The city of Pergamos is of special interest to me and for the unlikeliest of reasons. The city was a place of political turmoil and shifting winds through out its history in Roman times and even in Greek times.
This brings us to the mindset of Politics, Compromise and the Current interests in economy and power, or the Angel of idolatry.
The politics of the city were not unlike the mindset of Balaam who was a prophet in post Moses times.
He at one time withstood political pressure which tried to pressure him to go against his inspiration from God and at another time went against his inspiration – and abused his mystical powers – for the sake of his political ideas.
At the time of writing the Book of the Apocalypse, or The Book of Revelations, people did not know much about Representative democracy. So far in the cultures around The Mediterranean had only seen twice any aspect of Democracy when Athens and later Rome established a form of democracy amongst the upper classes of the cities.
It was not until much later after the French and American revolutions that humanity sees the emergence of democracy again, this time in the form of representative democracy. Until then we had seen the earliest democratic model, of the privileged, being invited to form assemblies as kind of advisory boards for kings and emperors; and only select few were admitted.
The idea is absolutely not new per se but to put it in practice in a society is tremendously difficult and the road to effectiveness strewn with pitfalls.
Representatives are prone to hypocrisy and psychopathic behaviors. A form of idolatry is rampant, where people profess allegiance to related ideals and methods yet repeatedly fall short in compromise and ethical instability in the political winds.
What we see when reading up on the history of Pergamos in the view of the prophecy by the Archangel is a precise description of the alchemy and psychology of The Political Mindset. All its vices appear in its classic form and when this vision is applied to our global culture the warning to the Angel of this mindset comes clear.
What fascinates me here is that I am raised in the only culture in human history which effectively devised formation of a nation state using Direct Democracy and legalization of effective boycott. The people who accomplished this feat of the human spirit were neither a nation nor a collection of spiritual philosophers but illiterate farmers and warrirors; the original settlers of Iceland.
Also it is interesting to note that in Pergamon was built and maintained the second largest library in the ancient world. Only the Library of Alexandria in Egypt – a stones throw across the Mediterranean – was larger.
Here we are closing in on what the angel points to regarding his faith; but his mission was for the small people and not for the leaders. Something that politics always pretends to do.
This is partly why I connect Pergamos also to Alchemy, for the sciences of the mind, philosophy, psychology, religions, mathematics, physics and chemistry are only possible in effect where there is available a collection of varied documents about older studies. Only in a city of such scholarly insight as to establish the jewels of the mind can we see any real progress of the mind.
Yet we see here a representation of values for sale or shifting winds of reliability which again directs our eyes towards modern megaculture. We are ruled from the top down by unreliable psychopaths who gain popularity in accord with their verbal skills and form of dress; or appearance. We are taught to believe that we – the population – have something to say in who is chosen or how but in effect we have no real force unless we take it ourselves but we are not educated in the mindset to enforce our values onto our rulers.
{2:12} And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges; {2:13} I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. {2:14} But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. {2:15} So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. {2:16} Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. {2:17} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
This is where I come back to the original politics of the Icelandic settlers who probably were versed in the hidden manna. Yet at their time, though they seemed to worship idols they showed in extraordinary way that the true nature of idolatry didn’t reach their hearts.
Historian Barði Guðmundsson –director of National Archives of Iceland – explained in his book “Uppruni Íslendinga” (Origin of Icelanders); that a Germanic tribe named Heruli had traveled extensively through east and south Europe. This tribe had close relations to the Goth, particularly the Ostrogoths, and for a while they occupied the Crimea and areas there east of.
History of the Icelandic tradition is also explained in the well known book “Snorra Edda” written by Snorri Sturluson in Iceland in the early 1200s where it is explained how many ides incorporated by this nation, were obviously adopted from the aforementioned areas.
I do not wish to elaborate at this time on this fantastic history, which I’ve already written about in my book “Endurreist Þjóðveldi” in Icelandic. Yet this is where the white stone appears, and I have partly described it in aforementioned book. As the archangel reminds us, the sharp sword of spoken words will reveal this, perhaps sooner than many would like to.
Supplemental (20210813): The fallen Lightangel of Idolatry is behind the creation of the Gorgons in general and Medusa in particular? The great petrification of minds, resulting in Golems, Gargoyles and Ghouls. Something I’ve explained extensively in videos.
This is the fourth article about the Seven Churches or Seven Angels of the Apocalypse
