Revelation – Chapter-3

Accusation:  Christ rebuked them for being ‘neither cold nor hot’ but lukewarm.  His language is drawn from Laodicea’s water supply.  Because it travelled several miles through an underground aqueduct before reaching the city, the water arrived dirty and warm.  It was not enough to relax and restore, like the hot springs at Hierapolis (8-KM away).  Nor was it cold and refreshing like the stream water at Colossae.  Comparing the lukewarm water, the Lord gave a shocking rebuke:  “because you are luke-warm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

Hot springs at Hierapolis (8 Km. away)

Some churches make the Lord weep, others make Him angry, but the Laodicean church made the Lord sick.  Hot people are those who are spiritually alive.  The cold people are those who reject Jesus Christ.  They have no interest in Christ, His Word or His church.   The lukewarm do not fit into either category.  They are not genuinely saved, yet they openly do not reject Christ. They attend the church and claim to know the Lord, Like the Pharisees, they are content to practice a self righteous religion. To the materially rich church, God  accuses the church as  you say, I am rich and have become wealthy and have no need, but you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

Aquaducts similar to one in Laodicea

Laodicea was wealthy.  That wealth gave the members of its church a false sense of security as they imagined that their spiritual wealth mirrored their city’s material wealth.  They were rich in spiritual pride but bankrupt in saving grace. Believing that they were to be envied were in fact to be pitied.  The Lord would have instantly judged and destroyed this church filled with unbelieving hypocrites.  Instead He graciously offered them genuine salvation. This is true with most of the churches today which are filled such hypocrite Christians.

Admonition:  Laodicea was noted for its black wool industry, production of eye-salve.  The Lord gave a beautiful metaphorical  examples to offer them the salvation.  Just as in (Isa.55:1) “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters and you who have no money, come, buy and eat.  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”  The sinners have to offer their hopeless condition in exchange of Christ’s offer of Salvation.

The Lord advised the Laodiceans to buy 3-things which symbolize true redemption.

1. Gold refined by fire: They needed gold that was free from impurities which represent the priceless riches of true salvation.  That would bring them into true relationship with Him.
2. White garments: They could clothe themselves to cover their shame of their nakedness. Laodiceans black wool symbolized the dirty, sinful garments that cover the unsaved. The white garments symbolizes the righteous deeds which is nothing but the Righteousness of Christ which accompany with saving faith.
3. Eye salve: In contrast to the eye-salve they were producing in Laodicea, Christ is offering the salve to anoint their eyes so that they could see. They prided themselves about their supposed higher spiritual knowledge, but in fact they were spiritually blind. Laodiceans desperately needed to open their eyes so that they could turn from darkness to light.

The Lords direct appeal to the Laodiceans in (3:19) : Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline” indicates that the Lord still loves them.  He is showing His compassion to them. To reprove means to expose and convict.  Further the Lord directly  offerthat“Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”It is  an  amazing  offer to  dine with them for the repentant church  which experienced God intimate fellowship and  communion.  Dine is the Greek word for last meal of the day.  Christ urged them to have fellowship with Him before the night of judgement fell and it was too late forever.

He who overcomes (all believers) receives a wonderful promise.  Christ will grant to that person to sit down with Him on His throne, as “He also overcame and sat down with the Father on His throne.”  Finally the Lord closes the letter with the words: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  The message to this Nauseating  church which is hypocritical.  This church resembles most of the present day churches where nominalism, carnalism, a form of  spiritual worship, acting  etc are rampant.  Unless the members of such churches repent and accept the graceful salvation, their end would be nothing but hell.

The short summary of the letters to 7-churches:

                                                                        (Taken from Life Application study Bible)