The
Synagogue of Satan
The historical setting is the reign
of Roman emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.). The apostle John has been
banished to the Isle of Patmos. If we estimate the writing of
Revelation to be circa 90 A.D., the apostle Paul has been dead for
twenty-five years. While the churches Paul planted in Asia Minor are
still alive and well, they've been impacted by various heresies, many
of which Paul wrote to combat and correct.
In Chapters 2-3, the Lord Jesus
delivers individual messages to seven churches. In each message, Jesus
informs them he has full knowledge of their spiritual condition (good
and bad), what they're enduring, what actions they should take and a
promise to the faithful. It's encouraging to see that while NONE of the
churches passed muster in terms of a clean bill of spiritual health
(Smyrna excepted),
all seven are LOVED by the Lord Jesus. There is nothing more precious
to Jesus than local churches that assemble in HIS name and
proclaim
HIS gospel, the gospel of GRACE!
The churches at Smyrna and
Philadelphia shared a common malady: the “synagogue of Satan.” To the
church at Smyrna, he said: “And I know the blasphemy of them which say
they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation
2:9). To the church at Philadelphia, he reiterated: “Behold, I will
make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and 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” (3:9). It is not clear
whether members of this satanic group had infiltrated the church or
were just a local presence in the city whose influence was felt by the
church.
Before we seek to identify who these
folks were and whether there is a modern-day equivalent, let us examine
the words of Jesus to ascertain what we DO know to be true. The term
“synagogue” may sound a little sarcastic but is, in fact, a statement
of
reality. These folks obviously claimed to have Jewish roots and
practices. But Jesus said they were a synagogue with Satan at the helm.
Perhaps they had a Jewish pedigree (physical component) but lacked the
faith of Abraham (spiritual component). I suppose it's possible they
were physical Jews who were never circumcised in heart. But I'm not
sure that would
rise to the level of blasphemy. They were more likely to have
been
Gentiles who
believed the Church was the new Israel and therefore
claimed to be
Jews with an obligation to bring elements of Mosaic
Law into Church life. Whatever they may have THOUGHT they were, Jesus
said they were BLASPHEMERS and LIARS! It is important to remember that
the major difference between a synagogue and a church is the difference
between Law and Grace. Whether they were physical Jews who
were spiritual imposters or Gentiles claiming to be
Jews, they were guilty of making Mosaic Law, in addition to
Grace,
a requisite for righteousness.
The overriding message here is our
Lord's seriousness about his gospel of grace and his divine indignation
with
those who augment it in any way. The apostle Paul taught that Mosaic
Law had no capacity whatsoever to bring spiritual life
or righteousness to a sinner dead in trespasses and
sins
(Galatians 3:21).
He also affirmed that Christ becomes the believer's righteousness and
life when he calls upon Jesus' name, believing he died for their sins
and rose again the third day. This is the message of the gospel!
Activity that seeks to alter this message—adding to or taking from—is
satanic activity. Mosaic Law can neither save the lost nor
sanctify the saved! The synagogue of Satan was no doubt engaged in the
modification of the gospel with Jewish (Mosaic) elements.
The book of Galatians was likely the
first epistle Paul
wrote following the Jerusalem Council (A.D. 51). The conclusion arrived
at by the apostles and the Holy Ghost was: "But we believe that through
the GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jews] shall be saved,
even
as they [Gentiles]" (Acts 15:11). The future tense of "saved"
signifies that GRACE, not Mosaic Law, is the sole
basis
for our salvation FROM faith (justification) TO
faith (sanctification) and our ultimate
glorificaton. But not everyone embraced the doctrinal
edict of the Council. When Paul began Galatians, he
issued
this stern warning: " I marvel that ye are so soon removed from
HIM that called you into the GRACE of Christ unto
another
gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble
you,
and would PERVERT the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7).
This is
no coincidence! Any admixture of Law with
Grace as a
formula for attaining to the righteousness of God is a 'perversion'
(corruption, transmutation) of the gospel. The synagogue of Satan is in
the business of perverting the gospel by mixing Law with Grace.
An
instructive passage in Galatians 2:11-21 records Paul's public rebuke
of Peter as he had changed his behavior with Gentile believers at
Antioch out of fear for other Jews that came from Jerusalem. Peter, a
Jew by nature, was perfectly at ease with Gentile believers who
observed no Mosaic rituals. But in an hypocritical reversal, he began
“compelling” the Gentiles to live after the manner of Jews upon the
arrival of Jews from Jerusalem. This change of behavior was
contrary to “the truth of the gospel.” That truth is that righteousness
comes by faith in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile. Both have equal
standing before God on the merits of Christ alone.
One absolute
truth taught in this passage is that it was and NEVER has been
the
will of God for Gentile believers to live as Jews! Moreover, when
Peter, a natural Jew, abandoned Mosaic customs and lived as did the
Gentiles, he walked uprightly acording to the truth of the gospel. The
synagogue of Satan consists of professing Gentile
believers who
falsely claim to be Jews, believe righteousness comes from Jesus
+ Mosaic Law and seek to compel other Gentile
believers to
live as
Jews. Such behavior is contrary to the truth of the gospel and a
perversion of it!
One
cannot read the book of Acts without seeing that early believers,
especially Jews, had a very difficult time with grace, holding on to
Mosaic practices after professing faith in Christ. Paul, the
apostle to the Gentiles, preached and taught Christ from the Law and
the Prophets but advocated NO Mosaic practices for the churches he
planted. Some advocates of 'Restoration' theology cite historical
documents that say the early churches acted like Jews. That's
understandable given the difficulties for Jews transitioning
from
Law to Grace. It apparently proved difficult for Gentiles, who would
have gained, from Paul's influence, a great respect for
Christianity's Jewish roots. But historical documents do NOT constitute
doctrine. Paul wrote Galatians and Colossians, two doctrinal
foundations for the gospel of grace, to combat the error of
incorporating the "weak and beggarly" elements of Mosaic Law into
church life. Yet despite Paul's inspired efforts to
lay a
solid doctrinal foundation for the gospel, there were
many "false
brethren" (2 Corinthians 11:26; Galatians 2:4) who continued to
"trouble" Gentile believers with ANOTHER gospel (Jesus + Mosaic
covenent). A generation later, Jesus called out these synagogues of
Satan in his messages to Smyrna and Philadelphia.
The charge of blasphemy is a serious
one. But how does one commit blasphemy? One blasphemes when he treats
sacred things with contempt. Where the gospel is concerned, it all
boils down to the doctrine of redemption and the blood of Christ. The
shed blood of Jesus, the Seed of Abraham, is the basis for the new
covenant that fulfills the Abrahamic covenant and connects the believer
to the promises made to Abraham. The Mosaic covenant, which God added
alongside the Abrahamic covenant to exacerbate the knowledge of sin, is
the old covenant from which Christ redeems the believer. God has not
done away with the old covenant. By virtue of his death with Christ,
the believer dies to the old covenant and is made alive by the new
covenant in Christ's blood. When men mix the old and new covenants in
some sort of gospel hybrid, they show contempt for the blood of Christ,
deeming it unable, in and of itself, to secure our eternal redemption.
In doing so, they become blasphemers and Jesus calls them exactly that!
In
addition to the charge of blasphemy, Jesus accused the synagogue of
Satan of lying! A lie is a false statement made with the intent to
deceive. It misrepresents the truth. What exactly was the synagogue of
Satan lying about? The gospel affirms the death of Christ on the Cross
was the total satisfaction for our sins and the demands of the Law. It
affirms that the blood of Christ was sufficient to redeem them that
were under the Law from the curse of the Law. It affirms the believer
of the gospel to be dead to the Law and alive unto the Lawgiver. The
lie was likely two-fold in nature. First, Gentiles who claim to be
Jews misrepresent the facts. Scripture teaches there is
neither
Jew nor Gentile in Christ (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). When a
Gentile who claims to believe in Jesus also claims to be a Jew, he or
she is a liar! Secondly, the risen Christ considers
their claim the Church is Israel and therefore obligated to continue
observing Mosaic Law to be a deliberate misrepresentation of
gospel
truth and the value of his Cross. It misrepresents the doctrine of
redemption! Jesus is the final Judge. When he levels charges of
blasphemy and lying against any people, there exists no higher court to
which they can appeal their conviction!
Satan
is in the business of blinding
the minds of unbelievers to the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 3:14; 4:4). He
uses his subtilty to corrupt
the minds of believers from the simplicity
that is in Christ (11:3). It is expected that his 'synagogue' would be
engaged in both of these activities—blinding and corrupting minds. His
ultimate objective is to persuade the unsaved and saved alike that the
death of Jesus, his precious blood, his
resurrection and his
riighteousness imputed to the believer, the 'Good News' of GRACE,
are insufficient,
in and of themselves, to secure eternal redemption on behalf
of those who believe. The argument a synagogue of Satan propagates
usually takes the form of old 'covenant' plus new 'covenant'—a mix of
Law and Grace. The NT, however, affirms that unbelievers are 'under
Law' and believers 'under Grace' and that no man can be 'under' both at
the same time. Those who mix Law and Grace essentially despise the
blood of Jesus and incur his displeasure in the form of a two-fold
indictment—blasphemers and liars! This indictment of Jesus is
applicable to ANY individual or group that
teaches righteousness, whether in justification or
sanctification,
is obtainable by compliance to Mosaic Law. The modern-day 'Restoration'
movement is reflective of a satanic synagogue.
These synagogues of Satan were
apparently claiming the higher 'gospel' ground. They considered their
allegiance to Mosaic Law and their attempt to meld it with Christianity
as the superior position. But the Lord said he would ultimately make
the
synagogue of Satan worship at the feet of the Church and know how much
Jesus loves those who champion the gospel of GRACE. The synagogues of
Satan were likely akin to the Judaizers
against whom Paul warned the Galatians and Colossians. If a man
believes and teaches that Mosaic Law can, in any way, contribute to
life or righteousness, he is a Judaizer, a member of the synagogue of
Satan. He may have a quiver full of
bastardized proof texts he claims prove that Mosaic Law was always
intended to be part of Church life. But in the final analysis,
salvation hinges upon the efficaciousness of the blood of Christ to
secure our eternal redemption, clothe us in Christ's righteousness and
provide us a "new and living way" into the holiest (Hebrews 10:20). The
offering of the body of
Christ—his death and precious blood—perfects forever the believer who
is sanctified by faith in him (10:14). Adding so much as one
requirement to
the blood of Christ as necessary to achieve these ends is
blasphemy and lying!
The
synagogue of Satan through the ages has taken on different forms. But
in the final analysis, it has at its core an alternative to or
augmentation of redemption
by the blood of Jesus Christ and or sanctification by the Spirit of
Christ. Paul testified that he was not ignorant of Satan's devices (2
Corinthians 2:11). If we examine Satan's first temptation
(device), we derive basic insight into how
he operates
where his synagogues are concerned (Genesis 3:1). God said to the first
couple: "Ye shall SURELY die" (2:17). Satan countered with: "Yea, hath
God said...?" (3:1) and followed with: "Ye shall NOT SURELY
die!"
(3:4). Satan first introduced an element of DOUBT, then followed up
with an outright DENIAL of truth. In the NT, God
says believers are: "DEAD to the Law"
(Romans 7:4;
Galatians 2:19). Satan counters with: "Does dead really mean dead?" At
some point, after DOUBT has run its course and eroded
confidence
in the plain sense of scripture, he follows with:
"You are
NOT DEAD to the Law!" He will then proceed to explain why that
cannot be the case, using bastardized 'proof texts' from the
OT
that he interprets apart from their context as 'proof' that the Law is
still applicable to the Church as a basis of justification and or
discipleship; a mix of Law and Grace, old Mosaic covenant with the new
covenant in the blood of Christ.
In
summary, every
synagogue of Satan, regardless of the name under which it
operates, will have one or more of the following tenets
undergirding its existense:
(1)
A claim that Israel is now the Church, that Gentile believers in the
Church Age have been 'grafted' into one of the tribes of
Israel. Both 'Replacement' theology and 'Restoration'
theology espouse this error notwithstanding the scriptural
truth
that there are NO tribes in Christ or his Church (Galatians 3:28;
Colossians 3:11).
(2)
A failure to understand the covenants. Romans 11
makes it
clear that God has grafted Gentiles, as a wild olive
tree, into Israel, the natural olive tree. But that grafting
connects Gentile believers to Abraham, not Moses.
Gentile
believers are dead to the Old Covenant and grafted into the Abrahamic
Covenant. In this regard, they are blessed with faithful Abraham, to
whom God made promise to justify by faith all
who followed
his example of faith. Descendants of Abraham are the natural
olive tree.
There are no tribes in the Abrahamic covenant even as there are no
tribes in the covenant in Christ's blood.
(3)
A defective view of the death of Christ. Jesus fulfilled the
Law
in its entirety, He did not destroy it. Yet some allege Jesus satified
the priesthood requirements of the Law but left other
aspects in tact for our observavnce. This kind of
thinking misses the point. Jesus left ALL the Law in tact. He
satisfied ALL the demands of the Law in his death. He did not destroy
the Law, but FULFILLED every aspect of it! If Jesus died for ALL our
sins (1
Corinthians 15:3) and had ALL our iniquities laid upon him
(Isaiah
53:6), then the atonement of Jesus MUST have included
EVERY aspect
of Law, a violation of which would constitute a transgression.
Jesus
did NOT suffer and atone for the traditions of the elders,
scribes
and Pharisees. The violation of their traditions did
NOT
constitute transgressions of the Law as far as God is
concerned! Jesus
in his death was a
TOTAL satisfaction for our sins and iniquities and a fulfillment of the
Law that precipitated them!
(4) An advocacy
for some degree of adherence to OT
Law, whether it be for salvation (justification) or discipleship
(sanctification) at the expense of NT Grace, which
teaches the total
sufficiency of Christ, his righteousness, his life
and the redeeming power of his blood.
(5)
A
belief that the early Church went astray early on and was
'hijacked' by grace advocates. They see their mission as one to
'restore' elements of Mosaic Law that the Church abandoned. Acts 15 and
the Jerusalem Council soundly refuted this error! In
fact,
the synagogues of Satan are akin to the disciples of Moses who tried to
corrupt the church at Antioch in Syria, an attempt which precipitated
the Jerusalem Council in the first place, where Grace won the
day.
(6)
A
bastardization of NT scripture. Synagogue of
Satan ministers are guilty of substituting 'Yahweh'
for
'Lord', 'Yeshua' for 'Jesus' and 'Elohim' for 'God'. The NT was written
in Greek. Any honest translation of scripture will demonstrate
faithfulness to the original language. A synagogue of Satan will
purposefully mistranslate these Greek words as an eisegetical (reading
into) exercise to give a Hebrew flavor to the Greek text. When
you
hear
a Gentile man, who believes he's a Jew, using OT
names for
God when quoting NT scripture (i.e.,
reading Hebrew names into Greek text), you're likely listening
to
a synagogue of Satan representative. It's one of the
ways a
Gentile, who believes his faith in 'Yeshua'
makes him a
Jew, seeks to affirm his Jewishness. But it's nothing
more
than deceitful handling of scripture.
(7) A denial of the Trinity.
A synagogue of Satan will typically deny the
Trinitarian (Three-in-One)
nature of the Godhead. There are few Bible doctrines with more
attestation than the ONE true God existing eternally in THREE
Persons—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Each member of the Godhead has
a unique role in our redemption. The man Christ Jesus is the One
Mediator between God and men. Jesus could NOT be a Mediator if he was
not BOTH God and man! The synagogue of Satan, because it believes
Trinitarian doctrine teaches Three Gods, will advocate an equivalency
of the Father and Son (i.e., the Father IS the Lord Jesus
Christ and Jesus Christ IS the Father). This is a direct assault on the
doctrine of God!
(8) A
misrepresentation of the Holy Spirit.
Some 'Restoration'
ministries describe the Holy Spirit as “an invisible force.”
This essentially strips the Spirit of personhood and, in combination
with the Father and Son 'equivalency' concept, maintains the idea of
One God, One
Person. It is therefore not uncommon to hear a synagogue of Satan
member use the words 'Father' or 'Almighty Father' when referring to
their God and
conspicuously omit the names of 'Jesus' and or 'Christ' from their
vocabulary.
Two biblical keys
apply here. Jesus said: "But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall
testify of me" (John 15:26). Paul wrote: "And he [Jesus] is the head of
the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he [Jesus] might have the preeminence"
(Colossians 1:18). If and when the Spirit God is the impetus behind a
ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ will be the first and foremost focus of
it! You simply cannot honor the Father without honoring
his Son (John 5:23).
(9) A defective view of eschatology.
Many synagogues of Satan allege that "the fulness of the
Gentiles"
has come and gone (Romans 11:25). But as Paul explained, the fulness of
the Gentiles is connected to the "mystery" of the church. The day of
the Lord will not commence, nor the fulness of the
Gentiles be accomplished, until Jesus catches away (gathers)
his
Church, his largely Gentile bride, unto himself in the Rapture (1
Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). This is a
convenient allegation that really MUST accompany the other
false
belief that the Church is Israel.
(10)
A disdain for (abandonment of) the local church that preaches
the gospel of GRACE as affirmed by the Jerusalem Council in A.D. 51. A
synagogue of Satan may see its 'work' as that of influencing
GRACE-based local churches to adopt LAW-based practices, such
as
the observance of Feasts and Sabbaths, as a matter of discipleship. But
such 'Torah compliance' doctrine has NO ability to make one a
disciple of Christ, for it can impart neither life nor
righteousness. The Christian life IS the life of Christ! It is
NOT conformity to types, figures and shadows! Any individual
who REJECTS what Jesus
LOVES (i.e., Grace-preaching local churches) is telegraphing
the satanic source of his or her persuasion.
(11)
The use of OT phrases like "my ways" and "old paths"
as
proof the Church is still obligated to conform to those ways,
often referred to as "the Father's ways" as expressed
in Mosaic
Law.In the NT, however, Jesus said he was the embodiment
of those "ways" and "paths" inasmuch as he
told his
disciples: "I am THE way" (John 14:6). When Jesus said he was THE way,
he
was essentially saying: "ALL the 'my ways'
and 'old paths' of the Old Covenant are
now bundled up
in ME, the Mediator of the New Covenant!"
(12)
A false accusation of 'lawlessness' against Grace-based
churches
and individuals. Believers in the gospel of grace are
"under
the law to Christ" as was the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 9:21). A
disciple of Christ who studies the Torah is NOT concerned with
COMPLIANCE, but with OBEDIENCE. His goal is to discover
the will
of God and obey it as he finds it through the power of the
Spirit.
For example, when he reads Exodus 20:13-16, he learns the
will of God for his life is respect for the
sanctity of
life, sexual purity, respect for the property of others and
truthfulness in every area of life. As he relies upon the
power of
the Spirit to FORM these Christ-like qualities
IN him,
he fulfills the righteousness of the Law (Galatians 4:19; Romans
8:2-4).
How does a believer in grace obey an
OT feast? Since OT feasts are shadows of Christ, he simply
seeks
to discover the spiritual intent of the feast and what can be
learned about Christ his Lord. For example, the
Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches the need to live an unleavened life
as a result of Christ becoming his Passover Lamb. The way he
obeys the spirit of the feast is to ask God daily to expose
the
leaven in his life, confess it, forsake
it and live godly in Spirit power as
a result. What is the benefit of OT feast COMPLIANCE by one whose life
is rife with DISOBEDIENCE?
These
messages to the churches at
Smyrna and Philadelphia should strike fear in the heart of every soul
that seeks to add some aspect of Mosaic Law as
necessary to the attainment of life and righteousness. The bottom line:
DO.NOT.MESS.WITH.GRACE! The blood of
Christ and the Spirit of Christ ALONE have the power
to redeem, regenerate,
justify, reconcile,
cleanse from sin, empower the believer to walk in
fellowship with his Lord and transform-conform him into the
image of Christ Jesus.
Those
who champion any element of Mosaic Law as integral to
Grace have departed from the faith, having
given heed to
seducing
spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1). They are: (1)
the
enemies of Christ,
(2)
the enemies of his Cross, and (3) despisers of his blood.
As Paul warned, it is "no great thing" if the ministers of Satan
tarnsform themselves into "ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians
11:15). Modern-day examples include ministries
like 'Yahweh
Restoration', 'Torah Restoration' and 'Torah
Compliance'. These and ministries with similar scope,
which advocate elements of Mosaic Law as integral
to salvation and or
discipleship, are
synagogues of Satan. At the end of the day, Jesus
will expose them for the blasphemers and liars they are! The
synagogue of Satan has nothing whatsoever to do with the
worship
of Satan, but rather the false worship of ANOTHER Jesus with
ANOTHER gospel and ANOTHER spirit. That's what makes it so
sinister,
so deadly, and why Jesus hates it!
Top
|
