Theologians have long debated the inspiration of Scripture. Yet one part of the Bible makes an unmistakable claim to come directly from Jesus: the seven letters to the churches in Revelation 2–3. Jesus dictated them personally to the apostle John.
Each letter applies to every church. Many also argue, rightly in our view, that together they form a prophetic picture of church history, from the birth of the church to the Lord’s return.
With the signs of Jesus’ second coming escalating around us, the letter to Laodicea is especially relevant. We need to ask how it applies to the church today.
When did you last hear a sermon on this letter? These are the only letters in which Jesus personally addresses the church, yet they are rarely preached because their message is hard. That is exactly why we must hear it.
What’s in a name?
The names of the seven churches often reflect their character, and Laodicea is a striking example.
The city was named after Laodice, wife of the Seleucid king Antiochus II, rather than chosen for its meaning. Even so, the name is built from two Greek words: laos (people) and dikē (judgement). It can be rendered “the people decide”, “opinions of the people” or “judgements of the people”.
This speaks directly to the democratic West. We can do almost anything we like with our time and resources. Political correctness and tolerance often discourage us from respectfully disagreeing or pointing out error.
Our society is Laodicean. There is no question these attitudes have infiltrated the church.
The city behind the letter
Laodicea stood in the Lycus Valley, in what is now south-western Turkey. Several details of its history help explain the language Jesus used.
Its water. Laodicea had no reliable water supply of its own. Water was piped in by aqueduct from springs several miles away and arrived lukewarm and heavy with minerals. Nearby Hierapolis was famous for its hot, healing springs, and Colossae for its cold, refreshing water. Hot water heals and cold water refreshes. Lukewarm water does neither, and is more likely to make you retch. The Laodiceans would have understood Jesus’ words immediately.
Its wealth. Laodicea was a prosperous centre of banking and trade. When an earthquake devastated the city around AD 60, the Roman historian Tacitus records that it rebuilt from its own resources, without help from Rome. A city that could say “I need nothing” was proud of its self-sufficiency. Jesus tells its church that it is, in fact, poor.
Its clothing. The region was known for a glossy black wool, woven into fine garments. Jesus counsels this church to buy white clothes to cover its shameful nakedness.
Its medicine. Laodicea was associated with a renowned medical school and an eye salve known as Phrygian powder. Jesus tells a city proud of healing eyes that its church is blind.
Every image in the letter strikes at something Laodicea trusted. The same is true for us: Jesus exposes the very things we rely on instead of Him.
The letter itself is short, just nine verses (Revelation 3:14-22). We will take it section by section and consider how it applies to us today.
The faithful and true witness
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. (Revelation 3:14 NIV)
“Laodicea” accurately describes society in the UK and across the West. The church landscape is fragmented, with churches and denominations breaking away in different directions. This is the Laodicean spirit exactly: the people decide for themselves what church should be.
Jesus reminds us that His words are “faithful” and “true”. In our post-modern culture, it is unfashionable to claim anything is objectively or universally true. Yet His words are true whether we believe them or not. We should take them at face value.
What follows is essential reading for today.
Neither hot nor cold
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16 NIV)
Modern translations can soften the original text. Older translations used “spue”; many now say “spit”. The Greek word simply means to vomit. From Jesus’ perspective, this church is so unpalatable that it makes Him sick. This is very strong language.
Note the certainty, too. Jesus will, not may, vomit this church out. It is a stern warning every church should take seriously.
Jesus cannot abide lukewarm believers. In many ways, mainstream Western Christianity fits this description. Is your church lukewarm in its faith or service for God? Is it comfortable, content and simply going through the motions? Is it so absorbed in internal issues and politics that it fails to be a light to the nations?
The danger of mixture
It is often said that every church has some good in it, or that a leader is sound on some doctrine, so we should focus on the good and overlook the bad. God does not appear to see it that way.
Good and bad do not sit neatly side by side. Once milk is poured into tea, the two cannot be separated. The same is true of the gospel: it is either true or false. Any mixture makes it false.
Worse still, the good parts often persuade people that the whole message is sound. That makes it more harmful and more dangerous. God does not like mixture:
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:6-7 NIV)
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Galatians 5:7-9 NIV)
A redefined gospel is a false gospel, and it cannot save. If a church promotes salvation through good works, experience, signs and wonders, legalism, or ritual and tradition, it has almost certainly strayed from Jesus’ gospel of repentance and grace.
“I am rich”
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17 NIV)
The greatest shock of these letters is remembering who they are written to. This does not sound like Jesus speaking to the church, or to people who are saved.
We should come to Jesus on our knees, with repentant and thankful hearts, in humble reverence. If we are saved, we can be confident in our salvation. Yet the New Testament repeatedly calls us to live in submission to God, surrendering our lives as we walk with Christ.
We question whether this attitude is evident in many contemporary churches. There is an overemphasis on our needs and wants. Many seem to attend church to “experience” God and be entertained by the music and the preacher. Our prayers often become a wish-list, geared towards protecting our comfortable Western lifestyles.
Prosperity teaching in any form contradicts the teaching of Jesus and has no place in our pulpits. The Christian life will be hard and challenging, with the wonderful prospect of rich reward in heaven.
Many UK churches also use secular marketing tools and business models to engage their communities. At times this leads to over-reliance on, or debt to, worldly financial and political institutions. These churches feel secure, wise and prudent. In reality, they are at the mercy of the ever-changing secular environment around them.
Little wonder there is such compromise with society. Pressure on churches to abandon the unpopular, counter-cultural parts of the Bible will only increase.
Gold, white clothes and eye salve
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18 NIV)
The gold mentioned here likely links to this passage in 1 Corinthians:
If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved–even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NIV)
This passage is not about salvation. It shows that believers will be rewarded according to their work for the kingdom during their lifetime. That work is the result of salvation, not the means to it. This should be a great motivation to serve the Lord relentlessly with the gifts He has given us.
So when Jesus counsels us to buy “gold refined in the fire”, we must ask ourselves: are we spending our time, energy and resources on work of eternal value? Everything else is wood, hay or straw. It will not survive God’s judgement.
The Laodicean church has another notable feature: it cannot see its own condition. It believes it is healthy. Jesus tells it to anoint its eyes, so it can see itself from God’s perspective.
In today’s climate of tolerance, pointing out doctrinal error is strongly discouraged. Yet it is unloving not to point out error, provided it is done humbly and lovingly. How else will people see it unless someone uses Scripture to show them? The New Testament contains many examples of those in error being named, to correct them and to warn others.
Rebuke and discipline
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. (Revelation 3:19 NIV)
Why does Jesus use such graphic language? Because He loves this church, and He loves us.
His rebuke may be painful, but it shows we have not been abandoned. Its purpose is to set us straight and turn us back to Him. It is for our own good.
Jesus at the door
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20 NIV)
This verse is vital. Jesus is outside the church, knocking and waiting to be invited in.
How many churches carry on without the Lord’s presence, doing things their own way? Every church should seriously examine how it measures up to Scripture. Our Lord is fair, loving and never imposing. He will only come in if He is invited.
The promise to the victorious
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:21-22 NIV)
This promise is staggering. Imagine sitting with Christ on His throne. What greater motivation could the church have to put its house in order and refuse compromise?
The seven letters and church history
The Western church needs to hear all the letters in Revelation 2–3 and take them seriously. Few passages are addressed so directly to the church, with such rich promises for faithfulness and such dire warnings against apostasy and lethargy.
The letters overlap, and every church should apply parts of all of them. However, scholars suggest they can be broadly applied to Christendom as follows:
- Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29): the Roman Catholic church
- Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6): the Protestant church
- Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13): the faithful missionary church
- Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22): the apostate church of the end times
Read these letters for yourself and see whether you agree. Churches with traits of Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea could learn much from the persecuted Philadelphian churches, so visibly and aggressively under attack across the world.
These letters should lead us to measure our churches against them. We should be encouraged and stirred by both the blessings for faithfulness and the warnings against apostasy.
An urgent call
These letters are uncomfortable reading. They are an urgent call to action against complacency.
Are there elements of Laodicea in your church? If so, it may be time to do something about it, or to find a Philadelphian church instead.
Revelation 3:20 is addressed to a church, but its invitation is personal: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door”. Jesus still knocks today.
If you are unsure whether you have truly opened the door to Him, do not leave it to chance. Read How To Be Saved and settle the question today.