REVELATION 3:14-22
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
If the church at Philadelphia was given an "open door" (REV 3:8), individuals at Laodicea are told of another door, one that they must open themselves (this refutes the idea in Calvinism that we have no choice in the process of salvation, that God determines apart from us, who will and won’t be saved): “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (REV 3:20)”. In pictures of Jesus "knocking at the heart's door" you will notice that there is no door knob on the outside.
This is a door which can only be opened from within.
What is wrong is that Jesus is standing outside the door, excluded from the banquet like a homeless stranger! The earnest plea, though directed first to the church at Laodicea, is strategically placed near the end of these Seven Love Letters from Christ's last appeal to any congregation that has shut him out. The beautiful "invitation" is at the same time a severe and scathing indictment of a church that is self-sufficient, independent of Christ, complacent where godliness is concerned and contented in the world – only marginally, barely recognizably Christian!!
Paul in Colossians speaks of his strenuous efforts "for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally" (COL 2:1). He mentions his coworker Epaphras, who had brought the Christian message to the region (COL 1:7) and was still "working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis" (COL 4:13).
He sends greetings "to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house", requesting that "after this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea" (COL 4:15-16).
The site where Laodicea once stood includes an elaborate fountain and a water tower supplied by an aqueduct from hot springs at the site of modern Denizli, four miles south. Not surprisingly, many have suggested a possible local reference here, "a play on words, contrasting what may have been the tepid water of the aqueduct at Laodicea with the possibly fresher and colder water at Colossae and with the very hot water of the cascades at Hierapolis" (Finegan 1981:182).
By the time Revelation was written, the Christian community in Laodicea and vicinity seems to have prospered . . . boasting, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing (REV 3:17; compare that boast with "Babylon the Great" according to REV 18:7). But in contrast to the church at Smyrna, who was materially poor but rich in God's sight (REV 2:9), this church is wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
A valuable lesson here: never make spiritual assessment of your life based on your own perceptions, insights and judgments alone (Examine yourself, yes: 2 COR 13:5) but allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God to shine into and reflect your heart (PSALM 139:23-24) – because He knows our hearts far better than even we do!
Consider Peter’s boast to “never deny [the LORD]” with his terrible failure, denying the LORD three times – exactly as the LORD had previously warned him.
The promise to the "overcomer" at Laodicea reveals the hidden presupposition of all the similar promises in every one of the seven messages, that is, that Jesus is Himself the model for what it means to "overcome," or "conquer." The promise is, "To him [that is, to anyone] who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne" (REV 3:21).
Those who "overcome" (or "conquer" or "triumph") in every congregation will do so in the same way Jesus did. Thus, the conclusion to the seven messages sets the stage for John's subsequent visions of the triumph of Jesus and His people over the powers of evil (REV 5:5-6).
The above commentary on the church of Laodicea based in part from the following link (Please note that this author does not subscribe to any endorsements made by BIBLEGATEWAY.com in regards to contemplative prayer and Spiritual Formation).
REV
3:14
14 And unto the angel of the church
of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true
witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
For the seventh time we read a description of the LORD
that He makes of Himself, relating that description to some need of the church
He is addressing. Here in Laodicea He identifies Himself as the “Amen”. Amen,
meaning “it is true, or truth or the exclamation of truth” (that’s why when we hear
someone preaching and something is declared that strikes a chord in us and we
shout out “Amen!” It is truth!). As well as Amen He is also the “faithful and
true witness” – Laodicea was not in accord with the truth of God; their witness
before the LORD was a failure as was their faithfulness to Him. Being a
faithful and true witness, He is going to ‘tell it like it is’:
PROV 27:6
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
PROV 27:6
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
The LORD also declares that He is “the beginning of
the creation of God”. Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cults like to use this
verse (among others) in an attempt to prove that Christ was a created being.
However, the word for ‘beginning’ in Greek is arche, and among its various definitions, it can mean “origin” or
“the active cause” of the creation of God.
HEBREWS 1:2
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
JOHN 1:3
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
HEBREWS 1:2
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
JOHN 1:3
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.
Did you catch that? Without HIM was nothing made that
was made. If Christ was a created being, not eternal, then He would have had to
create Himself – an impossibility.
EPHESIANS
3:9 states
that God . . . created all things by
Jesus Christ:
The church at Laodicea could have every assurance that
He Who is the Truth (JOHN 14:6), Who
is the faithful and true witness – will tell them exactly who and what they
are, with absolute accuracy:
REV
3:15-16
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
Leaven (yeast) is
a symbol generally for sin in the Scripture (among other OT verses, LEV 6:17), as well as a symbol for
malice, wickedness (1 COR 5:8),
pride (1 COR 5:1-6) and false
doctrine (MATT 16:6).
Leaven is inert in cold water, it can’t activate; it will die in hot water, but it will thrive in warm water! We can begin to understand why the LORD wants us passionate, zealous, on FIRE in our love and lives with Him! That will kill the spiritual leaven! The LORD has stated, that His WORD is like a fire (JER. 23:29)!
May we use the WORD of GOD to stoke the flames in our hearts, and may the Spirit of the LORD use the mighty rushing wind that He is to fan our love and zeal into an inferno!
Leaven is inert in cold water, it can’t activate; it will die in hot water, but it will thrive in warm water! We can begin to understand why the LORD wants us passionate, zealous, on FIRE in our love and lives with Him! That will kill the spiritual leaven! The LORD has stated, that His WORD is like a fire (JER. 23:29)!
May we use the WORD of GOD to stoke the flames in our hearts, and may the Spirit of the LORD use the mighty rushing wind that He is to fan our love and zeal into an inferno!
Here the LORD is addressing the church – the spiritual condition of this fellowship was not FIERY hot in their love for the LORD, but neither were they cold towards Him. They were somewhere in the middle, a so-called ‘happy' medium; their love for the LORD was only cool– they arrived at a compromise where they could have their Christianity and partake of the world too! Those at Laodicea were like useless, luke-warm water that quenches no one's thirst!
Compromise will kill a Christian’s witness, make their
ministry ineffective, and make them an easy target for the enemy to take out! And cool off a love that should be white-hot for the LORD Jesus!
JER 20:9
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
JER 20:9
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
Let’s read on. . .
REV 3:17
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
REV 3:17
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
As mentioned before, just the opposite estimation that
Smyrna had of themselves: Laodicea believed they were rich, when they were
really poor. Smyrna saw themselves as poor, but the LORD knew that they were
indeed rich! Paul addresses the spiritually rich heritage that we have in Christ:
EPH 2:7
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
PHIL 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
American Christianity – are we rich, or poor? Too many of our churches I fear, fall into the category of Laodicea rather than Smyrna. . .
EPH 2:7
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
PHIL 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
American Christianity – are we rich, or poor? Too many of our churches I fear, fall into the category of Laodicea rather than Smyrna. . .
REV 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou
mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.
The LORD's investment in the church is at least as much as He invested in the nation of Israel - and what sort of return is He getting? Remember the words of
ISAIAH 5:3-4
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
The LORD's investment in the church is at least as much as He invested in the nation of Israel - and what sort of return is He getting? Remember the words of
ISAIAH 5:3-4
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
They must "buy" from Jesus these things (but
not with money; but a prayer of faith, trusting in the grace of God; PSALM 7:1; 18:2; ISAIAH 55:1): pure gold (compare 1 PET 1:7): purity acquired by fiery trials and the Spirit of God
that refines us in them. White clothing
(compare REV 3:4-5; also REV 6:11; 7:9, 13-14): the
righteousness of the saints, granted by the grace of God alone. And eye salve – spiritual blindness that
only the LORD can cure! Just as He healed physical blindness (JOHN 9:7), He can and of course does heal
spiritual blindness (ACTS 26:18; EPH 1:17-19; PSALM 19:8) and restore
spiritual passion (PSALM 51:12; JER
3:22; MICAH 7:18-19).
Before this can happen, the church at Laodicea, like
those at Ephesus, Pergamum and Sardis, must be earnest, and repent (REV 3:19). To do this, they must change
their perception of what is real, and above all their perception of themselves –
once again, the salve to put on your eyes, so you can see (REV 3:18; in those days there was an eye
medicine known as "Phrygian powder" they would use for eye conditions);
however they can only get this blessed
eye salve from the LORD, and not from any manufacture from man.
Seeing is understanding, and understanding comes from
two sources – from the schools, education, philosophies and ideologies of
fallen, sinful man (COL 2:8; 1 COR
2:3-7, 12-14); or from the Word and Spirit of the Holy LORD God of all
creation, full of grace and truth (JOHN
1:14): which source for understanding do you choose?
REV 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Even a letter such as this one to Laodicea, where the LORD talks about being nauseated by their behavior and conduct, is a Love Letter by the LORD – Who indeed loves them!
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Even a letter such as this one to Laodicea, where the LORD talks about being nauseated by their behavior and conduct, is a Love Letter by the LORD – Who indeed loves them!
If you find that your love for the LORD is cooling off, be assured that His love for you is constant, faithful, gracious and always, ALWAYS by His undeserved grace. He faithfully loved Laodicea enough to rebuke them, to discipline them. He admonishes them to repent! And so too must our American church! Let us be broken over the state of this nation of ours! Let us mourn and fast and weep over the ineffectiveness of our comfortable and contemporary Christianity!
What sinner, lost in the cold darkness of this world could
warm themselves in the smoldering glimmer of the church that can barely cast any
light or heat, when she should be a raging
inferno of righteousness and indignation against the wickedness in the land?
May we fast and pray and intercede for this nation, as well as for the church in
America [I call upon the saints to commit a time of fasting every
Friday – one, two or three meals out of that day, and specifically pray
for the church, and the lost souls of this nation, until we see a breakthrough in
our community, our city, our State and nation]:
1 PETER 4:17-18
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1 PETER 4:17-18
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
I pray that you would watch this 12 minute video:
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20 Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me.
Here we see that the LORD is moving His attention from the congregation as a whole, to an appeal to the individual members of this fellowship: “. . . if any man. . .” Those that hear the voice of the LORD are His sheep (JOHN 10:27) and those who are not His sheep, don’t hear His voice (JOHN 8:43-44).
Those sheep must return to their Shepherd when He goes out to seek after them (MATT 18:12). Communion with the LORD is the sweetest experience beyond compare, and once the wayward saint enters in to this depth of relationship, it becomes an ever-increasing desire and passion to remain in fellowship with and loving earnestly the Eternal YHWH Who is our Beloved Savior and faithfully loves us according to His grace (PSALM 27:4)!
Here we see that the LORD is moving His attention from the congregation as a whole, to an appeal to the individual members of this fellowship: “. . . if any man. . .” Those that hear the voice of the LORD are His sheep (JOHN 10:27) and those who are not His sheep, don’t hear His voice (JOHN 8:43-44).
Those sheep must return to their Shepherd when He goes out to seek after them (MATT 18:12). Communion with the LORD is the sweetest experience beyond compare, and once the wayward saint enters in to this depth of relationship, it becomes an ever-increasing desire and passion to remain in fellowship with and loving earnestly the Eternal YHWH Who is our Beloved Savior and faithfully loves us according to His grace (PSALM 27:4)!
REV 3:21
21 To him that overcometh will I grant
to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne. 22 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Who is an overcomer?
1 JOHN 5:4
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
For more on this, please read the following article:
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