They Claim To Be Jews But Are Not | The Most Dangerous Spiritual Counterfeit Of Our Time

Shalom, Mishpacha.

We are living in days of profound deception. The spirit of the age is not one of blatant, atheistic denial, but of subtle, religious counterfeiting. It is a spirit that wears a kippah, quotes Torah, and claims the covenants—yet its heart is far from the God of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov.

This is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it is the most ancient and dangerous spiritual battle we face: the battle for true identity.

In the book of Revelation, our Messiah Yeshua delivers a piercing diagnosis to two of the seven assemblies. To the suffering, impoverished believers in Smyrna and the lukewarm but repentant in Philadelphia, He says:

“I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9, 3:9)

These are strong, jarring words. Synagogue of Satan. How can the King of the Jews, the Jewish Messiah, use such language? To understand, we must journey back to the Tanakh and the very words of Yeshua Himself to discover what it truly means to be a “Jew.”

The Prophetic Blueprint: It’s Always Been About the Heart

Long before the term "Jew" was common, the prophets decried a religion of empty ritual that masked a heart of rebellion. God never desired mere genetic lineage or cultural observance; He craved a covenant people whose outer life reflected an inner reality.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” (Jeremiah 9:25-26)

Here, Judah is lumped in with pagan nations! Why? Because their physical circumcision was meaningless without the circumcision of the heart—a work of the Spirit that produces obedience and love for God (Deuteronomy 10:16, 30:6).

This was the consistent cry of the prophets:

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.” (Isaiah 29:13)

A “Jew,” in the ultimate spiritual sense, was never defined by biology alone, but by a heart-transformed faith in the God of Israel.

The Words of Yeshua: Redefining Allegiance

Yeshua confronted this very counterfeit head-on. He ministered to the lost sheep of Israel, offering them the Kingdom, but His fiercest warnings were reserved for the most “religious” among them.

To the Pharisees, the guardians of Jewish tradition, He said:

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.” (John 8:44)

This was not an ethnic statement; it was a statement of spiritual allegiance. They claimed the lineage of Avraham, but their actions—their rejection of the Truth standing before them, their murderous intentions—revealed a different father. They were operating in the spirit of the Adversary (Satan), the father of lies.

Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees who encountered the Messiah, picks up this very thread and defines it with stunning clarity:

“A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” (Romans 2:28-29)

This is the master key. True Jewish identity is a matter of the spirit, sealed by the Spirit of God through faith in the Jewish Messiah.

The Synagogue of Satan Today: Two Sides of the Same Counterfeit Coin

The "synagogue of Satan" is not a building or a single denomination. It is a spirit of religious counterfeiting that manifests in two powerful ways that oppose the truth of Messiah Yeshua:

1. Rabbinic Judaism that Rejects Yeshua: This system, built after the destruction of the Temple, claims the mantle of Moses and the prophets yet explicitly denies the Messiah who fulfilled them. It teaches adherence to Torah while rejecting the purpose of Torah—which is to lead us to Messiah (Galatians 3:24). It is a system that, by rejecting the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua, ultimately opposes God’s plan of redemption.

2. Replacement Theology (Supersessionism) that Claims Israel’s Mantle: This primarily Christian heresy claims it is the "true Israel," spiritually replacing the Jewish people and nullifying God's everlasting covenants. It creates a counterfeit identity, "claiming to be Jews" (the true people of God) but are not, for they deny God's unchosen word to the physical seed of Avraham and the future of national Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37). This system also, in its core doctrine, opposes the God of Israel’s prophetic plan.

Both systems, though appearing as opposites, operate under the same deceptive spirit: they create a religious identity that seems authentic but is built on a foundation that rejects the truth of Messiah Yeshua and God's eternal purposes for His people.

The Call to Stand Firm: Who is Your Praise From?

So, what does this mean for us, Messianic Jews and righteous Gentiles grafted into the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12-13)?

Be encouraged! Yeshua knows your struggle. He knows the slander you face from both sides—from the religious Jewish community who calls you a traitor, and from the Christian world that calls you deceived for embracing your Hebraic roots. He sees it all.

Be bold! Your identity is not in man's approval, but in God's. You are part of the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16)—a community defined by faith in the Messiah and a heart circumcised by the Spirit. You are the continuation of the faithful remnant prophesied by Elijah: those whose knees have not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).

Stand firm in the whole counsel of God—the Torah, the Prophets, and the Brit Chadashah. Test every spirit. Discern every teaching. Does it lead you to a greater love for Yeshua and obedience to the Father? Or does it lead to pride, legalism, or a denial of grace?

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

A Call to Action: Partner in Proclaiming This Truth

This message is urgent. It is the dividing line of the last days. The spirit of anti-messiah is first and foremost a spirit of deception, and it is working overtime in religious systems.

But this truth needs to be proclaimed. It needs to reach our Jewish brothers and sisters trapped in empty religion, and it needs to reach our Christian brothers and sisters ensnared by replacement theology.

This is the work I am called to—to teach, write, and advocate for this true, biblical identity in Messiah. But I cannot do it alone.

Will you stand with me?

1. PRAY: Pray for protection, wisdom, and boldness for this ministry. Pray that this truth would shatter deception and bring many into the freedom of authentic faith.

2. SHARE: Share this teaching. Start conversations. Break the silence on these difficult topics within your circles.

3. SUPPORT: Please consider supporting this work financially. Your generous gift will directly enable us to create more content, reach a wider audience, and strengthen the global body of Messiah with truth.

Together, let’s be a light that exposes the counterfeits and radiates the glorious truth of who we are in Messiah Yeshua.

B'ezrat Hashem,

Kohathite.com