Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 3:9

"Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." — Revelation 3:9 (ASV)

Those opposing the witness of the congregation are called “those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars.” These words are like those spoken to the church in Smyrna (cf. comment on 2:9). A “synagogue of Satan” appears to describe a Jewish element that vehemently denied Jesus as the Messiah and that actively persecuted others who made this claim. In the view of Jews like John and Paul, a true Jew is one who has found forgiveness and life in Jesus the Messiah, while a false Jew is one who rejects those who believe in Jesus and openly persecutes them; such a one is an antichrist . But Christ will make those who have persecuted the followers of Jesus as heretics “acknowledge” (lit., “know”; GK 1182) that God is indeed with the church in Philadelphia and that they are not heretics but are God’s people. We catch a glimpse here of the ever-widening gap between Judaism and Christianity toward the end of the first century. The church is the true people of God, loved by Christ, and in a real sense inheritors of the covenant promises in the OT made to the people of God (Isaiah 43:4; Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 60:14). In these OT passages it is the Gentiles, or heathen nations, who bow before Israel and acknowledge that God is with them. In this letter Christ reverses these roles: his followers are now the people of God and Jewish unbelievers are the pagans who come and acknowledge the love of the Messiah for the church! There is, however, no indication as to when such acknowledgment will come. Underlying this verse is the truth Paul expressed in Php 2:10–11: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Some will do this joyfully and some remorsefully (cf. Revelation 6:12–17).