To him who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…
Hello to everyone,
Here we are at the last of the 7 churches to whom Jesus is speaking. We know that Jesus is dictating these letters and yet we see that He says it is the Spirit who is speaking. This is powerful teaching that God is One yet three. Remember, lest we are tempted to separate God in any way, that Jesus is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17). This can only be grasped by receiving it spiritually and not intellectually so much. The human nature of man continually and I would say unintentionally tries to separate the Godhead when He cannot be. To think of the Holy Spirit doing something that Jesus does not also do is incorrect. The Godhead never ever acts independently apart from another member. The Father is in the Son and the Spirit is Jehovah God. We miss powerful truths in the word unless we see this truth.
So, it is Jehovah God who is speaking to His church by the Amen, the Son, who is the Spirit, who is none other than Jesus Christ, that is, God Almighty, Creator of the universe! Hallelujah! If we will let the spirit receive this, our hearts will soar with the Spirit within us testifying that this is true, even if we don’t understand right now. The Spirit will bear witness with ours that it is true and that He is not a representative of God or a servant of God or a third in command with God, but He IS God…Jehovah God.
So the Lord’s first communication to the Laodicean church is that she is lukewarm. She is neither hot nor cold, and that is so nauseating to God that He says if she remains so, He will spit her out! This is the most visceral communication of the Lord’s disgust with the last day especially, part of the church, that has been so watered down and so worldly that there is nearly nothing in her that resembles His own people. Every other church receives a commendation to start off but not this one. She is wretchedly wayward. Jesus wishes that she were one or the other, hot or cold, because He can work with that. But a miserable, apathetic, wayward church that knows she is and flat doesn’t give a rip, is more than He can stand. He would rather deal with an obstinate church (or believer) who has zeal without knowledge, or a believer (or church) who has knowledge but no zeal, that to fix one who has neither knowledge nor a heart to even care that they know nothing of God.
Interestingly this lukewarm church is rich in goods. They are for the most part without need. They even have works. He says that they are so comfortable in their comfort that the fact that they are spiritually wretched, miserable, poor, blind and NAKED is not known to them. Now pay attention to the last word naked because we are going to look at that more in the light of the rest of the scriptures and we will see if powerful doctrine doesn’t emerge as a result. These descriptive words are not random, but communicate truth we need to know. How can a true church (or believer) be saved yet naked? Many mess up doctrine here because they assume that this church is either not a true church or that she has lost her salvation. Neither is true and we will see that before we discuss why she is naked. Brace yourselves for this one and meditate upon it and I will come back in another email to begin our discussion and then to delve into 1 John and discuss sin and what it really is and how it does not belong in the believer’s life.
After the word naked in the scriptures, there is a colon (added later by translators, but is there by intention in the Greek none the less). Jesus is stating it, then pausing to let us chew on it before He wraps up His thought. He states that she IS naked. Then…He advises her to BUY something. Now salvation cannot be bought or earned, so what is He referring to? Well, He tells her to buy gold refined in the fire and white raiment. Now the saints are clothed in white raiment already so how is this lukewarm church different from the saints clothed in white? Gold refers to the refining process of the Smith who burns off the dross of a corroded golden object. Gold tried in the fire. James and Peter tell us to rejoice when we are tried in the fire (always by God, He tries the righteous). For we will come forth as gold if we endure. We will see later in Revelation that some mysterious saints of God during the tribulation have earned the right to wear white, through their suffering. Jesus is exhorting this church to buy this raiment, gold and anoint their eyes so they can SEE. Then He consoles after the spanking. He says He only rebukes those He loves. We know from elsewhere throughout the word that He only chastens His children. This church, these believers who are like Laodicea are NOT NOT NOT lost, or the unsaved! They are HIS! Many teachers miss this. But it is critical to order our understanding of all truth. These children being rebuked so harshly here are the Lord’s. They are just lazy, complacent and dangerously lukewarm. They never turned from God they just stayed in lukewarm immaturity never moving forward, never being transformed by the renewing of the mind ( which is what is meant by eyes and seeing by the way. The eye is the mind in scripture!!!
Notice how Jesus never rebuked Judas who was one who never belonged to Jesus (Jesus invited him to be the elect but Judas rejected the invitation…the Greek meaning of all the words involved in this scripture concerning Judas show us that Judas was invited to be the elect but rejected the invitation). He does not rebuke the lost until they are His. Notice how Peter was always rebuked. He wore a short chain and Jesus was always yanking a knot in it! Why? Because Peter was the Lord’s!!!
So then, the meditation is until next time…how will these lukewarm believers buy gold and white raiment? Is He speaking of salvation? to buy salvation? or something else?
It is something else and we will examine what the Spirit says to us through this letter next time!
Love,
C