JOHN 3:16 TO REVELATION 3:16

AVOIDING LUKEWARM

Surprisingly many do not know that the original texts scribed a long ago that now makes up our Bible, was not neatly arranged with chapters and verses as we are accustomed to. Most were letters, written just like you and I would write a letter versus a book or perhaps a complex report. They were intended to be either conversational or an account and the authors of these anointed Words of Gods simply scribed them down or others who gave an account did so themselves or with the help of scribes.

However, one can not help but assume that the Spirit of God had a hand in how the Bible over time would be formed so that this story of the LOVE could be shared with more concise understanding and the ability to see the big picture, dive into the details, and see the correlation or both Old and New Testament. Can I prove that, no I can not anymore than one can prove that God didn’t have his hand in the original scriptures as well as the forming of the many different translations available to us today. What I do know is that there is enough literary evidence that the writings of past are to the extent expected over such time are able to be substantiated more so than any other text in all of history.

So with that in mind, in my studies this morning diving into Revelation Chapter 3 I saw what appeared to me to be the Spirit of God paralleling the same Chapter and Verse numbers from two different books of the bible, and be it further intervention or coincidence as some may say both books written by the same Apostle.

In John 3:16, God sends His only Son to die on the cross to redeem us; a LOVE so committed it is even hard for some to grasp! However, in Revelation 3:16 God "vomits out the lukewarm sinner". Wow! How do we go from God's beloved - to God's vomit? And even more importantly; how do we see to it that our relationship with Jesus Christ does not become LUKEWARM and avoid being spewed or vomited from God’s own mouth?

So to start, let’s take a look at what that exactly means in Revelation 3:16...to be Neither Hot or Cold! In typical understanding people of today think it means Jesus is saying if you are Lukewarm you are sitting on the fence which is somewhat true but to further say that hot and cold means Jesus is saying we are to love or hate him is far from the truth!

Jesus is telling us to serve a purpose. Hot water could heal. Cold water could refresh. We should bring a similar blessing to people around us. See looking at the times and we know Jesus often spoke in Metaphors as he was in regards to Revelation 3:16.

You see in that day and age the large population and extensive textile industry in Laodicea required an ample water supply. The three major cities around the valley, Laodicea, Colossae, and Hierapolis, all had distinct water sources.

Laodicea piped water from the mountains to the south. After 6 miles in an aqueduct, the water arrived lukewarm with a gritty concentration of calcium carbonate.

Colossae was tucked into the foot of Mount Honaz where cold mountain run-off water poured down to supply the city with fresh water.

Hierapolis was positioned on magnificent hot springs that emitted mineral rich waters attracting visitors from all over Asia to its therapeutic baths.

All 3 cities lie around the Lycus river valley, but their water supplies distinguished them. Whereas Hierapolis had hot water beneficial for therapeutic purposes and Colossae had cold water for a refreshing drink, Laodicea’s piped water was best suited for the textile industry, or flushing the city’s plumbing system. If you ingested the water, it would function as an emetic causing you to vomit.

So now do you see more clearly how this local dynamic reveals the meaning of Jesus’ message to Laodicea? Jesus uses their water supply as a spiritual metaphor. “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).

Colossae’s cold, fresh mountain water and Hierapolis’s medicinal hot springs outclassed Laodicea’s lukewarm water supply that made people vomit after drinking. Cold water and hot water sources had great personal value. Laodicea's lukewarm water had the same personal value that complacent members of the Laodicean church had to the cause of Christ. Which sadly would be classified as “Not much.”

So again Jesus was not saying I want you to hate or Love him but rather remind us that we were meant to serve him. Our actions were meant to embody his values and contribute to his redemptive mission. When we just live for ourselves like the lukewarm water that contributed to the wealth engine of the Laodicean textile industry, and served as idolatry placing the people's actions over truly honoring Jesus and having a personal relationship with him they were in fact useless to his Kingdom and ineffective.

When we live Lukewarm, we lose our purpose while serving ourselves rather than Jesus. Jesus is calling us to be hot or to be cold, to embrace our redemptive role in his mission. What are you doing? I'm trying to make my life and my words impactful for Jesus, and not Lukewarm...being an example to and refreshing the souls of those lost in a self-reliant rat race.

So the relationship I draw between John 3:16 and Revelation 3:16 is that John 3:16 is God's profession of his LOve and Jesus’s actionable demonstration of his Love and Revelation 3:16 is our call to action for our Love for Jesus and commitment to truly follow him not just on Sundays but as a lifestyle and in full accordance to his Word not just the parts we pick and choose.