Translation
“I have carefully observed and I know very well the place where you live, which is also where SATAN’S throne is, and
yet you hold fast to my name
and have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of ANTIPAS
Go to footnote numbermy faithful witness,
who was killed among you, there where SATAN dwells.
Paraphrase
“I have carefully observed
and I know very well
the place where you live,
which is where THE ADVERSARY’S authority goes unquestioned, yet you remain unswerving in your allegiance to who I am and what I stand for, and you have not denied your faith in me, even in the days of STANDING IN FOR THE FOREFATHERS, my faithful witness,
who was killed among you, there in that place where THE ADVERSARY OF GOD seems to have free rein.
Footnotes
1
The name Antipas may be a combination of the words, “anti” meaning “against” or “instead of,” and “pater” meaning “father.” Thus it can mean “in opposition to the fathers,” or “in substitution for the fathers,” i.e. the fore-fathers. Or it may come from the two words “anti” and “pas” meaning “all.” These would come together to mean “in substitution for all.” It is doubtful that a parent would give a child a name which means he is in opposition to all, or in opposition to his forefathers. But it is not hard to see a parent giving his child a name which means “standing in for, or in substitution for, all” or “standing in for, or in substitution for the forefathers.” Because family connections were usually strong, the specific meaning is more likely to have been chosen as a name, therefore I lean toward Antipas meaning, “standing in for the forefathers.” Through his commitment to follow Christ regardless of the consequences, and through his honorable death, Antipas was standing in as a substitute for his forefathers; he was honoring them as he honored Christ. He was an example because he chose an action that was in a small way substitutionary, just like the death of Jesus was substitutionary.