Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.
In John’s vision in the Book of Revelation, Jesus sent messages to seven churches in Asia. Last time, we looked at the Ephesus church, a church that had lost its first love. The next four churches shared a common problem: they were targeted by Satan.
To the church in Pergamum Jesus said, “I know where you live–where Satan has his throne. Yet, you remain true to my name” (Rev 2:13). Jesus reminded them of the martyr Antipas, who “was put to death in your city–where Satan lives” (Rev 2:13).
Where does Satan live today? In high-tech San Francisco? Big oil Houston? Megabucks New York? Monstrous military Fort Bragg?
Or maybe Jesus doesn’t point to Satan as being in just one city. Maybe he and his evil ilk live in all our cities and near all our churches. Cities of poverty and riches, greed and generosity, peace and violence.
Jesus warned the church at Smyrna that the devil would put some of them in prison to test them (Rev 2:10).
He warned both Smyrna and Philadelphia against those who belong to the “synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9, 3:9). We don’t know what a “synagogue of Satan” was, or what threat it posed to Christian churches. Perhaps Jesus was suggesting that Satan and crew were active in any organization that hated him.
Jesus warned the church at Thyatira against the false prophet Jezebel, calling her “that woman” who led people into sexual immorality and encouraged eating food sacrificed to idols (Rev 2:20). Jesus commended those who rejected her teaching and did not learn the so-called deep secrets of Satan (Rev. 2:24).
Four churches where the devil was actively trying to subvertthe work of God. A strikingly different worldview than what we have today. If you heard that Satan was targeting your church, what would you do? Raise your eyebrows and squint? Question the messenger’s sanity?
The author of Revelation lived in a small, earth-centric universe where nations and churches shared space with God, Satan, angels, and demons. In that universe, Satan could have a throne in one city, synagogues in another, and teachers of his deep secrets in another.
In our worldview, we live in a material world that operates by laws of cause and effect. We are buffered from the spiritual world; spiritual forces intrude only rarely on our physical existence. When we are sick, we see our doctor and take our pills. And if we pray for healing, we’re not sure whether God got involved, or whether it was the medicine.
We don’t think of Satan living in a particular city, or his minions targeting synagogues and churches.
The words of Revelation are easy to translate, but it’s tricky to translate the worldview. Some conspiracy theories suggest Satan is present and active in the “deep secrets” of the World Economic Forum, or the politics of the World Health Organization, or the structures of the “deep state”.
Yes, evil is deeply embedded in our world system. But not only there. Russian author Solzhenitsyn said, “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts” (The Gulag Archipelago).
Let’s pray.
Our father, as we read the mysteries of Revelation, we are stunned by how little we understand the author’s worldview.
We’re not sure where Satan has his throne today, who attends his synagogues and churches, or who teaches and lives by his so-called deep secrets.
We no longer inhabit the old worldview where earth is the center of the universe, where angels and demons are present everywhere, influencing events on earth.
Help us discern the world in all its good and evil. Open our eyes to the good and evil in our own hearts. Help us see the truth and the falsehood in our worldview, the failures in the way we interpret scripture, our biases as we read the news.
Teach us to see the world as you see it, O God, for this is the world you love.
Amen
I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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