Hold Fast To The Truth Series

Hold Fast to the Truth

Revelation 2:12-17

Rev. Brian Bill

February 14-15, 2026

Have you ever wondered where Satan lives? We all know Wisconsin is God’s Country, but where does Satan have his headquarters?

That question became very real to me many years ago when our daughter Lydia and I were visiting our oldest daughter Emily while she was serving as a missionary. As we walked through a neighborhood one afternoon, I suddenly felt an overwhelming, almost suffocating sense of evil. Nothing outward looked unusual, but the spiritual heaviness was oppressive and unmistakable.

When we rounded the corner, I turned to Emily and asked, “Have you ever felt that before?” Without hesitation, she said, “Yes, because a witch doctor lives in that house.”

That moment reminded me that spiritual warfare is real, that evil is pervasive, and that there are places where deep darkness seems especially concentrated.

In Revelation 2, Jesus writes a letter to the church in Pergamum and makes a startling statement in verse 13: “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is…” Imagine being told that your hometown is the location of Satan’s command center!

What does it mean to live where Satan dwells? How do believers remain faithful in a culture saturated with compromise, pressure, and spiritual opposition? And what does this ancient message say to us today, living in a world that dismisses Satan while being increasingly hostile to biblical truth? The good news is that Jesus knows exactly where we dwell, and He calls us to stand firm, just like He did for the believers in Pergamum.

How are you doing on your assignment to read the Book of Revelation three times before Easter?

Let’s open our Bibles to Revelation 2:12-17 and discover how Christ calls His people to hold fast to the truth, even when we live in the shadow of Satan’s throne. Here’s our main idea: The secret to overcoming seduction in this world is to be satisfied by the Savior.

1. Christ’s character revealed. As we’ve seen in the introduction to each letter, Jesus reveals a different aspect of His character that is especially pertinent to each congregation. Each of these attributes takes us back to the awe-producing vision of Jesus in chapter one. This letter is directed to the messenger, which is either an angel assigned to the church or the pastor of the church: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write…”

At that time, Pergamum was one of the largest cities in the world, located about 100 miles north of Ephesus, with Smyrna about halfway in between. Known as the capital of Asia Minor, this “most distinguished city,” housed a library containing 200,000 hand-written volumes (second only to Alexandria) which helped make it a center of culture and learning. Its name was derived from the production of parchment.

It was also a city steeped in pagan religions, with temples dedicated to Dionysius (the god of wine), Athena (the goddess of wisdom), Demeter (the god of crops), and Asclepius (the god of healing). Like an ancient Mayo Clinic, people came from all over the Roman Empire in search of healing. Sufferers would spend the night in the darkness of the temple of Asclepius while snakes slithered over their bodies, which supposedly brought health and healing. Interestingly, the symbol associated with Asclepius (a staff with a single serpent wrapped around it), remains a medical emblem today and is used by the American Medical Association.

Pergamum was also home to a massive altar to Zeus, towering some 800 feet above the city, dominating the skyline as a visible reminder of pagan power. In addition, the city was the official center of emperor worship. One pastor summarizes it well: “Pergamum combined a toxic mix of political power, pagan ritual, and Greek philosophy mixed with Caesar worship. Once a year, every citizen was expected to offer incense and declare, ‘Caesar is Lord.’”

To a church in danger of capitulation and compromise, Jesus described Himself with a metaphor of judgment: “The words of Him who has the sharp two-edged sword.” The word “sharp” means, “nimble and swift, with a piercing point.” This three-foot long sword was like a razor on both sides and was used in war. Since the symbol of Rome’s sovereignty was the sword, Jesus is saying that He is infinitely stronger than Ceasar. In 1:16, this sword comes “from His mouth,” meaning the power of Jesus comes from His words as we see in Hebrews 1:3: “…He upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

2. Commended for courage. After revealing His character, in verse 13 Jesus commends these Christians for their courageous faith: “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”