February 23, 2022
“Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Revelation 3:9
Paul wrote, “he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” Romans 2:29
The church in its infancy was made up entirely of Jews under the leadership of a Jew: Jesus, the Messiah. It is important to understand that the word “Jew” was meant to be a positive term. The term “Christian” should also be seen in a positive light. It is God’s purpose for His people to carry and spread the gospel of salvation in Christ to everyone! Those from outside who choose to love and honor the Lord are to be welcomed! This is a consistent theme throughout God’s Word.
“Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants—everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast My covenant—even them I will bring to My holy mountain (see Daniel 2:35) and make them joyful in My house of prayer.” Isaiah 56:6-7a
Beloved, we are spiritual Jews, for we are “grafted” or adopted into the family of God. Of course our adversary desires to short-circuit any connection with the Lord, and it is plain to see in the secular world that there are many who want absolutely nothing to do with Him. This sad state of affairs results from the evil that he has accomplished inside the circle of God’s people. If he can succeed in getting God’s professed people to misrepresent the character of God, he has created a barrier between God and those who do not truly know Him.
According to the prophetic word, true followers of the Lord Jesus will receive the bitterest and most crushing criticism from those “who say they are Jews and are not,” meaning those who are perceived by the world (and themselves) to be true followers of God. You must know, beloved, that it is His perception of you that matters. The phrase “and to know that I have loved you” can also be translated “and to acknowledge that I have loved you.” Here, He is promising to set the record straight in the end, which frees us now to honor our calling: to walk with the Lord daily, to worship Him in spirit and in truth, and to go forth in His power to win hearts wholly to Him!
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32