glory to GOD FOR TRUTH Amen ! Remember, my beloved, the term “synagogue of Satan” is a type, a symbol in the book of Revelation! The type is found in the persecutors of the early believers — preeminently the Jews. Among all the stormy, fiery declarations of condemnation and judgment found in the letters to the seven churches, none is more striking than the Holy Spirit’s identification of the “synagogue of Satan.” The synagogue of the Adversary! He doesn’t call the temple of Bacchus the synagogue of Satan. He doesn’t call the temple of Diana the synagogue of Satan. He doesn’t call the temple of Zeus the synagogue of Satan. Only the Jews had a synagogue! Religion that opposes the Spirit of God, the purpose of God, the truth of God, and the kingdom of God is the adversary of God, and the system, temple, synagogue, or assembly of those adversaries is simply the “synagogue of Satan.” Permit me to point out the apostle Paul’s incredible indictment of his own former activities in the religion of Judaism. “For ye have heard of my manner of life in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: and profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers” (Gal. 1:13-14). “Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might have confidence in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Phil. 3:4-6). That was the same spirit of Judaism that operated in Smyrna! The church in Smyrna was bitterly opposed by the Jews of the city, who prided themselves on being God’s chosen people. Actually, they were the tools of Satan, the organized religious opposers, persecutors, and condemners of those who were the Lord’s people after the spirit! The synagogue which had once served as the springboard for the preaching of the gospel, fast became the bitter enemy of the new church. Throughout the world in the days of the early church the Jews moved against the believers with lies and malice. When Paul was preaching in the synagogue in Antioch we read, “And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming” (Acts 13:44-45). The accusations against the believers were so devilish, and the smears so insidious, that the believers were styled as the dregs of society and blamed for every tragedy and disaster that struck. “But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people” (Acts 17:5). The Jews worked with cunning, even inciting the normally tolerant Roman government to attack the new religion. The Jewish-Roman cartel instigated the wholesale slaughter of those who followed Jesus.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 15:42:26 +0000
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