Revelation Chapter 3
Vs. 14-22: to the church in Laodicea
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
First Baptist Church
Tawas City, Michigan USA
www.tawasbaptist.org
Key Verse; Revelation 1:19
“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.”
Revelation Chapter 1: Things you have seen,
Revelation Chapter 2 & 3: The things which are,
Revelation Chapters 4 – 22: The things which shall be hereafter.
Chapter 2 & 3 – The Things that Are.
Chapter 1 – We see the Lord Jesus as the Glorified One.
Chapter 2&3 – We see the Lord Jesus as the Head over the Church.
Chapter 4-22 – We see the Lord Jesus as the Triumphant One.
We will see the Lords striking message to the seven churches of Asia.
They are applicable to the churches of today.
Before the vision of the Father in Heaven in Revelation Chapter 4, we have the vision and words of the Son, Jesus Christ in Chapters 1 – 3.
We must know the Son before we can know the Father. He is the only way to God.
THE REVELATION TO LAODICEA
14a – The Church in Laodicea is referred to as the Apostate (False Teachings) Church. We do not have an exact date when it began, probably as soon as Christianity came on the scene, but we do know it has begun; it is the last church addressed by Christ, so that means the Rapture will take place very shortly.
14b – These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the Creation of God – Jesus contrasts Himself with the Church He is addressing, which is not faithful and true. He also lets us know that He, Jesus, is the Creator of all things.
15a – I know your works, you are neither hot nor cold – Water that is hot us useful and water that is cold is refreshing. Water that is neither, half-way, is useless and unpleasing to anyone who is drinking it. Many tend to think that this is a reference to HOT being on fire for God, and COLD being far from God, but this is not the case, and we know this from the following sentence.
15b – I would you were cold or hot – God does not wish anyone to be far from Him, so to imply that cold means this would contradict scriptures telling us that it is God’s will that all are saved. Therefore the metaphor usage of hot and cold simply means God wants Laodicea to be useful, and not displeasing to the pallet.
16a – So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot – If a person is lukewarm towards something, it means he hasn’t rejected it, but at the same time he has by no means accepted it; in the mind of God, a tepid response is equal to a negative response.
16b – I will spew (vomit) you out of my mouth – because there is no prospect of repentance here on the part of this church, or restoration, God has rejected them.
17a – Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing – They equated the increase in material goods with spiritual blessings, which hey were not. There are plenty of materialistically rich people in the world who do not have God.
17b – and knowest not that you area wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked – The tragedy was that while this church gloated over material wealth, they were unconscious of their spiritual poverty; again this is indicative of the modern church.
18a – I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich – What they needed to buy, the richness they needed to have only comes from Jesus, His blood and sacrifice, you can only get it from Him, and it has already been tried in the fire (judgment), only then will you truly be rich, spiritually rich.
18b – and white raiment, that you may be clothed, - This refers to the righteousness that comes from Christ that we are clothed in when we belong to Him.
18c – and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear – Because of Christ and His righteousness we are clothed in when we belong to Him, the shame in our lives will not be seen on judgment day, but the Laodiceans did not have this because they did not have Christ, and they were going to be standing naked, all things known and shown before Jesus on judgment day.
18d – and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see – The church in Laodicea was spiritually blind, only when we belong to Christ can we truly see spiritually.
19a – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent – The modern church needs to repent for its rebellion against God’s Divine Order, which is Christ and the Cross, and for following cunningly devised fables.
2 Peter 1:16
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
20a – Behold, I stand at the door, and knock – We see here a picture of Christ OUTSIDE of the church trying to get in!
20b – if any man hear my voice – so much religious racket is going on that it is difficult to hear His voice.
20c – and open the door – Christ is the true door, but we see man has erected another door. Not only do they have to hear His voice, but they have to ACT on it, being doers of the Word, not just hearers.
20d – I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me – Having been rejected by the Church, our Lord now appeals to individuals, and He is still doing so presently.
21a – To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My Throne – the overcomer will gain the prize of the throne, this can only be done through keeping Christ as your focus.
22 – He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches – The Holy Spirit is saying, come back to Christ and the Cross.
