Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 Those Who Say They Are Jews and Are Not

REVELATION 2:9 AND 3:9

THEM WHICH SAY THEY ARE JEWS AND ARE NOT

Revelation 2:9 ​​ I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 3:9 ​​ 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.

First, let's review some of the Judeo-Christian doctrines that are taught regarding these verses.

Traditional / Pulpit / Commentaries on Revelation 2:9; 3:9

Across classic exegetes the phrases “say they are Jews, and are not” and “synagogue of Satan” are taken primarily of unbelieving Jews at Smyrna/Philadelphia (often actively persecuting the church), with a secondary spiritual application to hypocrites—people claiming covenant status while opposing Christ. Most treat “synagogue of Satan” idiomatically as “assembly belonging to/adhering to Satan” (i.e., adversarial to Christ), not as a mystical entity. In short: literal Jews by descent yet not “true Jews” (Rom 2:28–29) in heart; or, by extension, false professors within the Christian fold.

Barnes. Those “professing to be Jews” are likely of Jewish extraction yet not true Jews—their slander and hostility betray a spirit contrary to the faith they claim.

Jamieson–Fausset–Brown. “Jews by national descent, but not spiritually” (not of the “true circumcision”); the stress is on spiritual, inward Jewry.

Matthew Poole. Either native Jews glorying in circumcision and Abraham, or false Christians (called “Jews” figuratively, since Jews were once the visible church); in both cases, opponents of Christ’s people.

Cambridge. “Real Jews by birth as well as by profession, but denied the name in the proper sense” because their conduct contradicts true covenant identity.

Pulpit Commentary. In Revelation, “Jew” is an honorable name for Christ’s worshipers (i.e., the truly covenantal); “Gentiles” marks opposers. The “synagogue” here is the opposing assembly.

Marvin R. Vincent. These are actually Jews by birth (the title is their own claim), yet not Christians and not recognized as “Jews” in the spiritual/Christian sense.

Adam Clarke. A local Jewish synagogue professing the true God but devoid of genuine religion—in reality servants of the devil through their blasphemy and persecution.

Justin Edwards (Family Bible). A corrupt sect of Judaizers boasting Jewish pedigree and institutions but lacking the spirit of true Jews.

Whedon. Jews by descent but not in character—“unnatural sons” of Abraham for rejecting the Messiah Abraham foresaw.

John Gill. Those claiming to be Jews but lying are either (a) literal Jews hostile to the gospel, or (b) false professors within the church; in both cases they act under satanic/adversarial influence (i.e., Satan as opponent).

Joseph Benson. Refers chiefly to literal Jews who slandered and persecuted believers; yet the language also rebukes hypocrisy, where outward claim lacks inward reality.

E. W. Bullinger. The “synagogue of Satan” is the organized assembly of opposition; “they say they are Jews” = profession, “and are not” = divine disowning; the contrast is with the true Israel of God.

Geneva Notes. Those boasting of being Jews (covenant people) yet opposing Christ; their congregation is rightly called the synagogue of Satan, as it serves his adversarial ends.

Heinrich Meyer (Critical–Exegetical). Historically local Jews stirred hostility against Christians in Smyrna/Philadelphia; the epithet marks their religious assembly as satanic in function (opposition), not essence.

Jamieson–Fausset–Brown (on 3:9). Christ will compel these self-styled Jews to acknowledge the church He loves, reversing their present blasphemy and slander.

John Wesley. “They say they are Jews” = pretenders to covenant privilege; “and are not” = unrenewed; the synagogue is Satan’s insofar as it opposes the gospel and slanders the saints.

Adam Clarke (on 3:9). Their forced homage before the faithful fulfills Christ’s promise of vindication over calumny.

MacArthur / Popular Evangelical Preachers. Identifies the “synagogue of Satan” as unbelieving Jewish congregations that slandered Christians and collaborated with civil power to persecute them; “say they are Jews” underscores claim vs. reality (true, inward Jewry); 3:9 promises historical vindication of the faithful.

Consensus in one line: Literal synagogue communities at Smyrna/Philadelphia (and any later assembly) claiming covenant status yet opposing Christ = “synagogue of Satan” (an adversarial congregation); the phrase exposes hypocrisy (outward claim) and opposition (slander, persecution) and anticipates God’s vindication of the true people of God.

Every one of those traditional commentators listed (Barnes, JFB, Poole, Cambridge, Pulpit, Vincent, Clarke, Edwards, Whedon, Gill, Benson, Bullinger, Geneva, Meyer, Wesley, MacArthur, etc.) reads “Jews” in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 as referring to the biological nation of Israel and assumes that the Jews remain God’s covenant people in some sense.

Here’s how their consensus breaks down:

• Presupposition: “Jew” = physical descendants of Abraham/Israel who were once the visible covenant people.

• Interpretive move: Within that national body there are “true” Jews (believers, the faithful remnant) and “false” Jews (unbelieving or hypocritical).

• Result: Revelation’s “synagogue of Satan” is read as literal Jewish congregations that opposed early Christians—ethnic Jews who rejected Christ—and secondarily as a type of false profession in any age.

Even when they spiritualize the application (“true Jew is one inwardly,” Rom 2:28-29), they still hold that the physical Jewish race/nation retains a unique covenant identity.
None of these commentators question that framework; they simply divide it into two moral categories—faithful vs. unfaithful Jews—not between Jews and a separate covenant people altogether.

So, the entire pulpit-commentary tradition assumes the Jews are God’s covenant people, distinguishes “true” and “false” within that nation, and interprets the “synagogue of Satan” as apostate or hostile Jews, never as an alien or replacement group.

You may have been taught one or more of these interpretations or 'opinions', or you have been told something similar. The main Judeo-Christian teaching is that the Jews are Israel.

Every one of these commentaries and the 'opinions' in them are incorrect, false and deceptive teachings.

Matthew 24:24 ​​ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Luke 6:39 ​​ And He spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

You cannot understand the scriptures without understanding who is who.

If you are caught in the deception/delusion that the Jews are Israel, then you need to do some preliminary studying. It's already done for you, so all you have to do is spend a little time reading and educating yourself with these basics:

Esau Edom ​​ https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/esau-edom/

Jew or Judah? ​​ https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/jew-or-judah/

Who’s Who menu: ​​ https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/whos-who/

Above we saw the Traditional/Mainstream interpretations that all hold the Jewish people as the Israelites of the Bible. Well, let’s see if that holds true to the facts:

1) The Term JEW

• The English word “Jew” is a late contraction derived from Latin Iudaeus and was introduced into English Bibles in the 18th century, displacing terms that originally denoted Judah / Judahite / Judaea(n); this shift enabled an identity confusion between Israelite Judahites and later populations living in Judaea.

• Because Judah (tribe/house/land) and Idumea (Edom) were forcibly merged into Judaea prior to the NT era—and Idumeans were incorporated into the Judean state—“Judaean” became a mixed civic label (Judahite Israelite or Idumean), which later English readers mistook as “Jews.”

• My word study therefore contends: “Jew” ≠ “Judahite.” OT/NT occurrences should often be read as Judahite/Judaean, not as the modern ethnonym “Jew.”

2) Word / translation / transition (lexical backbone)

• Hebrew:

  • Yahudah (H3063) = Judah (man, tribe, house, land) ~820x; never denotes “Jews”.

  • Yahûdîm (H3064) = Judahites; later English translations replaced this with “Jews.”

• Aramaic (exilic texts):

  • Yahûd (H3061) = territory of Judah; Yahudâ’î (H3062)/Judahite (esp. Ezra, Daniel).

• Greek (NT):

  • Ioudaía (G2449) = Judaea (place).

  • Ioudaios (G2453) = Judaean/Judahite (196×); the English “Jew” replaced this, obscuring whether a passage speaks of a Judahite Israelite or an Idumean resident of Judaea.

• Latin → English pipeline:

  • From Vulgate Iudaeus/Iudaeorum to a chain of medieval English forms (e.g., Iewe, lew) finally yielding “Jew” in the 18th c. print era (with the rise of improved presses and standardized revisions).

• “J” and anachronism: There is no “J” in Hebrew/Greek, the letter J enters English in the 16th c., and the first appearance of “Jew” (as such) in English Bibles to the 1700s.

3) Territorial history: Judah + Idumea = Judaea

• Hasmonean/Hyrcanus: Citing Josephus, says John Hyrcanus conquered Idumea, forced circumcision and law-observance, and absorbed Idumeans into the Judean state—so, Idumeans “became as Judahites” outwardly.

• Roman period: After Herod’s death (4 BC), Edom was included with Judea and Samaria in the ethnarchy of Archelaus, effectively binding Edom with Judea under Rome.

• Implication for names: When Judah and Idumea merged, Judaean became a civic label for both Judahites and Idumeans/Edomites and Canaanites living in the province—creating ambiguous referents behind Ioudaía/Ioudaios in the NT.

4) OT vs NT reading program (how my study “disambiguates”)

• OT: Wherever English reads “Jew(s)”, it should be read “Judahite(s)” (house/tribe/territory of Judah), never “Jews.”

• NT: “Ioudaios” ⇒ “Judaean/Judahite.” Context then decides whether the referent is a Judahite Israelite or an Idumean (esp. around Jerusalem’s priestly hierarchy), because both resided in Judaea.

5) Print-history claims that enable the confusion

• The printing/revision era: as English Bibles were revised and mass-printed in the 1700s, the word “Jew” was stabilized as the English rendering (deriving from Iudaeus), which reframed readers’ identity assumptions.

• I present a form-list from Gyu/Giu/Iewe/lew → Jew, arguing that the last step codified the later meaning and thus masked earlier distinctions (Judahite vs. Idumean, tribal vs. civic).

6) 19th-century “rebranding”

• The Encyclopedia Judaica sites that “Jews began to call themselves Hebrews and Israelites in 1860.” This is adduced as evidence of a post-biblical identity shift.

7) The “masquerade/impersonation” mechanism

• Step 1 (political): Hyrcanus’s incorporation of Idumea + Roman provincial mergers → shared provincial label “Judaean.”

• Step 2 (linguistic): OT Yahudah/Yahudîm and NT Ioudaios/Ioudaía get compressed into one English word “Jew,” erasing distinctions.

• Step 3 (printing): 18th-century revisions and mass printing normalize “Jew,” anchoring modern readings that confuse Judahite/Judaean with later populations.

• One way to understand this better is take America as an example. ‘We the People’ is the posterity that founded this country, which would be White Anglo-Saxon Israelite Caucasian Christian peoples. But, today, with the integration of all the world’s races, they are all called Americans, but they simply aren’t American by race. Same with Europeans. But in China or Africa or Mexico, are White people living there then called ‘Chinese’, ‘Africans’, or ‘Mexicans’? No.

Quick contrast chart

Need more proof?

The Jews admit that they are not the descendants of the Ancient Israelites in their own writings.

Under the heading of "A brief History of the Terms for Jew" in the 1980 Jewish Almanac is the following: "Strictly speaking it is incorrect to call an ancient Israelite a ‘Jew’ or to call a contemporary Jew an Israelite or a Hebrew." (1980 Jewish Almanac, p. 3).

“Jews began to call themselves Hebrews and Israelites in 1860″ —Encyclopedia Judaica 1971 Vol 10:23

“Edom is in modern Jewry.” —The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1925 edition, Vol.5, p.41

Genesis 36:8 ​​ Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom. ​​ 

1943 Jewish Encyclopedia (pg 474) The Jewish religion as it is today traces its descent, without a break, through all the centuries, from the Pharisees. Their leading ideas and methods found expression in a literature of enormous extent, of which a very great deal is still in existence. The Talmud is the largest and most important single member of that literature.

"You will notice that a great difference exists between the Jewish and the Christian religions. But these are not all. We Jews consider the two religions so different that one excludes the other...we emphasized that there is no such thing as a Judeo-Christian religion...There is not any similarity between the two concepts." ​​ – Rabbi Maggal, President, quoted in the National Jewish Information Service, August 21, 1961

“No one can deny that the Jews are a most unique and unusual people. That uniqueness exists because of their Edomite heritage. You cannot be English Jews. We are a race, and only as a race can we perpetuate. Our mentality is of Edomitish character, and differs from that of an Englishman. Enough subterfuges! Let us assert openly that we are International Jews.”—Manifesto of the “World Jewish Federation,” January 1, 1935, through its spokesperson, Gerald Soman

Now, let's proceed with the true meaning of Revelation 2:9 and 3:9.

Smyrna — The Fragrant Offering of Martyrdom

(Myrrh • Bitterness • Suffering • Period of Martyrdom — A.D. 64–313)

Name and Symbolism

• Smyrna comes from the Greek smurna — myrrh, the fragrant gum used for anointing oil and embalming. When crushed, it releases its sweetest aroma — a fitting emblem of faith refined through suffering.

• The myrrh fragrance links to priestly consecration (Exo 30:23) and to the burial of Jesus Christ (John 19:39). Smyrna therefore portrays the anointed, persecuted remnant, fragrant before God though despised by men.

Historical Context

• The city, founded by Greeks c. 1100 B.C. on Asia Minor’s coast, was rebuilt and flourished under Rome. In A.D. 26, Smyrna erected a temple to Emperor Tiberius, inaugurating emperor worship in Asia Minor.

• Citizens were required to offer a pinch of incense before the emperor’s image, confessing “Caesar is Lord.” Something a true Christian could not. This refusal marked believers as traitors, subject to imprisonment and execution.

• Thus Smyrna became synonymous with suffering unto death. The faithful refused to compromise — “not loving their lives unto death” (Rev 12:11). (Matt 16:25)

The Prophetic Church-Age

• Symbolically represents the Age of Martyrs — from Nero’s persecutions (A.D. 64) to Diocletian’s ten-year storm (A.D. 303–313).

• These were the “ten days of tribulation” (Rev 2:10) under the day-year principle. Diocletian’s edicts burned Scriptures, destroyed assemblies, and forced sacrifice to idols.

• The period closes when Constantine issues the Edict of Toleration (A.D. 313), ending legal persecution. Christianity is later favored and nationalized (A.D. 330). Yet, this “freedom” birthed the next danger — Pergamos, the church “married to the world.”

Adversarial Forces — “Synagogue of Satan”

• Smyrna’s persecution is tied to false Judahite claimants—the Edomite-Idumean hierarchy entrenched in Judaea and aligned with Roman power.

• These are those “which say they are Jews, and are not”—not Judah’s faithful line but impostor adversaries of Jesus Christ’s covenant body.

• Historically they denounced believers to the magistrates; prophetically they typify religious impostors and institutional adversaries throughout the ages.

Jesus Christ’s Assurance

• “I am the First and the Last, which was dead and is alive.” — The Resurrected One addresses those facing death, reminding them of victory beyond the grave.

• Promise: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
  This stephanos (victor’s crown) contrasts the Roman laurel wreaths; it is the imperishable reward of endurance.

• “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.” — Physical death may come, but the eternal life of the overcomer is secure.

Thematic Parallels

Application and Prophetic Echo

• Smyrna teaches that tribulation refines, and that truth is never to be bartered for safety.

• The same spirit of false religion and worldly coercion endures: wherever men claim divine authority yet demand compromise, the Smyrna conflict repeats.

• Smyrna demonstrates how the true Judahite remnant endures through the adversarial “synagogue,” remaining faithful to the King of Israel amid a world that crucified Him.

Revelation 2:8 ​​ And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the First and the Last, which was dead, and is alive;

Smyrna was a chief center of emperor worship; that made faithful confession costly for Christians. Jesus addresses them as “the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive”, the same aspect revealed in Rev 1:17–18, to steady a church facing death.

• Smyrna’s martyrdom calling: anointing/strength to suffer, eyes fixed on the risen Lord who conquered death.

​​ 2:9 ​​ I know your works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but you art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Smyrna is poor outwardly but rich toward God—a foil to prosperity-driven churches. 
Historical and local sense

• Note: a large Judaean/Jewish population antagonistic to Christians, informing on believers to Roman authorities—fueling arrests and executions.

Identity/word-study lens

• NT Ioudaios (G2453) is fundamentally “Judaean/Judahite”; in the 1st c. Judaea included both Judahites (Israelites) and Idumeans (Edomites) after the Judah–Idumea merger—so “Judaean” became a mixed civic label (Judahite or Edomite). This exposes that the English term “Jew” masks critical distinctions.

• Therefore, those “which say they are Jews, and are not” = claimants to Judahite lineage and covenant status who are not (largely Edomite/Idumean infiltrators in Judaea’s structures, including the priesthood).

• The correct translation is, ​​ “the blasphemy of them which say they are Judah, and are not, but are a congregation of adversaries.”

“Synagogue of Satan”

• “Satan” means “adversaries”; the translators’ capital “S” misleads. Thus, “synagogue of Satan” = assembly of adversaries—human opposition to Jesus Christ and His people and His Kingdom.

• These are false Judahites (hostile Judaean elements) who hand Christians to Rome—the adversarial assembly at work.

Because Judaea was a Judah + Idumea amalgam, NT Ioudaios should be read Judaean/Judahite, not an anachronistic “Jew”; contexts involving Temple authorities often implicate Idumean (Edomite) elements opposing Christ and His people.

• Hence in Smyrna: those “saying they are Jews and are not” are false Judah claims (Edomite imposture), forming the adversarial synagogue that collaborates with Rome to imprison the saints.

“Satan” = adversary

• OT/NT usage shows śāṭān / satanas as “adversary”—sometimes even applied to human or divine opposition functions; Revelation’s “synagogue of Satan” literally means “assembly of adversaries.”

​​ 2:10 ​​ Fear none of those things which you shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be you faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.

“The devil shall cast some of you into prison” (v.10a)

• Read functionally as civil/religious authorities acting as the adversarial/opposing agents—not an abstract demon: false Judahites (Edomite Jews) + Roman officials prosecuting believers (true Judahites).

“Tribulation ten days” (v.10b) — day-year & history

• Historicist day-for-a-year principle applied: ten years of climactic persecution under Diocletian (AD 303–313), culminating in the Edict of Milan (313).

• The ten days of verse 10 are often interpreted as pointing to the ten persecutions of Christians under the empire. Ten separate edicts against Christians by Roman Empire. These occurred with the following emperors and years: Nero (64 A.D.) , Domitian (c.90-96), Trajan (98-117), Hadrian (117-138), Marcus Aurelius (161-181), Septimus Severus (202-211), Maximus the Thracian (235-251), Decius (249-251), Valerian (257-260), Diocletian (303-305).

​​ 2:11 ​​ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

“Fear none … Be faithful unto death”—martyr-steadfastness crowned with “the crown of life”; “not be hurt of the second death” to the overcomer. This highlights the pastoral, courage-forming aim amid crushing pressure.

Historicist placement

• Smyrna spans AD 64–313 (age of martyrs). Futility of extermination leads to a new tactic in Pergamos (313–606): “married to power”—ecclesiastical corruption rising after the sword fails.

PHILADELPHIA — The Assembly of Brotherly Love and Covenant Vindication
Time period: A.D. 1550 – 1850 | Meaning: philos = love + adelphos = brother (of the same womb / race / people)

Name and Character

Philadelphia means brotherly love—love within the family, the household of faith, the same stock or race.
The term adelphos literally denotes those from the same womb; in covenant framework, it mirrors the kinship love among the covenant people of Israel.

This assembly, like Smyrna, receives no rebuke from Yahweh—only commendation. Both represent the pure remnant in contrast to the compromised churches surrounding them.
Philadelphia’s very name embodies what Jesus called the greatest commandment’s outflow—“love thy brother.” (1John 3:14)

Historical Era (A.D. 1550–1850)

• Represents the missionary and revival centuries following the Reformation—when Protestant and Anglo-Saxon Israelite nations spread the Scriptures and the Gospel to the ends of the earth. One of the many prophetic marks that identify who true Israel is (Gen 28:14; Isa 43:10-12, 21; Micah 5:7)

• The age saw the rise of biblical societies, exploration, and the translation of Scripture into every tongue—a literal “open door” that no man could shut. (Isa 28:11)

• At the same time, papal and Jewish usury systems were kept in restraint, limited by Protestant monarchies and papal decrees. The adversarial powers could not yet re-enslave the nations; the “synagogue of Satan” was held in check.

• Philadelphia’s age therefore symbolizes light, revival, and fraternal unity before the decline of Laodicea.

Revelation 3:7 ​​ And to the angel (messenger) of the church (assembly) in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

1John 5:20 ​​ And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

“Holy and True” contrasts Him with the false claimants of verse 9.

“Key of David” (Isa 22:22) denotes legitimate royal authority and lineage (Rev 22:16)—Jesus Christ alone controls entrance to the Kingdom.

This key represents the restored Davidic Kingdom among the true Israelite body, not the counterfeit systems claiming the name.

“He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold… is a thief and a robber.”

The door is the covenant fold of Israel; the Key of David unlocks that fold legitimately.
Those who climb up “another way”—false shepherds, counterfeit claimants to Judah or to Israel—are thieves and robbers, intruding without the covenant key.
Thus, the Key of David distinguishes the true Shepherd and His flock from the usurpers—the same contrast drawn in Smyrna’s “they say they are Jews and are not.”

City Symbolism

• Founded by King Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamos, at a natural trade route in Asia Minor.

• Called “Little Athens” for its many pagan temples; Yahweh’s promise, “I will make you a pillar in the temple of My God,” reverses that image—from pagan pillars to covenant permanence.

• The region suffered frequent earthquakes, forcing residents to flee; thus the pledge “he shall go no more out” spoke of spiritual stability after centuries of upheaval.

​​ 3:8 ​​ I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name.

The “open door” signifies opportunity for testimony and national awakening—historically the revived remnant proclaiming the Kingdom Gospel to the nations of Israel. Prophetically the door of the Kingdom opening for the faithful remnant.

• “Thou hast a little strength” reflects a minority movement (Christian Identity/Covenant/Kingdom theology), weak in numbers or resources but strong in fidelity.

• “Hast kept My word, and not denied My name” marks Philadelphia as the antithesis of Laodicea’s compromise.

​​ 3:9 ​​ 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 your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

Echoing Smyrna (2:9): Ioudaios (G2453) = Judaean/Judahite, not the modern English “Jew.”

• In first-century usage this label covered both true Judahites and Idumean-Edomite converts dwelling in Judaea.

• Thus those who “say they are Jews and are not” are false Judah claimants—religious and political impostors occupying the covenant’s seat.

Adversarial Function

• “Synagogue of Satan” = assembly of adversaries (satanas = adversary, opponent).

• The “congregation of the adversary”—human institutions resisting Jesus Christ’s order.

• The continuing Edomite-Babylonian system—religious, financial, and political powers that masquerade as God’s people yet persecute the true remnant.

Prophetic Fulfilment

• Smyrna suffered under this assembly; Philadelphia witnesses its humiliation:

“I will make them come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”

• Symbolically: the false Israel bows before the true; pretenders acknowledge Yahweh’s covenant love toward His real people.

​​ 3:10 ​​ Because you hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Isaiah 24:17 ​​ Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.

2Peter 2:9 ​​ The Master knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Often linked to protection during the final testing of nations—not rapture escape but divine preservation through upheaval.

• God’s covenant people among Christian nations are shielded amid the judgment of apostate systems (“Babylon is fallen”).

• “Patience” (hupomonē) = steadfast endurance—Philadelphia stands where others fall.

​​ 3:11 ​​ Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you hast, that no man take your crown (reward).

​​ 3:12 ​​ Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name.

​​ 3:13 ​​ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (assemblies).

“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast.” — The faithful are urged to retain sound doctrine and obedience amid the growing apostasy of Laodicea.

• “Pillar in the temple of My God” — stability, honor, permanence; the opposite of Philadelphia’s quake-ridden cityscape.

• “Write upon him the name of My God… the new Jerusalem” — covenant sealing and restored identity.

• This marks the re-inscription of the true Israelite name upon the overcomers, distinguishing them from the counterfeit “Jews” of verse 9.

• “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” — Spiritual discernment separates remnant from religious noise.

Parallel with Smyrna

Prophetic & Modern Application

• Philadelphia pictures the remnant revival—truth, obedience, and brotherly love in the latter days.

• The “synagogue of Satan” continues as the institutional church-state-banking complex that usurps covenant identity and kingdom advancement.

• Yet Yahweh promises public vindication: the false claimants will acknowledge the true sons of Jacob-Israel, and the overcomers will bear the divine Name forever.

A Deeper Look at the Ekklesia of Philadelphia – The Reformation and Birth of a Nation

The Age of Brotherly Love (1550-1850 AD)

The Philadelphian era marks the Reformation and missionary awakening—the centuries in which the true Israelite peoples were stirred to reopen the Scriptures, overthrow papal tyranny, and carry the Gospel to the nations. Jesus Christ’s words, “I have set before thee an open door,” (Rev 3:8) foretold the open door of liberty, exploration, and evangelism that followed the Reformation.
From Luther and Tyndale to the Pilgrims, Puritans, and Covenanters, this period birthed the societies that would later found America – Manasseh, the younger brother who would become a great nation (Gen 48:19).

Reformation → Revival → Regathering

During these three centuries, the scattered seed of Jacob, long “lost” among the nations, experienced both spiritual awakening and geographical regathering. The printing press, vernacular Bibles, and Protestant reform restored the “open door” of truth that had been shut during the dark centuries of Pergamos and Thyatira.
Out of this revival arose the English, Scottish, Dutch, and Scandinavian peoples—the company of nations of Ephraim—and their colonial offshoot, America, the great nation of Manasseh. These fulfilled the covenant marks listed in the prophetic biblical Marks of Israel: a multitude of nations, the possession of the gates of their enemies, and a people sown in the earth and blessed in Abraham.

The Birth of America – Manasseh Arises

America’s founding completed the prophetic arc begun in Philadelphia’s age.

• The Pilgrims and Puritans fled persecution to build a nation under Yahweh’s law.

• The Constitution was framed as a Christian covenant: all office-holders were to profess belief in the Old and New Testaments, and “No King but Jesus” was the Revolution’s cry.

• The Great Seal embodied Israelite heraldry: the eagle of divine providence, the olive branch and arrows of Joseph’s sons, and the 13 stars, stripes, and colonies representing the thirteen tribes.

Thus the American nation stood as the regathered house of Israel—Christian, free, and blessed above all peoples.

2Samuel 7:10 – “Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel… and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more.”
Applied to the Christian nations that emerged after the Reformation: a settled land where believers could worship freely—fulfilled in the new Protestant realms and later in America.

“The Isles and the Ends of the Earth”

Isaiah 24:15; 41:1, 8-9; 49:1-6; 60:9 – “from the west,” “from the ends of the earth,” “the ships of Tarshish first.”
Missionary and maritime imagery of Gospel expansion to distant coasts. The great sea-powers and global evangelism of the Philadelphian age. America has the world’s greatest Navy.

Ezekiel’s Shepherd and Covenant Promises

Ezekiel 34 & 37 – the Good Shepherd gathers the scattered flock and unites them “one nation in the land.”
In Philadelphia’s era the Word and Spirit called millions out of the four corners of the earth into one body under the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ. 2Sam 7:10.

A People by the Sea and Blessed with Wells of Water

Deuteronomy 33:13-17 – Joseph “shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth… blessed of the LORD be his land… with deep things that couch beneath.”
Isaiah 33:21; 43 :19-21; 48:18 – imagery of broad rivers, fountains in the desert, and a mighty fleet.
The Reformation nations and the new lands across the seas fitted these symbols: strong navies, global trade routes, new wells of fresh water, and outpourings of spiritual life. American Great Lakes have the largest body of fresh water.

Covenant Faith and Open Doors

Isaiah 22:22 / Revelation 3:7 – the Key of David opens what none can shut.
The “open door” of Rev 3:8 is often read as the worldwide missionary door opened during this era—Bible societies, revivals, and the founding of America as a refuge for worship.

Holding Fast the Crown

Deuteronomy 28:1-10; Psalm 33:12; Isaiah 60:12; Revelation 3:11 – blessings upon nations that honor God’s law; warnings to those who forget. America was founded as a Christian nation under God with Jesus Christ as King. Our forefathers came here seeking HimmelReich (the Kingdom of Heaven).
The rise of liberty, prosperity, and learning in Christian nations showed the fruit of obedience; their later decline warns of losing that crown.

The Great Commission Fulfilled

Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2 – the mountain of the LORD’s house established in the latter days. Was not the God of Jacob ruling from America at that time?
→ From 1700–1900 the Gospel truly went “to every creature under heaven,” fulfilling the Philadelphian prophecy of an open door.

The Jews’ “Little Season”

During Philadelphia’s age the Jews were confined to the ghettos, their power restrained by the papal and Protestant order. But Scripture foresaw a “little season” (Rev 20:3) when the adversary would be loosed. When emancipation came in the 18-19th centuries, the Edomite-Khazar element re-emerged, infiltrating finance, media, medicine, religion, and politics — the beginning of the modern “synagogue of Satan.”
From that release onward, the adversarial system spread into our governments and churches, creating Judeo-Christianity—a hybrid faith that honors those “who say they are Judah and are not” (Rev 3:9) while denying the covenant identity of true Israel. While, denominational churchianity has managed to get our people to identify as transGentiles!

The Fall into Laodicea

As Philadelphia’s zeal cooled, the era of Laodicea began: lukewarm, materialistic, endless selfies, and blind to its heritage.
The churches accepted 501-C3 subjection to State control, surrendered biblical common law, and enthroned humanism. Our governments, once founded upon Yahweh’s statutes, became ruled by Esau’s economic and political systems, fulfilling the prophecy that “the elder shall serve the younger” until his short-lived dominion at the end.

Philadelphia’s Legacy and the Call Today

Philadelphia stands as the high-water mark of the Christian era—the time when the Key of David unlocked the sheepfold of the nations, and the children of Israel recognized their Redeemer. America’s founding, its Christian Constitution, its missionary zeal, and its blessings in agriculture, commerce, and liberty all fulfill the Marks of Israel. We truly became a blessing to all the world. But now we are despised by all nations.
Yet the prophecy continues: the same open door remains for the faithful remnant even now. The modern church world must repent of the Judeo-Christian delusion and rediscover its covenant roots, lest the lampstand be removed.

In the Apocryphal literature of the book of Susanna, which is where we meet a young Daniel, we see another example of false brethren pretending to be Judahites and are not.

Susanna was a righteous Israelite who was blackmailed by two men that lusted after her. When she refused to lie with them, they bore false witness against her and deceived the elders and people into a death sentence for her. Then Yahweh raised up the holy spirit of a young Daniel who cross examined these men and uncovered their deception.

Susanna 1:48 ​​ So he standing in the midst of them said, Are you such fools, you sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth you have condemned a daughter of Israel?

49 ​​ Return again to the place of judgment: for they have borne false witness against her.

50 ​​ Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said unto him, Come, sit down among us, and shew it us, seeing God hath given you the honour of an elder.

51 ​​ Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them.

52 ​​ So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them, and said unto him, O you that art waxen old in wickedness, now your sins which you hast committed aforetime are come to light.

53 ​​ For you hast pronounced false judgment and hast condemned the innocent and hast let the guilty go free; albeit Yahweh saith, The innocent and righteous shalt you not slay.

54 ​​ Now then, if you hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest you them companying together? Who answered, Under a mastick tree.

55 ​​ And Daniel said, Very well; you hast lied against your own head; for even now the angel of God hath received the sentence of God to cut you in two.

56 ​​ So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, O you seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, beauty hath deceived you, and lust hath perverted your heart.

57 ​​ Thus have you dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear companied with you: but the daughter of Judah would not abide your wickedness.

58 ​​ Now therefore tell me, Under what tree didst you take them companying together? Who answered, Under an holm tree.

59 ​​ Then said Daniel unto him, Well; you hast also lied against your own head: for the angel of God waiteth with the sword to cut you in two, that he may destroy you. ​​ 

SUMMARY ​​ Revelation 2:9 & 3:9 — The Synagogue of Satan

In both Smyrna and Philadelphia Jesus Christ exposes the same adversary: “them which say they are Jews, and are not.” The phrase, correctly translated “them which say they are Judah, and are not.” marks those false brethren who claim covenant authority yet oppose the truth—the religious and political systems that masquerade as God’s people while persecuting His elect.

In Smyrna they slandered and imprisoned the faithful during the age of persecution; in Philadelphia they stand exposed and humbled, forced to acknowledge the people whom Yahweh truly loves. The expression “synagogue of Satan” (literally, assembly of the adversary) identifies organized opposition to the Kingdom—false religion, counterfeit Israel (Jews), and worldly power pretending to represent God.

Prophetically it traces the line of human adversaries through history: from the Jewish Pharisees and Sadducees of the Sanhedrin persecuting assemblies of the early centuries, through the institutional church and corrupt empires, to the modern religious-political order that exalts itself under God’s name. Yet Jesus Christ promises vindication: the faithful remnant will be recognized before all nations as His true covenant people, and no power of the adversary will stand when He opens the door that no man can shut.

Seeing and Not Seeing

It is God who opens and shuts the eyes. When people choose comfort over truth, He allows them the blindness they desire. We prefer our delusions—our church traditions, our easy doctrines, our willful ignorance—and so He lets us believe the lie. Yet the moment a heart truly hungers for truth, He is ready to uncover it, to show us who we are and Whose we are. The challenge is to lay aside the programming of this world, the doctrines of the ‘churches’, and the propaganda of society to lift the veil, and to realize—with real eyes—the real lies.

See also:

Marks of Israel https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/marks-of-israel/

Jew or Judah? ​​ https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/jew-or-judah/

DEVIL SATAN SERPENT https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/devil-satan-serpent/

Esau Edom ​​ https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/esau-edom/

GOD BLESSED AMERICA https://www.thinkoutsidethebeast.com/god-blessed-america/ ​​