The last church in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 is the church in Laodicea. This is not a very positive letter, and there are reasons for that. In church history, it is about the churches after the Second World War.
Revelation 3: 14 -22 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; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 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: 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 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. 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The leader of the church in Laodicea is Archippus, and we read that Paul is encouraging him to fulfil his ministry.
Colossians 4: 16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
What can we say about this? If Archippus was not fulfilling his ministry, he might have been focused on other priorities. But in the end, he was martyred by the first persecution of the Christian church by Nero.
The city of Laodicea
Study Wikipedia about Laodicea to learn more about the city. As you read, it was a wealthy city. Declining help from Rome after the earthquake in 60 AD was quite a thing. Recent visitors give a good overview of how the city looks now.
Let’s also watch what Pastor Joe has to say about the city.
What a great man of God he is.
Introduction
Revelation 3:14b These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
Whatever happens in this world and in the church Jesus Christ is faithful and true.
The message
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 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:
It seems the city of Laodicea had a water problem; the water was good for bathing, but not for drinking. The Christians in Laodicea knew the gospel, but didn’t always live for it. As they were rich and indifferent, you could compare them to the Christians in Corinth. Do read the first chapters of 1 Corinthians about how Paul preaches to the proud and divisive Corinthians.
The End
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. 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Jesus wants to come into the hearts of the people in Laodicea and have dinner with them. Dinner is the time of day when you discuss what you did during the day with your loved ones. Jesus wants to be there and be the one with whom you share your heart. And your life. What should they overcome? Their focus should be on Christ, not on things of this world. overcome sin in the church, and in their personal life.
The letter of Laodicea in the church’s historical view
During the Sardis church period, we saw that there was influence from secret societies. John Daniel describes in Secret Societies and Their Infiltration of the Seven Churches of Revelation how they infiltrated the American churches in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Loadica means the rule of the people. Where in the past, in Catholic times, the leaders ruled, Nicolaitism, now the people rule. The protestant churches are now larger than the Catholic ones, and the protesters won in a way. The leaders have not so much to say, but in many churches, decisions are made by majority vote of the people.
For example, how the bible and prayer disappeared from primary school. And how private Christian schools were moved to public schools.
However, Jesus Christ mentions nothing about secret societies in this letter; He is clear that the Christians in the Laodicean church don’t fulfil their calling. Other people might tempt you to do the wrong thing, but you are still responsible for your own acts.
In many places in the world, we are extremely rich and stuffed with goods. It makes people focus on the things of this world, instead of Jesus Christ. I often tell my kids that in times past, people didn’t have a fridge, as it didn’t exist yet. We take it for granted that we have one, but kings and queens 2 centuries ago had to do without. It is one of the tools that makes our lives easy, and we should be thankful for it. But first-world people always want a bigger fridge/car/house, etc., and you should be careful not to go with this flow.
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: 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Though we might be rich in the material world, we need Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and the Holy Ghost to lead us in our lives. When Christ rebukes and chastens you, you might encounter some difficulties in your life. They are there for a reason, so that you repent of your lifestyle and focus more on Christ in your life.