REVELATION 3:14-22: LAODICEA

The seventh and last church addressed, the Church of Laodicea, is by far the saddest church; it is the church of unsaved members! These are Christian in name only.

"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 thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: 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. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 3:14-22).

It is my belief that at the time of the Rapture of the Church, the Church will be comprised of two groups of people: those trusting in the work of Christ, and those trusting in their own works. One will be possessors of eternal life as the born again children of God, and the others will profess to be the children of God because they "are busily involved in the Christian Religion." The Rapture will remove those described as "Philadelphians," and those remaining on earth will be the "Laodiceans." The following is gleaned from Larkin's book, Dispensational Truth:

"Christ has no "commendation" for this Church. He said, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot, so then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth." The cause of this "lukewarmness" is the same as that of the Church of Laodicea - was Self-Deception. "Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked."

Then a most startling revelation was made to the Church of Laodicea, Christ said, "Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock." Jesus was excluded from His own nation, for they Rejected Him; excluded from the world, for it Crucified Him; excluded from His Church, for He stands outside its door Knocking for Entrance."

Today's church members need to take inventory as to which group they belong. Are you trusting totally in the gift of salvation provided solely on the basis of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection for you? Or are you a believer that He did those things, and now it is up to you to live a life worthy enough to be acceptable to God? The first group received the gift of salvation; the latter group seeks to work for salvation. In that, they are no different than members of every religion on earth. Religion is not the way; Jesus is the Way!