I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. (Rev 2:13)
What comes to mind when you hear the words--The seat of Satan? The word has a few thoughts about this. A seat mentioned in scripture meant a place of royalty, authority, and power. The church of Pergamos was located in the heart of the seat of Satan. In that area, a faithful soldier of the church named Antipas was murdered. According to some historical records of that time, he was put inside of a big hollow bull and heated until it became red-hot. It is believed that he was praying and giving thanks during his execution.
Whether the story was true or not, the fact of the matter is that he was martyred openly as an example to intimidate the church into silence. It did the opposite--the church stood firm and did not deny the faith. It is interesting that God calls the place where Antipas was murdered, the dwelling of Satan. History shows us that it was around the altar of the Greek God Zeus.
A seat in this verse denotes a stronghold. The city was, personally, inhabited by Satan thru the worship of Zeus. Spiritual strongholds exist in people, communities, cities, or countries. Leaders can have a demon power behind their operations and decisions. It is not the first time that Satan has, personally, been involved in a high political position. The King of Tyrus had the personal backing of Satan himself. (Ezekiel 28:12-15)
Another high-ranking demon spirit that we see is the Prince of Persia. Daniel was so set on seeking the Lord's face for guidance and insights into future events that it called the attention of that evil spirit. (Daniel 10:12-13) Names of demon spirits are important when dealing with the deliverance of a person or places of authority.
It is interesting how demon spirits can travel through time and do more damage to people. This altar of Zeus was taken into Nazi Germany and used as a podium for Adolph Hitler to address his people. (1) History teaches us that Hitler was used by Satan to kill millions of Jews. As we look at the church of Pergamos, God praised their steadfast faith and loyalty. On the other hand, God pointed out their shortcomings. They had mixture in their midst.
It is because of this mixture that they were limited in making an impact on that city. Notice in Rev 2:7, God was going to give them the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written. He was going to reveal mysteries to the church and, most likely, it would have been used to win the city of Pergamos. Alas, the church dwindled and lost its influence in the city. Let's look into our hearts and deal with any mixture in our lives. Allow the Lord to point out those areas of shortcomings and weaknesses in our lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the grace and mercy to overcome it. Then, we will be able to win our family, community, and even our nation to the Lord. God bless.
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r83ZRissyw
Photo courtesy by Marco Montero Pisani on Unsplash
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