11. THE EPISTLE TO LAODICEA - Revelation 3:14-22

 

As we have previously seen, the angels of the various churches are to be recognized as the elder or elders of the churches, who are protected by the Lord Jesus Christ (1:16,20).

 

Please Read Revelation 3:14-22

 

Verse 14: Laodicea (Col 2:1; 4:13-16) was founded by Antiochus II (261-246 BC) and settled with Syrians and Jews from Babylonia. He named the city after his wife (and sister?) Laodice. Laodicea is now the modern Eski-hisar and is located in the Lycus Valley on a plateau several hundred feet high, 3km south of the river in southwest Phrygia. The sister city of Hierapolis (Col 4:13) lies 10km north and Colossae (Col 1:2) 16km up river.

Laodicea was situated at the junction of three main trade routes and therefore became a major commercial and financial center. One route led to Ephesus and the Aegean coast, one further east and another south to the Mediterranean. A disadvantage of the site was the lack of adequate water, which was piped through stone pipes from 10km south at Denizli.

Laodicea was famous for its soft black wool that was made into garments in Laodicea. The city was also famous for its teachers, including Zeuxis and Alexander Philalethes.

When the city was devastated by an earthquake in 60 AD, it declined imperial aid for its reconstruction, relying on its own wealth.

The church may well have been founded by Paul during his third missionary journey while he was at Ephesus (Acts 19:10), or by Epaphras (Col 4:12). Archippus may have been the elder at the time of this epistle (Col 4:16,17).

In this verse Christ identifies Himself as the Amen (Is 65:16) in whom the purpose of God is fulfilled, as the Faithful and True Witness (1:5; 3:7) thereby declaring His trustworthiness as opposed to the Laodicean church, and also as the beginning of the creation of God. What this means is that Jesus is the First Cause and Source of the entire creation (21:6; 22:13; Jn 1:1; Col 1:15-18), both natural and new.

QUESTIONS: Does this verse teach the creation of Christ? Explain.

 

What encouragement is found in this verse for the church? Explain.

 

Verse 15: That Christ fully knows the situation in the churches has been explained before (2:2,19; 3:1,8). By his scrutiny of the church He had no reason to commend it.

The church was not cold, in that it was clearly spiritually lifeless, with no pretence as to its position (Mt 10:42; 21:31). Neither was it hot, in that it was alive and full of action and vigour (Rom 12:11; Mt 22:37; Tit 2:14). If it were in either of these conditions it would be better than its present state. For if cold, there was no delusion and therefore hope; if hot, then full of spiritual life.

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What is it to be ‘spewed out’ of Christ’s mouth?

 

Verse 16: Rather, the church was lukewarm and therefore in a most dangerous state. To be lukewarm is to be indifferent, lifeless and nominal - having a form but no life. Their position was one of sham and delusion.

Because the church was in this state, the Lord had become nauseated by them and therefore gave a warning of solemn severity. Here is an imminent threat of complete rejection, yet tempered with a patient longsuffering, giving further opportunity to repent (3:18-20).

QUESTION: Will God dispossess Christians from eternal life? Explain your answer.

 

Verse 17: The Laodicean church was in a state of extreme complacency and denial. They were enjoying great material wealth and prosperity, even as the rest of the city, and saw this as evidence of great spiritual blessing. There is an attitude of deserved merit, of security in their attainments and of having reached a state of unqualified assurance (1 Tim 6:17). Their real situation was one that they didn’t know, having been deceived of their true state before God.

They were in fact wretched, being in a terribly deceived state and therefore miserable and pitiable, thinking they were secure when they were not. They were in fact poor, destitute of all spiritual worth, spiritually blind (1 Cor 2:14) and naked before God (Ezek 16:4-7).

Verse 18: The instruction of Christ to the Laodiceans is to buy riches from God (Is 55:1ff), a salvation free of personal effort and merit. This salvation is gold, for it makes one truly rich (2 Cor 8:9) and is truly secure, having been found to be trustworthy by fire (1 Pet 1:7).

There are in Christ the white garments necessary to cover their nakedness, clothing those who will take them with righteousness (3:4,5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9,13,14; 19:14).

There is also eye salve that heals spiritual blindness, so that we can see things as they truly are (Jn 9:39).

Verse 19: The Lord will always rebuke and chasten those He loves, being those that are His people (Pr 3:11,12; Heb 12:6). These words flow from love in order to awaken the elect from their spiritual slumber. They are words of rebuke in order to show them the errors of their ways and words of chastening in order to rouse to life. Because of this fact they are to be zealous and to repent, for the Lord loves them and wants them to immediately turn back.

QUESTIONS: What is it to be spiritually poor, blind and naked? How is one to escape such a condition?

 

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: To what is verse 20 referring?

 

Verse 20: In this verse Christ calls the Laodiceans to hear what He has to say. He is standing there as one who is to judge (1:12-16) and is knocking at the door.

The door can only be that of the heart, mind, will, etc. Those who hear the message of Christ will repent (3:22). The door is that of conversion, faith and repentance, initiated not by men but Christ. This pictures the effectual call of the gospel clearly offered previously to all the ‘church’ in Laodicea. The hypocrite’s fate is sealed, but for the elect there is yet grace and blessing to come.

Christ will come into the regenerated heart and dine with him. This symbolises an intimate relationship of blessed fellowship (Jn 14:23; 15:5; 1 Jn 2:24).

Verse 21: To the one that overcomes, persevering to the end (having already enjoyed many blessings), much more is to come. Such will share in Christ’s sovereign eternal reign (20:4ff; 22:5; Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30; 1 Cor 6:2; 2 Tim 2:11ff).

As Christ overcame the world in His obedience to the Father and was exalted to the Father’s side, so will believers be exalted to Christ’s throne in order to rule with Him (Philip 2:9ff; 1 Pet 3:18,22).

Verse 22: Again, only the regenerate will hear and heed the message of Christ.

QUESTIONS: To whom is the promise given in verse 20? What is the state of the others in Laodicea?

 

What is it to dine with Christ?

 

INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY

Who are the 24 elders of Revelation 4:4?

 

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17/10/2006

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