Synagogue of Satan

Biblical Text

The expression appears in two places in the letters to the seven churches of Asia in the Book of Revelation.

• The church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:9): Jesus says that He knows the tribulation and poverty the church in Smyrna is enduring. He goes on to say that He knows "the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." The passage in question is Revelation 2:8–11.
• The church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:9): He promises to make some "of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie" come and worship before the church's feet, and to make them know that the Lord has loved the church.

Background and Terminology

"Synagogue" translates the Greek synagōgē. Its basic meaning is "assembly" or "place of gathering," and it referred to the community and the place where Jews gathered to read Scripture and pray (see Synagogue). Many cities in first-century Asia Minor had Jewish communities. Interpreters generally hold that these two passages in Revelation reflect a situation in which some members of these communities slandered and persecuted Christians. Accounts also relate that when Polycarp, the second-century bishop of Smyrna, was martyred, some of the local Jews took the side of his opponents.

Satan means "adversary" or "accuser" in Hebrew. In 2:9 the word appears alongside "blasphemy" (Greek blasphēmia), and the expression is therefore read as identifying the accusation and slander of the church as the work of Satan.

Meaning in the Context of Scripture

Revelation also speaks of "Satan's seat" (2:13) in connection with Pergamos and of "the depths of Satan" (2:24) in connection with Thyatira. In this way it portrays the opposition surrounding the churches within the framework of spiritual warfare.

The phrase "to come and worship before thy feet" in 3:9 recalls the language of Isaiah 60:14 and 45:14, in which the Gentile nations come and bow down before Israel. Here, however, the direction is reversed, and a small church is placed in the position of honor. Many commentators connect this expression with the New Testament theme that identifies the true people of God by the heart and by faith rather than by lineage, citing passages such as Romans 2:28–29 and Galatians 3:26–29.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Referent: Most interpreters take the expression to refer to particular Jewish groups that were persecuting the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia at the time. A minority view identifies it with groups inside or outside the church that were imposing the Jewish law.
• Israel and the church: Within the covenant theology tradition, the passage is often read from the perspective that the church succeeds to the place of the true Israel. Because dispensationalism distinguishes between Israel and the church, it tends to limit the expression to a judgment on particular local groups. Interpretations also differ on "I will make them to come and worship" in 3:9: some see it as anticipating a future conversion of the Jews, while others take it to mean that the persecutors will come to acknowledge the legitimacy of the church.
• Caution against misuse: In church history, this verse has at times been used to justify hostility toward the Jewish people as a whole. For this reason, many commentators today stress that the expression refers to persecutors in a specific time and place. The phrase is also sometimes used to denote secret societies or Satan-worshiping organizations, but this meaning is not found in the text.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, the passage is treated mainly in expository sermon series that cover the seven churches of Asia in turn and in Bible studies on Revelation. In these settings it is often explained as a word of comfort to the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, which kept the faith in the midst of persecution.