April 7: HOLD FAST!
“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Revelation 2:13
Pergamos was a very dangerous place for Christians to live. The Greek word that is translated dwell means to reside permanently. Jesus was fully aware that His followers had chosen to remain there as a witness for Him: “I know your works”. Pergamos was the leading city in the empire for “emperor worship” in addition to being a center for pagan religious life. A yearly test of loyalty to Rome required each one to offer a pinch of incense before an idol representing the emperor while saying “Caesar is Lord.” This was followed by the issuing of a dated certificate that provided “protection” for one year. A colossal statue of Zeus stood over the city. Day after day smoke ascended from the continuous sacrifices offered on the altar there. Nearby was a massive shrine to Asclepios, the serpent-god of healing. The serpent emblem was used for both Asclepios and Zeus. These gods were enormously popular and people traveled great distances to visit them. It is no wonder that Jesus referred to the city as a place where Satan’s throne is. The meaning of the Greek word thronos is seat of authority. Jesus repeated the idea, saying “where Satan dwells” to convey the intention of Satan to reside permanently there.
Emperor Domitian was in power when John penned Revelation. There is a ‘domino history’ behind emperor worship. When the Persian King Cyrus toppled the Kingdom of Babylon in 539BC, a sizeable contingent of Babylonian priests fled to Pergamos. Over time, these priests passed their priestly duties to the Romans who conferred the combined powers of priesthood and royalty onto the Caesars. Later, these spiritual and political powers were transferred to the venerated as “all-powerful” Roman popes.
Church people who desired to live for Christ in this dark city understood the perilous challenge. The name Antipas means “against papa” or “against the fathers” and Jesus is calling him by the same name He Himself had been called: faithful witness (1:5), as “martyr” and “witness” are both translated from the Greek word martus. The name Antipas came to symbolize all of the faithful Christians who held to their faith in Jesus without compromise. The letter to Pergamos corresponds to the historical period of the church dating from AD313 to 538. Remember that Constantine had issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which legalized Christianity. To a large degree it was a reprieve from persecution. But this shift opened the door of the church to compromise. But Jesus commended the faithful: “…you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith…” May you and I imitate this example!
“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant—Even them I will bring…” Isaiah 56:4-7a