Revelation 2:9-10, 13 & 24: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life”. “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”. “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden”.
These passages are taken to mean that there is a powerful being called Satan waging war against Christians, at times working through civil powers to do so.
1.) We have seen several times in these notes that “Satan” often refers to the Jewish and Roman adversaries of the church in the first century. There is no indication here that there was a super-human being working through those Roman and Jewish systems. If it is argued that those systems received power and direction from the devil in the sense of a super-human being to persecute the church, it must be remembered that Jesus told the Roman governor: “You could have no power at all against me, except it were given you from above”, i.e. from God (John 19:11). Thus it is God, not the devil, who gives power to human governments to persecute His people, as He gave them power to do so to His Son.
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Author: Duncan Heaster
Keywords: Satan, synagogue of Satan, synagog of Satan, where Satan dwells, where Satan dwelleth, dwelling place of Satan, Satan's throne, throne of Satan, devil's throne, Satan's seat, Pergamon, Pergamum, Pergamos
Bible reference(s): Revelation 2:9, Revelation 2:10, Revelation 2:13, Revelation 2:24
Source: “The Real Devil A Biblical Exploration.”
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.