I [Jesus] see (know with certainty) where you live – [in a place] where Satan has his throne (has influence and strong power). Yet you hold fast to my name [refuse to worship and call the Roman emperor God, but hold fast to Jesus as Lord]. You have not denied your faith in me, even in the days when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed [martyred] in your city [in your city] where Satan lives.
It was here that the pastor of the congregation, Antipas, had been martyred for refusing to worship the emperor. According to legend, he had been tied inside a copper ox and burned to death during occult worship around 92 AD, a few years before John wrote this letter. This altar was found in the late 19th century by German archaeologists. It was taken to Berlin, where it was restored and rebuilt at the Pergamon Museum.
