The Seven Churches Of Revelation Part 7: Laodicea

Revelation 3:14-16  "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."

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Finally, we come to the letter to the pastor (Angel) of the Church of Laodicea.  As you can see by the opening scripture, his biggest issue and hence his church, was that they were "Lukewarm."  What does Jesus mean by the phrase?  Probably not what you’ve heard from most pulpits.

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Compare And Contrast.

The Holy Spirit has placed the letters to Philadelphia and Laodicea side by side, to compare and contrast one with the other. He has done this on purpose, because, in these last days, these two types of Churches were going to be prevalent in the world.  

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There will also be two kinds of Christians:  

#1. Those that preach/believe grace, the true gospel: Grace, are depicted by Philadelphia.  #2. Those that preach a mixture or the "balance" of law and grace, represented by Laodicea. 
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This mixing of law and grace is the heresy the Apostle Paul soundly denounced in the entire book of Galatians.

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Laodicea.

The first clue as to what Lukewarm means is in the meaning of the name, "Laodicea." It comes from two Greek words: "Laós," meaning "A people," characteristically, God’s chosen people: First the Jews, then the Church, and "Diké," which means, "Justice, judicial hearing, or punishment." It is a picture of the churches in our day that mix law and grace. That’s the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, YUK!

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Does being "Lukewarm" refer to believers who are apathetic toward Jesus, meaning not on fire for Him?  Surprisingly no!  
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Here is what it means to be lukewarm:  The Law was written on COLD stone tablets at the first Pentetcost at the foot of Mt. Sinai, right?  Grace was given to the Church on the day of Pentecost in the form of tongues of FIRE by the Holy Spirit.  Tell me: What do you get when you mix cold: The law, with hot: Grace? You get LUKEWARM.  YUK!

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Ever drink lukewarm water?  Yeah; you want to spit it out of your mouth.  

This practice of mixing the covenants, which is rampant today, causes people to be turned off to God because they think all Christianity is just a bunch of rules and regulations. 

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Out Of Context!

One horrible way it is taken out of context is when some well-meaning pastor tells you that if you’re a "Lukewarm Christian," God will spit you out of His mouth.  You know what they’re implying, right?  That you can lose your salvation. 

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THAT IS A LIE FROM THE PIT OF HELL.  IT IS NOT TRUE. It is the devil's attempt to deceive the Church.  

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Works-Based Christianity.

How can you tell if you are hearing such teaching in your Church?  The first clue is that when you sit under the preaching of the pastors of such churches, Jesus’ name is hardly even mentioned.  They continually focus on your works to be acceptable to God as opposed to being are saved by grace.  They teach that you must merit God’s blessings, healing, etc., based on your right doing.  
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You also will hear that you have to work at being good in order to keep your salvation. "You must do this, you must do that; you must be this way, you must be that way, etc." 
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You are constantly told that you don't measure up as the preacher is pointing at YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU instead of pointing TO JESUS, unveiling His beauty loveliness.

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It is, again, the devil’s deception.

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Poor, Blind, And Naked.

Jesus goes on to correct this pastor, who thinks his people are wealthy, when they are actually poor, blind, and naked.  No wonder they never see any breakthroughs.  No wonder healing is rare and people are sick, dying before their time.  

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Revelation 3:17-19

17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."

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Notice Jesus tells him to "BUY" gold refined in the fire, that his people may be rich.  Didn't He just mention that they are "POOR?"  How are they going to buy anything if they have nothing to trade for the gold?  Why did He say that?  Because Jesus always meets us where we are.  He wanted to bring this misguided pastor to the end of himself so that he sees his need.  He must realize they are not rich; that you cannot buy gold, i.e. "Divine righteousness," from Jesus.  It's a free gift.  

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He must see so he can teach his people the truth because God works through headships and leaderships.  The people cannot go higher than their leaders.  That's why it's so critical they get it right.  Otherwise, they are holding back the entire congregation.  That's why leaders are held to a higher standard because they are responsible for Jesus' flock.

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Then Jesus tells him to be "Zealous and repent."  The original Greek says, "Be eager to possess" (this understanding) and "Repent: Change your mind," about how he thought about God.  
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Behold, I stand At The Door.
The final word to this misguided pastor is probably one of the most famous passages in all scripture:
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Revelation 3:20-22  

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 dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

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This passage is most often used to illustrate to people that Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart and wants to come in and be your Savior, after which the pastor usually has an altar call.  Nothing wrong with saying that Jesus wants to be your Savior.  Nothing wrong with saying He is knocking at the door of your heart: He most assuredly is.  But that is not the context here.
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The fact is, this passage isn’t about Jesus knocking at the door of a saved or an unsaved person’s heart at all, though as I said, it is not wrong to use it in that way.  JESUS IS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR OF THE SENIOR PASTORS OF END-TIME CHURCHES.  He wants to be let in.

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Notice, there are weeds growing around the door in the picture, because it hasn’t been used in a long time, and there is no doorknob.  That’s because the door must be opened from the INSIDE.  

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Sin Is Not A Threat To God.

Laodicean type churches, sadly, will outnumber Churches that teach the true Gospel of Grace, in the last days.  That has certainly proven to be true, though this is slowly changing.  It is the cause of the end-time sorrow of Jesus, Who is weeping over His church because she doesn’t know she is completely forgiven of ALL her sins, forever beloved, FOREVER righteous in His sight.
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(For more on this topic, you may follow the link below:

https://emmausroadministries.international/2016/09/02/joseph-wept/)
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Church, SIN IS NOT A THREAT TO GOD. But self-righteous most definitely IS.  God doesn’t fall off His throne when you and I do something stupid.  HALLELUJAH!

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Wrong Focus.

They thought themselves to be rich when, in actuality, they were poor, blind, and naked.  Again, Jesus counseled them to "BUY" bread from Him, something they cannot do. 
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Laodicaean type Churches focus far more on SIN far more than grace.   They don’t trust God and they don’t trust Grace.  Is it any wonder their people struggle with sins, challenges, sicknesses and diseases and many die before their time?  
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Church, it’s simple:  We are transformed from glory to glory by beholding JESUS’ GLORY, not our GORY.  He is the altogether Lovely One.  He deserves ALL the attention.  He deserves ALL the honor, ALL the praise, and ALL the glory!  AMEN!  
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Jesus is standing at the door of the senior pastors of the Laodicean church of these last days, asking to please be allowed in.  He says to those Angles, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  He is asking to be let back into His church once again so He can bless and prosper her.
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Please get up. Answer the door. Jesus is saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
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"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’ "

The Seven Churches Of Revelation part 6: Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-10
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
"These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": 
"I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth."
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Though Jesus had no word of rebuke for the senior pastor of the Church of Smyrna, Philadelphia not only was not rebuked as well but praised by Him.
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Key Of David.
Jesus first mentions that His is holy, i.e. "Set apart," and "True."  Then He, Who CANNOT lie, tells the pastor that He has "The key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens."  If Jesus opens a door to us, no one can shut it.  Likewise, if there is a door that leads to something that is not good for us, He will shut it and no one can open it. What is it this "Key of David?" 
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This key is mentioned in the Old Testament in the passage below:

Isaiah 22:22-24
 
       22 The key of the house of David
             I will lay on his shoulder; 
            So he shall open, and no one shall shut; 
            And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
       23 I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, 
           And he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

24 ‘They will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the posterity, all vessels of small quantity, from the cups to all the pitchers. 25 In that day,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘the peg that is fastened in the secure place will be removed and be cut down and fall, and the burden that was on it will be cut off; for the Lord has spoken.’ "
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How amazing God is in that the first mention of the Key of David is here, in the 22nd verse of the 22 chapter of Isaiah.  22, in Bible numerics, means "Light, revelation."  Other than the book of Revelation, this is the only place where this key is mentioned!
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When God opens doors, no one can shut them.  When He shuts doors, no one can open them!
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David's Heart.
David was a man after God's own heart because all he wanted to do was make sure that the Ark, a picture of Jesus, was at the center of worship in Jerusalem.  It wasn't until after he became king of Israel that he was at last able to realize his life-long dream. 
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Notice in the picture above there is no veil separating the worshippers from the Ark.  There is no separation between God and His beloved.  David means "Beloved."  It’s a picture of pure grace.  David knew God’s heart.  That's why he was not afraid to bring the Ark to Jerusalem and worship before it.  
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Philadelphia Remembered.
The Church at Philadelphia knew God’s heart.  There were things about Christ that they remembered that the others had forgotten: 
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#1. They kept Jesus' word and loved to talk about Him, about revelations of Who He is and what He does for us.  
Knowledge about Jesus is not enough, as in the case when the wise men came to King Herod to find out where Jesus would be born.  The Pharisees were able to tell the king but not so Jesus could be worshiped but to be killed.  That’s not the kind of Bible knowledge you want.  It must be revelation about Christ:  His person, His glory, His majesty, His work, and so on.
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#2. They did not deny His Name. They were a church that loved to mention the Name, "Jesus."  The Bible tells us that in the end times, like now, there will be a pervasive spirit of antiChrist.  Notice it's the spirit of "AntiChrist," not "AntiGod."  These people are for God but against Christ.
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Many talk about the Names of God, Elohim, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Rapha, and so on.  Yes, it's OK to talk about the many names of God, but remember it was Jesus Who died for us.  He is the Christ, our Messiah.  Don't be afraid to speak out His Name:  Lord Jesus Christ.
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#3. They held on to His patience.  In the midst of trials and tribulations, they held on in His patience, persevering in the face of them by not blaming God.  They recognized that those things are not from Him; that He turns every trial into a triumph and makes all things turn out for good to us.  
They prayed, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Now, there are many things that God will keep us from going through.  If you never go through anything, how will you know you were delivered from it?  That's why God will allow us to go through some testings and trials so that we will know what it means to be delivered out of them.  That's when we give Him praise because we don't know the things from which we have been saved.  Thank God for the things you don't know about because they didn't happen to you.
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Key To Open Doors.
There's a key in Jesus' nail-pierced hand for you and I.  What kind of doors does His key open?  Let's look at a few scriptures.
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Key To The Door Of Faith.
Acts 14:27-28  
"27 Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 So they stayed there a long time with the disciples."

Even for faith, we are fully dependent on God to open the door to us so we can walk in the way He wants us to.  God is our supply!  God has the key!
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Keys To Death And Hell.
Revelation 1:18  "18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."
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In the garden, it was Adam who committed high treason, bowed his knee to the outlaw spirit, satan, who brought in death, sickness, disease, poverty, every curse that became our heritage.  But when Jesus died, He bought back those keys of death and hell in His hand.  HALLELUJAH!!!  
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In the original Greek, the above order is reversed.  It says, "Death and Hell, or Hades."  Death comes first, then hell, unless you are born again.  Then you can never experience hell!  You are saved for all eternity.  Nothing you can do or say to reverse that.  (See John 10:25-30)
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Key To The Door Of Effective Ministry.
1 Corinthians 16:9 "For a great (mega) and effective (energés) door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."

The word in Greek for great is "Mega," and effective or productive is the word "Energés," where we get our word for "Energy."  A door opened to Paul for great energy to do miracles, witnessing, preaching, etc.  
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Good thing because there were many enemies. You need great energy to be effective against adversaries on every side.  God provides that for his servants who are called to minister.  Whenever you have an effective ministry or area of service you are going to have people who are jealous, who want to see you fail, who work to try and make you fail TO NO AVAIL!
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Door Of Utterance.
Colossians 4:3-4 (KJV)  "3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak."

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Those who preach and teach want to make sure they pray this prayer that God will speak His truth through you as you preach and teach others.  

How often, as preaching is going on, do some of the things which are said by the pastor are things he or she didn't plan to say?  They just "Happen," to be included and lives were changed.  What was spoken that reached out and touched someone, unbeknownst to the one preaching, was the Holy Spirit taking over the teaching!  

Even as a parent, when you are speaking to your child, the Lord will open to you wisdom on how to reach your young one.  Sometimes as I am writing on a topic, I can hear the Holy Spirit giving fresh revelation.  He's an amazing teacher!

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Revelation 3:9-11

 "9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 

10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Great Tribulation) 

11 Behold, I am coming quickly!Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.  

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When the Great Tribulation hits planet earth, it will be the worst of times ever before experienced in history.  We, Church, will not be here during these dark days.  We will have been taken out of this world in the greatest disappearance of all time:  The Rapture!
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Promises To All Believers

Revelation 3:12-13

12 He who overcomes, (1) I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. (2) I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. (3) And I will write on him My new name.
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All those who put their trust in Christ will become a pillar in the temple of God, we will have a new name, and Jesus will write on us that new name.  The Church of brotherly love, "Philadelphia," not only knew and understood all these things, they meditated on them to the point that they were non-plussed by their culture.  Their focus was right where it should be:  Squarely on Jesus!  
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That's how they remained faithful through trials.  That's why Jesus said all those things about them.  That's why for this pastor there was no only no rebuke, there was praise for who they were and what they were doing.
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13 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ’