“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). “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). Now we know where in the Bible. Now where on Earth?
This post was edited by O-uknow at April 14, 2018 4:22 PM MDT
Don't think it was just a particular location, assuming you are referring to the 'synagogue of Satan'. [... 3 “I know your tribulation and poverty—but you are rich—and the blasphemy by those who say they themselves are Jews, and yet they are not but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9) Jesus has no criticism for his brothers in Smyrna, only warm commendation. They have suffered much tribulation because of their faith. Materially they are poor, likely because of their faithfulness. (Hebrews 10:34) Their main concern, however, is with spiritual things, and they have stored up treasures in heaven, as Jesus advised. (Matthew 6:19, 20) Hence, the Chief Shepherd views them as being “rich.”—Compare James 2:5. 4 Jesus notes particularly that the Christians in Smyrna have put up with much opposition at the hands of fleshly Jews. In earlier days, many of this religion determinedly opposed the spread of Christianity. (Acts 13:44, 45; 14:19) Now, just a few decades after the fall of Jerusalem, those Jews in Smyrna are showing the same satanic spirit. No wonder Jesus views them as “a synagogue of Satan”!
[Footnotes] About 60 years after John died, 86-year-old Polycarp was burned to death in Smyrna because he would not recant his belief in Jesus. The Martyrdom of Polycarp, a work believed to be contemporaneous with this event, states that when wood was being gathered for burning, “the Jews were extremely zealous, as is their custom, in assisting at this”—even though the execution took place on “a great Sabbath day.”
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“They Will Bow Down to You” 11 Hence, Jesus promises them fruitage: “Look! I will give those from the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews, and yet they are not but are lying—look! I will make them come and do obeisance before your feet and make them know I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:9) Perhaps, as in Smyrna, the congregation has had problems with the local Jews. Jesus designates these as “the synagogue of Satan.” Nevertheless, at least some of those Jews are about to realize that what the Christians have been preaching about Jesus is the truth. Their ‘doing obeisance’ will likely be in the manner described by Paul at 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25, so that they actually repent and become Christians, fully appreciating Jesus’ great love in surrendering even his soul in behalf of his disciples.—John 15:12, 13. 12 Members of the Jewish synagogue in Philadelphia would likely be startled to learn that some of them were to “do obeisance” to the local Christian community. In view of the fact that there are doubtless many non-Jews in that congregation, they would expect the very opposite to take place. Why? Because Isaiah foretold: “[Non-Jewish] kings must become caretakers for you [the people of Israel], and their princesses nursing women for you. With faces to the earth they will bow down to you.” (Isaiah 49:23; 45:14; 60:14) In a similar vein, Zechariah was inspired to write: “It will be in those days that ten men [non-Jews] out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will actually take hold of the skirt of a man who is a Jew, saying: ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people.’” (Zechariah 8:23) Yes, non-Jews were to bow down to Jews, not the other way around! 13 Those prophecies were addressed to God’s chosen nation. When they were uttered, fleshly Israel occupied that honored position. But when the Jewish nation rejected the Messiah, Jehovah cast them off. (Matthew 15:3-9; 21:42, 43; Luke 12:32; John 1:10, 11) At Pentecost 33 C.E., he chose in their stead the true Israel of God, the Christian congregation. Its members are the spiritual Jews with the real circumcision of the heart. (Acts 2:1-4, 41, 42; Romans 2:28, 29; Galatians 6:16) Thereafter, the only way that individual fleshly Jews could come back to a favored relationship with Jehovah would be by putting their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. (Matthew 23:37-39) Evidently, this was about to happen with some individuals in Philadelphia. ...]
By that time, fleshly Israel had been abandoned as God's people. Don't really matter if they were really 'fleshly' Jews.
(John 8:39) In answer they said to him: “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them: “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. (Matthew 23:37, 38) “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent to her—how often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you did not want it. 38 Look! Your house is abandoned to you.
(Acts 13:44, 45) The next Sabbath nearly all the city gathered together to hear the word of Jehovah. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began blasphemously contradicting the things Paul was saying. (Acts 14:19) But Jews arrived from Antioch and I·coʹni·um and persuaded the crowds, and they stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, imagining that he was dead.
(Romans 2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision something on the outside, on the flesh. (1 Corinthians 7:19) Circumcision means nothing, and uncircumcision means nothing; what means something is the observing of God’s commandments.
Wherever they are. A synagogue is an assembled group of Jews or Hebrews for the purpose of worship. It does not have to be a structure such as a temple.
This post was edited by Thriftymaid at April 14, 2018 11:14 PM MDT
In short, the synagogue of Satan was a group of unbelieving Jews who were persecuting Christians. These groups were guilty of slandering the church in Smyrna and opposing the church in Philadelphia in some way. More specifically, the Synagogue of Satan (terrible hatred) was located in the hearts of the unbelieving Jews. The majority of the persecution the New Testament church faced came from the Jewish community. Even most of the Roman persecution was an effort to appease the Jewish authorities. The synagogue of Satan say they are Jews (the people of God), and they persecute those who believe in Jesus the Messiah (the true people of God). In reality, by rejecting the Jewish Messiah, they have renounced their status as “true” Jews, and that is why Jesus calls them “liars.”
This post was edited by rusureamisure? at April 17, 2018 9:00 AM MDT
my2cents 