Although it had earlier been called Diospolis and then Rhoas, Antiochus II of Syria named it for his wife Laodike and populated it with Syrians and with Jews who were transplanted from Babylonia to the cities of Phrygia and Lydia (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1939, Laodicea). 1 Peter 1:5-9 compares faith with refined gold. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16. 1 Peter 1:7 states that spiritual gold is your faith in Christ, and every true believers faith in Jesus will go through a fiery trial during which all that is dross is to be done away with (burned away) to bring forth a finished product of pure, refined gold. (17) Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, The first question well delve into is why they needed to purchase white garments. 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. You would have thought that this was the ultimate act of humility. Thank you! The second thing we need to look at is what it means to be hot. The positive aspect is that if someone does hear his voice, and does open the door, Jesus will come in. They are not visiting the shut-ins, the hospitalized prisoners, or serving as Jesus served. In terms of textiles, a hot Christian is clean, lives a pure life abstaining from sin, and the colorfastness of the Holy Spirit ensures the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) doesnt fade. The church at Laodicea was very active. We know from this introduction that what follows is being said by Jesus. He was the beginning of all things. Theologians have struggled for two thousand years, trying to determine who exactly they are. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. Are they so focused and preoccupied with prosperity that they cannot hear Christ's voice or hear his knock? What images came into their minds? Jesus was in heaven with God, but voluntarily became a man for our sakes. The Greek word for faithful, ( - pistos) means true, sure, trustworthy, believable, worthy of credit.9 The Greek for true, ( - alethinos) means loving truth, veracious and hence worthy of credit.10 (According to dictionary.com, the word "veracious" means habitually speaking the truth; truthful; honest.) About Laodicea (See Colossians 2:1; 4:13-16) . They stood on an important junction of trades routes running more or less north to south and west to west. Hydrotherapy for the sick became accompanied by religious practices in the local temples. The word for love used in this verse is not agape but phileo. What was it the Laodiceans were supposed to be victorious over? At the foot of Mount Cadmus, it benefited from an endless supply of cold, freshwater coming down from the snow caps. The promise in this verse is that the church will reign with Christ if they overcome. The Greek word amen () was transliterated from the Hebrew word for amen (). 14bthe Amen. The church at Laodicea was not victorious, but Christ had not yet given up on them. Gold, spiritual riches ( I Peter 1:7 ), contrasts with the word "poor," and fire symbolizes trial. The act of hearing implied obedience. So what does it cost to purchase eye salve from Christ? The mineral water was used to clean the wool and set, or lock, the color of the dyes (this ensures the wool holds its color when washed). This promise is amazing because, whenever we do overcome in the battles of life, it is always through Him. Nevertheless, the sin nature, also known as the natural man, is the impurity that interferes with a souls faith coming forth as pure gold just as impurities in nature prevent pure gold from being found. Praying for the sick should also be the norm for a hot Christian. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. A cold Christian visits the shut-ins, the hospitalized, and in prison. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? The ancient Greeks thought that only a barbarian would drink undiluted wine. After such strong correction, it is especially poignant to note that God wants sinners to repent and will quickly forgive their sins if they do. Those who do not have "ears to hear" are spiritually dead and cannot obey God until they respond to His work in their hearts (John 6:65; Romans 11:8). There was still hope for the church at Laodicea. We cannot deny our sin or find excuses to justify it. Christ told the church (in verse 17) that they were blind, and in verse 18, they are instructed to purchase eye salve. Hot water is only effective while it is hot. Production of the famous "Phrygian powder" was also performed in Laodicea. And it works better than modern antibiotics in both lab and mouse models. Jesus is standing at the door, expecting his servants to open it. The city's reputation was for its money transactions and the good quality of raven-black wool grown in the area.1 The black wool, spun into dark yarn, was added to yarn dyed in other colors and made some very intricately patterned colored clothing, which sold for a high price in Rome. The focus of this verse is on deed or works. The wine was almost always served either hot or warm, as the ancient Greeks had no efficient way to chill the wine. Its as if he was served something to drink that was inadequate, subpar, or even bad tasting. Youre going to have to spend time reading the Bible to learn the truth, and by meditating on the Word, reinforce the truth. Please understand that Christ is not referring to saving faith in this passage. The depressing part of this verse if the word if. Of course, Gods love extends to all humanity. Christ calls out to us, letting us know that because He overcame, we can also overcome. Christ told the church at Laodicea to buy___from Him so they could see. This act concealed the shame of his nakedness. You must know the truth so well that, when the lies of the enemy appear, you can recognize it. There are multiple lessons that we can learn from Christs message to Laodicea. How is your hearing? The Lord rebukes the wealthy Christians, not because of their wealth, but rather because their money has substituted God. The Greek word for "witness" ( - martus) means "one who can or does aver what he has seen or heard or knows. The city of Laodicea, currently located in modern Turkey, was situated in the Lycus valley, about 45 miles southeast of Philadelphia and about 100 miles east of Ephesus. This occurs as we repent when we learn that we have sinned and as we allow ourselves to be led by Gods Holy Spirit. Jesus knew how to use God's grace. The salve is responding to the work of God's Spirit as His word . 3. 14bthe faithful and true Witness. If we are humble and willing to obey, He will give us the strength and resolve we need to endure in the battle. We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). The furnace must reach temperatures over 1064 degrees Celsius, to elevate the gold above its melting point. I wish you were either cold or hot! 3. Ruins from ancient Laodicea (photo by David Treybig). "Laodicea had a famous school of medicine; and a special ointment known as "Phrygian powder," famous for its cure of eye defects, was either manufactured or distributed there, as were ear ointments also. Temples had a joint purpose of worship and medical studies. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Suffer in the flesh, cease from sin. Those terms are imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness. Isaiah 1:18, Acts 3:19, and Revelation 7:17 state that the blood of Jesus washes our sin-stained garments that they would become white as snow. In Gods eyes, the Laodiceans are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. They may have lost their focus and strayed in their Christianity, but they are still a body of believers that Christ wanted to straighten out. Laodicea quickly became a rich city, rich enough to be able to rebuild itself without outside help after the destructive earthquake of 60 A.D. As we will see, this was clearly a characteristic of the self-reliant people of this city. Christ told the church at Laodicea to buy____from Him to become truly rich. The hot mineral water was brought down from Hierapolis and used by the textile industry. A change in behavior will follow true repentance. Laodicea on the Lycus, located at the crossroads of important trade routes, was once a prosperous city, famous for its black wool, banking services, and medical achievements. When we say that God imputes Christ's righteousness to us, it means that God thinks of Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, or regards it as belonging to us. In the medical works of the 2 nd century AD physician Galen of Pergamon, he described an eye medicine made from a Phrygian stone, probably broken down into a powder or made into a clay, and the eye "salve" John mentions in connection with Laodicea is the same word used by Galen and other medical texts of antiquity (Revelation 3:18; Liddell . The focus of justification is the removal of the guilt of sin. Justification is God's declaration of righteousness (it is imputed). Article URL: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/revelation/seven-churches-of-revelation/laodicea/, Although there was much gold in the city, the riches that really matter are spiritual in natureknowing and practicing Gods truth (, Although Laodicea had a reputation for producing excellent-quality garments from the wool produced in the area, the Bride of Christ will be dressed in fine linen, clean and bright representing the righteous acts of the saints (, Although Laodicea produced medicine for healing various eye ailments, the most important things we need to see are spiritual. I dont think so. Remains of a water pipe in Laodicea (photo by David Treybig). It costs our will. 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. What did Christ mean when He said He would spit them out of His mouth if they did not change? Print subscriptions available in U.S., Canada and Europe. His entire life was a fulfillment of God's Word, and thereby, Gods will. Although the Bible does not reveal how the Church of God began in Laodicea, a faithful minister named Epaphras served this congregation as well as members in Colosse and Hierapolis sometime during the first few decades after Christs death. The Bible speaks of eye-salve. Christs threefold prescription to cure their condition paralleled the physical circumstances that had apparently deceived them. They were storing up treasure on earth, but not in heaven. 19a Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. Among them nothing from before the Roman period has appeared. It is possible the word meant the messenger or the actual person who delivered the letter, but that would require seven different messengers, one from each of the churches to have traveled to Patmos to get the letter to deliver it. He reckons it to our account.18 The process of reckoning is what we call salvation. Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.19 Imparted righteousness is applied imputed righteousness, or to put in simpler terms; sanctification is applied justification. I could wish you were cold or hot. Isaiah 55:1-3 (NASB). Before considering the significance of this term and the rest of the message from Christ, lets note a few things about Laodiceas history. He is the one who addressed the church at Laodicea. The word discipline is the Greek word (paideu) and means to correct, to chastise.22 The basic idea behind this word is correction or guidance. Revelation 3:14-22. The Greek word arche, which is translated Beginning, has a range of meanings from beginning, origin to the person or thing that commences to that by which anything begins to be to the first place, principality, rule, magistracy (Thayers Greek Lexicon). Jesus himself used the word amen in this context many times. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him. Also, read Proverbs chapter eight. For us to purchase something from Christ, something is required. . It was important for ancient Greeks to eat with company. In addition, its wealth came from the production of a fine quality of famous glossy black woolwhether dyed or natural in color is not known. They are not taking care of needs, providing moral support, or genuinely caring about people. All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. If I go to the store to purchase something, I exchange my money for the goods I wish to purchase. The image is of a Savior who expects that His church will be looking for Him, awaiting His arrival. How do you buy gold when youre poor? Similar to how some people likely spewed the citys unpleasant drinking water out of their mouths, Jesus said He would do the same, yet more violently. There is a difference between transliteration and translation. What did they think it meant to be hot? We need to look at this verse in context with the entire passage. 21bI will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. To purchase from God gold tried in the fire is not only inclining your ear to the Lord, hearing him, going to him and making an everlasting covenant with him, but also loving, believing, and rejoicing as per 1 Peter 1:5-9, (quoted earlier). Ho! 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