REVELATION 3.14 “To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: “The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God’s creation, says these things: 3.15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 3.16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
3.17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have gotten
riches, and have need of nothing;’ and don’t know that you are the wretched
one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; 3.18 I counsel you to buy from me
gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you
may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed;
and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.
3.19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be
zealous therefore, and repent. 3.20 Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him,
and will dine with him, and he with me. 3.21 He who overcomes, I will
give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down
with my Father on his throne.
3.22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the assemblies.” -WEB Bible.
God is not pleased with the Laodicean church. They
are a wealthy church, and that’s their problem. Because of their wealth, they
assume they are doing everything right. But the truth is, they are blind and
deaf about spiritual things. God is so disgusted with how clueless they are,
that he’s nearly ready to spit them out and be done with it. God is very
frustrated because he can’t get through to them!
“He who has an ear, let him hear.” Jesus says this, over and over in Revelation chapters
1-3... "He who has an ear, let him hear." This is the tragedy
of our modern age and culture: people cannot hear. Even worse, they refuse to
hear, because they fear that they will lose the liberty of doing exactly as
they please.
The Laodiceans are supposedly Christians but they’re so
caught up in things of the world that it’s hard to tell the difference. They’ve
lost the sensitivity required to hear from God.
God urges the Laodiceans to earnestly and zealously repent! Repentance
is always a healthy thing. It’s a beautiful experience to kneel before God in
humility. The cleansing and peace that comes to a contrite, submissive soul is
one of the most spiritual experiences we can ever have.
Be zealous therefore, and repent.”
The Christians at Laodicea do not get a promise of
protection, as the Christians in Philadelphia did. It is likely that they will
be facing trials as God urges them to repentance: and this is because God
does love these people, even if they’re dense and difficult.
IMAGE CREDIT: The Douce Apocalypse is one of
several richly illustrated manuscripts of the Apocalypse made in England in the
thirteenth century. (Wikimedia Commons) In the image above, Jesus Christ gives
instructions for the Church of Laodicea, while John writes the prophecy.