All must admit the importance of the question that is agitating many minds, as to whether Philadelphia and Laodicea are concurrent or successive phases of Church history. If they both go down to the end, Christians may be in either one or the other of them. If, on the other hand, the one has merged in the other, all Christians are now in Laodicea.
Leaving aside the question as to whether Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, do not all go down to the end, as undoubtedly they do, and as has been hitherto taught and received, we will confine our inquiry to the last two churches.
A few moments' reflection will impress on the mind the gravity of such an inquiry, with the practical consequences, as to walk and testimony, that are involved in it. Upon the concurrent view, according as we recognize ourselves in either the one or the other of these churches, will be our responsibility to give heed to the special testimony respectively borne to them. Those who take Philadelphian ground must listen to what "He that is holy, he that is true" says to Philadelphia; while those who take Laodicean ground must listen to what "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" says to Laodicea.
Upon the succession view, Philadelphia being over and Laodicea alone in question, all must listen to what is said to Laodicea, at least, all will who have an ear to hear "what the Spirit saith unto the churches," and those who hold this view may rightly say that it is self-will and rebellion against Christ to hold to Philadelphian ground when He has left that ground, and is addressing Himself to Laodicea. Sad and humbling as it may be to give up Philadelphian ground, with all its comforting and encouraging words, and take that of Laodicea, with its solemn warnings and rebukes, it will be our wisdom and our blessing to do so. Better to humble ourselves before Him who, though outside, in grace stands knocking at the door, ready and willing to come in and have communion with any who, hearing His voice, will open the door to Him, than in hardness of heart to try and stand upon higher and better ground where He can have nothing to say to us.
All this sounds very pious and well, but is it really so? Is it true that "all is Laodicea now "? or is this view a delusion of the enemy, having for its aim the destruction of God's testimony on the earth by detaching believers from the Holy One and the True One, and, while taking from them the comforting hope of His coming and replacing it by the threatenings of judgment, plunge souls into uncertainty and confusion, putting them, at the same time, on a false ground, where self and self's doings take the place of Christ and God's sovereign grace? That we may make no mistake in so serious a matter, let us carefully look into what is involved in taking Laodicean ground, and then compare this with that of Philadelphia. In order to do this safely, we must get rid of all preconceived thoughts on the subject, and receive simply what is taught in God's word- "what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Assuming that Laodicea represents the last phase of the professing church, as the responsible witness for God on the earth, what we have to do is to learn what is said to it by Him "who walketh amidst the seven golden candlesticks." To do this effectively, we must note first the characters in which He presents Himself to this church, and the position in which He places Himself while addressing it.
With reference to the characters He assumes, what first strikes one is, that none of them are ecclesiastical, and none of them those in which John sees Him "in the midst of the seven candlesticks." None of them are judicial, but they are those that present the ways of God in blessing for man, and in the knowledge of which he finds his blessing. Nothing more touching than this, when all is heartless indifference to Himself: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." He speaks as being all these, specially at the moment when addressing this church.
As "the Amen," He is the One in whom all the promises of God are fulfilled and made good on man's behalf, "for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Cor. 1:20.) As "the faithful and true witness," He has revealed and brought down to man all that God is in grace and truth, as well as the One who, as man, has faithfully witnessed for God, and "he that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." (John 3:23.) As "the beginning of the creation of God," He is the One in whom and under whom all things, as flowing from God in a new creation, have their commencement, and will have their display. He is this as risen from the dead, all in the new creation having its origin from Him, and being placed under Him as its Head in resurrection, so that "if any man be in Christ he is a new creation." (2 Cor. 5:17.)
It is of importance to observe here that Christ is all this as the One in whom God's glory, and all blessing for man, is secured and made good after man, and here specially the church, has failed to maintain God's glory and testimony in connection with the blessing in which he has been placed, and it is only as having Christ Himself that the church, after having failed as God's responsible witness on the earth, will have her part in that new creation, which will have its effectual display in Christ when He comes in glory.
This fact makes the position which Christ assumes, when addressing the church of Laodicea, of such solemn import. He is outside it- practically it is without Him and all the blessing contained in Him. He was merely lingering in grace at the door, no longer expecting the mass to hear or heed His words of warning and rebuke. He presses Himself closely on the conscience of the individual before He severs all connection between Himself and the professing church.
Having noted these two points, as to character and position, and keeping them in our minds, we will now attentively examine what He says to the angel of the church of Laodicea. "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." The condition depicted here, and which brings unconditional judgment, is that of the hollow profession of Christ's name and service, without there being anything really from Him or for Him. Benevolence and service to man- works of this kind, there are plenty, done, too, in His name, and with the claim of being the church of God, but really without there being anything that is for God's glory.
Thus indifference to God's claims, honor, and truth, with no sense of Christ's love or attachment to Him, characterize the last phase of the professing church. It is what men boldly and significantly call "Broad church." Latitudinarianism of the worst kind, where what is held and taught is no matter so long as people are religious, moral, and respectable, and where ritualism, evangelicalism, and rationalism are peaceably combined together to form the church of Christ- not Jews or heathens, but Christians by profession. He abhors such a state. It is like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold; He will spue it out of His mouth as nauseous to Him- a thing not worth special judgment at His hand. Even the bold and blasphemous Thyatira was more tolerable to Him, He would judge her.
With this utter indifference to Christ and His claims, though with the empty profession of devotedness to Him and His service, there is much pretension and ostentatious parade of resources and competency in themselves that have not Him for their source. Therefore He says, "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."
Worldly possessions, human righteousness, and human wisdom and knowledge are possessed in abundance, with no sense of need of any kind, but nothing properly Christian, nothing of the new creation, nothing suited to God, nothing that will stand the test of divine judgment or last for eternity; hence He addresses them in terms that apply only to the unconverted and unsaved. "Wretched, miserable, and poor," they needed divine righteousness, that which can stand the fire of divine trial, that which Christ Himself is, "who was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." For this, "gold tried in the fire," they must come to Him, and for it they might well exchange some of their boasted wealth, so as to be "rich towards God." He says, "buy of me," for the very first principle of the Gospel is unknown to them, and He takes them on their own ground, like the foolish virgins of Matt. 25, who go to "buy," and return to find the door of grace closed.
"Naked" in God's sight, whatever they were in their own, they required "white garments," and for these, too, they must come to Him, who alone could communicate to them a life which, in its expression of living and practical righteousness, flowing out of His being in them and known as a redeemer, should so clothe them that, manifested as those that "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," "the shame of their nakedness should not appear."
"Blind," they stood in need of "eyesalve," that no mere human apothecary could supply them with, and from Himself alone could they get that "unction of the Holy One," the teaching of the Holy Ghost, which would give them divine intelligence, for as yet they saw nothing that was of God in a new creation, and required to be born again even to "see the kingdom of God," not to speak of entering in it and having part with Him there.
Such is the internal state of those who compose the church of Laodicea. In a word, they are Christless souls. Still He lingers over them in grace, while an already pronounced judgment waits its accomplishment. Most solemn moment in the church's earthly history! Mercy's last pause before all is over.
"As many as I love I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore and repent," is affection's last appeal; touching yet stern in the earnestness with which it presses immediate repentance. How like Jehovah's last appeal and statement of ways with the Jews ere He gave them up to go down to Babylon! "I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking: but ye hearkened not unto me. I (Jer. 35:14.) How, too, it reminds one of the Lord's attitude towards Jerusalem ere its history closed in judgment! "And when he was come near he beheld the city, and wept over it." (Luke 19:41.) And should not we weep in our day over that which, still called by His name, is about to be overtaken by judgment. True, "they are enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things," but shall not we, with the apostle, speak and think of them, "even weeping" and longing for their salvation?
Unheard by the church, Christ turns to the individual, and addresses each one singly, "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." If but one even would hear His voice, and would open the door to Him, He would go into that one, save him, and give him part in the heavenly kingdom, He was about to bring in. He would have communion with him in heavenly and eternal things, in contrast with the earthly and temporal things the mass around are enjoying and boasting of; but not as one that was already His and had heard His voice before. It is not here the voice of the Shepherd calling "His own sheep by name," however, until now, estranged in heart and ways. It is as a Savior He seeks admittance, and the up-till-then closed door has to be opened that He may go in, where as yet He has had no place. His call to repentance has to be heard, and, as it were, He proffers Himself "to be guest with man that is a sinner," and when within would surely say, "This day is salvation come to this house," but such an one is only just saved, at the last moment snatched out of the fire.
On every ground it is important to see that it is not here the door of some faithful one, amidst a church of unfaithful ones, that is opened to a Lord who seeks communion with one, who, truer than others, and loving Him more, longs for closer association with Himself and more enjoyment of His love. Such thoughts savor of one whose self-occupation and unbelief in his brethren (true and faithful servant of the Lord as he was), led him into isolation in days gone by; and whose self righteousness prompted him to say, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts, because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets, and I, even I, only am left." Little knew he of Jehovah's love and preserving grace in that day for a poor and feeble flock- an "election according to grace," who, if they lacked the faithfulness that could stand in open testimony against evil as he was doing, were as dear to Jehovah's heart as himself; and little knows such a one today of the love of Him who, "having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end," whose service for them, all feet-washing as it may be, will not cease till He has them all in glory with Himself. Nor is the "will sup with him, and he with me," anything special; it is merely grace in the manner of its presentation, just as in Luke 14:15, where the. Lord, in answer to the man's remark, "Blessed. is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God," replies "a certain man made a great supper, and bade many." It is plainly here the gospel. So again in Rev. 19:9, "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." The Lord in connection with the exercise of His grace to the Samaritan woman, says to His disciples, " I have meat to eat that ye know not of." (John 4:32.)
The promise in Laodicea to the overcomer, the one who hears His voice- is very bare. "To him that overcometh," He says, "will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sit down with my Father on his throne." There is nothing special in this as the reward for preeminent faithfulness. It is what attaches to salvation, to being simply His, and is just the general ground given in Romans 8, that we must "suffer with him that we may be also glorified together;" the same as in 2 Tim. 3, "If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him." Now, this is not suffering for Christ through faithfulness, but suffering with Him, as all that are His do, and must do, simply because they are associated with Him by saving grace. It is "the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith," the proof of the possession of life in the Son of God, and which has its parallel in Christ's own victory. He tells His disciples, to comfort and cheer them, " I have overcome the world "- overcome everything in the world that Satan could bring to bear to separate between the soul and God. He is here our example; "as I have overcome," He says, though surely His grace alone can give strength for such a conflict. Wonderful the grace that first gives everything by which we can overcome, and then rewards the faithfulness His grace alone produces. It is thus the overcomer in Laodicea is rewarded. Not to be so rewarded were to be lost. C. W. (To be continued.)
Nature has circumstances between itself and God; faith has God between the heart and circumstances.
J. N. D.