To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

These words, written by a man named John on the island of Patmos, came to us in Ephesus, hand delivered via a messenger. How do I know? I know because I was the messenger. You see, I own a boat and was called into service by my church, the Ephesian church, to carry supplies to John, who had been exiled to Patmos. As a result, I got to know him quite well from my biweekly visits.

“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard; obey it and repent.”

“I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.”

What is Satan’s throne and why is it so important?  You may be surprised to find that Satan has a throne and that it’s in Pergamum.  Read on and you will understand why the Risen Christ used these words.

Actually, it’s not exactly a throne in the usual sense. It’s more, much more. What the term refers to is an altar, one dedicated to the Greek gods, especially Zeus and Athena. And it is large, almost the size of an actual temple, with images of Greek gods lining its borders.

My name is Pavlos and I live in Thyatira. There is really nothing especially notable about me that you might have heard, and I’m sure that by the time you finish this letter to you, you will definitely agree! But anyway, please, do read on.

I am approaching the end of this life. There’s no doubt about it, so please don’t try to argue the facts with me. And, in faith, I am as comfortable in facing death as anyone can be on this side of the great divide. As a follower of Christ, I can hope for and even believe in the promises of God and in his ultimate goodness and mercy.

But first, I want to share something with you. It’s a question that has haunted me, more and more as I have grown older. Perhaps, in a way, this is the ultimate question of life, at least of this life in this world and at this time in history.

I’m afraid that my previous letter to you from my century might have misled you a bit. I do not wish that, and so, I am writing to you again. Yes, I need to make some things clear that were perhaps missing from my first letter.

Let me begin with an apology. You may be wondering how many times I plan to write to you concerning “my voice.” When I wrote the first letter on my voice, I did not expect to write a second and later, now, a third letter on the topic.

Well, I’m sorry, but since I have found my voice (or more correctly, now that a voice has been given to me), I am using it more than I ever dreamed! Maybe that’s making up for lost time, but whatever, I feel the need to communicate with you about voices for one last time. Just one more. I promise!

You should understand that we reviewed the letter carefully, analyzing just where we stand in comparison. As you no doubt know, some of the others were praised and some were called out. And most received both praise and criticism. Notably, ours is the only one to hear criticism alone. Frankly, we were shocked to receive any criticism, any at all!

In this time of mourning Moses’ death, I often saw Joshua, my friend, and our new leader, who Moses appointed as his successor, sitting on the eastern bank of the Jordan River. He was looking west, across the river into Canaan, to the Promised Land. The east side was harsh, rocky, and dry. It was a desert. But to the west, the Promised Land was beautiful, lush, and full of the land’s bounty, the Lord’s bounty.