‘the divine Augustus and the goddess Roma’ in 29 BC. Needless to say, living in this city with such a dark spiritual atmosphere posed serious challenges for the followers of the Lord Jesus. It was not so much a commercial centre, but a centre of science, religion and politics, of sophisticated Greek culture, of noble humanism—Hellenism, as it was called, outwardly very refined, but full of subtle poison and hatred against Christians.
“I know where you live,” Christ says, “where Satan has his throne.” This is how He describes this sophisticated centre, Pergamum.
The church can become a synagogue of Satan; and the world, however civilized, can be a throne of Satan. Indeed, the devil rules the kingdoms of this earth. He was able to offer ‘all the kingdoms of the earth’ to Christ when he tempted Him in the desert.1 Demonic angelic authorities, powers of darkness, appear to be behind the political authorities in several places in the Bible. The angel permitted to bring Daniel the vision about the future of his people was resisted twenty-one days by the prince of the Persian kingdom. It was only because Michael came to his aid that he was able to ‘break through’ to give Daniel the vision, even though he had already departed as soon as Daniel began to pray. He then had to go back to continue the fight with the ‘prince of Persia’, and he already knew that, after that, the ‘prince of Greece’ would come.2 Michael is the angel called by name, who stands at the side of the people of Israel in the Heavenly realms.3 Judgment will strike the powers of darkness however—judgment from Christ’s mouth: the Word as a sharp two-edged sharp sword that will slay the Antichrist.4 His appearance is characterised by Him carrying a sharp double-edged sword5 and threatens now to address a church that has become accessible and weak in its attitude towards the heathen way of life.
• It is a great comfort to know that Jesus knows where you live, and that He is aware of how difficult your life is and how much you are surrounded by demonic powers. He sees you in your most difficult circumstances, and knows you through and through. He is very near to you and loves you. And He is able and willing to carry you through.
• However, He observes His Church in this world also going along with what is in fact pagan culture and philosophy, however culturally sophisticated and scientifically packaged they present themselves. And He strongly opposes to that. Judaism and Christianity collided strongly with Hellenism—Greek humanism in which man occupies centre stage instead of God.
Bible References:
1.Matthew 4:8–9 2.Daniel 10 3.Daniel 12:1 4.2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:15 5.Revelation 1:16
