Pergamum: Satan's Throne Series

Like Smyrna, Pergamum was proud of its many temples. Are you beginning to see a theme here among these churches? Pergamum, like Smyrna, was a center of pagan worship. Being a center for Roman government and administration in this region, they, like Smyrna, were loyal to Rome and loved all things Roman … including their gods. They had a temple for Dionysus, the Roman god of wine and drama … they had a temple dedicated to Athena, the Roman goddess of the hunt … they had a temple where they could worship Aesculapius … the god of healing. The biggest temple, of course, was build for the chief Roman God … Zeus! Zeus’ massive temple was built on a hill overlooking the city and was referred to a “Zeus’ Throne.” Inside the temple was a massive stone throne four times the size of the “throne” that Lincoln sits on in the Lincoln Memorial … and if you’ve ever been to the Lincoln Memorial then you know that Zeus’ throne had to have been incredibly massive.

Many scholars think that Zeus’ throne maybe what Jesus was referring to in verse 13 when He called Pergamum “Satan’s throne.” That could be … but here’s another possibility. I think Jesus called Pergamum “Satan’s throne” because it was another “seat” or center of emperor worship in that part of the world. Hedonism, idolatry, and paganism radiated out from Pergamum to most of Asian Minor … including Smyrna, as we talked about last Sunday. From a Christian standpoint, Pergamum was one of the darkest and most dangerous of all the cities in Asia Minor.

Let me stop and ask you this: Does it feel like Satan is running wild and loose in the world these days? I mean, it doesn’t seem like you can listen to the news without hearing bad news … well, the “news” has pretty much always been “bad news” … but lately it seems like bad news on top of bad news on top of more bad news, amen? Maybe it looks like hell and feels like hell because it is hell. Satan is alive and well on planet earth because earth is Satan’s throne … for now! The devil is not in hell … not yet. He has not been locked up in the bottomless pit. That fate still awaits him. Until then, he still crouches at the door (Genesis 4:7) and he still roams the earth looking for someone … anyone … to devour (1st Peter 5:8-9). For now, Satan is the prince of this earth and holds the title or deed to this fallen world. He is the lord and ruler of this temporary age as he walks up and down, to and fro on this planet trying to destroy the people’s faith in Jesus in any way that he can. While he may have reign over this broken and corrupt world, he is already defeated. His reign ended when Jesus walked out of the tomb. His time is limited and he knows it, so he’s amped up his efforts to muddle and destroy as many hearts and souls as he possibly can before he is thrown in to the bottomless pit for good. Like a mortally wounded lion or bear, it’s best to steer clear of him. Satan may have been defeated but he is still very dangerous … and still very clever … as we shall see.