The letter to the lukewarm church in Laodicea

We move on to the seventh and final letter in Revelation. The end of the road, as far as the delivery of the Revelation given to John along the path of these seven churches. This time the letter is to the lukewarm church in Laodicea. Jesus has no good things to say to this church. Therefore, the examination will obviously be about what’s going wrong here. What did they do, or not do? How might they have achieved such good news from Jesus? And what can we learn for us today, both for our churches and for us as individuals?

The letter to the lukewarm church in Laodicea - Revelation is article #7 in the series: Seven Letters to Seven Churches. Click button to view titles for entire series

Once again, the title comes from the section title in the NKJV. As with most of the churches, the title refers to the content of the letter. Laodicea is the only one of the seven churches to receive only bad news. Truly, this is a church we do not want to emulate. Whether it be the church we attend or is as individuals, we do not want to be in that type of environment.

First – Blessings in the Seven Letters

If you’re going through the series, you’ve seen this portion before. I’m including it for each letter for those who may only be checking out one of the seven letters.

The Book of Revelation starts with these verses:

Rev 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

We learn something of the importance of each of the letters from this passage. Of course, we get a modern-day evidence chain of sorts, to let us know this is from God. And while John is the recipient of the vision, we saw:

3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it …

Just like when Jesus spoke of things like love and believe, He was also saying that the love and belief should be so strong as to bring about action on our part. Not our action alone – and not action to gain love or to have stronger belief. No – it’s about faith and love that are stronger than anything we could ever have ourselves, because it’s God’s meaning of faith and love that we can only achieve with the Holy Spirit.

Then the action follows from having the Holy Spirit. And with the Holy Spirit working through us, the actions that we carry out will come from God and be effective the way He intends them to be. In short – it’s not about us. It’s about God.

When we see Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, all of that involves action as a result of having read or heard the prophecy. It takes the Holy Spirit to understand the words, to take them to heart. And once we do that – we should have a desire, also coming from the Holy Spirit, to act on the words. Both for ourselves and for others.

It’s a message that God wants us to hear/read – and then do something with it. As we’ll see, each letter speaks to what Jesus has for and against each of the churches. He lets us know very clearly where we stand in relation to what He wants. To what He taught. Our goal is to be more Christ-like, and when we read this, we can look for ourselves in the letters and know just where we are.

Praying about the Seven Letters and ourselves

We’ll start with praying portions of Psalm 139. Remember that these letters are for us today, as much as for those at the time John put pen to scroll and everyone in between. One really good way for us to ask God to let us know which parts of these letters apply to us as individuals, families, small groups, churches, Etc. is to literally ask Him! And to listen for a response.

As such, let’s begin by praying the verses below, from David to God.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

Ps 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

Ps 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Ps 139:3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

…

Ps 139:22 I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Ps 139:24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This Psalm is something we should incorporate into our prayer life. Sometimes maybe we feel like we don’t really want to know what God knows about us. But hey – He already knows, and He still loves us. So why not ask, and then also ask for His help to grow in our journey through this life in faith and the power of the Holy Spirit?

The letter to the church in Laodicea

To the Church in Laodicea

Rev 3:14 “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. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 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. 18 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.

Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 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 3:21 To him 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. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Cultural and historical factors in Laodicea

Some relevant geography and its impact on water in Laodicea:

The Lycus River Valley contained three primary cities, Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea. Given the interconnected nature of these cities, a brief discussion of each is warranted.

In the narrow, eastern portion of the valley was Colossae, the oldest of the three cities and one that flourished in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. The city was built on a mound above the floor of the valley near the cold-water springs that supplied water for the residents. Colossae was a trade center for wool and dyeing, and although the city flourished due to its location on the southern trade route, it was later eclipsed by Laodicea.

Hierapolis was built three hundred feet (483 m) above the valley floor on the northern hills of the Lycus Valley. The city was renowned for its warm medicinal springs located on the edge of the city facing the valley floor. The high mineral content of the thermal waters calcified on the edges of the pools creating dramatic terraces and turning the hillside into what looked like a frozen waterfall. These cascading white cliffs over which thermal waters dripped into the valley were visible from Laodicea. Along with these mineral hot springs, Hierapolis was known for wool, metal working, and stone cutting.

The third significant city in the Lycus Valley was Laodicea. The city was located at the opposite end of the Lycus Valley from Colossae (11 miles [17.7 km]), and a short distance south from Hierapolis (6 miles [9.7 km]). By the second century BC, Laodicea eclipsed Colossae as the dominant city in the valley. Laodicea was built on a plateau one hundred feet (30.5 m) above the valley floor on the south side of the Lycus River. To the north and the west of the city, the Lycus Valley widened and ultimately joined the broad fields of the Meander Valley. To the south and the east the views were aborted by the high mountains. No fresh water springs were near Laodicea, although two small tributaries of the Lycus River were nearby. Since those streams dried up in the summer months, the residents of the flourishing city relied primarily on the aqueducts carrying water from the southern city of Denizli.

So Colossae had nice cold water. Hierapolis had hot water springs, nice for bathing. However, they also had cool mountain air to make the water palatable for drinking. But Laodicea ended up with water from some small springs some of the year, and water from aqueducts during the summer. That meant they had lukewarm water for drinking.

So the drinking water in these three cities fits in perfectly with what Jesus said to this church about being lukewarm. It also reminds us of a time when lukewarm isn’t good.

Laodicea grew out of the small town of Diospolis. It gained prominence and size between 261 and 253 BC when Antiochus II rebuilt the city and named it after his wife Laodice. The city came under Roman control in 133 BC and continued to develop in wealth and importance due to its fertile territory, famed textiles, and prominent location on the southern trunk road.

The Lycus Valley was in an earthquake-prone area. One quake demolished Laodicea in AD 17, and Tiberius sent money to rebuild the city. Another devastating quake occurred in AD 60, but, according to Tacitus, while Hierapolis and other cities rebuilt with the help of Rome, Laodicea refused imperial funds choosing to rely on its own wealth to restore itself (Tacitus, Annales 14.27). Although the attitude of self-sufficiency was respected by Rome, the church of Laodicea would be rebuked for such self-reliance.

Again, we see how the geography of Laodicea comes into play when reading the letter to this church. Their self-sufficiency may have been OK as far as being able to refuse money from Rome to rebuild. But when it comes to Jesus, self-sufficiency means we aren’t led by the Holy Spirit. Since we are to be poor in our own spirit and rich in God’s Spirit, this isn’t good for a church or for us as individuals.

Also visible on adjacent hills are remains of a siphon-style aqueduct that brought water to the city from Denizli in the south. Similar to the hot waters of Hierapolis, the water carried through the aqueducts to Laodicea had a high mineral content, as evident by the calcareous deposits that have blocked sections of the pipe. Water was collected in water towers from which it was distributed to the city’s residents.

At some point, the Romans started putting “plugs” into the aqueducts that could be removed to facilitate removal of the mineral deposits. Given what we’ve just seen, I can’t help but wonder if the church in Laodicea needed some removable “plugs” to clean up their theology and allow them to remain, or get back, in touch with the Holy Spirit.

Again, this is a reminder for us. If we don’t pay attention, all sorts of things can interfere with our ability to follow the Holy Spirit. We’ve seen various examples of that very situation in all of the churches, except Philadelphia. Definitely something for us to notice and learn from.

By the time of the writing of the letter in Revelation to Laodicea, the city’s prominent position on the trade route had turned it into a wealthy city of commerce. The city was a banking center that minted its own bronze city coins. Some gold artifacts such as rings and Byzantine gold glass were also found in the excavations. A large Jewish community flourished in Laodicea as is evident by the sizable amounts of gold sent back to the temple in Jerusalem. Cicero reports that in 62 BC Laodicea’s governor seized twenty pounds of gold sent by Jews in the region to Jerusalem—a substantial sum potentially the equivalent of the offering of 7,500 Jewish freemen.

More on the wealth of this city. It’s becoming more and more reminiscent of when Jesus spoke to the rich ruler.

The Rich Ruler – Luke

18:18-30 pp — Mt 19:16-29; Mk 10:17-30

Lk 18:18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 18:19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’’”
Lk 18:21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
Lk 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Lk 18:23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Lk 18:26 Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Lk 18:27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Lk 18:28 Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”
Lk 18:29 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God 30 will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

The difference, of course, is that the people of the church in Laodicea didn’t go away sad. They continued to live happily with their worldly wealth, not realizing their true situation with Jesus. Not until this letter.

The church in Laodicea was likely established during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus when during the course of two years “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10). It was likely Epaphras and not Paul who evangelized the cities in the Lycus Valley (Col 1:6–7; 4:12–13). Christian communities throughout the Lycus Valley were closely connected and shared letters from Paul. Notice in Colossians that all three of the cities in the Lycus Valley are mentioned together (Col 2:1; 4:13, 15–16). The recognized connection between the communities in the Lycus Valley further suggests that the letter to Laodicea in Revelation 3:14–22 may have been intended for the wider Christian community outside the city limits. ¹

We’ll get more into this later, but the reference to “all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10) is interesting. So hold this thought.

Breakdown of the letter to the church in Laodicea

Here’s usual breakdown of the letter to the church in Laodicea.

To	the angel of the church in Laodicea
From	the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
Divine Knowledge	I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either 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 -	But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 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.
So -	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 him, and he with me.
Hear	He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To those who overcome	To him 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.

The traditional To and From headings are present.

To:

Obviously, it’s to the church in Laodicea. As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it’s most likely not to an actual Heavenly angel. Rather it’s probably to someone, probably of a high position, within the church. To that end, Young’s Literal Translation says:

‘And to the messenger of the assembly of the Laodiceans write: ²

From:

This letter is from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

From – the Amen

You may be wondering, where are all these times Jesus was referred to as “the Amen”? In fact, if yo search the NIV for “the Amen” in English, you’ll find it twice. This verse in Revelation and one other time in 2 Cor 1:20. But the evidence is there. 101 times!

Let’s look at the Greek word to see how and why it’s there so often.

281 ἀμήν [amen /am·ane/] particle indeclinable. Of Hebrew origin 543; TDNT 1:335; TDNTA 53; GK 297; 152 occurrences; AV translates as “verily” 101 times, and “amen” 51 times. 1 firm. 1A metaph. faithful. 2 verily, amen. 2A at the beginning of a discourse—surely, truly, of a truth. 2B at the end—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. It was a custom, which passed over from the synagogues to the Christian assemblies, that when he who had read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer to God, the others responded Amen, and thus made the substance of what was uttered their own.

Do you see it? Why Jesus should come to mind with the word Amen?

If not, let’s add some more info.

Additional Information: The word “amen” is a most remarkable word. It was transliterated directly from the Hebrew into the Greek of the New Testament, then into Latin and into English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. It has been called the best known word in human speech. The word is directly related—in fact, almost identical—to the Hebrew word for “believe” (amam), or faithful. Thus, it came to mean “sure” or “truly”, an expression of absolute trust and confidence.—HMM. ³

Does that help? Or make it worse? Were the Jewish people referring to Jesus all those years? Is everyone who says Amen, in pretty much any language, referring to Jesus? If they were, it certainly wasn’t something they were aware of.

So let’s add one more thing. One example of 281 ἀμήν [amen /am·ane/] from those 101 times. It’s from The rich young man, in Matthew.

Mt 19:28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. …”

Have you got it now?

Actually, this verse from the 1984 NIV doesn’t help at all. That’s because a word is left out. Here’s the same words from Jesus, this time from the ESV.

“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁴

Now it’s clear – the word “truly” got added. Depending on the translation, and assuming the word is even included, you might read truly, verily, assuredly, or something along those lines. Those words, sometimes with “very” in front of them appear 101 times – with the Greek word 281 ἀμήν [amen /am·ane/] for the original.

Let’s take that one step further. For instance, check out the times Jesus says “I tell you the truth” in the passage below.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

Jn 3:1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jn 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’”

Jn 3:4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

Jn 3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Jn 3:9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

Jn 3:10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

All three of those instances of I tell you the truth is actually the Greek word 281 ἀμήν [amen /am·ane/] said twice. Repeated for emphasis.

Every one of those 101 occurrences of 281 ἀμήν [amen /am·ane/] is something Jesus said. The evidence is there. Jesus is the one who kept saying Truly, assuredly, (Amen), I tell you … No one else. Just Him. It’s most unfortunate that the 1984 NIV chose to leave it out. BTW – it did get added in the 2010 translation.

Having said that, in cases like the John 3 passage above, it only appears once, not twice – even though the Greek word does appear twice.

Considering the rest of the words Jesus used to identify Himself, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation, starting off with the Amen seems to be a point of emphasis to remind them of all the things He said during His three years on earth.

From – the faithful and true witness

All God’s witnesses have failed at one time or other, but Christ never. ⁵

It’s a good reminder. We just aren’t capable of being entirely faithful or true. Only God can do that.

The passage below isn’t the first promise God made. But it is the first time a Hebrew word gets translated as “faithful” in the NIV. See verse 9.

Driving Out the Nations

Dt 7:1 When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD’S anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. 6 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

Dt 7:7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. 10 But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.

Dt 7:11 Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.

After telling His people about His faithfulness and letting them know what they should do in return, God tells the people the importance of their own faithfulness. Unfortunately, as we know, faithfulness on the part of people (including us today) is in short supply.

Dt 7:12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. 13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. 15 The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.

Dt 7:17 You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” 18 But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. 20 Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. 21 Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.

22 The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. 23 But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. 24 He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. 25 The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. 26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

Ultimately, we still expect God to be faithful to us, even though we are far from faithful to Him.

As mentioned, this isn’t the first promise made by God. That goes all the way back to Genesis. The beginning. And, it involves Jesus, the faithful one in Revelation.

We see Adam and Eve being unfaithful in the Garden of Eden.

The Fall of Man

Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Ge 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

Ge 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Ge 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Ge 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Ge 3:10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Ge 3:11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? ”

Ge 3:12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Ge 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

There is a price to be paid for all of this. It starts with the serpent.

Ge 3:14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all the livestock
and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.

Verse 15 is a foretelling, way back in “The Beginning”, of Jesus coming to save God’s creation.

Ge 3:15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

And then there’s the payment for Adam, Eve, and all of us who follow.

Ge 3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

Ge 3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.

Ge 3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

Ge 3:19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

Ge 3:20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

Ge 3:21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Now that we’ve seen the first promise and the first time God says He is faithful, let’s see the last ones. Of course, they’re in Revelation.

The last time Jesus is called by the title of Faithful and True is in verse 11 below.

The Rider on the White Horse

Rev 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 19:17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.”

Rev 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The last promise is also the last words Jesus speaks in the Bible.

Jesus Is Coming

Rev 22:7 “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

Rev 22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
Rev 22:10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 11 Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.”

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Rev 22:18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Rev 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Rev 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

And so we see Jesus as the One who is Faithful and True. From the very first promise in the Bible, all the way to the very last one. The first – about Jesus coming. And the last about Jesus coming a second time.

From – the ruler of God’s creation

All of which leads us to the last of the things Jesus says to describe Himself. He was there in the creation process. His return was promised when Adam and Eve fell and were removed from the Garden. Jesus came to earth as a baby to give us a means of Salvation. And He will come again to finish what was begun – returning it to the way it was meant to be.

All of that can only be done by the One who is the ruler over all of creation. While Satan may have some temporary power at this time, it’s not complete power, and it’s not forever.

Jesus made that very clear when He promised us the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises Holy Spirit

Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Jn 14:22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

Jn 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Jn 14:25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jn 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
“Come now; let us leave.”

From – summary

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

Just like the other letters, the From portion, by itself, doesn’t necessarily mean either good or bad news. However, once do know the full content of the letter, it tells us quite a bit. In this case, the letter is bad news. Totally bad news. The fact that Jesus is identifying Himself as He did is more than enough evidence to let the church in Laodicea that He does indeed have the authority and the power to carry out whatever they read in the “So” portion of the letter.

For us today, if we even come close to the lukewarm description Jesus gives for this church, we’d be wise to take notice and make whatever corrections are needed.

We’ll pick up on the Divine Knowledge section in the next part of this article.

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

Next, we’ll look at the Divine Knowledge. The things Jesus knows about the church.

divine knowledge for the churches in Revelation

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

..I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either 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.’

As we saw, there is no good news from Jesus to this church. However, since the phrase “I know your deeds” is contained in the letter, we’ll stay with this format. Laodicea is the only church with the unfortunate condition of nothing good coming from Jesus.

Divine Knowledge – not cold or hot

We already looked at how this cold, hot and lukewarm (not cold or hot) description fits in with the physical water that existed in Laodicea. The image of Jesus as life-giving water fits in with this description, except that it’s how the church in Laodicea reacts to the life-giving water that Jesus offers.

Divine Knowledge – I wish you were either one or the other!

Lots of people prefer water to be either hot or cold. I know I do. But then there are many who prefer lukewarm water. Maybe because it’s all they have, or because they actually do like it better. For reasons like that, it’s important for us to understand what’s happening here.

Remember, Colossae had cold water that people liked to drink. Hierapolis had natural hot springs, which people loved to bathe in. But Laodicea had only lukewarm water, which had neither of the benefits of its two close neighboring cities.

In terms of the church in Laodicea being lukewarm, Jesus is saying that He prefers the church to be either very much seeking Him, or even against Him.

That may seem surprising. However, from experience, I can say that when we are angry at God, cold, we very much believe two things about Him. First, we believe God exists. Second, we believe that God has the power to do something about whatever the cause of our anger is. I believe here Jesus is saying that, for example, a state of anger towards Him is preferable to a state of ambivalence. Better than when we just plain don’t care.

As one commentator puts it:

In comparing the spiritual state of the church to the nauseating tepid waters of the city, Jesus describes the community of believers negatively as neither cold nor hot (v. 15), and, positively, as lukewarm (v. 16). No direct explanation tells how this metaphor corresponds to a spiritual state, but the command to be zealous and repent (v. 19) suggests that the luke-warmness represents a deficiency in zeal for Christ.

The statement, I could wish you were cold or hot (v. 15), raises the startling prospect that Jesus, though wishing for all believers to be hot, would actually find coldness less offensive than lukewarmness. Perhaps we should not find this too surprising. Those who zealously oppose Christ (cold), and those who zealously serve Him (hot), have one thing in common: they both take Him seriously. The one who neither opposes nor serves offers Christ the ultimate insult—affirming His existence, but not taking Him seriously. ⁶

Divine Knowledge – lukewarm

When I was a kid, I remember the Priests saying that we couldn’t sit on the fence with God. We had to make a choice. Were we for Jesus or against Him? Sitting on the fence automatically put us on the side of being against Him.

But as we’re seeing here, sitting on the fence could be even worse than being against Him. At least, it we’re sitting on the fence in a spiritual sense. Even if we claim to be Christians, but are lukewarm towards Jesus – thereby sitting on the fence – Jesus is telling us that He’s not at all pleased with us.

because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth

Just like we’d spit out water that we don’t like, Jesus tells the church in Laodicea that He’s about to spit them out of His mouth. However, the original language was much more colorful than what we read in English.

1692 ἐμέω [emeo /em·eh·o/] v. Of uncertain affinity; GK 1840; AV translates as “spue” once. 1 to vomit, vomit forth, throw up. ⁷

Not a good sign. And very likely, it’s as bad as it is to make sure He captures the attention of the people in that church. Again, something we’d do well to pay attention to in our own lives, if we fit the description of the church in Laodicea.

Divine Knowledge – rich and don’t need anything

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’

If this sounds familiar, it’s because of what Jesus said to the church in Sardis.

I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

One difference in Laodicea though, Jesus doesn’t even tell them they have a good reputation. It’s as though everyone except the people in this church knows just how bad they are.

Remember that Laodicea already has a reputation for being so wealthy that they actually turned down money from Rome to rebuild after an earthquake. Was that arrogance? Self-sufficiency to an extreme? Something else?

We don’t know. But anyone today who turned down money like that would probably have some kind of reputation for being overly rich, arrogant, or something along those lines.

So if that’s the reputation they had towards wealth in general, it’s not a far cry to think they had a similar reputation within the church as well. One for taking care of themselves. One of not needing anything from anyone else. And probably of not helping anyone else either.

The letter to the church in Sardis - (3) But ...

“But …” in the Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

—-But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 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.

But

As if the Divine Knowledge wasn’t bad enough, now the news just keeps getting worse.

But – you don’t know where you are

But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

Clearly, the church in Laodicea couldn’t have a view of themselves that was any further from the truth. Let’s look at those 5 words.

wretched

The Greek word here is only used one other time in the New Testament. We shouldn’t be surprised that it has nothing to do with money. Rather, it’s Paul, writing about his own sin.

Struggling With Sin

Ro 7:7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Ro 7:13 Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.

Ro 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Ro 7:21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Of course, the One who will rescue Paul, and all who accept His offer of salvation, is Jesus.

Since this is the first of the five words Jesus used, right away we know that the rest of them won’t really be about monetary wealth either. The tone has been set. So let’s see where it goes.

pitiful

Once again, we turn to Paul. This time, writing about followers of Jesus if the Resurrection isn’t true. Paul follows that up with words to tell some in the church in Corinth to come to their senses and stop sinning.

The Resurrection of the Dead

1Co 15:12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

1Co 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

1Co 15:29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30 And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
“Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

Notice the last words. I say this to your shame. Just as the church in Laodicea should be ashamed of the state of their relationship with Jesus. The lukewarm, take Him or leave Him one.

poor

There are 34 instances of the Greek word we read as “poor” in the New Testament. To be sure, some of them are about the lack of monetary wealth. But since that’s not what Jesus means, let’s turn to something He said in The Beatitudes. Poor in spirit.

The Beatitudes – Matthew

5:3-12 pp — Lk 6:20-23

Mt 5:1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
Mt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Mt 5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Mt 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Mt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Mt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Mt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This is about giving up our own selfish spirit, to make room for the Holy Spirit to guide us in our walk of faith. And without doing that, we can’t do anything that follows in the Beatitudes. For a much deeper look at the entire passage, I invite you to check out the series on the Beatitudes.

blind

Blind isn’t about wealth. But it is about being able to see. Able to see our true spiritual state, for one thing. Something the church in Laodicea couldn’t to.

Clean and Unclean – Matthew

15:1-20 pp — Mk 7:1-23

Mt 15:1 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Mt 15:3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ 6 he is not to ‘honor his father’’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

Mt 15:8 “ ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

Mt 15:9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

Mt 15:10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ ”

Mt 15:12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

Mt 15:13 He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Mt 15:15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

Mt 15:16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ”

Jesus referred to the Pharisees in that passage. But the concept matches right up with the leaders of the church in Laodicea. They were blind. And therefore everyone following them was also blind. And all were headed for the pit. Not the hole in the ground pit. Rather, the pit of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

naked

For this one, let’s look at Hebrews. Naked means more than just not having something to cover our bodies.

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Heb 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
“So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.” 5 And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”

Heb 4:6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.” 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

The word we’re looking for here is “uncovered”. It’s right on target. Jesus sees and knows everything. That includes the true spiritual condition of the church in Laodicea. However, due to their lukewarm condition, their lack of interest that leads them to a lack of understanding, makes them blind even to the knowledge that we are all uncovered when it comes to God.

But – some hope in the midst of all this bad stuff?

18 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.

There’s lots of bad news. And Jesus has nothing positive to say about the current condition of the church in Laodicea. And yet, now we read some advice from Jesus to the people in this church.

This kind of thing is why I feel the book of Revelation is so hopeful. Even for this church, clearly in the worst shape of the seven, Jesus tells them how to get out of their lukewarm condition.

But – I counsel you to buy from me

Of course, what Jesus has for them can’t be bought with money. Or with good works and deeds. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a price to be paid.

I wrote something titled “How can it cost me nothing but ask me for everything?” That was back in May, 2016. The title comes from a novel by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall. ⁸ It goes into this “cost” question a bit more.

I wrote it just a month before spending a week in the hospital with a staph infection and another five weeks with a drain for the infection and a pump to give antibiotics in order to recover from it. And before getting a cancer diagnosis. I made a note to update that article. I’m sure it will go much deeper now than it did four years ago.

Jesus gets into the cost of being a disciple a bit in the passage below.

The Cost of Being a Disciple

Lk 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Lk 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

Lk 14:31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Lk 14:34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

At the time Jesus said, And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple, no one really knew what that was going to mean.

But now we do. So when we read, I counsel you to buy from me, we should have a much better idea what it really means.

But -buy from me gold refined in the fire

On the off chance we don’t quite understand the cost, Jesus continues the thought by bringing up gold refined in the fire. Many of us probably don’t really the the analogy today. But they would have back then. Assuming they still knew enough about what Jesus was saying, here’s that the church in Laodicea would have thought.

Christ has an antidote for their problem. If this church is desirous of riches, Christ will sell them a refined gold so that they can become rich (3:18. But the fire that refines this gold is probably associated with a more difficult life than they would seek for themselves. The refining process usually requires intense persecution and suffering, but from this will come a reward more enduring than economic gain. ⁹Eckley, R. K. (2006). Revelation: a commentary for Bible students (p. 81). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

But – so you can become rich

This is another reference Jesus makes to the difference between worldly wealth and spiritual riches.

Treasures in Heaven

6:22, 23 pp — Lk 11:34-36

Mt 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Mt 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Mt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

But – white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness

We already looked at what the nakedness was about. In order to cover themselves, make themselves pure in God’s eyes, they needed more than the clothes they already bought with their wealth. The entire sequence is summed up:

3:18–19. They were urged to buy not ordinary gold, but refined gold, referring to that which would glorify God and make them truly rich. Through its banking industry the city had material wealth. But the church lacked spiritual richness. Though they had beautiful clothes, they were urged to wear white clothes (cf. v. 4), symbolic of righteousness which would cover their spiritual nakedness. As wool was a major product of the area, Laodicea was especially famous for a black garment made out of black wool. What they needed instead was pure white clothing. ¹⁰

As if that wasn’t already enough, Jesus adds one more thought.

But – salve to put on your eyes, so you can see

This is an obvious allusion to the eye salve produced by the Laodicean medical center and medical school, with the application that the Laodiceans needed spiritual eye salve so they could see spiritually. ¹¹

Unless they can see their true situation, the church in Laodicea also won’t see any need to change.

But – Summary

The “But” section to the church in Laodicea is entirely a statement of the blindness of the church. For everything they think they have, Jesus tells them they need something else. In essence, the spiritual version of everything they had in this world. What they had was worthless in Heaven. And what was valuable in Heaven, they didn’t have.

They were so bad that they couldn’t even take solace in something Paul wrote. Pay attention to verse 15.

On Divisions in the Church

1Co 3:1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

1Co 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1Co 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1Co 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

Notice Paul wrote:

15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames

But then Jesus told this church:

because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth

They won’t escape the flames unless they make some drastic changes.

So let’s think about that and move on to the next part of the letter to the church in Laodicea the “So …” section.

“so” in the letter to the church in Laodicea

Now, we’ll look at the “So …” section. As in, so what’s next?

Even in this letter, where Jesus has nothing positive to say about the church, He still offers them hope. Whether or not they do anything to change the current situation, that’s up to them.

But it’s good to know for ourselves, if we end up being like the people in the Laodicea church, there’s hope for us as well.

Revelation – The letter to the churches in Revelation - So ...

“so” in the letter to the church in Laodicea

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 him, and he with me.

So …

So – Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline

Is this a good news + bad news situation?

The good news, for sure, Jesus loves us. No matter what. If we don’t care one way or the other about Him. Even if He’s ready to vomit us from His mouth. Even then, Jesus still loves us.

However, here’s the thing. It’s popular these day to think Jesus loves us just as we are. And that’s true. But it’s not the whole truth. Part of that love for us includes a transformation on our part. Remember, God is love, but God also requires justice.

John 3:16

As I often point out, whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life, doesn’t mean what we probably think it means. “Believe” means to believe so strongly that our actions are driven by that belief. Our lives are, as pointed out earlier, transformed. Please see Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God? for more on that thought.

So it may seem like a good news + bad news scenario. But if we stay with it, we will realize it’s a good news + better news situation. It will end with eternal life in Heaven.

If we’re lukewarm towards Jesus, we cannot enter Heaven. Only we we love Him. The interesting, and maybe difficult thing to imagine, is that if we are cold towards Jesus, we’re more likely to be able to love Him that if we just don’t care at all.

So – be earnest, and repent

Be earnest:

2206 ζηλεύω, ζηλόω [zeloo /dzay·lo·o/] v. From 2205; TDNT 2:882; TDNTA 297; GK 2418 and 2420; 12 occurrences; AV translates as “zealously affect” twice, “more with envy” twice, “envy” once, “be zealous” once, “affect” once, “desire” once, “covet” once, “covet earnestly” once, and translated miscellaneously twice. 1 to burn with zeal. 1A to be heated or to boil with envy, hatred, anger. 1A1 in a good sense, to be zealous in the pursuit of good. 1B to desire earnestly, pursue. 1B1 to desire one earnestly, to strive after, busy one’s self about him. 1B2 to exert one’s self for one (that he may not be torn from me). 1B3 to be the object of the zeal of others, to be zealously sought after. 1C to envy. ¹²

In particular, notice: 1B to desire earnestly, pursue. Pursue. Action. Not just belief in Jesus. Not even just wanting to follow Jesus. Actually trying to follow Jesus. Transformation cannot happen unless we actually do something to change our current condition.

Repent:

3340 μετανοέω [metanoeo /met·an·o·eh·o/] v. From 3326 and 3539; TDNT 4:975; TDNTA 636; GK 3566; 34 occurrences; AV translates as “repent” 34 times. 1 to change one’s mind, i.e. to repent. 2 to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. Additional Information: For synonyms see entry 3338, metamellomai.See entry 5862 for comparison of synonyms. ¹³

Pay attention to: change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.

We see a need for action. We cannot hate our past sins this much without wanting to change. And we cannot make that kind of change without the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, many of us need to go beyond just rebuke, and get into discipline territory before we actually get motivated to make those changes. But that’s not Jesus’ fault. That’s us. The reality is, Jesus disciplines us because He loves us too much to leave us where we are.

So – Here I am! I stand at the door and knock

More hope. So while Jesus has nothing good to say about the condition of the church in Laodicea, He certainly does offer a lot of hope to them.

You may remember, this is a kind of mirror image of something Jesus said during His ministry on earth.

Ask, Seek, Knock – Matthew

7:7-11 pp — Lk 11:9-13

Mt 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Mt 7:9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

If we seek Jesus, He will respond. One of the analogies in this passage is us knocking on a door, and Jesus will answer.

On the flip side, even if we aren’t seeking Jesus, He’s knocking on our door, waiting for us to answer.

I’ve pointed this out to atheists. Especially the ones who spend so much time and energy studying the Bible trying to find a reason to convince others not to believe in Jesus. Why would anyone spend so much of their life on something they don’t even believe in? Maybe it’s because Jesus is knocking on their door. The question then becomes, in this analogy, will they try to silence the knocking or will they open the door for Him?

That’s pretty much where the church in Laodicea is. Not that they’re atheists. But whether or not they’ll open the door for Jesus.

So – If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

There are at least two ways to look at the offer from Jesus to eat with the person who opened the door for Him.

The first would be known by anyone familiar with Jewish customs from Old Testament times.

“I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” This is an allusion to the peace offering (cf. Lev. 3 & 7), a time of fellowship where God symbolically ate with the offerer.

The Fellowship Offering

Lev 3:1 “ ‘If someone’s offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the LORD an animal without defect. 2 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar on all sides. 3 From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the LORD by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, 4 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 5 Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.

Lev 3:6 “ ‘If he offers an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the LORD, he is to offer a male or female without defect. 7 If he offers a lamb, he is to present it before the LORD. 8 He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. 9 From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the LORD by fire: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, 10 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 11 The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made to the LORD by fire.

Lev 3:12 “ ‘If his offering is a goat, he is to present it before the LORD. 13 He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. 14 From what he offers he is to make this offering to the LORD by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, 15 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. 16 The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the LORD’S.

Lev 3:17 “ ‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’ ”

Christians look at Old Testament sacrifices as having been replaced / made complete for all time with the death of Jesus on the cross. Therefore, this offer to eat is seen as referring to the wedding feast of the Lamb, later in Revelation.

Others see this as a reference to the eschatological Messianic banquet.

Hallelujah!

Rev 19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

Rev 19:2 for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Rev 19:3 And again they shouted:
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”

Rev 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Rev 19:5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God,
all you his servants,
you who fear him,
both small and great!”

Rev 19:6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.

Rev 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Rev 19:9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Rev 19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

This idea of coming in and eating has meaning even to someone who’s neither Jewish or Christian. Culturally, it was a polite thing to do. So if nothing else, it’s an opening for Jesus, or us as His representatives, to speak to that person about Jesus.

The term used here for a meal is the one used for the meal at the end of the day, which was the major time of family fellowship and companionship. In the East eating has always been a sign of covenant, friendship, and fellowship. ¹⁴

Next – the conclusion of the Letter to the Church in Laodicea.

Now, we see the conclusion of this letter. It includes what I’ve called the “Hear” section, which is almost always identical in both words and placement in all seven letters.

Revelation – The letter to the church in Thyatira - (5) Conclusion

Conclusion in the letter to the church in Laodicea

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him 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.

Hear:

As with all the other churches, this means the letter can only be understood via the Holy Spirit. As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it goes back to a prophecy in Isaiah. If you haven’t read it yet, or want a refresher, it’s right here – Revelation – The letter to the loveless church in Ephesus.

Him who overcomes:

Rev 3:21 To him 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.

Some of the commentaries I read for this claim the chances of someone overcoming are pretty much nonexistent. However, I see two problems with that view.

First, it’s like Jesus is making an empty promise, knowing no one will take Him up on the offer. It could even be seen as taunting if He knows it’s not going to happen.

The second potential problem has to do with the unforgivable sin – blaspheming / quenching the Holy Spirit. This church seemingly has done this, at least as a unit. But does that necessarily mean no individual within the church in Laodicea can be saved?

I think that thought isn’t born out by the text. Remember, we read, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. “You” in the original Greek is singular. That seems to indicate the church as a whole. That means the offer to any individual within the church is real and valid. That’s in line with a loving God. And with the rest of the hopeful message in this letter.

The final piece of hope for this church is 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.

Let’s look at something to close out the promises to the overcomers in these seven letters.

It has been pointed out by Bible students that the promises to the overcomers in these chapters resemble OT history:

Ephesus:

the tree of life in Eden

Rev 2:7 … To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Smyrna:

man cast out of the Garden to die

Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Pergamum:

the manna of the wilderness

Rev 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. …

Thyatira:

the kingdom age of Israel

Rev 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

Rev 2:27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter;
he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—

just as I have received authority from my Father.

Sardis:

the priestly ministry

Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Philadelphia:

the temple

Rev 3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Laodicea:

the glorious throne of Solomon

It is as though Christ gathered up the history of Israel and applied it to His people today. ¹⁵

What happened to the church in Laodicea?

The church at Laodicea survived Domitian’s reign. The city became a bishopric (seat of a Christian bishop), and a Christian council was even held there in the fourth century C.E. Archaeologists have discovered about 20 ancient Christian chapels and churches at the site. The largest church at Laodicea, called the Church of Laodicea took up an entire city block and dates to the beginning of the fourth century.

Laodicea remained an important city until the seventh century C.E. when it was struck by a dvastating earthquake and subsequently abandoned. ¹⁶

Footnotes

1
Parker, C. (2019). The Social and Geographical World of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14–22). In B. J. Beitzel, J. Parks, & D. Mangum (Eds.), Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation (p. 690). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
2
Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Re 4:14). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
3
Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
4
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 19:28). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
5
Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2667). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
6
Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 79). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
7
Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
8
“Thunder of Heaven: A Joshua Jordan Novel (The End Series Book 2)” by Tim LaHaye, Craig Parshall. It’s along the lines of “The Left Behind” series that Tim LaHaye did with Jerry Jenkins. I have to say though – so far this one is more believable in terms of how events could happen. Maybe that’s an advantage of having several more years of history taking place.
9
Eckley, R. K. (2006). Revelation: a commentary for Bible students (p. 81). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.
10
Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 940–942). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
11
Mare, W. H. (2004). New Testament Background Commentary: A New Dictionary of Words, Phrases and Situations in Bible Order (p. 435). Ross-shire, UK: Mentor.
12
Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
13
Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
14
Utley, R. J. (2001). Hope in Hard Times – The Final Curtain: Revelation (Vol. Volume 12, p. 46). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.
15
Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 805). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
16
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/church-of-laodicea-in-the-bible-and-archaeology/

First – Blessings in the Seven Letters

Praying about the Seven Letters and ourselves

The letter to the church in Laodicea

Cultural and historical factors in Laodicea

Breakdown of the letter to the church in Laodicea

To:

From:

From – the Amen

From – the faithful and true witness

From – the ruler of God’s creation

From – summary

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

Divine Knowledge – not cold or hot

Divine Knowledge – I wish you were either one or the other!

Divine Knowledge – lukewarm

Divine Knowledge – rich and don’t need anything

“But …” in the Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Laodicea

But

But – you don’t know where you are

But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

wretched

pitiful

poor

blind

naked

But – some hope in the midst of all this bad stuff?

But – I counsel you to buy from me

But -buy from me gold refined in the fire

But – so you can become rich

But – white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness

But – salve to put on your eyes, so you can see

But – Summary

“so” in the letter to the church in Laodicea

“so” in the letter to the church in Laodicea

So …

So – Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline

So – be earnest, and repent

Be earnest:

Repent:

So – Here I am! I stand at the door and knock

So – If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Conclusion in the letter to the church in Laodicea

Hear:

Him who overcomes:

What happened to the church in Laodicea?

Footnotes

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