Rev 3:14-22, Laodicea
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So tonight we have come to the 7th of the seven churches Jesus wrote to. As we have read we have seen a progression through church history right up to the second coming. To us we have seen history but to John it was all prophecy as he wrote down these messages.
This is the letter to Laodicea and is known as the lukewarm church and is the 4th of the 4 last days churches. We have discovered that each of the last 4 churches will be there in the end. As opposed to Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos which all had definite endings.
The name Laodicea means : ruled by the people. Laos (laity) = people and dikea = vengeance or justice. It’s a scary place where the people rule the church in place of Jesus Christ.
Historically the city was known for its wealth and its medical school connected to the temple of Asklepios. People came from all over the world to get a healing salve that was to treat eye disorders.
An earthquake destroyed the city in AD 60 and the city was famous for the fact that they were so wealthy they were able to rebuild without outside help.
Laodicea was an important commercial center and exported goods throughout the world. They were known for three things, Financial Wealth, Textile Industry, and Eye Salve. On the negative they were poorly protected and often had to compromise with political adversaries. Additionally they had a poor water supply. Their main source was 6 miles away in Hierapolis and was supplied by a hot springs. The boiling water was sent via aqueduct the 6 miles to Laodicea and it arrived at a lukewarm temperature. These facts are woven into the letter by Jesus.
You Tube Video - Intro to the church at Laodicea,
Let’s read V14 -22
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”
V14- “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
Jesus describes himself
-as the “Amen” meaning, so shall it ever be. He is ever uncompromising and consistent.
- The faithful and true witness, witness in Greek is martus where we get martyr.
Imagine - The government decides to arrest all Christians. If you were arrested for being a believer would there be enough evidence to convict you?
- The beginning or ruler of God’s creation. The word here in Greek is archē. the word means : ruler, source, or origin. Not the first thing created.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
In regards to creation;
Why might Jesus be reminding this last days church he created the universe? Evolution and Darwinism, our lives have meaning and were created with purpose and Darwinists would want us to believe that we are the result of accidents and chance.
Some see the timeline of the church as beginning in the mid 1800’s when man became smarter than God with the theory of Evolution and modern Psychological thought.
V15-16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
you are neither could nor hot, I wish you were cold or hot. I like the Greek word for hot, zestos. Where we get our English word zest.
- Why? Hot is great you are on fire for God and cold means you have a heartbeat a passion. What does lukewarm mean? Ever drink lukewarm milk. Lukewarm has a spiritual connotation of indifference, compromise, and comfort. This is a picture of America today.
- Jesus says literally, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. This is a very sobering thought. Historically, this was the actual condition of the water supply. Lukewarm. No women or man wants to feel that their spouse is lukewarm towards them. Indifference is a horrible state.
Remember the name means Ruled by the people, ruled by the people and not God’s Word leads to a Lukewarm state.
- Satan is thrilled with a lukewarm church, too much Jesus to be happy in the world and too much world to be happy in Jesus.
V17 - “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
You say you are or you think you are…rich, wealthy, need nothing ( an interesting play on historical Laodicea). Their outlook had nothing to do with their spiritual state. (Compare to Smyrna 2:9.)
9 “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Notice, this church like the rest of the whole church is a poor judge of our own condition. This should scare all of us. What we need to be concerned about is what God thinks of us. The adjectives used to describe the Laodiceans show how wrong they were in the opinion of themselves. Wretched and miserable would be a good description of what I saw in the poorest areas of El Salvador. Abject poverty and filth. The word of blind in Greek speaks of vision clouded by smoke, opaque.
- Their trust was in their wealth and luxurious living standard and the felt no need. They were self sufficient.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
As a historical note- Laodicea needed no help from Rome when their city was destroyed by an earthquake in 60 AD as compared to Sardis who depended on the Roman emperor to rebuild their city in the earthquake of 17 AD. The even re-named the Sardis Neo-ceasarea (new Ceasar.) In their own puffed up opinion they had need of nothing.
- What they are really is “wretched, poor, blind, and naked.”
V18- “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
This is the counsel of the “Wonder Counselor” the One who know what the cure really is;
- Buy gold refined in the fire…to become rich. The refining process requires the gold to be melted and the dross or impurities are scraped off the top. The refiner knows the process is complete when he can see his reflection in the molten metal. We too must get into the fire to re-ignite our spiritual passion. Sharing our faith and ministering to others is getting into the fire.
- White clothes to cover our nakedness. As in putting on Christs righteousness received by grace.
- Note: Laodicea produced a shiny black wool that was coveted worldwide. Our own works will never cover our nakedness.
- Regarding the Eye salve to see Laodicea was know for its Medical school.
The medical school there was known throughout the Empire and especially famous for ophthalmology, including an eye salve which is mentioned by multiple ancient sources (Strabo, Geography). In the medical works of the 2nd century AD physician Galen of Pergamon, he described an eye medicine made from a Phrygian stone, probably broken down into a powder or made into a clay, and the eye “salve” John mentions in connection with Laodicea is the same word used by Galen and other medical texts of antiquity (Revelation 3:18; Liddell and Scott, A Greek English Lexicon). The textile industry, and particularly wool, is evidenced by the discovery of buildings used to dye wool and from inscriptions. An inscription found at the north theater named traders and craftsmen, one of which was “The Most August Guild of the Wool Washers.” The black wool and dyed wool for which the city was famous would have been seen as an obvious contrast to the reference in Revelation about clothing themselves with white garments (Jeffers, Greco-Roman World; Revelation 3:18).
Jesus methods mud and saliva may be uncomfortable but are effective.
V19- “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
- Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. Love = phileo. If you are never disciplined you have reason to be concerned. You must always know that Jesus is not “lukewarm” towards His children. However if you can continually live in a state of open rebellion to God’s word and get away with it you may not be saved.
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
V20 - “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
so here I am….Right Here…outside the church. The Greek construction says He is right there right now, waiting.
- It is sad to say he is talking to professing Christians, individually and as the church.
- He say If anyone hears his voice (his sheep hear his voice and follow him) and opens the door He will come in and dine. Dining together implies intimacy. Sharing together. Every time you sit to fellowship with Him in the word He brings a great meal.
Sometimes He brings things that you are not ready to taste. By spending time with Him He develops our spiritual appetite. It sad but some believers spend their whole life eating baby food while others seem to enjoy wide verity of revelation which has been developed over time.
Paul picked up on this,
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
So when you spend time with Jesus don’t come for just a snack.
Now John closes and says;
V21- “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Overcomers will sit with Jesus on His Throne. That’s pretty cool! Our reigning with Christ is mentioned in the letter to Thyatira as well;
26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father;
and also in Ch 5 in the song of the redeemed;
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”
How that all plays out we will have to wait and see but for sure, we will be there.
And finally, He ends as he has in the other letters,
V22 - “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”
I pray you have an ear to hear what the spirit is saying.
Next week we transition into the third portion of the divine outline in 1:19, The things that will take place after the Church age. The rapture and the Great tribulation. Put your seat belts on.
Prayer