This week, we tackle Revelation 2:8-11. Today, we shine a particular spotlight on the “synagogue of Satan” in an attempt to understand Jesus’ references to it twice in Revelation. First, to the church in Smyrna, “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9). Second, to the church in Philadelphia, “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9).
There are essentially two competing ideas about the identity of the synagogue of Satan. The topic is one of extreme controversy. The first view is that the synagogue of Satan comprised specific communities in Smyrna and Philadelphia that were persecuting the church. The New Testament Church suffered persecution from the Jewish community, and much of the persecution from the Romans was the result of attempts to appease the Jewish leaders, e.g., Pilate’s condemnation of Jesus and the Roman governor’s imprisonment of Paul.
Under this view, those of Satan’s synagogue claim to be Jews (people of God), but they persecute those who believe in Jesus. Jesus calls them liars because they reject the Jewish Messiah, thereby renouncing their position as “true” Jews.
Popular bible verses supporting this view are Romans 2:28-29, 9:6 respectively, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter“; and, “Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.”
The second view derives from the actions of Domitian, who was the Roman Emperor at the time. Domitian, desperate to raise revenue, levied a tax on the Jews. His stated reason was to recoup imperial expenses from the Jewish war. Because the new Roman law did not define who was a Jew, Gentile believers also became liable for the tax at times. Any household practicing any Jewish customs could be forced to pay the tax. Therefore, the Gentiles started to hide their association with Judaism and some Jews did the same. Domitian called for informants to rat out the tax evaders. Domitian discovered a “secret society” of Gentile “Christian” tax evaders, who claimed they were not Jewish but lived as if they were. By their actions as informants, the “Jewish accusers” were thus acting outside of the realm of appropriateness for Jewish people. They became agents of “the accuser of our brothers” (Revelation 12:10). The Hebrew word for Satan is “accuser,” hence “Synagogue of Satan.”
The hotly debated Synagogue of Satan is a subject on which dissertations and diatribes abound. This nutshell summary is but a surface-level attempt to shed some light on the competing views.
by Jeanne Melberg
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