Tag Archives: Satan

The letter to Pergamum: Where Satan has his throne

lettersWhen Jesus addresses the church in Pergamum, he says that he knows where they live, where “Satan has his throne.” In our book, I discuss possible interpretations of this phrase:

This statement has led to much speculation over the years as to what could be considered to be “Satan’s throne.” Some would point to the temple of Asclepios. Certainly the serpent god of the Romans could be connected with the ancient serpent which tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yet the temple of Asclepios was a center of healing and medicine, hardly an evil place in and of itself. There’s nothing to make us think that the things that went on there would have been of any threat to the Christians. Another possibility that is often mentioned is the huge altar to Zeus which could be seen looming above the city. Zeus was considered king of the Roman gods, and the altar contained images of the whole pantheon of gods and goddesses. Its imagery would have been offensive to Christians as would have been the activities which went on there. Still, there’s little to make us connect this pagan building with the context of Revelation; the persecution that was to come upon the Christians did not emanate from this great building. What seems the most likely, given the historical situation in which the first-century Christians in Asia found themselves, is that Paul is referring to Pergamum as provincial capital. The Roman government had established its center in Pergamum and all official persecution of Christians in Asia would originate there. There were a whole series of temples in Pergamum which were dedicated to the different Roman emperors. Emperor worship with its ensuing persecution of Christians; surely that could be considered to be the seat of satanic power in the region. The emperor must not be worshiped, for his power is not of divine origin, but demonic.

(Letters From The Lamb, pp. 81-82)

In his Experimental Theology blog, Richard Beck had an interesting post on the relationship between the demonic powers and earthly governments. (as well as a follow up post on the angels of the nations). This concept is plainly seen in the letter to the church in Pergamum.

Rome’s throne is Satan’s throne. Christians were not in a struggle against mere men; the earthly power that presented itself as an authority was a challenge to God’s authority. It was a representative of Satan on earth.

Was Satan telling the truth?

Satan is the father of liars, according to the Bible. Yet we can also see that he is the master of the half-truth and the misapplied truth. When tempting Jesus in the wilderness, Satan even quoted Scripture.
Satan said something interesting during the temptation sequence. Let’s read from Luke’s account: “The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” ” (Luke 4:5-7)
Satan claimed to have been given the authority over the kingdoms of this world. Jesus repeatedly called Satan “the prince of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) Paul spoke of “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and John wrote “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) [You can also consider Ephesians 2:2 and Ephesians 6:12, among others]
What do you think? Was Satan telling the truth? Does he hold authority over the kingdoms of this world?