Reasoning Through Revelation. Day 16. The Lord's Words To The Church At Laodicea/The Seventh (And Final) Church Age

The Lord speaks His message to the church of Laodicea today, the church which represents the seventh and final church age. Unlike we did with the previous six churches, we can't say what year this church age is going to begin. That's because we don't know which day Christ will call His church out of the world. We don't know what year the events of the Great Tribulation will start coming to pass. But the church at Laodicea symbolizes the so-called church that will be present on the earth during the end times, and this is why many scholars and theologians refer to it as "the apostate church". The definition of "apostate" is "one who renounces a religious or political belief or principle". The church of the end times will be one that rejects the religious belief that human beings are sinners who have fallen short of the grace of God. The doctrine of the end times church will offend no one and help no one. It will probably be made up of a mix of universalism, humanism, and paganism. It will tell people they are okay just as they are. 

The church members of Laodicea had begun to think they were okay just as they were. Laodicea was a wealthy city and its citizens enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. This lack of "need" of things material had made them lazy and soft. It had also made them fiercely self-reliant. A dreadful earthquake hit the region in 60 AD, about 30 years or so before John wrote Revelation. The city sustained heavy damage. But Laodicea was so wealthy that its citizens politely refused disaster aid from the Roman Empire. The people of Laodicea grabbed their thick wallets, turned their noses up, and declared to the Roman government, "We don't need your help. We can take care of ourselves." This is the attitude the Lord is going to chastise them for in today's passage, because in their self-reliance they've also said to Him, "We don't need Your help. We can take care of ourselves."

The Lord begins His message to the church at Laodicea like this: "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation." (Revelation 3:14) The Lord refers to Himself as "the Amen" because He will have the last word. They've strayed from the truth and have made their own rules, but it is not man who decides what is holy and righteous---it is God who sets the rules for what is holy and righteous.

The people who belong to the church of Laodicea started out well. They accepted the gospel message. They served the Lord at first. But somewhere along the line they sold out. They didn't want their faith to make them uncomfortable, and taking the gospel to their fellow citizens and out to the world was going to make them uncomfortable. Boldly proclaiming Christ in a city that participated in emperor worship was going to make them uncomfortable and might even get them arrested or killed. Because they don't want to risk anything for the One who gave His all for them, Christ reminds them He has been "faithful and true" to them, but they haven't shown Him the same loyalty.

Since they appear to have forgotten who they are dealing with, the Lord refers to Himself as "the ruler of God's creation". People sometimes start thinking of themselves as gods (in the sense of being in full control of their future and answerable to no one) when their lives are filled with wealth, ease, and pleasure.

The Christians of Laodicea think they have it all when instead, without Christ at the center of their lives, they have nothing. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm---neither hot nor cold---I am about to spit you out of My mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." (Revelation 3:13-17) The Lord is so disgusted with what's happened at Laodicea that He uses the Greek word "emeo" which means "vomit". He says, "Your attitude makes Me want to throw up." A funny thing happened the last time I taught on this verse, although I don't believe for a minute that it was a coincidence. I was so engrossed in writing that I'd forgotten to drink any of the coffee in the cup sitting beside me, and then at one point I absentmindedly reached over and grabbed the cup and took a big swallow. It had become disgustingly lukewarm. The immediate, almost involuntary reaction was a desire to forcefully spew it out of my mouth. I didn't, because I was sitting on the couch loaded down with my laptop and several reference books. But I understood verse 16 like never before. Lukewarm Christianity is as disgusting to the Lord as that nasty mouthful of lukewarm coffee was to me. It makes Him want to throw up.

The lavish lifestyle of the Laodiceans caused them to have no need to go to their knees regularly to ask the Lord to supply their material needs. Over time, they stopped relying on Him to supply their spiritual and emotional needs as well. The church of the end times will be quite wealthy, for it will be a worldwide church into which the various nations will donate generously, at least until the day in which (as we will see later in our study) the Antichrist will ban all worship of anyone but himself. A mindset of materialism can cause people to think money can buy happiness, but if that were true, why are so many movie stars and famous musicians desperately unhappy? Why was King Solomon, possibly the wealthiest man who ever lived, so desperately unhappy when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes? Because money, without Christ, is nothing. Because something is lacking deep in their souls, and that something is a relationship with their Creator.

Instead of spending all their time obtaining things that only satisfies the flesh, the Lord urges the people of Laodicea to obtain what will satisfy their souls. "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." (Revelation 3:18) These purchases in verse 18 are metaphorical. Gold that has been refined has had the impurities removed from it, so Christ is calling them to pure living. White clothing also often symbolizes purity, which is one reason in many cultures we see young women wearing white wedding gowns. The people of Laodicea are not faithful to the Lord as His bride should be, and they've elevated money and possessions to the status of idols, so the Lord tells them to live in such a way that they will have the right to wear white. The mention of the eye salve is very important, because a famous eye salve was manufactured in Laodicea that cured conjunctivitis, otherwise known as "pink eye". Pink eye can cause redness of the eyeball and the surrounding tissues, swelling of the eyelids, and blurriness of vision. The people of Laodicea have been so infected with worldliness that they can no longer see clearly, and they need to get back to the word of God and allow Him to open their eyes.

The Lord isn't speaking these harsh words so He can condemn the people of Laodicea. He's being harsh because He has to be in order to help them. Will these words hurt? They may, but as King Solomon once said, "Wounds from a friend can be trusted." (Proverbs 27:6a) The people of Laodicea have no greater friend than the Lord Jesus Christ, so He confronts them with some hard truths, but He does it out of love. "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 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 that person, and they with Me." (Revelation 3:19-20) They've shut Him out of their lives, but it's not too late to invite Him back in. Even during the dreadful days of the Great Tribulation, people will still have the opportunity to let Christ into their hearts, as we will learn later in the book of Revelation.

"To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on His throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:21-22) The church members of Laodicea still have an opportunity to change their ways and receive great rewards in heaven for their faithfulness on earth. During the Great Tribulation, the people of earth will still have an opportunity to turn to Christ, and even though their allegiance to Him in those days will bring them persecution and even death, a great reward awaits them for standing up for Christ. Didn't Christ stand up for us? Didn't He endure persecution and even death for our sake? And yet sometimes, in our modern and comfortable world, we are too soft and complacent to endure even the slightest opposition or ridicule for standing up for Christ. The Spirit is saying to all the churches: "Love Christ as He loved you. Love Him so much that He is number one in your lives. Love Him so much that you'd die, if that's what it takes, rather than renounce His name."

Tomorrow the action in Revelation really picks up speed. The church is called up to heaven, and there is rejoicing around the throne of God. Then in the coming days we move on into the events of the end times---the seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation---and we are going to study the vivid imagery of it like never before. We are going to come away from the study of Revelation feeling like we have a firm grasp on it. Never again will we think this book is too symbolic or too difficult to understand. This book is about the future of the world and the future of Christ's beloved church. He wants us to understand it.