Revelation 2:9 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And poverty (but thou art rich); &c.— "I know the humble opinion thou hast of thyself, and thy poverty in temporal respects; but thou art rich in grace, and in all its genuine effects, and art daily laying up for thyself an increasing treasure in heaven." With respect to the next clause, we may observe, that it is folly and hypocrisy for any one now to call himself a Jew, if he mean by that to signify that he is one of the chosen people of God, and a true worshipper; seeing that real Christians are now that people, the true and spiritual Israel, and consequently the only people who have a right to the written promises of God, and the privileges of the true worshippers in the visible church. The blasphemy, therefore, of these pretended Jews consisted in this, that they lied against God, by pretending to worship him truly: for his will being now to be worshipped through and with his Son, to worship him wilfully otherwise, is to worship him in vain,—to be guilty of a lie against God. It appears from the history of those times, that the Jews were then great enemies to the Christians; and in Smyrna more particularly, perhaps, than any where else, at least in any of these churches. It should seem therefore by this, that Polycarp, who is generally thought to be the bishop here addressed, and his flock, did already, and would hereafter, meet with great vexation from these men. If they were as vexatious and malicious at this time as they were at that of his martyrdom, they were the most bitter and cruel enemies he ever had; incensing the Heathens against him, and shewing themselves the most forward persecutors. The epistle of his church, which gives an account of his martyrdom, takes notice of it; for we read, that "the Jews especially, as is their custom, shewed their forwardness in contributing to it." We may just observe further, that the Jews of those times, being, if not the tormentors, yet the principal accusers of the Christians before the Pagans, did thus the work of Satan, who, according to his name, is the accuser of the brethren. In this sense they were of the synagogue, or secret council of Satan.