WHAT IS SATAN'S THRONE?A city perched a thousand feet in the air like a god looking down on the world. Temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and Asclepius. The first altar in the entire Roman province of Asia ever raised to worship a living Caesar as a god. And tucked into the lower city, living every single day under the shadow of the whole pagan pantheon, a tiny congregation of Christians was trying to confess one Lord in a city drowning in a hundred of them.This is Pergamum. The city the risen Christ calls the place "where Satan's throne is."ABOUT THIS EPISODEIn Part 1 of our three part series, we climb the acropolis of ancient Pergamum and set the stage for one of the most loaded letters in the book of Revelation. Before you can hear what Jesus says to this church, you have to see the city He says it to, because every image in the letter (the sword, the throne, the hidden manna, the white stone) is pulled straight out of the streets, temples, and politics these believers walked through every day.We trace how a dead king's silver bought a dynasty, how that dynasty handed itself to Rome, and how Pergamum became the mother city of emperor worship in the East. We stand in front of the throne shaped altar of Zeus with its serpent legged giants carved into the stone. We climb to the temple of Athena the victory bringer. We pass the theater of Dionysus. And we walk the Sacred Way down to the Asclepieion, the most famous healing sanctuary in the Roman world, where live serpents slid across sleeping pilgrims and a snake god was hailed as savior.By the end, one question is left hanging in the air: where exactly is Satan's throne? The altar of Zeus is a candidate. The serpent in the sanctuary is a candidate. But neither one is the answer. There is a third structure on that mountain, and you will not see it until Part 2.IN THIS EPISODE1. Why modern Christians know less about Pergamum than any of the seven churches, and why that matters2. How a Greek officer turned a dead king's nine thousand talents of silver into an entire kingdom3. Why Rome treated Pergamum as a friend and a gift rather than a conquered enemy4. How Pergamum became the first city in Asia to build a temple to a living emperor5. The throne shaped altar of Zeus and the ancient war in heaven carved into its base6. The biblical thread running from the serpent in Eden to the giants of Canaan7. The cult of Dionysus and the immorality hiding behind the city's public worship8. The mystery religion of Demeter and the secret names that make the white stone land so hard9. The Asclepieion, the serpent who called himself savior, and the impossible choice facing a Christian family with a dying childCHAPTERSIntroductionPart 1: The Counterfeit City on a HillPart 2: A Dead Man's SilverPart 3: The Rival Serpent CrushersPart 4: The Mountain Full of GodsPart 5: The Serpent in the SanctuarySCRIPTURE: Revelation 2:12 to 17NEXT TIME ON THE PRODCASTIn Part 2 we finally name the throne. There is a third structure on the acropolis I have not shown you yet, and once you see it, you will never read this letter the same way again. Subscribe so it lands in your feed the moment it drops.OUR CHANNEL PARTNERHuge thanks to Wrath and Grace, who handle the video post production for the PRODCAST and produce some of the best Reformed content, apparel, music, and resources anywhere online. Go check them out, support their work, and grab something for the kingdom: https://wrathandgrace.comBECOME A MEMBERMemberships are how this show keeps running. They cover the camera, the lights, the teleprompter, the sound board, and everything it takes to produce the PRODCAST every single week. If this show has strengthened your understanding of Revelation, of eschatology, or of the victory of Jesus, prayerfully consider joining as a member. You have no idea how much it actually helps.JOIN HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD_3vCL8AM6U3sJIAzq9vnA/join
