Church of Laodicea, Episode 7, Series: Revelation Expectations
Welcome to Episode 7 in our series Revelation Expectations. We are your hosts, Apostle Charles Wright and Stephanie Wright. Thank you for joining us on our journey through the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Today, we conclude our study of the seven churches with the Church of Laodicea in Revelation Chapter 3, verses 14-22. As a reminder, we have covered the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia in Episodes one through six.
We encourage you to listen to this series’ first podcast or YouTube presentation to establish a foundation for past and future episodes. Revelation reveals Jesus’ love and mercy to us and the unsaved. He prolongs his return because God does not want any to be lost. If you do not know him, now would be a good time to invite Jesus into your heart as Savior and Lord.
We should remember that the Spirit of these seven churches is in the earth today. We should examine ourselves and not focus only on these historical churches but reflect on our own lives and the words in Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is at hand.” Remember, Jesus addresses the seven churches. We see His words all in "red letter" in some Bibles. Then later, we are told in the chapters following what is to come. The warning of the wrath of God. But the wrath of God is not for those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Okay, it’s time to go to the last of our seven churches, Laodicea.
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Church of Laodicea, Episode 7, Series: Revelation Expectations
Welcome to Episode 7 in our series Revelation Expectations. We are your hosts, Apostle Charles Wright and Stephanie Wright. Thank you for joining us on our journey through the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Today, we conclude our study of the seven churches with the Church of Laodicea in Revelation Chapter 3, verses 14-22. As a reminder, we have covered the churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia in Episodes one through six.
We encourage you to listen to this series’ first podcast or YouTube presentation to establish a foundation for past and future episodes. Revelation reveals Jesus’ love and mercy to us and the unsaved. He prolongs his return because God does not want any to be lost. If you do not know him, now would be a good time to invite Jesus into your heart as Savior and Lord.
We should remember that the Spirit of these seven churches is in the earth today. We should examine ourselves and not focus only on these historical churches but reflect on our own lives and the words in Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is at hand.” Remember, Jesus addresses the seven churches. We see His words all in "red letter" in some Bibles. Then later, we are told in the chapters following what is to come. The warning of the wrath of God. But the wrath of God is not for those who know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Okay, it’s time to go to the last of our seven churches, Laodicea.
If you have been with us through the previous six churches, you know that there is a similar pattern followed in every church: Jesus identifies himself with a different title in each church; He tells the church what they are and are not doing; He gives them a charge or command to correct their condition if it is displeasing to Him; He tells them of the reward they will receive if they follow His command. Every church has some adversary, and Jesus tells every church two specific things: 1. I know your works, and 2. “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Starting at verse 14 in Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
As stated earlier, Jesus' identity is revealed for each church, and His identity speaks to what is relevant for that particular church. In this case, the one who is faithful and a true witness will speak to a church that is not faithful and true. He is the beginning of the creation of God and will speak to those who think they do not need the One who created them but are self-sufficient and do not need the Creator. Jesus is come to tell them all about themselves, who they really are. The same for us. Jesus tells us through the Holy Spirit all about ourselves. Who we really are. Are we faithful and true witnesses and do we honor Jesus who is the beginning of the creation of God? John 1:1 in the beginning. Was the word., and the word was with God, and the word was God.
Verse 15.
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot.
There is a history behind this particular verse and other verses related to the Church of Laodicea. Drive Through History a series narrated by David Stotts gives a very good background on Laodicea which will share throughout this lesson. Laodicea piped its water in from two locations, Hierapolis and Colossae, the water from Hierapolis was from the hot springs, and the water from Colossae was cold. However, when the water reached Laodicea, it was lukewarm and had minerals that made it distasteful.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
So, when Jesus tells them he wants them “hot or cold,” they can relate. Just as we can relate when we drink lukewarm coffee or any favorite drink. Their condition was distasteful to Jesus and unacceptable to Him, and we will see in the following verses why. So, He says because they are lukewarm, He will spit them out. Laodicea was a rich city. So, people who visited there were impressed, but the water was nasty. You cannot live without water. You cannot live without the Living Water. Jesus is the Living Water for us. Remember the woman at the well. John 4:1-42. Jesus gave her living water, and she was never the same. Isaiah 55, verse one, invites us to come to the waters. Even if you have no money. You can come to buy and eat. Buy wine and milk without money and price. Jesus asks nothing of us but for us to come to the living waters, come to him. He is the living water. And John 7:38 says, “He who believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” A reference to the Holy Spirit.
Verse 17 tells us why the Laodiceans are lukewarm:
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Laodicea was a rich city. It was known for banking, farming, and medicine, especially in the area of ophthalmology, that is, the eyes; and textiles. They were like Wall Street where commerce flourished, like Paris, where the latest fashions are seen on the runway each year. So, you see, the city of Laodicea didn't think they needed God, their creator. They thought they were “all that.” But 17b tells them what they really are: "Wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
So, Jesus is telling them where they are coming up short, not doing what they should do. Now He will tell give them a charge or tell them what they need to do to get out of this self-righteous, blasphemous state they are in:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
He is telling them to come out of the worldly, physical condition they are in and step into the holy, spiritual condition He has to offer. Gold, linen, and eye salve were exports of Laodicea. But God’s gold is of the spirit, and it offers wisdom and knowledge that is pure and cannot be corrupted like the wealth they knew. He offers a covering for their soul, not just the fine linen they produced to cover their bodies, and He offered a salve for the spiritual eye, not just the natural eye, so their souls could see the truth. It is the truth that makes us free.
Moving to verse 19.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Here we see punishment. Some might see it that way. Because he says he rebukes them and he chastens them. And I would also say that for them, God's love is like a punishment because they reject it. They don't want it. And we see in verse 19 a charge or a command for them to be zealous. And for them to repent. Numerous times in these chapters to these seven churches, they are told to repent. As are we. We are told to repent when we have done wrong and displeased God. Remember, at the beginning of this episode, we said to think about ourselves as we look at this church of Laodicea and the other churches. Which church do you see yourself in? If it is the Church of Laodicea, we have a lot of work to do.
Moving to verse 20.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Here we have the rewards. Jesus coming and being present and standing at the door and knocking is a reward. That he would even give us that attention. That he would even give the people of Laodecia that attention. Then he says if any man hears his voice and opens the door, He will come in and be with him, eat with him, commune with him, befriend him. And that person will reciprocate. How awesome is that? Then Jesus would come and be with us.
Moving to verse 21, we have more rewards.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The Laodiceans are told that if they overcome those things, they have succumbed to Believing that they were rich when they really were poor, turning their backs on God and thinking that they didn't need Him. If they overcome these things, Jesus says they will sit with Him on his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Finally, we come to verse 22, which is repeated to every one of the seven churches. The church at Laodicea is to hear what the Spirit says if they have an ear to hear. That same message is to us. I would encourage us to “have an ear to hear” and hear what the Spirit says because Revelation 1:3 tells us "the time is at hand.”