How am I supposed to approach the controversial issue of the Synagogue of Satan, in Revelation 2:9; 3:9? This has often been applied as a support for many violent anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish acts.
It is correct to acknowledge how the terminology “synagogue of Satan,” has been lamentably used throughout history, to support many violent anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish acts.[1] It is not difficult to see how illiterate and ignorant Europeans from the Middle Ages, could be manipulated by local leaders, with torches and pitchforks, to go out and pillage Jewish communities—branding them as the “synagogue of Satan.” Rhetoric which invokes the “synagogue of Satan” reference from Revelation 2:9; 3:9, is quite apparent today by many on the alt-Right, Christian Nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis. Bible readers encountering the terminology “synagogue of Satan” in Revelation 2:9; 3:9 are walking into a theological and ideological minefield—as one has to sort between the terms used, ancient setting, different theological vantage points, and inflamed rhetoric.[2]
In addition to how the terminology “synagogue of Satan” is often encountered externally, to promote anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, and anti-Zionism—the terminology “synagogue of Satan” can be used internally in Messianic Judaism, in various rebuking polemics involving Two-House groups, and possibly also non-Jewish people who think they are Jewish but are not.
How much examination has actually been conducted regarding the Greek sunagōgē tou Satana (Revelation 2:9) and tēs sunagōgēs tou Satana (Revelation 3:9)? What about possible ancient background issues in view, particularly for what “synagogue of Satan” meant to the Believers in Ancient Smyrna and Philadelphia? What have different expositors said or concluded about Revelation 2:9; 3:9? Have they promoted supersessionism or replacement theology—or have they issued warnings about anti-Semitic attitudes and behavior? How engaged has common Messianic Jewish opinion been with what others have proposed? What challenges await today’s Messianic people in the future, given the rise of global anti-Semitism?
Greek Issues
There are a number of original language issues to be acknowledged, from the Greek sunagōgē tou Satana (Revelation 2:9) and tēs sunagōgēs tou Satana (Revelation 3:9), which many people are unaware of. There is nothing particularly special about the word sunagōgē, often translated “synagogue.” The term sunagōgē is derived from the verb sunageirō, meaning “to gather together, come together, assemble” (LS).[3] Although sunagōgē is the root word for our modern term “synagogue,” usually associated with a Jewish place of worship, it could just as well mean an assemblage or a gathering of something. There is a pre-Jewish usage of the term sunagōgē, attested by the Liddell-Scott lexicon, which is primarily interested in classical Greek applications. For its entry on the term sunagōgē, it lists the possible meanings:
- a gathering in of harvest, Polyb.
- a drawing together, contracting, [ stratias] a forming an army in column, Plat.; [s. tou prosōpou] a pursing up or wrinkling of the face, Isocr.
- a collection of writings, Arist.
- a conclusion, inference, [4]
A general meaning of the Greek term sunagōgē is simply “gathering,” as BDAG notes, “Orig. in act. sense ‘a bringing together, assembling.’”[5] With this in mind, if one can refer to the highly pejorative “synagogue of Satan” via the more neutral “gathering of Satan,” then it should be clear to anyone that such a gathering or group of people would be composed of all of those who are accomplishing Satan’s tasks and assignments—the foremost of which is keeping people away from the truth of the gospel and the saving power of Yeshua (Jesus). A number of alternative renderings along these lines have been witnessed in specialty versions (Revelation 2:9):
- “an assembly of Satan” (New American Bible)
- “an assembly of the Accuser” (The Messianic Writings)
- “they are a group that belongs to Satan” (Good News Bible)
- “who in fact belong to Satan’s crowd” (The Message)
- “Satanas’s [Satan’s] assembly hall” (The Second Testament)
The “gathering of Satan” is fairly deduced to engulf all of Satan’s forces. Such people are a part of what we might call a “macro-synagogue of Satan,” involving members of false religions who actively blaspheme the Lord, and atheists who want people to deny the existence of God and His intelligent design. At the same time, there is also what we might call a “micro-synagogue of Satan,” composing some Jewish people, who are actually out there accomplishing the enemy’s tasks. It should not be hard for any good Messianic Believer to classify Jewish anti-missionaries, for example—those who are actively out there trying to get people, particularly Messianic Jewish Believers, to deny Yeshua as the Messiah—as being among the Adversary’s forces. Many unfortunately do not take the time to recognize how “synagogue of Satan” also involves being part of a “gathering of Satan.”
In order to further evaluate what “the synagogue/gathering of Satan” actually is, in Revelation 2:9; 3:9, one needs to carefully recognize some of the ancient historical issues, which did involve some conflicts the ancient Believers in Smyrna and Philadelphia possibly had with some parts of their local Jewish community. At the same time, any conclusion about what “the synagogue of Satan” is, also needs to steadfastly recognize that there is nothing which requires the Greek term sunagōgē or “synagogue” to always represent an assembly of Jewish people. Failure to recognize this, is why “synagogue of Satan” rhetoric has been easily used to promote more modern anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish activities.
Revelation 2:9 and Smyrna
“I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan [sunagōgē tou Satana]” (Revelation 2:9, NASU).
Yeshua delivered a very short message to the assembly of Smyrna, a short four verses in our modern Bibles (Revelation 2:8-11). Yeshua testified to the Smyrnans that He is the First and the Last (Revelation 2:9). Yeshua urged the Smyrnans to not fear how some of them would be cast into prison, having distress ten days, and that they were to be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10). Yeshua assured the Smyrnans that those who would overcome would not be harmed by the second death (Revelation 2:11). Within this brief epistle, is an observation that the Smyrnans were experiencing distress and poverty (Revelation 2:9a), and that they were affected by the blasphemy of a synagogue of Satan (Revelation 2:9b). In a great deal of the anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish rhetoric one encounters, there is little to no consideration for how the statements of Revelation 2:9 affected the Smyrnan Believers of the late First to early Second Centuries C.E.
The “synagogue of Satan” or sunagōgē tou Satana here should not be generalized, as it was specifically concerned with the those responsible for persecuting the ancient Smyrnans. An author’s rendering of Revelation 2:9, taking into account the varied applications of sunagōgē, might be:
“‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and they art not, but are a synagogue, a gathering, of Satan” (Revelation 2:9, author’s rendering).
How have various examiners approached Revelation 2:9 and its reference to “synagogue of Satan”? More often than not, local, ancient circumstances involving a local synagogue of Jewish people in late First to early Second Century Smyrna, are posited as the main background. There was apparently a large Jewish population in Smyrna, which was involved in some kind of activities against the Believers or Messiah followers, helping to persecute them.[6] That local Jewish synagogues were seen to persecute the Believers (Acts 13:50; 14:2, 19), with Jewish non-Believers even taking them before the Roman government, is witnessed in the Book of Acts (Acts 18:12-27; 21:27-36). By the late First Century C.E., some of the persecution of Messiah followers, on the part of the Jewish Synagogue, could have come out of the tenuous position the Synagogue had in the Roman Empire, subsequent to the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.[7]
It is to be acknowledged how some interpreters have taken the widescale, First Century rejection of Yeshua by the Jewish people, to mean that Jews have actually forfeited their status corporately as being regarded as Jews and their ancestral covenant.[8] One can indeed find various hints of supersessionism or replacement theology in some materials, with genealogy no longer being important for the identity of God’s people.[9] Romans 2:28-29 can be affluently referenced, as though this was directed to non-Jewish Believers, when it was actually directed to Jewish Believers.[10] John MacArthur draws a most especially bad conclusion for Revelation 3:9: “With the rejection of its Messiah, Judaism became as much a tool of Satan as emperor worship.”[11]
Frequently, examiners will invoke Numbers 16:3 and its reference to “the assembly of the LORD” (NASU) or qahal YHWH, which the Septuagint rendered as tēn sunagōgēn Kuriou, “the synagogue of the Lord.” The status of the Jewish synagogue in Smyrna, had become reversed. In the estimation of G.R. Beasley-Murray, in his 1974 commentary,
“No longer the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16), they have degenerated to become tools of the accuser. Naturally, this is not to be generalized, as though John believed that the whole Jewish nation had become the people of Satan. His description applies to a synagogue which implacably opposed the people of Christ…and so perverted its nature.”[12]
Beasley-Murray’s observations on Revelation 2:9 were appreciably toned down by 1994, where he asserted, “Naturally this is not an indication of John’s view of Jews; he was a Jew himself! It reflects the depths of apostasy to which this congregation had sunk,”[13] being far clearer about localized circumstances in Smyrna being in view.
Warnings are issued about generalizing the statement of Revelation 2:9 to the Jewish people corporately, beyond the specific ancient persons who were being targeted.[14] Concurrent with this, would be those who consider “synagogue of Satan” as being focused on the Jewish religious establishment, similar to some of the other observations made by John in his writings (John 2:18; 5:18; 10:31).[15] When asserting how ancient circumstances were in view for the polemic of Revelation 2:9, Alan Johnson issued the warning about applying this to Jewish synagogues in the modern era:
“‘Synagogue of Satan’ refers…to certain Jews in ancient Smyrna who, motivated by Satan, slandered the church there. The term should never be indiscriminately applied to all Jewish synagogues” (EXP).[16]
The “synagogue of Satan” involving an ancient situation in Smyrna, finds strong support from many modern examiners. One important proposal, offered by the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, is that the Jewish community in Smyrna, itself in a vulnerable position due to the complications of the Jewish Revolt of 70 C.E., could not find itself associated with those who advocated a belief in Yeshua as Messiah:
“Jews were exempt from worshiping the emperor; if Jesus’ followers became unwelcome in the synagogues, however, they became vulnerable to accusations of disloyalty against Rome. Smyrna’s Jewish community apparently remained on good terms with their city, but they could not afford to take chances. The Judean war against Rome two decades earlier resulted in a special tax Jews everywhere in the empire had to pay. Many Asian Jewish leaders could have grown uncomfortable with any association with prophetic, Messianic movements like the movement that followed Jesus.”[17]
The Jewish community in Smyrna was in a precarious and potentially vulnerable position in the Empire. The possibility of them being associated with the Messiah followers, who were not exempt from Caesar worship, was a likely cause of the Believers being blasphemed against (Revelation 2:9a), and even persecuted to the point of death (Revelation 2:10). Such behavior, on the part of the Jewish community in Smyrna, would have certainly merited them the label sunagōgē tou Satana or “a satan-synagogue” (Kingdom New Testament). Various examiners have indicated how the terminology “synagogue of Satan” has an equivalent in the Dead Sea Scrolls, via the employment of edah Beli’ya’al (1QH 2.22).[18] This would then likely mean that the term sunagōgē tou Satana was adapted from an intra-Jewish polemic. In his commentary on Revelation, Craig S. Keener indicates,
“When Jewish leaders in places like Smyrna denounced the Christians as no longer truly Jewish, it is not surprising that the Jewish Christians would respond, ‘It is you who have cut yourself off from your heritage in God’s covenant.’ Some first-century Jewish people actually used ‘Jew’ in a pejorative sense; here, however, it applies to those who truly fulfill their role as members of the covenant people. The phrase ‘synagogue of Satan’ is deliberatively disjunctive and shocking and reflects the same sort of sentiments expressed by the Jewish author of a hymn found at Qumran, which labels Israel outside the Dead Sea sect the ‘congregation of Belial,’ or Satan (1QH 2.22-23).”[19]
That Johannine literature incorporates intra-Jewish denunciation, is clear enough from the tone of John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (NASU). John 8:44 includes the words of a Jewish Messiah, composed by the Jewish Apostle John, denouncing various Jews who had committed to following Him, but were wavering. Revelation 2:9 and its reference to “synagogue of Satan,” should be taken along the same lines. These words should not be universalized as though they were to apply to all Jewish people, everywhere at all times.
There were Jewish people, opposed to the work of the good news in Smyrna, who were responsible for turning the Messianic Believers or Christians, in to the Roman government. Examiners tend to frequently point out, how in the early Second Century C.E., members of the Jewish community in Smyrna, actually participated in the burning of Polycarp (widely recognized as the successor to the Apostle John) along with the pagan Romans.[20] This is something widely attested by the Martyrdom on Polycarp, an early Christian work:
“‘Polycarp has confessed that he is a Christian.’ When this was proclaimed by the herald, the entire crowd, Gentiles as well as Jews living in Smyrna, cried out with uncontrollable anger and with a loud shout: ‘This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the destroyer of our gods, who teaches many not to sacrifice or worship.’ Saying these things, they shouted aloud and asked Philip the Asiarch to let a lion loose upon Polycarp. But he said that it was not lawful for him to do so since he had already brought to a close the animal hunts. Then it occurred to them to shout out in unison that Polycarp should be burned alive….These things then happened with surprising swiftness, quicker than words could tell, the crowd quickly collecting wood and kindling from the workshops and baths, the Jews being especially eager to assist in this, as is their custom….All this was done at the instigation and insistence of the Jews who even watched when we were about to take the body from the fire. They did not know that we will never be able to either abandon the Christ who suffered for the salvation of the whole world of those who are saved, the blameless on behalf of sinners, or to worship anyone else….The centurion, therefore, seeing the opposition raised by the Jews, set Polycarp’s body in the middle and cremated it, as is their custom” (Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:1-3; 13:1; 17:2; 18:1).[21]
It is appropriately shocking to see how the Jews of Smyrna actively co-participated with Roman pagans, in the death of a figure as important as Polycarp. That this historical account from the Second Century C.E., does affect the Revelation 2:9 reference to the “synagogue of Satan,” is not easily discounted. But, such a reference to “synagogue of Satan” cannot be universalized as normative to the Jewish Synagogue institution as a whole.
It has been noted that the social background behind this, probably involved how there were around 3 million Jews, in a Roman Empire of around 60 million, constituting 5% of the total population. The Jewish community, however, was likely around 30 times larger than the nascent Christian groups. Given how the Messiah followers had lost their protection as a sect of Judaism, following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 C.E., it is not difficult to see how, in some places like Smyrna, the Jewish community would turn in Believers to the Roman government—largely out of their own self-interests of survival.[22] The Messiah followers claimed continuity with Judaism, and worshiped a Savior who was going to return to Earth and crush worldly powers such as Rome. Various Jewish communities did not want their tenuous status in the Empire to be revoked, as they continued to be exempt from Caesar worship.
One will encounter commentators issue strong warnings against anti-Jewish “synagogue of Satan” polemics, separated from the original context and setting of Revelation 2:9.[23] Our approach toward Revelation 2:9 and its reference to “synagogue of Satan,” has to take into account what it meant for the Believers in Smyrna. That there was hostility between the local Jewish community, and the Believers in Smyrna, is something testified in early Christian history. For the Jewish synagogue at ancient Smyrna, because of its actions against the Believers in Yeshua, it merited being reckoned within the gathering of the Accuser. What they did was so bad and heinous, it resulted in them losing a status of actually being regarded as Jews. It can be legitimately concluded that the members of the Jewish synagogue in ancient Smyrna, did not live up to the expectations of Romans 2:28-29.
Revelation 3:9 and Philadelphia
“Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan [tēs sunagōgēs tou Satana], who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9,NASU).
Yeshua gave an important message to the assembly at Philadelphia. He asserted His sovereignty to them, as One possessing the Key of David (Revelation 3:7). He acknowledged how the Philadelphian Believers had not denied Him (Revelation 3:8). The Lord told the Philadelphian Believers that those of the synagogue of Satan would be made to bow down to them (Revelation 3:9). Because of the Philadelphians’ faithfulness, they will be spared from “the hour of testing” (Revelation 3:10). Yeshua said He was coming quickly (Revelation 3:11), and that overcomers will have a place in His future Temple (Revelation 3:12-13).Aside from some of the debates which ensue among pre- and post-tribulationists over being spared from “the hour of testing,” questions are necessarily raised involving how the ancient Philadelphian Believers were negatively affected by a group labeled as tēs sunagōgēs tou Satana.
An author’s rendering of Revelation 3:9, taking into account the varied applications of sunagōgē, might be:
“Behold, I cause those of the synagogue, or gathering, of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and to know that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9, author’s rendering).
Also present within Revelation 3:9, are various intertextual allusions to: Isaiah 43:4; 45:14; 49:23; 60:14.[24]
How has the presence of “the synagogue of Satan” in Revelation 3:9, been approached in some theological examination? Frequently, because of the severity of the offense committed by this “satan-synagogue” (Kingdom New Testament) or “congregation of Satan” (Lattimore) toward the Philadelphian Believers, it is included that these specific, ancient Jews had forfeited the honor of being considered Jews.[25] Specifically in view, were the ancient Jews who dismissed the Messianic Believers,[26] and who were responsible for persecuting the Messianic Believers. Given the intertexual allusions to the Isaianic passages, taken to involve a recognition by the nations of Israel’s central place in God’s Kingdom—such Jews in view in Revelation 3:9, are thought to have advocated that only Jewish people had a place in the Kingdom to come.[27] The synagogue of Satan in view may be considered to be a false, or illegitimate Judaism.[28]
Some are seen to conclude that while “the synagogue of Satan” was limited to Jewish people in ancient Philadelphia, “true Jews” are those who believe in Jesus as Messiah—likely per various approaches to Romans 2:28-29, inappropriately applied to non-Jewish people.[29] Hence, people being “Jewish” might be thought to now include those who are ethnically non-Jewish. Among various resources, one can definitely detect sentiments of supersessionism or replacement theology for Revelation 3:9.
One important matter, all readers of Revelation 3:9 have to sort through, is how Yeshua told the assembly at Philadelphia: “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of satan—who say they are Jewish and are not, but lie—behold, I will cause them to come and bow down before your feet” (TLV). What does it mean that those who were adversaries of the ancient Philadelphian Believers, would actually be seen to bow down before them? There are intertextual allusions to Isaiah 45:14 and 60:14, which have to be taken into consideration here:
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will walk behind you, they will come over in chains and will bow down to you; they will make supplication to you: “Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God”’” (Isaiah 45:14, NASU).
“The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14, NASU).
These two major prophecies speak of those from the nations at large, recognizing the One God of Israel, and bowing down to the people of Israel in honor—a major sign of restitution being made for past sins and crimes committed against Israel. If the offenders of Revelation 3:9 were those who were ethnically Jewish (as many interpreters do), but guilty of extreme offenses against the Philadelphian Believers so as to no longer be worthy of being considered Jewish—than bowing down to the Philadelphian Believers would be somewhat of a reversal of what is witnessed in Isaiah 45:14 and 60:14. Of course, a responsible reader of Revelation 3:9 would keep this relatively limited to the circumstances Yeshua addressed for the Philadelphian Believers in the late First Century C.E. Those who read Revelation 3:9, principally for ancient circumstances in mind, may note how there were continued tensions in Philadelphia between the Messiah followers and the local Jewish community:
“But if anyone expounds Judaism to you, do not listen to him. For it is better to hear about Christianity from a man who is circumcised than about Judaism from one who is not” (Ignatius To the Philadelphians 6.1).[30]
That various commentators take the statements of Revelation 3:9, in a strong direction of supersessionism or replacement theology, is something certainly witnessed:
George Eldon Ladd: “The Jews have surrendered their role as the people of God because they have rejected their Messiah. In their place, the church, largely gentile, has become the true Judaism, the new people of God. However, the Jews hate the church and were often the instruments of bringing persecution upon her. John looks forward to a day when this situation will be changed—when the Jews will acknowledge that the church is indeed the true people of God, and will learn that I have loved you.”[31]
Robert H. Mounce: “The Jewish population was convinced that by national identity and religious heritage it was the people of God. No so, claimed the Christians. Had not Paul taught…{quoting Romans 2:28-29}…It was the church that could now be called ‘the Israel of God’ (Gal 6:16), for the Jewish nation had forfeited that privilege by disbelief. Members of the local synagogue may claim to be Jews, but the very claim constitutes them liars.”[32]
Our approach toward Revelation 3:9 and its reference to “the synagogue of Satan,” has to take into account what it meant for the Believers in Philadelphia. While it is important to note how there was likely continued hostility, by the Second Century, between the Believers and the local Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia—more has to be taken into consideration regarding the intertextual references to Isaiah 45:14 and 60:14 in Revelation 3:9. Is it possible that there were those who were ethnically Jewish, whose persecution of the Messiah followers was so bad, that they actually merited being reckoned among “the synagogue of the Adversary” (CJSB)?
The Synagogue of Satan and Today’s Messianic Judaism
What are some of the approaches witnessed within today’s Messianic Judaism, to the controversial issue of the “synagogue of Satan” appearing in Revelation 2:9; 3:9? While it is seen that a number of approaches are not too engaged with a variance of opinions, per the analysis above, some observations on the issue of the “synagogue of Satan” can come close. In his 2000 Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: General and Historical Objections, Michael L. Brown summarized a number of approaches to this:
“On the one hand, there is the possibility that the people to whom Yeshua referred—and who were causing real hardship for these Christians in Smyrna and Philadelphia—were actually not Jews at all. This would be similar to a modern-day cult such as the Black Hebrews: They strongly oppose both Jews and Christians and claim to be the real Jews, the true Israel, when in fact they are not. As to being called a synagogue, it is important to remember that the Greek word used here could simply mean a meeting place, as in James (Jacob) 2:2….
“On the other hand, it could well be that Yeshua was speaking of his own kinsmen but using biting, prophetic hyperbole, just as when the word said through the prophet Hosea…{quoting Hosea 1:9}…and again, speaking of Israel as his wife…{quoting Hosea 2:2}…In both of these verses, God completely repudiates his people/wife Israel, only to immediately promise Israel’s restoration (see Hosea 1:10; 2:16). The lesson we learn is that sometimes, when our people continually disobeyed the Lord and broke his covenant, he spoke of them as if they were not his people at all. In the same way, when the Messiah’s own people actually tried to stop Gentiles from hearing about him (and this did happen; see, e.g., Acts 14:1-20), he could say of them, ‘You claim to be Jews but are not; you’re really a meeting place of Satan.’
“‘But that’s so harsh!’ you say.
“Yes, it does seem harsh, but no harsher than the accusation in the (Jewish) Dead Sea Scrolls that Jews who opposed their (Jewish) group were part of the ‘congregation of Belial.’ (Belial was synonymous with Satan.) And it is certainly a lot less harsh than the Talmudic claim that Jesus is now in hell, burning in excrement (see b. Gittin 56b-57a).”[33]
More frequently than not, though, there tends to be a huge gap between what is witnessed in more academic examination of the Revelation 2:9; 3:9 “synagogue of Satan,” and opinions observed within today’s Messianic Judaism. Much of the common Messianic Jewish approach to the issue of the “synagogue of Satan,” is doubtlessly due to both historical and current anti-Semitic rhetoric issued against the Jewish community. The terminology “synagogue of Satan” will frequently be employed by Messianic Jewish leaders and teachers, to refer to non-Jewish groups such as the Two-House sub-movement (which claims that most non-Jewish people are members of the Ten Lost Tribes), and others which claim some kind of Israelite or Jewish ancestry, but have no empirical evidence to substantiate it. Common Messianic Jewish examination and use of Revelation 2:9; 3:9, is focused on defending the integrity of the Jewish people. It is not, however, too frequently engaged with any kind of background issues germane to Smyrna or Philadelphia, and what the statements against the “synagogue of Satan” meant to the Believers of the late First or early Second Centuries C.E.
A number of different options are fairly noted in the Jewish Voice International Ministries NIV First Century Study Bible, which is mainly the Kent Dobson version with some added appendices produced by Jewish Voice Ministries. In Dobson’s annotation on Revelation 2:9, it states,
“It is difficult to be certain if John was denouncing Jews in the synagogue who were opposing the Jesus movement or non-Jews (perhaps Jesus followers) who were claiming to be Jewish and to follow Judaism but were not. John was clearly a Jewish writer concerned with purity and separation from pagan culture. A common interpretation that John was denouncing Jews or Judaism wholesale is not obvious. It is only clear that he was condemning those who were compromising with pagan culture while claiming to be part of the ‘synagogue.’ Deep criticism among different Jewish groups was not uncommon. The Dead Sea Scrolls community criticized other Jews who did not support their movement, calling them the ‘congregation of Beliel’ (Beliel or Belial was a name associated with demons).”[34]
A prominent view of the “synagogue of Satan” one will encounter in Messianic Judaism—“I know the insults of those who call themselves Jews but aren’t—on the contrary, they are a synagogue of the Adversary” (Revelation 2:9, CJSB)—is to take this as non-Jewish people of the circumcision faction, posing or pretending to be Jews. This is reflected in the annotation to Revelation 2:9 in the 2016 Complete Jewish Study Bible:
“These are Gentiles who call themselves Jews but are not. On the contrary, they are a synagogue of Satan. Perhaps they were like the Gentiles of the Circumcision faction in Galatia, who sought to force non-Jews into receiving circumcision in order to have a relationship with God, thus subjecting themselves and their followers to a legalistic perversion of the Torah. Historically, some have falsely equated Jewish and synagogue worship with this passage, leading to anti-Semitism, when in fact it was most likely only the Circumcision faction to which Yeshua via Yochanan [John] was referring.”[35]
This perspective is somewhat reflective in the annotation provided by David Frankfurter in The Jewish Annotated New Testament, concluding that those condemned in Revelation 2:9 were “in context, Gentile members of Pauline congregations.” It is further stated that “the traditional view, that this is a condemnation of practicing Jews who do not believe in Jesus, is not supported if Revelation is read as a Jewish text,” although it is noted how from 1QH 2.22 in the Dead Sea Scrolls how the Essenes called fellow Jews “a congregation of Belial.”[36] The entry for “Satan” in the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, simply notes how in Revelation 2:9; 3:9, “The slanderers are falsely laying claim to being Jews.”[37] Commentators have proposed how those in Revelation 2:9, may have been various non-Jews pretending to be Jews, as Judaism was exempt from Caesar worship.[38]
In his Jewish New Testament Commentary thoughts on Revelation 2:9, David H. Stern asserted how a straightforward reading of the text indicates how this was speaking of non-Jewish people pretending to be Jews. He largely concluded this, on the basis of how any other approach to the “synagogue of Satan” has been the cause of extreme anti-Semitic acts over many centuries:
“Virtually all commentators ignore the obvious and straightforward interpretation Yochanan [John] is talking here about Gentiles who pretend to be Jews. The same kind of expression is used in [Revelation 2:2]…It obviously refers to false apostles, and there the commentators accept the literal sense without demur. But here they opt for the metaphorical interpretation that Yochanan is talking about Jews who reject Yeshua as the Messiah instead of the literal understanding that these are non-Jews who lie and say they are Jews but in fact are Gentiles. In this way a verse which says nothing about Jews is given a virulently antisemitic significance. The result is that over the centuries Jews have had the epithet ‘synagogue of Satan’ hurled at them by Christians who thought they understood the Bible.
“But nowhere in the New Testament are unbelieving Jews called non-Jews…Nor does anything in the present context call for a violent outburst against Jews. A good rule of interpretation is that when the literal sense makes good sense, seek no other sense. The only explanation I can see for its nearly universal disregard in this case is the anti-Jewish mindset that infected the Church, including theologians and commentators….”[39]
Stern then went on to detail some modern approaches to how various non-Jewish people or groups, could claim to be Jewish, but in actuality are not:
“Should it nevertheless be though improbable that Gentiles would call themselves Jews, Hebrews or Israelites, consider the following modern examples. The ‘British Israelites’ regard the British as the Ten Lost Tribes. The Mormons not only consider themselves to be the Ten Lost Tribes but regard themselves as Jews and everyone else (real Jews included) as Gentiles! A sect of mostly African-born blacks consider themselves the true Hebrews; several thousand of them are living in Israel. All of these are outside the pale of Christianity. In addition, scattered about are well-meaning Gentile Christians whose strong identification with and love for the Jewish people has made them believe—without a shred of evidence—that they are actually Jewish themselves (see 1 Ti 1:3b-4N).”[40]
The influence of Stern’s Jewish New Testament Commentary here, while raising appropriate concerns, has led to how many Messianic Jewish leaders and teachers use the terminology “synagogue of Satan” from Revelation 2:9; 3:9 to condemn the Two-House sub-movement. This is a misapplication, given how non-Jewish people within the Two-House sub-movement explicitly do not claim to be Jews or Jewish; they claim to be Israelites of the exiled Northern Kingdom of Ephraim. It is to be properly recognized, though, how these people are seen to often make these claims without empirical evidence—and many of them can be found to be, at times, anti-Jewish, in their approach to Torah and tradition.[41] A wide number of people identifying as “Two-House” do compose, in a macro sense, a congregation of the Adversary. But whether such a classification can legitimately originate from Revelation 2:9; 3:9, is another issue altogether.
While there is no uniform approach witnessed in Messianic Jewish examination, to the “synagogue of Satan” issue of Revelation 2:9; 3:9—more often than not “synagogue of Satan” rhetoric will be applied to non-Jewish people, somehow claiming to be Jewish, Israelite, or Hebrew in some form or fashion. Too much of contemporary Messianic Judaism’s approach to the controversy of the “synagogue of Satan,” is likely conditioned by centuries of anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish abuse of Revelation 2:9; 3:9, disjointed from any original circumstances in ancient Smyrna or Philadelphia. We should expect the majority of Messianic Judaism to maintain an approach to the “synagogue of Satan” in Revelation 2:9; 3:9, oriented toward opposing centuries-old misuse and misapplication—which has led to great persecution and tragedies in history—and not be too interested with various factors from the late First and early Second Centuries C.E.
Ongoing Challenges With Approaching the “Synagogue of Satan”
The major, ongoing issue regarding the “synagogue of Satan,” will be how to responsibly read and apply Revelation 2:9; 3:9 in light of late First and early Second Century C.E. issues—and not the collective Christian anti-Semitism of two millennia.[42] For a wide number of contemporary Christians, who often read the Holy Scriptures as though it were written directly to them in the Twenty-First Century, this will be an absolute impossibility. Sadly, because of how Revelation 2:9; 3:9 has been inappropriately used to support extreme and violent acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism over many centuries, it will likewise be almost impossible, to see those within today’s Messianic Jewish movement, attempt to consider ancient background circumstances, germane to Smyrna and Philadelphia, affecting the proper approach to “synagogue of Satan” (cf. especially Martyrdom of Polycarp 12:1-3; 13:1; 17:2; 18:1).
For those who consider the “synagogue of Satan” of Revelation 2:9; 3:9 to be affected by ancient background circumstances—meaning that various Jews of Smyrna and Philadelphia committed offenses so badly, in opposing the Messiah followers, that they forfeited being considered Jewish by Yeshua—the need to be tempered in one’s possible, modern application of this for the Twenty-First Century, is extraordinarily heavy. While there is a macro-synagogue of Satan or gathering of Satan, composing all of the Accusers forces, it is entirely irresponsible, and indeed anti-Semitic, to claim that all Jewish non-Believers would compose the “synagogue of Satan.” Those who are directly and actively involved in opposing the spread of the good news or gospel, such as those of the anti-missionary movement, may indeed be said to constitute a gathering of the Adversary. The significant majority of Jewish non-Believers in the West, at least, want to co-exist with their Christian neighbors (and even Messianic Jewish neighbors), and are not pro-actively involved in seeing their religious activities halted.
NOTES
[1] This entry does adapt some previous writing, from the author’s publications When Will the Messiah Return? (2012) and Israel in Future Prophecy (2013), both of which will likely need to be updated in the future.
[2] Some useful points are offered by D. Thomas Lancaster. (2023). The Synagogue of Satan, 19 April, 2023. First Fruits of Zion. Retrieved 28 July, 2024, from <http://ffoz.org>.
[3] H.G. Liddell and R. Scott, An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), 766.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Frederick William Danker, ed., et. al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Third Edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 963.
[6] John F. Walvoord, “Revelation,” in John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983), 935; Brian J. Tabb, “Revelation,” in D.A. Carson, gen. ed., NIV Zondervan Study Bible, 2011 NIV (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 2591.
[7] Cf. David Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation, Vol 52a (Dallas: Word Books, 1997), 163; Ben Witherington III, New Cambridge Bible Commentary: Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), pp 99-100.
[8] Cf. Gordon D. Fee, Revelation: A New Covenant Commentary (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011), 31.
[9] Dennis E. Johnson, “The Revelation to John,” in Wayne Grudem, ed., ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), 2466.
[10] George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), 44; G.K. Beale, New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 241 who specifically notes “The implication that the church is the true synagogue.”
[11] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1997.
[12] G.R. Beasley-Murray, New Century Bible Commentary: Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 82.
[13] George R. Beasley-Murray, “Revelation,” in G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France, eds., New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1994), 1428.
[14] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., et. al., NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020), 2245.
[15] Cf. Mark Wilson, “Revelation,” in Clinton E. Arnold, gen. ed., Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 4:264.
[16] Alan Johnson, “Revelation,” in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed. et. al., Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 12:438.
[17] “Revelation,” in Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 2223.
[18] T.H. Gaster, “Satan,” in George Buttrick, ed. et. al., The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, 4 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), 4:227; Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 733.
[19] Craig S. Keener, NIV Application Commentary: Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 119.
[20] Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 64.
[21] Michael W. Holmes, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and Their English Translations (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp 319, 321, 325, 327.
[22] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, “The Revelation to John,” Walter J. Harrelson, ed., et. al., New Interpreter’s Study Bible, NRSV (Nashville: Abingdon, 2003), 2217; Grant R. Osborne, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Revelation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002), pp 129-130.
[23] Boring, “The Revelation to John,” in New Interpreter’s Study Bible, 2217; Keener, Revelation, pp 118-119 who provides a summary of various acts of modern anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism.
Also Ben Witherington III, New Cambridge Bible Commentary: Revelation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 100 who notes how John’s ancient language has been taken and misapplied for acts of injustice.
[24] Cf. Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds., Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Revised Edition (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012), 742; Barbara Aland, Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, eds., with Holger Strutwolf, The Greek New Testament, Fifth Revised Edition (Stuttgart: Deutche Bibelgesellschaft/American Bible Society/United Bible Societies, 2014), 811.
[25] NIV Study Bible: Fully Revised Edition, 2247.
[26] Cf. Boring, “The Revelation to John,” in New Interpreter’s Study Bible, 2219.
[27] Beasley-Murray, “Revelation,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 1432.
[28] Cf. Loren T. Stuckenbruck, “Revelation,” in James D.G. Dunn and John W. Rogerson, eds., Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 1543.
[29] Cf. Mounce, 118; Johnson, in EXP, 12:453; Stuckenbruck, “Revelation,” in ECB, 1541; Onesimus Ngundu, “Revelation,” in Tokunboh Adeyemo, gen. ed., Africa Bible Commentary (Nairobi: WordAlive Publishers, 2006), 1553.
[30] Holmes, 241.
[31] George Eldon Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), 61; he does, appreciably, further appeal to Romans 11:25 and a future re-grafting in of Israel to the olive tree.
[32] Mounce, 118.
Also: Johnson, in EXP, 12:453; G.K. Beale, New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), pp 286-287.
[33] Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: General and Historical Objections (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000), pp 173-174.
[34] Kent Dobson, with Jonathan Bernis, Jewish Voice International Ministries NIV First Century Study Bible, 2011 NIV (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2022), 1625; see also Daniel Green, “Revelation,” in Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, gen. eds. The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 2006.
[35] Barry Rubin, gen. ed., The Complete Jewish Study Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2016), 1786; also noted in Christopher C. Rowland, “The Book of Revelation,” in Leander E. Keck, ed., et. al., New Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998), 12:577.
Gavriel Lumbroso, Yochanan (John) Presents the Revelation of Yeshua the Messiah: A Messianic Commentary (Clarksville, MD: Lederer Books, 2018), pp 28, 44-45 takes a position of various non-Jews believing themselves to have replaced Israel proper or the Jewish people via the start of supersessionism.
Also consult Two Messianic Jews, “No, Jews are NOT the Synagogue of Satan.” (08 November, 2023). Available online via <youtube.com/@TwoMessianicJews>.
[36] David Frankfurter, “The Revelation to John” in Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Annotated New Testament, NRSV (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 469.
[37] Edgar W. Conrad, “Satan,” in Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, gen. ed., The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 2009), 5:115.
[38] S. MacLean Gilmour, “The Revelation to John,” in Charles M. Laymon, ed., The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1971), 951.
[39] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary: An updated Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament (Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, 2023), 740.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Consult the author’s article “Anti-Semitism in the Two-House Movement” (appearing in Israel in Future Prophecy).
[42] Cf. Daniel Green, “Revelation,” in Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, gen. eds., The Moody Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2014), 2006.
