[00:00:00] Speaker A: I now can sing Since I've been redeemed I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock I faith in Christ my redeemer King I'm on the everlasting, everlasting rock Then row, row, pillows, row. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me Break.
Melt me lo me, fill me Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
Lord, listen to your children pray.
Lord, send your spirit in this place.
Lord, listen to your children pray.
Send us love, send us power, send us grace.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Welcome to the Voice of Hope. I'm Anthony High, your host and we're continuing our journey through the New Testament Book of Revelation.
Over the next two episodes, we'll be studying Revelation chapter three, verses 14 to to 22. It's Jesus, seventh and final message addressed to the church in Laodicea. The Laodicean church was rich in material goods and outwardly confident, yet broke when it came to grace and true spiritual riches.
As we study together, I pray that this teaching may serve as a spiritual mirror and a call to unwavering truth.
Are we willing to see our spiritual condition reflected back at us?
Join us as we look past our own robes of status to hear the honest testimony of the one who never hides the truth.
Stay tuned as our Bible teacher, J. Mark Horst teaches on the Church of Dangerous Delusion.
[00:03:03] Speaker C: Marshall Applewhite was born in Texas in 1931 to the family of a Presbyterian minister and initially he pursued a career in music and academia.
He was a very talented singer.
He earned a master's degree in music and became a well regarded professor and choral director at two universities, the University of Alabama and the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.
He was married and he had two children. But his struggles with his sexuality and depression marked his personal life and they contributed to his divorce in the mid-1960s.
But Applewhite's life took a dramatic change after he was hospitalized in the early 1970s immediately following a near death experience.
While he was in the hospital, he met Bonnie Lou Nettles. She was a nurse who was interested in eastern religion and biblical prophecy. It's quite a combination.
Anyway, the two formed an intense non sexual spiritual partnership and they left their conventional lives and began to travel across the country. They developed a new belief system that blended biblical eschatology with New Age concepts and science fiction.
Applewhite and Nettles together built a small dedicated following that they called the class.
And they required those who joined the class to sever ties with their families. They also demanded that they practice strict celibacy and asceticism.
Nettles died of cancer in 1985, and after that, Applewhite shifted the group's theology, teaching that their physical bodies were merely containers or vehicles to be shed for the ascension to the alien spacecraft, or what he called Heaven's Gate.
Then, In March of 1997, as the Hale Bopp Comet was making its closest approach to the Earth, Applewhite led his deluded followers in the Heaven's Gate cult to believe that a spaceship was following the comet, and it was time for all of them to make their final exit.
And so he and 38 members of the cult died by suicide in a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
You know, whatever we may think of this group, we can all agree they were seriously deluded.
But there's a question that we have to ask. How does one arrive at that state of delusion?
In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, in the context of end time events, Paul writes, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception. Among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason, that is because they didn't receive the love of the truth, God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie that is the lie that the Antichrist is Christian.
And so you see from Paul's words that not loving the truth creates an opening for deception.
Chuck Colson put it this the trouble with people who don't believe the truth is not that they believe nothing, it's that they will believe anything.
So when we willfully turn away from the truth and find pleasure in unrighteousness, that leads to delusion and to spiritual hardening.
And sadly, those who are deluded prefer comforting lies to disconcerting truths. And that leads only to further deception.
As we will see, this was the state of the church in Laodicea. It's described for us in Revelation chapter 3 and verses 14 to 22.
They were under the dangerous delusion that everything was good, all was well, when in reality they were very close to being rejected by Jesus.
So listen carefully, follow along if you can, as I read the text, Revelation 3, 14, 22, and to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, 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 that you were cold or hot.
So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
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, 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 eyesalve that you may see as many as I love. I rebuke and chasten.
Therefore be zealous and repent.
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.
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.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
As we examine Jesus message to this church in Laodicea, we must note again the close connection between the church's environment and the personalized message that Jesus gave to them.
And so, as I highlight some of the characteristics of this city, Laodicea, think about the time and the circumstances in which you and I live and look for similarities.
Laodicea, like the other churches we've looked at, was located in Asia Minor.
And the name Laodicea is interesting because it derives from Laos, people and dike. Judgment. It means judgment by the people, or today we would say leadership by the people or democracy.
The city lay between Hierapolis and Colossae on a strategic trade route from Ephesus to the east.
It was also the chief city of the district, and so it was strongly influenced by Greek and Roman culture.
The ruins of the city today testify to its significance.
There are three large theaters and a large hippodrome that was used for horse racing.
There's also an interesting fact about the water in Laodicea that aligns with Jesus message to the church.
The nearby city of Hierapolis had hot springs that were considered medicinal. They were good for your health and they drew many visitors.
Conversely, Colossae was known for its cold, refreshing mountain springs.
But what about Laodicea?
It was known for its tepid water because the water had to travel 3km over a viaduct in order to enter the city.
Laodicea was also a wealthy city. It was a significant hub for manufacturing and banking.
It was especially noted for a couple of things Woolen carpets and mass produced inexpensive clothing. Now that was something in that time.
In one instance, like other nearby cities, it was destroyed by an earthquake. But according to Roman historians, it was rebuilt without any external assistance from Rome.
And then furthermore, it served as a center of worship for Asclepios. Remember we met him before in one of the other letters.
He was present in Pergamum. He was the God of the healing arts. And there were more than 400 Asclepius related facilities scattered throughout the Roman Empire. They functioned as healing centers and they dispensed the Gods grace and mercy to those who were in need.
Laodicea also had a medical college that was famous for producing special medications for the ears and the eyes.
It was also the home of the highly educated philosopher and statesman Cicero.
He wrote things like the first bond of society is marriage. The next our children and then the whole family and all things in common.
This city had it all. It had a secure location, it had wealth, it had material goods, it had access to medical care. It had the Greco Roman culture with all its trappings, an educated populace and plenty of entertainment options.
It had need of nothing. Or so it thought.
But our study will reveal the inaccuracy of the belief.
As we have seen, Jesus addresses each of these seven churches uniquely based on conditions both external to and internal to that particular church.
So let's observe his introduction here which includes three distinctive names or titles.
These things says the God of the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God.
The God of the Amen is used here as a proper name. It's used that way in Isaiah 65, 16.
And you may recall that in the Gospels when Jesus says truly, truly, I say to you, the word he's using is Amen. Amen. Amen.
I say to you, Jesus is the fulfillment of all that God has spoken to the churches.
So be it. We might say this can take it to the bank.
The next name then is the faithful and true witness. And this reinforces the Amen.
Jesus testimony never falls short of the truth.
He doesn't hedge, he doesn't omit, he doesn't obfuscate, he doesn't change his message to suit the audience.
He will not approve of anything that his Father doesn't approve.
He is entirely trustworthy and his testimony cannot be disputed by human reasoning.
You know, agreeing or disagreeing with him doesn't change the truth one bit.
And then the last identifier is the beginning of the creation of God. And so here is the concept of the Logos that is so prominent in John's Gospel.
Jesus the Word was the instrument by which the world was created.
John 1:3 tells us, all things were made through him, and without him, nothing was made that was made.
Philo, who was an Alexandrian Jew of the first century, wrote this, and I'm Jesus is continually a petitioner to the immortal God on behalf of the mortal race, which is exposed to affliction and misery. He is also the ambassador sent by the ruler of all to the subject race.
And that's the end of the quote.
So these three names and attributes highlight the absolute trustworthiness of of Jesus.
And on that basis he begins his analysis of the Church at Laodicea.
As I noted in my introduction, the church at Laodicea is one of the two in seven that receives no words of commendation.
But before we examine what Jesus said, I will note that some scholars who study these seven churches connect them to different eras of church history.
I haven't focused on that aspect because we only have a limited amount of time for each of these episodes.
However, in their view, Ephesus represents the beginnings of the church and its decline at the close of the first century, and then each successive church represents another era until we arrive at Laodicea. And they would place that as the church from approximately 1900 until the return of Christ.
Now, these things are not spelled out, they're not clear in the text itself, and there may be some merit there. Keep those things in mind as we explore today's text, and then, if you like, you can pursue that idea more deeply for yourself.
So let's begin with Jesus accusation.
He says, I know your works. You are neither cold, that is, you are spiritually dead and actively opposed to the church, nor hot, warm, with zeal, totally committed to the church. You're neither of those. And I would prefer either of these two states to the current state of lukewarmness. Now remember Laodicea's neighboring cities, Hierapolis and Colossae. One had the therapeutic hot springs and the other had cold, refreshing mountain spring water.
So the tepid waters of Laodicea were neither hot nor cold.
Now we know why Jesus would prefer that they would be hot with zeal.
But why cold?
I would say that coldness is more honest and honorable than the pretense that often accompanies those who are lukewarm.
The likelihood that the gospel will reach a person who is cold toward God is a whole lot greater than that of a lukewarm person who believes as the church did here in Laodicea. That everything was good, everything was okay.
God wants the character of his church to be like Jesus, faithful, trustworthy, and settled.
The amen.
So then Jesus said, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
I enjoy coffee. I can drink it hot or I can drink it iced. But if there's anything I can't stand, it's when it's lukewarm I want to spit it out.
The new King James uses the word vomit, and that's appropriate because emeo denotes extreme disgust.
Paul warned Timothy that there are certain individuals in the church that have a form of godliness but deny its power.
So the implication of Jesus words is not that they were being rejected immediately, but that without repentance, were very much in danger of expulsion.
Now let's notice the following reasons why Jesus diagnosed them as being lukewarm and think about how they apply to us today.
First of all, what did they say? They said, I am rich.
Laodicea was a wealthy church in an affluent city, and the Western church, particularly in North America, is a wealthy institution in an affluent society.
Western Christians live at a standard unimaginable to our ancestors and also to many people who live in other parts of the world.
Now, I know many of us will not consider ourselves rich, but compared to most people in the world, we are very wealthy.
One commentator noted that the wealth and comfort described in the Church of Laodicea could only have been achieved. Listen. If their full participation in pagan Roman society is presumed, what does that say about wealth in our churches today?
The Laodicean Church seems to have carried that pride of wealth into its spiritual life.
And the Western church, I would have to say, has done likewise. We're proud of our buildings. In many cases they're elegant, in some cases extravagant.
We may point to the number and quality of our programs or the size of our budget.
I have a hunch that the church in Laodicea did that too.
Not only was this church wealthy monetarily, but it was also enriched with luxury goods.
We too live in a society that's based on consumption.
Take a look around. Expensive cars and SUVs fill our church parking lots. Expensive clothing and accessories are displays of our status.
RVs and vacation homes are not uncommon. And there's a wide range of adult toys that fill our garages and storage units.
This church was in a prosperous city. They were rich in pride and conceit, but they were poor in grace and ignorant of their spiritual poverty.
They were proud of the imagined spiritual riches that they didn't actually possess.
They were a rich, poor church contrasted with Smyrna, which was a poor, rich church.
And then the final evidence of their lukewarmness was the statement, I need nothing.
Note that after the earthquake destroyed their city, they rebuilt it, as I said earlier, without any assistance from the Roman government. And so in their minds they were self sufficient, they were self made.
God had specifically warned Israel about this attitude in Hosea 12, 7, 8.
And Jesus gave us the parable of the wealthy foolish farmer in Luke chapter 12 and verses 16 to 21.
And both of them remind us that the trouble with self made men is that they worship their Creator.
In one of our earlier studies I noted that among these churches things were not always as they appeared. And we see this clearly in this church as Jesus continues to diagnose their illness.
Here is the stark contrast between what the church thought of itself and what Jesus actually saw.
He said, because you say I am rich, have become wealthy and need nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
Let's take these one at a time and look at what Jesus saw as he looked on this church.
You are the wretched ones.
You know, just the sound of those words is depressing because it denotes being contemptible, dejected and distressed in mind or body. Paul uses that word in Romans 7:28, where he cries out regarding his predisposition to make sinful choices. O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?
And then think about John Newton, that miserable slave ship captain, penning the words to the song Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
So Jesus points out that their vision is distorted, they cannot see clearly their terrible condition.
And not only were they unaware that they were the wretched ones, but they were also the miserable ones. They were the most pitiable. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The church at Laodicea was in a lamentable condition and they didn't know it. They were close to being vomited out of the presence of Jesus.
Further, Jesus said, you are the poor ones, despite what you say. You are the spiritually impoverished. You are the beggars, you are the destitute ones. Your wealth is temporary, it's destined for the fire.
And then he said, you are the blind ones. The trouble is you don't know it. You're like the Pharisees in John chapter 9 who asked Jesus, are we blind also?
And what did Jesus say to them? He said, if you were blind you would have no sin.
But now you say, we see and because of that your sin remains.
And then last but not least, he says, you are the naked ones. You live in a city that is famed for its cheaply priced mass produced clothing. You are well clothed physically, but you lack the robes of righteousness. You have no shame because you don't know that you are fully exposed before the Lord of the church.
You know, I wonder whether God would diagnose our churches this way.
Jesus Accusations against this church in Laodicea seem very contemporary to me today. Those who claim to be Christians but are not active in the church have divorce rates equal to or exceeding the general public. And the same is true with the use of antidepressants at obesity and drunkenness and addictions to pornography and prescription drugs. And those are all evidence of affluence. Devoid of devotion toward God.
Viewing the sins of Laodicea is like holding up a mirror to the contemporary church.
Do you and I see ourselves in this picture? And if so, can this be changed?
And what is the remedy?
But we'll have to wait until next time to discuss what that remedy is. I hope you can join me then.
[00:24:33] Speaker A: Close to my heart throw me my Savior.
[00:24:44] Speaker C: So precious.
[00:25:27] Speaker B: Thank you jmarc for the challenging teaching.
The news of spiritual blindness is devastating to hear, but this truth is the only thing that makes a life saving recovery possible.
I am so grateful that Jesus is the faithful and true witness.
It is only through repentance and faith in him that we can see clearly and receive the grace that that restores and renews our life.
If you've been encouraged by this episode from the Book of Revelation, we invite you to listen to more of our Bible teaching by visiting our
[email protected] you'll find past episodes, additional podcasts and videos, as well as our ministry updates.
Your prayers and support make this ministry possible and we're thankful for each one who walks with us as we share the good News of Jesus Christ around the world.
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And last of all, our mailing address is Heralds of Hope, 6183 Lincoln Highway, Harrisonville, PA 17228.
Keep tuning in for more Bible teaching and encouragement Right here on the voice.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: Of hope oh brother, be faithful Soon Jesus will come for whom we have waited so long O, soon we shall enter our glorious home and join in the conqueror song O brother, be faithful for why should we prove unfaithful to him who has shown such he such unbounded and infinite love who died to redeem us his own?
O brother, be faithful the city of gold prepared for the good and the blessed Is waiting its portals of pearl to unfold and welcome thee into thy rest and rise Brother, prove faithful not long shall we stay in weariness here and forlorn time's dark night of sorrow is wearing away we haste to the glorious morn O brother, be faithful he soon will descend creation's omnipotent king While legions of angels is where ye'd attend and palm wreath of victory bring.
[00:28:45] Speaker C: O.
[00:28:46] Speaker A: Brother, be faithful and soon shalt thou hear thy savior pronounce a glad word well done, faithful servant Thy title is clear.
