DIE GEMEENTE VAN PERGAMUS

Pergamus was bekend as die plek waar die troon van die Satan is.

Nà die fees van Bélsasar en die val van Babel (539 v.C.) het Kores dan die afgodspriesters uit Babel verban en hulle het hulle hoofsetel in Pergamus gevestig tot 133 v.C. waarna hulle gerieflikheidshalwe die Romeinse gode aanvaar het wat in baie opsigte met hulle eie ooreengestem het

Die troon van die Satan was ’n groot altaar vir Zeus, die “hoofgod” van die Griekse pantheon.   Zeus was bekend as die heerser oor die hemele en vader van die ander gode en van die sterflike mitologiese helde.  Hierdie altaar was vlak by die tempel van Athene, die Griekse godin van wysheid en die kunste.

Vir Volledige PDF, kliek hier.

THE ASSEMBLY OF PERGAMUM

The origin of Pergamum is unknown, but such an easily defended hill would have been inhabited at a very early date.  The main weakness of its defense was a lack of water.  

Pergamum was first mentioned in Xenephon’s Anabasis as the meeting place in 399 B.C. of  Xenephon and the commander of the Spartans who had just defeated the Athenians in one of the Peloponnesian Wars.  Nothing more is heard of Pergamum until after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.  Then Lysimachus, one of his generals, took control of western Asia Minor.  Later there was a series of kings named alternately Eumenes and Attalus who extended and strengthened their kingdom and spent some of their booty decorating the towering citadel of Pergamum with beautiful white marble structures.  What is left of their contributions continues to attract people even now to their city. 

For Full PDF, click here.

MISLEIDING IN VERBAND MET DIE MERK VAN DIE DIER

Ons kan nie ‘n huis bou as ons nie ‘n fondasie het waarop dit gebou moet word nie.  Ons kan ook nie ‘n begrip van die Openbaring van JaHUsha aan Johannes kry as ons nie eers die fondasie daarvan bepaal het nie.

Wat is dan die fondasie waarop ons moet bou om ‘n begrip te kry oor die Merk van die Dier, want ons kan nie net begin stene pak voordat ‘n goeie fondasie nie gelê is nie en sê “ons word beperk in wat ons mag en nie mag doen nie” en dit dan koppel aan “nie kan koop of verkoop nie” en besluit dat iets soos ‘n inspuiting nou die Merk van die Dier is nie.  Daar is op geen fondasie gebou nie, en die geskiedenis van die tyd waarin dit geskryf is word dan ook nie in ag geneem nie.

Vir Volledige PDF, kliek hier.

DECEPTION CONCERNING THE MARK OF THE BEAST

We cannot build a house if we do not have a foundation on which to build it.  Nor can we gain an understanding of the Revelation of YaHUsha to John unless we have determined its foundation.

What is then the foundation on which we must build to gain an understanding of the Mark of the Beast, because we cannot just start to lay bricks before a good foundation is laid and then say that because “we are limited in what we may and may not do” then links it to “cannot buy or sell” and then decides that something like an injection is now the Mark of the Beast.  Such an assumption is not built on any foundation, and the history of the time in which it was written is therefore also not been taken into account.

For Full PDF, click here.

ANTIPAS, THE FAITHFULL WITNESS OF PERGAMUM


In A.D. 92, according to tradition, Antipas of Pergamum, a personal disciple of the Apostle John, was roasted to death in a brazen or copper bull during the persecutions of Emperor Domitian.

YaHUsha called Antipas “My faithful witness” in Rev. 2:13.  The word “martyr” comes originally from the ancient Greek where it is a legal term for a “witness”, as for someone who would give a testimony in a court of law.

The governor ordered Antipas to offer a sacrifice of wine and incense to a statue of the Roman emperor and declare that the emperor was “lord and god.”

But Antipas refused and if one would reject the divinity of the emperor, then that is the equivalent of rejecting the city of Rome and believers were killed for this. Antipas was thus sentenced to death on the Altar of Zeus.  

For Full PDF, click here.

SMIRNA, DIE TWEEDE GEMEENTE

JaHUsha se woorde aan die gemeente in Smirna spreek ook duidelik tot ons vandag.

Elke brief aan die gemeentes in Openbaring, asook die een aan Smirna, eindig met die woorde: “Wie ‘n oor het, laat hom hoor wat die Gees aan die gemeentes sê.”

Luister gerus na wat JaHUsha aan die gemeente in Smirna gesê het, asook vir ons as Sy gemeente vandag, sodat ons kan oorwin en die kosbare beloftes van ons Meester JaHUsha Messias kan ontvang.

Hierdie DVD is vervaardig deur Kerugma Produksies, ‘n geloofsonderneming wat daarna streef om die evangelie van Jesus Christus deur middel van hoë gehalte media produkte te versprei. Vir meer inligting besoek gerus http://www.kerugma.org

Tweede Gemeente: Smirna – Neil Olwagen

SMYRNA – HISTORY

The letter to Smyrna was probably written about 60 years before Polycarp’s martyrdom. Poverty, slanders and suffering were the common fate of the followers of YaHUsha in all seven of the Assemblies, and Smyrna was no exception, but it was written to them to be not afraid of suffering for it was promised that it would not last long: “Only be faithful till death, and I will give you the crown of life …. He who is victorious cannot be harmed by the second death” Rev. 2:10 – 11.

These videos of both Our Daily Bread and the Fig Tree Ministries, explain more about the historical and biblical background of Smyrna.

Smyrna | The 7 Churches of Revelation
Seven Churches Of Revelation (16 of 16): Smyrna

POLYCARPUS, BISKOP VAN SMIRNA

Ook die Christene in Smirna is gedurende die regering van Marcus Aurelius gruwelik vervolg.   Baie is gegésel en met vuur gemartel en vir die wilde diere gegooi, maar hulle het getrou gebly tot in die dood. Hulle standvastigheid het die volk se woede nog meer gaande gemaak.  Eindelik is die negentigjarige biskop, Polycarpus, as hul slagoffer uitgekies.

Saam met Ignatius het Polycarpus die voorreg gehad om ’n leerling van die apostel Johannes te wees.   Wat hy daar geleer het, het hy vir meer as 70 jaar in sy gemeente verkondig.   Toe hy verneem het dat die woedende volk sy hoof eis, het hy homself met liggaam en siel aan die genade van God oorgegee.   Op dringende versoek van sy gemeente het hy die wyk geneem na ’n nabygeleë dorp, waar hy met vriende die tyd in gebed deurgebring het.   Drie dae voor sy gevangeneming het hy ’n gesig gesien dat sy kussing verbrand.   Hy het dit as ’n goddelike openbaring beskou, en aan sy vriende gesé:  “Ek sal lewend verbrand word.”

Vir Volledige PDF, kliek hier.

POLYCARP’S MARTYRDOM

The early church was hated by the society and government of the Roman Empire for various reasons, such as the refusal of Christians to sacrifice to the gods. The Empire went through many phases of demanding that the Christians sacrifice — which meant denying their faith — or be killed. The earliest attacks claimed the lives of many of the apostles.

This text is the story, from around 160 AD, of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the Bishop of the church in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (modern Izmir in Turkey) devoted to Roman worship. The account is in the form of a letter from eye-witnesses to other churches in the area. It is the earliest chronicle of a martyrdom outside the New Testament.

Polycarp was an old man, at least 86 (see part 10), and probably the last surviving person to have known an apostle, having been a disciple of St. John. This was one reason he was greatly revered as a teacher and church leader. One interesting feature of the letter is that the writer is very conscious of how Polycarp’s death followed the pattern of Christ’s. As you read it, look for parallels between this story and the Easter story in the gospels.

For Full PDF, click here.

DIE GEMEENTE VAN SMIRNA

Smirna is tans Izmir.  Dit was omrent 40 myl noord van Efese aan die weskus van Klein Asië. 

Smirna beteken “Bitterheid”, want dit beteken “mirre” (Engels:  “myrrh”).  Die werkwoord is “marar” wat beteken “to be bitter or strong”.  Mirre was ‘n spesery wat baie waardevol was.  Dit was ook ‘n bestanddeel van die afgesonderde salfolie wat Moses moes maak  (Ex. 30:22 – 25) en  JaHUsha was wyn met mirre aangebied toe Hy gekruisig is  (Mark. 15:23).  Ook word lyke met mirre gebalsem (Joh. 19:39).

Mirre was dus altyd geassosieer met “bitter” omstandighede, iets wat die gemeente van Smirna goed mee bekend was.  JaHUsha bemoedig hulle omdat hy ook gemartel en gedood was, maar die dood oorwin het.

Vir Volledige PDF, kliek hier.