Word for Every Day ~ December 24 And unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith 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 would you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Rev. 3:14–17). Jesus sent a Message to each of the seven Churches of Asia; of these, Laodicea was the last. This particular Church constitutes the conclusion of the Church Age, and represents the time in which we now live. In other words, the modern Church is the Laodicean Church, and the Laodicean Church is the modern Church. Unfortunately, the Message given by Christ is not very positive. The Laodicean Church is actually an apostatized Church, which means that it has departed from the Truth. It is neither “cold” nor “hot,” but rather “lukewarm.” As a result, Jesus said, “I will vomit you out of My mouth.” And thus is the modern Church! The Seventeenth Verse, sadly and regrettably, describes the modern Church to the proverbial “T”. In not only the United States, but also over the balance of the entire world, the modern Church has never been richer, at least regarding material things. It is “increased with goods,” which again speaks of material things, but definitely not spiritual things. In the modern Church, “faith” has been reduced to “things,” instead of what the correct object ought to be, which is the Cross of Christ. The modern Church basically claims that “it has need of nothing.” It is lukewarm, rich, increased with goods, and sees no need for anything else. But what did Jesus say with respect to the answer of the Laodicean Church? He described this Church, first of all, as “wretched.” The word in the Greek refers to a test that has been given, and the one taking the test has failed. Second, Christ called this Church “miserable.” It means “to be pitied.” Third, He referred to it as “poor,” meaning that it literally was, at least in His eyes, a spiritual beggar. Fourth, He called it “blind.” The word, as used here, actually means “to be lifted up in pride.” Fifth, and last of all, He described it as “naked.” It refers to being spiritually naked. So, as is obvious, Jesus’ summation of the Laodicean Church was not very positive. Considering that this Church characterizes the modern Church, i.e., refers to what the Church is presently, the situation is dire indeed! At the beginning of John’s Vision, Christ is pictured as standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, which represent, as stated, the Church. Now, He is no longer in the midst of the Churches, but rather is standing outside, knocking at the door, and saying, “If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (3:20). The essence of that particular invitation shows that the Lord is no longer dealing with the institutionalized Church as a whole, but rather is dealing with individuals. While He has always dealt with individuals, now He is dealing only with individuals. This shows that the Church has completely apostatized, except for the Remnant who truly love the Lord (Rom. 9:27). Swaggart, Jimmy: The Expositors Word For Every Day. Baton Rouge, LA : World Evangelism Press, 2005, S. 868
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 11:48:40 +0000
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