2:8. Smyrna: "And to the angel of the church in
Smyrna write….”
2:9. Blaspheme: “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.”
[A similar message was also given to the Church in Philadelphia as we shall see later in chapter 3, verse 9:
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."]
The sin of blasphemy was a mortal sin
punishable by death under the Law, (Leviticus 24:16). But in Revelation 2:9 we find that it is blasphemy to call
oneself a Jew when one is actually not a Jew. Then in 3:9 we
find that it is a lie for one to say he is a Jew when he is not. So it is both
a lie and blasphemy. In both cases it seems that they were "of the synagogue of satan."
Since it is both a lie and blasphemy to
make the claim to Jewishness when one is not indeed a Jew, we should consider the Biblical
requirements for claiming the title Jew.
We are given such clear, explicit information on this subject that no one needs
be ignorant of exactly how to Biblically identify who is truly a Jew as well as
who is not truly a Jew.
If we are to call people Jews should it not be with reference to
the Biblical identity? Who else but the
Lord is qualified to answer the question: "Who is a Jew?" Are we to accept without
question the claim of a person, or group, to Jewishness merely because they say they are Jews?
First of all the Scriptures tell us who is not a Jew. The mark of the religion called
"Judaism,” both then and
now, was the outward circumcision in the flesh. The term circumcision came to be a synonym for Judaism, (as for example in
Acts 10:45; 11:2; Galatians 2:9). So we need to see what actual Biblical
circumcision is.
The passage in Romans 2:28-29 gives a most direct and concise answer
to the question:
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly;
neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose
praise is not of men, but of God.
The word Jew derives from the name Judah. The name Judah in
the Hebrew means "praised, object of praise."
(See Genesis 29:35; 49:8.) An object of praise must be
praiseworthy, and that means we must be in Christ, Who is the One worthy of all
praise. That is why, in the definition of Jew
in Romans 2:28-29 these words are included: "whose Praise is not of men but of God."
We must be praiseworthy before God in order to be truly Jews; true Jewishness is
Praiseworthiness.
The actual Biblical requirement was always,
not merely the outward circumcision, – that was only the symbol, – the reality
was the inward circumcision of the heart, the original Covenant requirement for keeping the first commandment:
And the LORD thy God will
circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live, (Deuteronomy 30:6).
The prophets also understood that it was a matter of the
heart:
Circumcise yourselves to the
LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like
fire, and burn that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your doings, (Jeremiah 4:4).
Outward circumcision makes no difference
spiritually:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised, (Jeremiah 9:25).
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised, (Jeremiah 9:25).
The New Testament reiterates and affirms the Covenant and
the Prophets. Of Abraham he says:
And he received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which [he had yet] being
uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though
they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: 12
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which [he had] being [yet]
uncircumcised, (Romans 4:11-12).
From these Scripture we see that
circumcision was always only the outward sign, the mark that was intended to
indicate the righteousness of faith and was never intended to be an end in
itself. The traditions of the Pharisees perverted this teaching until Christ came and restored the original meaning of the
symbol. True circumcision of the heart became possible in Christ:
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the
truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers, (Romans 15:8).
This Scripture indicates that Christ administered true circumcision. Here the word minister is from the Greek word diakoneo
which means “to serve, render service, care for one's needs.” It is always in
reference to the work done, as a service rendered.
In whom [Christ] also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins
of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, (Colossians 2:11).
This circumcision of the heart,
administered by Christ, is the actual
requirement for being a true Jew, according to Romans 2:28-29. All others who claim to be Jews are
blaspheming according to Revelation 2:9 and 3:9. (These are inspired Scriptures just as inspired
as John 3:16 or Mark 11:23-24.)
This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book Revelation In Context. My Book is available at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma and is also available online at www.amazon.com or www.xulonpress.com. Free downloads are available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net
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