We visited ancient Pergamum, often called Pergamon, during our road trip to the cities named in Revelation. The archaeological sites are around modern Bergama in western Turkey. The acropolis, its steep theatre and the remains of several temples gave us plenty to explore; we also visited places beyond the hilltop site. Revelation 2:12, 13 refers to Pergamum as the place “where the throne of Satan is.” We wondered what that meant as we walked among the ruins. The verse does not identify a particular building, so the discussion below offers possibilities rather than a definite identification. Our visit to ancient Pergamum. The altar of Zeus and the acropolis One well-known interpretation connects the expression in Revelation with the altar of Zeus. On the hilltop, we could see its prominent position and the remains of its base. The scale and setting explain why this structure draws attention, but its appearance alone cannot tell us what Jesus meant. The site of the Zeus altar when w...

Sardis is our next stop on our road trip through Turkey to see the seven congregations of Revelation. Just like on our visit to Philadelphia , we again see some really interesting connections between what we see in Sardis and what Jesus writes to the congregation in the book of Revelation. When addressing the seven congregations in Revelation, Jesus used language and metaphors that the residents could relate to. So in this post I want to share three things that will make more sense to you when reading Jesus’ words to this congregation. You can connect them with things that you see in or around the city. But first, let’s see the text from the New World Translation. In bold are the connections we will make:  1. “To the angel of the congregation in Sarʹdis write: These are the things that he says who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead.   3. Therefore, continue mindful o...