Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
These are the last of words of Jesus before He comes for His bride the Church. Revelation The Last Letter looks at the seven churches in their historical and geographical context in the first century. These were actual churches in actual ancient cities in what is modern day Turkey. What did Jesus actually say to the churches? Please, listen to the good news from Jesus Himself…
This is a great resource for small group Bible studies. Study questions are provided at the end of each chapter.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Behold… Translation: Look, listen, see, pay attention!
Saint Mary of the Presentation Catholic Church (Geneva, Indiana)
I stand at the door and knock. Jesus is on the front porch of your place. The grammar in the Greek indicates He has always been there. He has not left and He is not going anywhere. Christ is at the ready. The text states He continually knocks on your door. He has fixed Himself waiting for the individual to respond.
Anyone… The invitation is open to anyone. It is the will of God that all would turn to Him. Please respond to Him. He is beyond tolerant and accommodating.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door… It is not enough to just listen to Jesus. One needs to respond with action. Let Him into your life and heart. He says He will reciprocate.
I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Christ will have relationship with the individual over a meal. Yes, He will meet you at your place. He will eat with you and you can eat with Him.
Matthew 24:33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that He is near, at the very gates.
James 5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
At some point, His patience will end. Turn to His mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Answer the door.
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Φιλέω/phileó is the Greek word for “love”. It means: love (of friendship), regard with affection, cherish; I kiss (Strong’s Concordance). Jesus regards believers with a warm and deep affinity. There is a sense of harmony.
Christ loves us so much He is willing to reprove and discipline.
Reprove or ἐλέγχω/elegcho can also be translated as: reprove, rebuke, discipline; expose, show to be guilty.
Discipline or παιδεύω/paideuó can mean: I discipline, educate, train; more severely: I chastise.
Jesus is willing to reveal and uncover your issues. He will find us all to be guilty. If necessary, we will be trained like a child. Heaven forbid in severe cases, Christ is willing to reprimand and censure the believer.
The theme of God’s discipline is consistent across time in Scripture. He is not being mean. Correction is for our own good. As a reminder, He loves us…
Deuteronomy 8:5 Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
1 Corinthians 11:32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
As a result of discipline, the believer should have a response.
…be zealous…This is the Greek word ζηλόω/zéloó. This is where we get the English word “zealous”. HELPS Word Studies provides an excellent definition and example.
Imitating the sound of boiling water; to bubble over because so boiling hot; figuratively to burn with zeal (J. Thayer); to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire; to be earnest, to set one’s heart on, to be completely intent upon.
Christ is imploring us to boil with passion for Him and His word.
…repent…This is not a mystical, spiritual word with a deeper theological meaning. The Greek word for repent is μετανοεο/metanoeo. It means: to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. -Strong’s Concordance
The idea of repent in the Hebrew is teshuvah. Prepare and turn to God. People are called to turn away from their sin, repent, and change course. It is a time of inward reflection and sincere self-assessment. The goal is a change in lifestyle away from sin to obedience in God’s word. The Hebrew month of Elul initiates a 40-day period called Teshuvah.
Revelation 3:18c…and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Jesus is taking a direct shot at man-made medicine.
The locals at the church in Laodicia had access to best medical care in the known world. The worship of the medicine god Aesculpius took place throughout the region of what is modern day Turkey. The temple of Men Karou was located near Laodicea. This was a famous medical school. Phrygian powder was a medicine for the eyes that was produced locally.
The world offered powder. Documents did not indicate the powder was a cure for blindness.
Jesus was offering a salve to rub in their eyes. And He has a purpose.
…that you may see… This is the Greek word βλέπω/blepó. This is more than physically seeing. It is also about discernment, awareness, and perception.
This is not the first time Christ rubbed something in somebody’s eyes. One man was born blind. This miracle caused all sorts of issues. The miracle was performed by Jesus on the Sabbath. Faith and reality for the Pharisees were called into question. The origin of Jesus was a consideration. Peer pressure and social status were on the line.
John 9:6-7 When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam ” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.
And Jesus can make adjustments if necessary. Glasses, contacts, and laser surgery are not necessary. Some would argue, Jesus corrected the neurological disorder of visual agnosia. The condition is an impairment in recognition of visually presented objects. Visual agnosia occurs when there is brain damage along the pathways that connect the occipital lobe of the brain with the parietal and temporal lobes. The occipital lobe assembles incoming visual information. The parietal and temporal lobes allow you to understand the meaning of this information.
Mark 8:23-25 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Man made powder or some spit and dirt from the Creator??? Jesus is offering physical vision and spiritual insight.
Revelation 3:18b …and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen…
Jesus is recommending “white garments”. This is a priestly garment. The term for garment in the Greek is ἱμάτιον/himation. The garment is a long flowing outer tunic, cloak, or robe (Strong’s Concordance). The color white is indicative of purity.
Heavenly, priestly garments are made of linen. Exodus 28 gives instructions for the priestly garments. The clothing for the priest is to be made of linen. Exodus 28:5 They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.The concept is stated seven more times in Exodus 28. Priestly garments are of linen (Exodus 28:6, 8, 15, 39, 39, 42).
Laodicea was a prominent textile producer. It was world famous for its black wool. (Holman Bible Dictionary).
The culture had infiltrated the church with worldly materialism.
The church in Laodicea and locals were proud of their earthly, wool clothing. As opposed to the white garments Christ was offering, Laodicea loved their black clothing.
…you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen…
The locals needed clothes because they were naked. This church thinks they have the finest of clothes. They are hip and trendy.
Job 26:6 Naked is Sheol before Him, and Abaddon has no covering.
The meaning of Abaddon is “destruction”. Sin and destruction are both naked. Sin is naked before God. In the final analysis, there is no covering of sin apart from the cross work of Christ. God has always made provision for the sin of humanity. Apart from God, sin will be exposed, bare, and raw. Sin’s path leads to destruction.
Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, how much more the hearts of men!
Like Adam and Eve in the garden, the church at Laodicea had an earthly solution for their covering. The Lord has a Heavenly solution with priestly linen. Christ has done the work.
Jesus says they need to cover themselves. Sin is embarrassing.
Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich…
Jesus is going to address the church at Laodicea on their terms and their self-perceived strengths. The believers at Laodicea offer humanism or an earthly solution. Jesus offers a heavenly solution.
Locally, the folks in Laodicea had a very extensive and wealthy banking system. The city minted its own coins. The coins had the likeness of Zeus, Apollo, and Aesculpius. They placed their trust in material wealth with the pictures of Greek gods stamped on their currency.
Christ is offering gold refined by fire. He is giving a little advice to the church. In order to obtain the gold, members are going to purchase with their earthly possessions and riches. The church at Laodicea is no different than the rich man who encountered Jesus earlier in His ministry.
Luke 18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
The gold Christ is offering has been purified by fire. The impurities or dross have been removed from the gold. Dross is an Old English word that means the scum produced when smelting metals. Dross is impure. Dross is removed from precious metals such as gold by the process of smelting with intense heat and fire.
Wickedness and sin are equated with dross in the following verses.
Proverbs 26:23 Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross are burning lips and a wicked heart.
Psalm 119:119a, You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross…
The lake of fire is the eternal destination of people who are not written in the book of life. Their sins have not been paid or taken away. They are impure like dross. Eternal fire and smelting will never remove the impurity of sin from humanity. An eternity of fire and Hell cannot cleanse sin from humanity.
Revelation 20:14-15 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Only the blood of Christ can wash away humanity’s dross and impurities. Christ’s shed blood is more powerful and cleanses better than fire. He is the one who purifies and refines. He removes the scum and the dregs.
1 John 1:7b …and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Make a choice. What is it going to be? True wealth does not come from earthly, material possessions.
Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” -Jesus
Revelation 3:17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
It is contrast time. And Jesus Christ is the One making the observations. On one hand we have the church at Laodicea and their self-perception. On the other hand, we have Jesus and His views on the local church. We are about to find out, these two views are 180 degrees out of phase. This post will be a contrast in vision (pun intended to the local church).
Like the church at Sardis, the believers in Laodicea had a lofty view of themselves. The church proclaimed to be rich, prosperous, and without need.
Rich…πλούσιος/plousios: noun; wealthy and abounding in.
Prospered… πλουτέω/plouteó: verb; to become rich, am rich, abound in.
Need nothing…
“We are rich and getting richer! Buzz off, we don’t you or anything else!”
All of Christ’s observations hit the Laodicean church at their self-perceived strengths. Jesus makes the implication these folks are so sure of themselves. And He states they have no sense of awareness. Here’s how Jesus describes the church at Laodicea.
Not realizing… οἶδα/eidó: know, remember, or appreciate. There is also a literal and metaphorical sense of vision associated with the verb. Jesus is taking a shot at their medical and vision schools. Christ is telling them, “You don’t know and you can’t even see it.”
Naked… γυμνός/gumnos: rarely stark-naked; generally wearing only the under-garment; bare, open, manifest. The best-case scenario, the church was standing at the town square in their underwear only.
The local body had no idea how desperately awful they appear to Christ. The church at Laodicea believed in the safety of their wealth. God’s word spells their outcome and offers some advice. Place your trust in the correct source of security.
Proverbs 11:28 He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.
Psalm 52:7 Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and was strong in his evil desire.
1 Timothy 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Revelation 3:14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
Jesus is explaining to the church at Laodicea He is talking to them. And He is defining aspects of His character. These are the words of the…
Amen…ἀμήν: verily, truly, so let it be.
Faithful…πιστός: trustworthy, believing.
True…ἀληθινός: real, genuine, literally made of truth as a source.
He is not just faithful and true, He is “the” witness. There is a Greek definite article in front of “witness”. A definite article is a point of emphasis. He is “the” One.
the beginning of God’s creation.
Jesus Christ is the “beginning” or the ἀρχή/arché. He is “the” beginning in a sense of time. He is “the” preeminent ruler. He ranks first. He is “the” chief. He is in charge of God’s creation.
Jesus is talking and this is what He has to say.
Revelation 3:15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
This is a plea from Christ. Do something! Show some passion for the cause of the church. How about some zeal! Jesus would even be okay if you were against Him. At least be cold hearted. Get off your butt and get in the game! Come on!
Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
The church is described as “lukewarm” or χλιαρός/chliaros. The word can also be translated as tepid.
I will spit you out of my mouth.
This is a classic example of where the translators do us no favor. Jesus is not going to “spit”. This is the Greek word ἐμέω/emeó.
Revelation 3:14a…And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The church at Laodicea is the last and seventh church in the book of Revelation.
The church at Laodicea is mentioned a couple of times in the book of Colossians.
Colossians 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face…
Colossians 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
Located in the region of Phrygia, the city was named after the wife of Antiochus II. Her name was Laodice. The city was located approximately 40 miles east of Ephesus. Laodicea was located on the Lycus River near Colossae.
Laodicea was very wealthy due to its position on trade routes. The city was a prominent textile producer. It was world famous for its black wool. (Holman Bible Dictionary).
Banking and commerce played a key role in Laodicea. The city minted its own coins. The coins had the likeness of Zeus, Apollo, and Aesculpius.
Aesculpius was the god of medicine. The name Aesculpius is where we get the term “scalpel”. Surgery is a reminder of Aesculpius. Granted, Pergamum was the medical center of the ancient world. The worship of the medicine god Aesculpius took place throughout this region of modern day Turkey.
The temple of Men Karou was located near Laodicea. This was a famous medical school. Phrygian powder was a medicine for the eyes that was produced locally.
With their wealth, the city acquired an extensive art collection, monuments, and the finest literature.
In 60 AD, a massive earthquake nearly destroyed the city. Due to the immense wealth of Laodicea, the populous refused aid from Rome. They reconstructed at their own expense.
The people of Laodicea relied on nobody but themselves. They believed material wealth and money solved their problems. They had the best medical care in the known world. They had the finest clothes. They were well educated. They had access to whatever they wanted due to their location on trade routes. They were the source for all they needed.
Laodicea is the only church that is NOT commended by Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” –Jesus
The Greek word for “book” is Βιβλιον/biblion. It means: a small book, a scroll, a written document. This is the word where we get the term Bible.
The word “book” is singular in the sentence. It would appear John sent one “book” or epistle to the seven churches. The book was sent from the island of Patmos. The order of the seven churches listed is geographical and clockwise in nature. The first stop on the mainland of Turkey was Ephesus. Next, the letter would have gone north to Smyrna. The third stop was north in Pergamum. Following Pergamum to the east and a bit south was Thyatira. The fifth stop to the south would have been Sardis. A jog to the east and the letter stopped in Philadelphia. The last stop to the south and east was Laodicea.
All seven churches are located in what is modern day Turkey.
Four of the seven churches in Revelation have references to Satan. Jesus is the one talking directly to the churches. Jesus got His information from God the Father (Revelation 1). This is not conjecture. The churches are: Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Philadelphia.
Acts 16:6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia… The Holy Spirit made sure Paul and his companions stayed in modern day Turkey instead of advancing east to China. The regions of Phrygia and Galatia are in the heart of Asia Minor.
Satan has his trinity. He plays the role of God. The antichrist plays the role of Jesus. And the false prophet plays the role of the Holy Spirit. Satan clearly has a foot hold in Turkey per the comments of Jesus to the churches in Revelation. Satan has a religious system and structures in place in this geographical area. If Satan’s home land is modern day Turkey, would it make sense for him to establish his kingdom with his minions here?
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