SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
1/30/2015 9:29 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The
Commendation
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Rev. 2:13
Message
of the verses: “13 ’I
know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and
did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one,
who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
The glorified Christ commends them
for standing firm even though they live where Satan’s throne was. This is an interesting statement and one may
wonder what this means “where Satan’s
throne is.” There are some who
identify this throne being the splendid altar of Zeus in which the Pergamum
people worshiped at. Edwin Yamauchi
notes the following as seen in John MacArthur’s commentary: “The word altar
is somewhat misleading. The structure is
a monumental colonnaded court in the form of a horseshoe, 120 by 112 feet. The podium of the altar was nearly 18 feet
high. The great frieze, which ran at the
base of the structure for 446 feet, depicted a gigantomachy, that is, a battle
of the gods and the giants. It was one
of the greatest works of the Hellenistic art. (New Testament Cities in Western Asia Minor [Grand Rapids: baker,
1980], 35-36).” John MacArthur comments
“Such an impressive structure could easily merit the designation ‘Satan’s
throne.’”
Needless to say that it is not
perfectly clear as to what the real meaning of “Satan’s throne” is, but we do
know that there were many other god’s worshiped in Pergamum including the one
we mentioned yesterday, Asklepios, the god of healing and also the temple to
worship the Roman Emperor who reigned at the time. MacArthur writes “Satan’s throne could easily
be understood as a reference to the might of Rome under the god of this world’
(2 Cor. 4:4), blaspheming the true God by the emperor worship cult.”
At this time I wish to quote from my
former study on Revelation dated 02/21-2005 “The symbol of the Roman proconsul
was a sword, and Christ identified Himself by the One who had the two-edged
sword in His mouth, and thus these believers knew by this that they should fear
the Lord and not the Romans. These
believers stayed true to the Lord even when facing the death of a brother in
Christ, Antipas, who died for the cause of Christ.”
There is no other reference in
Scripture as to who Antipas was, but perhaps he was one of the leaders of the
church there and tradition says that he was roasted inside a brass bull during
the persecution that was instigated by Emperor Domitian. John MacArthur gives some insight into the
word “witness’ as seen in the text. He
writes “Witness translates martus, a
word that eventually became transliterated into English as the word martyr, because so many witness for
Christ paid with their lives.”
I want to go back to the topic of “Satan’s throne”
and quote a portion of MacArthur’s
sermon on this church: “Now, let's look a little more closely at the letter and
see the commendation. There's some good things to say. He says them in verse
13. "I know where you dwell, where
Satan's throne is." They existed at the headquarters of satanic
opposition. Now people say, "Well how would you interpret that?"
Well, I would just interpret it the way it's written. Satan had obviously
established the center of his operation there. I don't know why, but he had. It
was the headquarters for his authority. You must note also that He says here, "Where you dwell where Satan's throne
is," a mark of permanent residence. Satanic power was manifest
right out of that city.”
I am not sure where Satan’s throne is at this present
time, but as we go through our study on Revelation we will see that his throne
will be in the place where the antichrist will rule from, which the Bible calls
Babylon. Where that will be we will look
at when we get to chapter seventeen as some have a difference of opinion as if
this will be the literal Babylon located in modern day Iraq.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I truly have been
blessed by living in a country where I have been free to worship for all of my
life, but there seems to be coming a day when that freedom will be taken away
from all who name the name of Christ and my prayer is that I will always stand
for the cause of Christ no matter what this could mean to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and strength, and to continue to better understand the love that He has
for me.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 1:5-9.
5 Nor for this
very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral
excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge,
self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance,
godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly
kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities
are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in
the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having
forgotten his purification from former sins.
Answer to yesterday’s
Bible question: “Martha” (Luke 10:40).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said, ‘I do not know the
man’?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/30/2015 10:31 AM
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