In Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, Jesus refers to “the synagogue of Satan” in his letter to the church at Smyrna and Philadelphia. Is this a precise group of people? What does this phrase mean? Are they still around today?
According to the ADL, this term has been used by antisemites throughout history to refer to Jews or Judaism:
“Synagogue of Satan” is a derogatory term used by various antisemites — such as the Nation of Islam, extremist sects of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, and many extremists who identify as Christians — to refer to Jews and Judaism. The phrase is a reference to Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 in the Bible.
It was also a phrase used by Billy Graham in a meeting with Richard Nixon in 1972. Graham explained his understanding that in the latter days, the Jews would be divided, and one group would be considered the synagogue of Satan:
During “the Latter Days,” Graham is heard to say Jews will be divided into the “Remnant of God’s People” and “the Synagogue of Satan.” The second group consists of those Jews in league with the devil, Graham says, who “have a strange brilliance about them” and are behind “all your religious deceptions.”
Graham’s view is not uncommon. There are entire books written around this subject, and various conspiracy theories center around this phrase and a perceived secret history of Jewish world domination. But is that what Jesus meant in Revelation 2 and 3?
What Is the Context of Revelation 3:9?
How you read the Book of Revelation will have some bearing on how you interpret these passages. Do these letters to the churches signify specific points of history? Is the church at Philadelphia particularly referring to a situation in the latter days?
Or is this speaking to a specific church in the first century and not meant to unlock what will happen in the latter days?
How you answer those questions will influence the way you interpret these statements. For those like Graham, they would say that the church of Philadelphia is a reference to the people of God who will be living in the End Times.
This church, it is believed, will be the one that is raptured. That is why Graham spoke of this “synagogue of Satan.” In his view, those who are “in league with the devil” during the tribulation time will provide great assistance to the forces of darkness.
But is this the preferred way to read the letters to the seven churches? Some believe it is better to see these as occasional letters written to specific churches in the first century that were facing persecution.
Yes, we can apply the words here — much in the same way, we might apply Paul’s letter to the Galatians — but it is not meant to have correspondence to churches throughout history.
In this view, the church at Philadelphia was written as an actual church in the first century battling persecution.
Beale, then, would be correct in helping us see the overarching purpose of these letters to the churches. It is an attempt to answer this fundamental question:
“How did the truths of the gospel relate practically and specifically to the difficult cultural, social, political, and economic realities, all of which were inextricably linked to various forms of Greco-Roman religion?” (G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text).
The context, then, is that both Smyrna and Philadelphia are enduring an element of persecution. Likely what is taking place is that Jewish leaders are cooperating with Rome by saying that Christians are not a recognized Jewish sect.
This would place them in a hostile situation, potentially threatening their economic and social well-being.
These are the early days of persecution for some of these places, and Christ is warning them of the suffering in the days ahead. Yet, they would be called to remain faithful.
What Does ‘Synagogue of Satan’ Mean?
Why does Jesus use this phrase to refer to those who are opposing the mission of the kingdom of God? The name “Satan” means Accuser. And a synagogue was a gathering place. If you put them together, then it is a gathering place of the accuser.
We get more clues as to the identity in the next few words. Jesus tells us in 3:9 that they “say that they are Jews and are not.”
The same language is used in 2:9 for those in Smyrna who are “slandering” and again “say that they are Jews and are not.” What does he mean by this phrase?
The wording here is somewhat similar to Paul’s language in Romans 2:28-29.
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Because they are not part of the mission of God, they are no longer to be considered the people of God. You cannot be in direct opposition to Jesus Christ, who is the true Israel, and consider yourself as still being a Jew. You are, as Paul said, only one outwardly.
Yet, this alone does not make you part of the synagogue of Satan. In fact, I would say that the key here is the element of persecution more so than any sort of national or ethnic identity.
Anyone who is participating in slander, lying, or accusing is participating in the work of Satan. Persecution of others is taking the demonic crushing of humanity, those in the image of God, to another level.
Those, then, who participate in antisemitism that denies personhood, victimizes, slanders, and dehumanizes would actually be participating in the demonic. This would make you a member of the synagogue of Satan.
Yes, Christ has particularly in mind Christian persecution here. That is the primary meaning of this passage — those who are systematically involved in the persecution of believers and thwarting the kingdom of God are those who are in the synagogue of Satan.
How Do We Apply This Today?
So, how do we apply a passage like this today? How do we take the letters that were written to Smyrna and Philadelphia and use them in a contemporary setting? We begin by seeing what we have in common with the original audience.
Are Satan’s tactics all that unfamiliar to us? Does he not use the same strategy of persecution, error, and sin to trip up followers of Jesus?
I appreciate these words of John Stott,
“The Book of Revelation begins to be intelligible only when it is seen as God’s word to his servants in this situation. It is a message to the church in the world. It is a call to us to endure tribulation, to hold fast to the truth, to resist the blandishments of the devil and to obey the commandments of God.”
What Does This Mean?
Jesus’ words to the church of both Smyrna and Philadelphia are that He ultimately overcomes. He holds the victory already in His hand.
The call of Revelation is for the church to endure, to remain faithful to Christ in the midst of slander, persecution, suffering, and any difficulty. To hold fast to Christ is to receive the crown of glory.
We are called as Christians to be a different kind of gathering. Not one of slander or one that diminishes the beauty of those made in the image of God, but rather a community of love.
A community that refuses to engage in lies or hatred, one that is firmly fixed in both truth and the love of grace in Christ, is the kingdom that Jesus is building. And it is this which the synagogue of Satan, regardless of any ethnic markers, is aimed at destroying.
For further reading:
Can Satan Be Everywhere at One Time?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/agustavop
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
