02.14. LECTURE No. 14 -- Rev_3:14-22
LECTURE No. 14 -- Revelation 3:14-22
Christ in All the Scriptures - The Message of the Risen Christ to the Church at Laodicea - The Voice of the People - A Remarkable Salutation from the Lord to This Church - The Spiritual Condition of the Laodicean Church - What the Christians Thought About Themselves - Jesus Warned Them to Repent - Jesus Outside His Own Church Seeking Entrance
LET us remember that the true title of the Book is given in the first verse, where it says, “THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM, TO SHOW UNTO HIS SERVANTS THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS”;-We have pointed out already that the word “Revelation” means, unveiling or making manifest; therefore, in this book, as in no other book of the Bible, we have a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ in All the Scriptures
Christ is not only revealed in this book, however, but He is revealed in all the Scriptures! The Old Testament reveals to us the Christ of Prophecy; and the Prophets spoke of His divine origin, and of the place and manner of His birth.
- The Gospels reveal the Christ of History.
- The Book of Acts reveals to us the Risen Christ, and tells us of His forty days of post-resurrection ministry, before He ascended into heaven.
- The Books of Hebrews reveals to us the Exalted and Glorified Christ who is now at the right hand of God, acting as our High Priest in the heavenlies - Other Epistles of the New Testament reveal Christ as the Head of the Church, which is His Body.
The Book of Revelation, however, which we are now studying, reveals the risen and exalted Christ to us in His relation to all things, past, present and future, also in His relation to things in heaven and upon earth.
In the Book of Revelation we see the eternal Christ, as the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel and as the Saviour of the World; also as the Lord and Judge among the Churches, and as the one in divine authority who shall subdue all His enemies and reign in righteousness over the world.
In our last few messages we have been studying the Seven Messages to the Seven Churches, which the risen and exalted Christ gave to John on the Isle of Patmos.
In our last lesson, we studied the message which the Lord sent to the Church at Philadelphia. The message to this Church was unique and different from all the rest, because it was purely a message of commendation and of promise. We may say, therefore, that among the Churches, the Church at Philadelphia represents the true Church within the professing Church. In other words, it represents the believing remnant of the Lord’s people in every period of Church history.
The promises to this Church were many. First of all because they had kept the Word of His patience, and had been faithful in all their works. Christ promised to them an open door of opportunity for service. He also promised them the respect of their enemies, and that He would keep them in the hour of temptation, which He said, would come upon the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. To those who were overcomers He promised that He would make them a pillar in the Temple of God, and that He would write upon them the name of God, and the name of the City of God, which is the New Jerusalem, and that He would write upon them His own new name!
Jesus closed His message to this Church with the usual admonition, “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.”
Laodicea
Now, let us advance in our study b reading the message of our Lord to the Church of Laodicea, which is recorded in Revelation 3:14-22, where it says,-
“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;
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot.
“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth,
“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;
“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.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the I door, I will come in to Him, and will sup with him, and he with me,
“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,
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.”
A brief historical and geographical survey of Laodicea will prove both interesting and helpful just here. Laodicea was at one time a place of considerable size, and was also a place of trade and wealth. The remains of theaters and Temples and public buildings still bear testimony to its former greatness.
It is supposed that Christianity was introduced into Laodicea by the Apostle Paul, although we have no record of any personal visit which the Apostle made to this place. We are told that in subsequent times it became a Christian City of considerable note, and importance. And was a meeting place of Church Councils.
In his book on the Apocalypse, J. A. Seiss, says:
“It was destroyed by the Mohammedan invaders, and is now a scene of utter desolation. There is a small village in the neighborhood, the houses of which are built of its ruins. Emerson says it is even more solitary than Ephesus, for the later has the prospect of the rolling sea, or of a whitening sail, to enliven its decay; whilst Laodicea sits in widowed loneliness, its walls grass grown, its temples desolate, it’s very name perished. We left it in a thunderstorm, preferring to hasten on, through rain and tempest, than to delay in that melancholy spot, where everything whispered desolation, and where the very wind that swept impetuously through the valley sounded like the fiendish laugh of time, exulting over the destruction of man and his proudest monuments.”
Indeed, my friends, the description as given here, would seem to be almost prophetic of that which is to happen to the Laodicean Church of the latter days, of the present dispensation. The Voice of the People The word “Laodicea” means, “the voice of the people,” and this is quite in contrast to the Church of the Thyatiran period of Church History, at which time the Church was ruled by self-appointed dominating clergy, who did not allow the people of their Churches any voice whatever in the matter of Church administration.
Conditions Today But now in the end of this present dispensation conditions have changed somewhat and in many instances are in the reverse order. In other words; many preachers today are completely dominated and ruled by the voice of the people in their churches, instead of obeying the voice of God. This perhaps would be all right, if the people themselves were right with God, and were spiritually minded, and were walking in the light, and were seeking to do the whole will of God, in their practice of religion, but, my friends, we know that quite the contrary is true. Our churches are filled with many professing Christians who themselves have never been born again, and who are worldly and their hearts are filled with unbelief and wickedness.
Alas! therefore, for the preacher and for the believing remnant in any church when they began to heed the voice of the people, instead of heeding and obeying the voice of God!
There is no doubt but what this spirit of compromise and weakness and lack of spiritual courage, which is allowing the voice of the people to rule our churches, is leading us straight into the final apostasy and the condition of lukewarmness, which our Lord described in His message to the Church at Laodicea. The Lord’s Salutation
Now, let us note in particular the manner in which our Lord addressed Himself to the Church of the Laodiceans. In Revelation 3:14 He said, “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.” The Amen In this salutation Jesus spoke of Himself first as the “Amen.” In this instance the word “Amen” is used as a personal name, and is therefore of special significance. The word “Amen” as ordinarily used; means “So be it” or “So let it be.” Now, in all things pertaining to redemption, and to the material universe, Christ is the AMEN of God. In other words, to all that God has spoken, Jesus, the Christ, says, unreservedly-”Amen”! Thus, in this one word, He expresses His complete subjection to the Father’s will. A Faithful Witness In the same salutation He also spoke of Himself as the Faithful and True Witness!
This also was a title which should have commanded their attention and respect. Surely no one could accuse Jesus of having been unfaithful at any time. Even as a boy at Nazareth He was faithful in the matters of daily toil, and was subject unto Mary His mother, and unto Joseph, His foster father.
When He came to manhood and began His own ministry, He was faithful both to God and to His fellow men in all that He did. He was faithful in preaching the Word of God, and He did not compromise the truth of God to please the will or the voice of the people. He was faithful to the needs of the people, for He went about doing good; healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, cleansing the leper, and causing the dumb to speak. Even in this work He met with great opposition from the Scribes and Pharisees because He healed on the Sabbath Day. Nevertheless He was faithful to suffering humanity by doing all He could to alleviate all their suffering.
He was faithful also to His disciples, for he declared unto them the whole counsel of God. He protected them in times of danger, and saved them in the midst of the storm, and defended and shielded them during the terrible event of the Passion Week.
And we can truly say that Jesus was faithful even unto death, even the death of the cross, and by His faithfulness both to God and man He became the TRUE WITNESS. There is no question but what Jesus gave a true witness concerning the nature of God, and the fallen nature of man!
He witnessed also to the goodness and the grace of God and to the power of the resurrection. Jesus also gave a true witness concerning the wrath and terror of the Lord, and of the judgments of God and the dangers of hell. The Scribes and Pharisees disliked Him very much for this, and went about to kill Him; simply because He was a true witness, and testified against them.
Indeed, my friends when we compare many of our ministers today with the Lord Jesus Christ, how far short they fall in their witness and testimony, as compared with Him who was the true witness! No man can be a true witness who compromises the truth of God’s word, and who fails to declare the whole council of God to the people, regardless of consequences! Indeed, my friends, it takes real faith and courage, at all times, to be a faithful and true witness. The Author of Creation In this same salutation, Jesus also referred to Himself as the Beginning or author of the creation of God. We know this was true for in John 1:1-3 it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God, All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
Neither Cold Nor Hot
Thus, my friends, with this unusual salutation, Jesus sought to impress upon the Christians of the Church of Laodicea; not only the fact of His deity, but also His authority, and that He had the right to rebuke them because of their spiritual condition. Therefore, in one sentence He revealed unto them their spiritual condition by saying, in Revelation 3:15, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would that thou wert cold or hot!”
There is no question but what this condition, which existed in the Church at Laodicea, has been multiplied many many times in local churches throughout every age of Church history. There is no question but what it is the most dangerous and despicable condition into which any Church could fall. A Church in this condition surely has lost its vision of the living and exalted Christ, and has forgotten the sufferings of Christ upon the cross, and the great purposes for which He died and rose again.
A Church in such a condition as this has surely lost its spiritual burden for those who are lost, and are bound by the fetters of sin. A Church that is neither hot nor cold could not possibly have a true missionary vision that would compel them to labor and sacrifice in order to reach others with the Gospel. We do not wonder, therefore, that Christ said,
“I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
Now, this we know was a figurative statement, yet we know from what is written later on in this Book of the Revelation, that this will be accomplished through the judgments which will come upon the Church of the Laodicean period.
What the Christians Thought In Revelation 3:17 Jesus referred to what the Church at Laodicea thought of itself. He quoted the Church as saying, “I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing.”
Truly, my friends, it would seem that a Church in such a position as that described here would be ashamed to confess it. Maybe they did not say so out loud, but that is what they thought in their hearts, which was just as bad. A Church so self-conceited and morally blind as they were, must have been an object of pity on the one hand and a subject of rebuke on the other; for Jesus said, “Knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable and poor, and blind and naked?”
And so, my friends, in this one verse, we have the Laodicean Church’s opinion of itself, and Christ’s opinion of the Laodicean Church. A Call to Repentance In view of their spiritual condition, Jesus admonished them saying, “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, As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent.”
The last portion of what we have just read would indicate that even in the Laodicean Church, where these awful conditions existed, there was a believing remnant whom Jesus both loved and rebuked, and chastened, and called to repentance in order that they might be saved.
Jesus Is Outside In Revelation 3:20 Christ reveals His relation to the Laodicean Church. He said, “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.”
How very strange indeed that Jesus should be pictured as being on the outside and knocking at the door of the very Church which bears His name. But that was the case of the local Church at Laodicea, and the same thing is true, in a general way, in thousands of churches in every part of the world today.
By their selfish and adulterated motives and by their own self-will, and their sad lack of consecration, many churches, even though they have a form of godliness, have crowded Christ entirely out of their midst.
In many instances they no longer believe in His deity, nor preach the truth which He gave them, nor do they accomplish the work He left for them to do! There is no way of knowing how much these conditions grieve the Lord. He is so hungry for fellowship that He says, “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.”
I Am Rich
How very sad that the Church no longer feels the need of fellowship with the Lord. The reason for this, however, is clearly stated in Revelation 3:17, where the Church is quoted as saying, “I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.”
- Alas, for any church which has substituted material prosperity for spiritual fellowship and communion with Christ.
- Alas! for any church which has substituted human reason for divine revelation.
- Alas! for any Church which is accepting man made theories and are rejecting the truth.
- Alas! for the church which has substituted science for scripture, and Churchianity for Christianity.
- Alas! for the Church which has substituted self-righteousness for regeneration, and mere profession, for possession.
- Alas! for the Church which has substituted reformation for reconciliation, and which is depending upon socialability and substituting it for spirituality.
- Alas! for the Church which has substituted programs for prayer, and many made plans for power, and good works for genuine worship.
What About This? In his book on the “Harvest of Iniquity” Keith L. Brooks says,
“Such Church says: ‘We have no sin,’ but Christ says of it, ‘You are wretched.’ It says: ‘We are having a good time’; but Christ says: ‘You are miserable,’ It says: ‘We have need of nothing’ but! Christ says: ‘You are stricken with poverty.’ It says: ‘We have discernment,’ but Christ says: ‘You are blind.’ It says: ‘We are clothed in the best,’ but Christ says: ‘Your souls are naked’.” And so, my friends, we have considered Christ’s message to the local Church at Laodicea, and since these messages also have a prophetic significance, we know that the truth given here applies well to the very days in which we are living, and we confess that it is a very discouraging picture; but in Revelation 3:21 of our lesson text, Jesus said, “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 Throne of David
It is well for us to note that Jesus here referred to His Father’s Throne, which as we all know is in heaven, and He also spoke of His own Throne. And we all know that the Throne which He referred to as “my Throne” was none other than the Throne of David in Jerusalem.
We do not have time to enlarge upon this thought, but when we consider the reward of those who shall be overcomers in the Laodicean period it is well to keep this distinction in mind. Those who overcome in the Laodicean period of the Church will be allowed to sit with Jesus in His own Throne, even as He overcame and sat down with His Father on the Throne in heaven. This promised reward should be sufficient to inspire many earnest hearts, to be faithful to the Lord in the midst of the great apostasy which is now upon us. And this message to the Laodicean Church closes with these same words, “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.” The Second Coming of Christ
Now, before we conclude our study of these Seven Messages of our risen Lord to the Seven Churches, we wish to call your attention to this important fact; that the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is set forth in these messages in a very forceful manner. Thus proving that it is after all a vital part of the message which Christ committed to the Churches.
Conclusion
Now in conclusion I hope and pray that as we have studied these Seven Messages to the Seven Churches, you have been able to make the threefold application of the truth which they contain-i. e.,
1. To the local Churches addressed,
2. Prophetically to the Churches of the entire Church period,
3. Last of all to the individual Christian.
I trust that by this time we can all claim the promise which is given in Revelation 1:3, where it says, “Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the Words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand.”
~ end of lecture 14 ~