Seven Churches of Revelation: The Church in Pergamum

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/church-in-pergamum/  This an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ Going on the road north from Smyrna you would travel along the coast for 40 miles, then you’d go northeast up the valley. Ten miles east from the shore was the Roman capital of Asia, Pergamum. The city had a special relationship with Rome having been longtime allies, making it a natural pick to hold the throne of Rome’s rule in the province. It likewise had a population larger than most modern cities. Parchment was invented in Pergamum. They had a library that rivaled Alexandria’s. There are still a good bit of ruins from the city where it once stood. Built on a cone-shaped hill 1000 feet high, Pergamum was especially noticeable and dominated the eyesight of everyone who would have seen it. At the top of the hill was a great altar to Zeus/Jupiter. “Jupiter” is merely what the Romans called the god which the Greeks called “Zeus.” What you may not know is that Zeus is merely what the Greeks called the Phoenician (a nation bordering Israel) god “Baal.” This great altar of Jupiter/Zeus/Baal being on top of the hill made it so that for anyone approaching the city, the entire citadel, the whole mountain, would look like a giant throne of Zeus. This darkness underscores the incredible nature of Jesus’ message to the churches—which is not to leave these cities, but to be in them, to witness and be a light to them.   Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Get our Premium podcast feed featuring all the breakout sessions from the RENEW gathering early.  https://reallifetheologypodcast.supercast.com/  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW