Archive for Aesculpius

Revelation: Historical Laodicea

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , on January 21, 2018 by paulthepoke

Revelation 3:14a…And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

The church at Laodicea is the last and seventh church in the book of Revelation.

The church at Laodicea is mentioned a couple of times in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face…

Colossians 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

Located in the region of Phrygia, the city was named after the wife of Antiochus II. Her name was Laodice. The city was located approximately 40 miles east of Ephesus. Laodicea was located on the Lycus River near Colossae.

Laodicea was very wealthy due to its position on trade routes. The city was a prominent textile producer. It was world famous for its black wool. (Holman Bible Dictionary).

Banking and commerce played a key role in Laodicea. The city minted its own coins. The coins had the likeness of Zeus, Apollo, and Aesculpius.

Aesculpius was the god of medicine. The name Aesculpius is where we get the term “scalpel”. Surgery is a reminder of Aesculpius. Granted, Pergamum was the medical center of the ancient world. The worship of the medicine god Aesculpius took place throughout this region of modern day Turkey.

The temple of Men Karou was located near Laodicea. This was a famous medical school. Phrygian powder was a medicine for the eyes that was produced locally.

With their wealth, the city acquired an extensive art collection, monuments, and the finest literature.

In 60 AD, a massive earthquake nearly destroyed the city. Due to the immense wealth of Laodicea, the populous refused aid from Rome. They reconstructed at their own expense.

http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Laodicea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laodicea_on_the_Lycus

 

The people of Laodicea relied on nobody but themselves. They believed material wealth and money solved their problems. They had the best medical care in the known world. They had the finest clothes. They were well educated. They had access to whatever they wanted due to their location on trade routes. They were the source for all they needed.

Laodicea is the only church that is NOT commended by Jesus Christ.

 

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Revelation: Historical Pergamum

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:12a And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

Ancient Pergamum today is essentially Bergama, Turkey. Today, not much is left of the ancient city but ruins. The city was located about 60 miles north of Smyrna. It is the northern most church in the Book of Revelation. The name means “citadel, height or elevation” per Strong’s Concordance. Pergamum was located in the ancient Roman province of Mysia.

This is the same region of Mysia the Apostle Paul was instructed to stay put.

Acts 16:7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them…

The Spirit of Jesus intervened and kept the crew in Mysia. Bithynia and Mysia are in Turkey. Jesus wanted them in Mysia. The region of Mysia is home to Satan and his capital, Pergamum (Revelation 2:13). Paul was forbidden by the Spirit of Christ from going into the region of Bithynia, home to modern day Istanbul, Constantinople, or Byzantium (synonymous names). The Holy Spirit and Jesus clearly had a plan for the gospel in Satan’s back yard.

Art and literature were very important to Pergamum. The city had a library of 200,000 volumes. Antony would later give this library to Cleopatra. The books were written on parchment. Pergamum was the city where parchment was developed. The word “parchment” or “pergamena” comes from the name of the town Pergamum. Because of this economic development, the city was very wealthy.

The Altar of Zeus is located in Pergamum. The statue was 40 feet tall. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Pergamum was a medical center of the ancient world. The worship of the medicine god Aesculpius took place here. The name Aesculpius is where we get the term “scalpel”. Surgery is a reminder of Aesculpius.  The symbol for medicine, the coiled snake on a pole comes from Pergamum. The irony, this medical symbol is a counterfeit to the bronze serpent of Numbers 21:8-9.

Numbers 21:8-9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Jesus would later refer to Himself as the serpent who would be lifted.

John 3:14-15 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

The ancient world and history to this day have a choice when it comes to healing, Jesus or Aesculpius. Aesculpius is a link to a scalpel that cuts and causes bleeding to the individual. Jesus bled for us and the result is eternal life for the individual. We can worship the god of medicine. Modern medicine is temporary at best. Or we can worship the Son of God. What He offers is forever.

http://bibleatlas.org/pergamum.htm

The Revelation Record, Henry M. Morris, p. 57.

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