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Criticality of the Laodicean Rebuke
The Book of Revelation, as is the book of Daniel, is such an incredible pillar in
eschatology and even in the expository writing categories. This is a very unique passage of
scripture in and of itself. Through an interpretive exposition on the passage that comprises the
message of the Laodicean rebuke, the specific application of the message as received by the 1st
century church, and a legitimate application of the message to the church today, the reader
should have a clearer explanation of this passage.
Introduction to the Apostle John
In reading the chosen passages, it is critical to understand the background of the one
proclaiming prophecy to understand the truth of the prophecy that he has received and his
interpretation of such visions. John, the writer of the book of Revelation was one who walked
with Jesus and even wrote the five books of John (namely: Gospel of John, 3 Epistles of John,
and Revelation). He was called, along with his brother James, as a fisherman. These two, along
with Peter, were the close friends of Jesus. They were there during the prayer time of the Garden
of Gethsemane. They were there at the foot of the cross. They were sadistically persecuted for
being followers of Christ. “He was exiled to the island Patmos in the Aegean archipelago during
the reign of Emperor Domitian or Nero, and wrote the Book of Revelation there.”1 After his
exile, he was later taken to Ephesus. “John died in Ephesus, (also stated by St. Irenaeus, bishop
of Lyon c. 180 CE,) who says John wrote his Gospel and letters at Ephesus and Revelation at
Patmos.”2 John had a very intimate knowledge of Jesus since he literally walked in Jesus’
1 New World Encyclopedia . "John of Patmos." New World Encycloedia. August 27, 2008.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_of_Patmos (accessed November 26, 2018).
2 Henry Chadwick. "St. John the Apostle." Encyclopedia Britannica. n.d.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle (accessed November 26, 2018).
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presence. He was there as Jesus performed miracles. Therefore, he had been wholly convinced of
the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.
An Interpretive Exposition of Narrative Passages
In His exile, John begins to see visions of Jesus Christ. Christ begins to talk with him and
tell him to write to the seven churches of Asia Minor. In doing this, Jesus gives him specific
messages to write to each of the churches. The churches are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The most fascinating of the seven to me is the
church of Laodicea. Jesus sends the following message to the Laodicean church:
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15E‘I know your works: you are neither
cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16ESo, because you are lukewarm,
and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17EFor you say, I am rich, I have
prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind,
and naked. 18EI counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness
may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19EThose whom I
love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20EBehold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with
him, and he with me. 21EThe one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my
throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne. 22EHe who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev.3:14-22, ESV).
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Jesus starts out by describing the His believability by calling Himself the “Amen, the
faithful and true witness.” (Rev. 3:14, ESV). Referring to Himself as faithful and true allows the
reader to understand Jesus is intending to help by not being biased in His upcoming words, but
bluntly honest. Furthermore, the last line of verse 14 states that Jesus is “the beginning of God's
creation.” (Rev. 3:14, ESV). According to Crossway’s ESV study Bible, the fact Jesus expresses
Himself “as the ‘beginning of God’s creation’ does not mean that He is God’s first creation, but
that He is the one who began God’s creation. In Revelation, ‘the beginning’ with its complement
‘the end’ is an expression of God’s eternity.”3
Jesus continues His oration by saying: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot.
Would that you were either cold or hot!” (Rev. 3:15, ESV). This expression was directed at the
populace of Laodicea because they had allowed the worship of Zeus along with other gods to
infiltrate their churches. “The waters of the nearby Lycus River were muddy and undrinkable,
and the waters flowing by aqueduct from hot springs 5 miles away were lukewarm when they
reached Laodicea. Likewise, Jesus found His church’s tepid indifference repugnant. Cold and hot
water represent something positive…”4 Jesus expresses that this is repulsive and has no
commendation for this church and even states that He will “spit them out of His mouth.” (Rev.
3:16, ESV). Young’s Literal Translation expresses this in a different way. It says: “I am about to
vomit thee out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16, YLT). Jesus was repulsed by this church.
In verses 17 through 19, Jesus goes on to further rebuke this church by explaining how
very blind they are to their own sin. He sates: “17Efor you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I
need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18EI counsel
you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you
3 Crossway. English Standard Version; Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. 2469.
4 Ibid.
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may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your
eyes, so that you may see.” (Rev. 3:17-18, ESV). This points to the need for them to return to the
heart of Christ. They could only “buy” this from Jesus by His mercy and grace.
He explains from a perspective of a father who loves His children. “Those whom I love, I
reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20EBehold, I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with
me.” (Rev. 3:19-20, ESV). He gently teaches and guides, lovingly disciplines and corrects, and
continues to love even when His creation is tainted with sin.
Finally, in His in closing remarks to the Laodicean church, He states: “The one who
conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my
Father on His throne. 22EHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
(Rev.3:21-22, ESV). His remarks to close His rebuke also include a promise that any who
persevere to the end will have a reigning time with Christ. In this passage of verse 21, “it is
implied that Christ will delegate some of His ruling authority to His people. Pre- millennialists
also see this promise of reigning with Christ in the millennium.”5
Specific Application of the Message
When it comes to the overarching application of verses 14-22, there are both an
application to the church of that time (approximately 64 -67 AD or 95-96 AD, which conflicting
scholars often debate) and an application to the church of today (discussed under the next
section). “By contrast [to the hot or cold effectiveness], the lukewarm spiritual condition of the
church at Laodicea was virtually useless. Cold water and hot water have legitimate usages, but
lukewarm water is often spit out of the mouth as distasteful. The Greek terms are striking in the
original: boiling hot or icy cold. Our Lord would prefer us to boil or freeze rather than simmer
5 Crossway. English Standard Version; Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008. 2469.
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down to a tasteless and nauseatingly insipid commitment.”6 Jesus was explaining that their
complacency was aggravating and essentially locking Him out. Thus, the explanation of verse 20
referring to being at the door knocking. “Christ still loved this church and was concerned about
its future.EEHere is the Lord of the Church pleading with this particular church not to close the
door of their church to Him.7 Jesus lovingly corrects them then points to how He would like for
them to be with Him. “The image of eating with the Lord symbolizes the joy of fellowship. In
the Near East the sharing of a common meal indicates the forming of a strong bond of affection
and companionship. "The imagery undoubtedly points to the great marriage supper of the Lamb
(Rev. 19:7-9).”8 Jesus simply wants to restore this church to Himself and have the ultimate
relationship with them.
Legitimate Application to the Church Today
As the reader turns to the application to the church today, we see a harsh tone that again
should be taken with the church of today. There have been declines of church affiliation to
evangelical churches across the nation and even churches who have completely changed beliefs.
“Once an overwhelmingly Protestant nation, the U.S. no longer has a Protestant majority. In
2007, when the Pew Research Center conducted its first Religious Landscape Study, more than
half of adults (51.3%) identified as Protestants. Today [2015], by comparison, 46.5% of adults
describe themselves as Protestants. While the overall Christian share of the population has
dropped in recent years, the number of Americans who do not identify with any religion has
soared. Nearly 23% of all U.S. adults now say they are religiously unaffiliated, up from about
16% in 2007. While most of the unaffiliated describe themselves as having “no particular
6 Ed Hindson. The Book of Revelation: Unlocking the Future (21st Century Biblical Commentary Series).
Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002.
7 Ibid.
8 Bruce Metzger. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. 39.
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religion,” a growing share say they are atheists or agnostics.”9 The church of today is rapidly
shifting as well to complete and total acceptance of abominable beliefs specifically condemned
by God throughout His word. Such beliefs as homosexuality have invaded the church and
become radically accepted by numerous churches although they are explicitly condemned in
several passages (Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1
Timothy 1:10; 2 Peter 2:7; and Jude 7). The church has begun to change into becoming the
Laodicean church all over again. “Whenever we refuse to let Christ take His rightful place as
Lord of the church, we, too, in essence close the church door in His face, leaving Him on the
outside, seeking admission to that which is rightfully His.”10 This warning and rebuke to the
historical church of Laodicea is fully applicable to the church of today with its biblical beliefs
and traditions waning and turning to ‘idol worship.’ In each of the letters to the seven churches,
“we have our Lord’s personal encouragement to keep the faith, endure persecution, remain
zealous, and seize the opportunity to spread the gospel.”11 Jesus only wants the best for His
creation and offers such to the ones who readily accept His free gift of salvation.
Conclusion
No matter which belief the reader stands firmly by, a blinded view that the church is
getting better or the view that the church needs to open its eyes and turn their hearts back to God,
the fact remains that Christ is preparing His people and warning us in every way possible to be
ready for His return. Through a more thorough understanding of the church from the letter to the
church of Laodicea, we see the need for more preachers with a Holy Ghost led backbone to
preach the unadulterated word of God as we near Christ’s return.
9 Pew Research Center. "Chapter 1: The Changing Religious Composition of the U.S." Pew Research Center. May
12, 2015. http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/chapter-1-the-changing-religious-composition-of-the-u-s/ (accessed
November 26, 2018).
10 Ed Hindson. The Book of Revelation.
11 Ben Gutierrez and Elmer Towns. The Essence of the New Testament: A Survey. Nashville: B & H Academic,
2012. 334.
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Bibliography
Chadwick, Henry. "St. John the Apostle." Encyclopedia Britannica. n.d.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-John-the-Apostle (accessed November 26,
2018).
Crossway. English Standard Version; Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2008.
Gutierrez, Ben, and Elmer Towns, . The Essence of the New Testament: A Survey. Nashville: B
& H Academic, 2012.
Hindson, Ed. The Book of Revelation: Unlocking the Future (21st Century Biblical Commentary
Series). Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002.
Metzger, Bruce. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville: Abingdon
Press, 1993.
New World Encyclopedia . "John of Patmos." New World Encycloedia. August 27, 2008.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_of_Patmos (accessed November 26,
2018).
Pew Research Center. "Chapter 1: The Changing Religious Composition of the U.S." Pew
Research Center. May 12, 2015. http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/chapter-1-the-
changing-religious-composition-of-the-u-s/ (accessed November 26, 2018).
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