The address to the assembly in Laodicea might, at first glance, seem to be rather negative and even discouraging to one who wishes to honor the Lord. When we consider all the superlative blessings that God gave to the church, is all this to end (at least on earth) in what is described in Laodicea?
The Diagnosis
We must face the solemn fact that in every dispensation man has miserably failed in whatever responsibility God gave to him and that the church period has not been any better than those which preceded it. We might even say that we have been far worse, when we consider the much greater degree of light and privilege afforded to us, compared to past dispensations. Instead of being a faithful witness, the professing church has corrupted the truth committed to it, allied itself with the world, and will indeed, as a testimony, end up being spewed out of Christ’s mouth.
There is, however, real encouragement in what the Lord says to Laodicea, if we should find ourselves surrounded by this condition of things. First of all, we must remember that the last four assemblies addressed in Revelation 23 go on until the Lord comes. All are under the umbrella of Christendom. Thyatira (which, no doubt, represents Roman Catholicism and similar systems, such as the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church) and Sardis (which represents the many denominations of so-called Protestantism) will exist when the Lord comes. Then there will be Laodicea, which takes great pride in its own mind and judgment and does not realize its true poverty. But there will also be a Philadelphia until the end —those who keep His Word and do not deny His name. Doubtless there are distinct groups that display the character of either Philadelphia or Laodicea, but both represent a state of soul rather than a definite and identifiable system, as was the case with Thyatira and Sardis.
Laodiceanism is Philadelphian light and truth, but without the power of it in our walk. When God, by His grace, allowed a revival of the truth in these last days, many gladly took hold of it. But to walk in a path of reproach, to bear the cross for Christ, to walk in separation from this world — all this was “a hard saying” (John 6:6060Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? (John 6:60)). As a result, we have often held the truth intellectually, but without the practical effect of it in our lives. This is the true character of Laodicea and results in human pride, a focus on ourselves, and the embracing of secular humanism, the prevailing philosophy of our day.
The Prescription
But God gives a remedy to those who will listen. First of all, Christ is presented as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” If man has failed all along, God now brings forward the One who is the Head of new creation. If man has spoiled the first creation, God will eventually create a new heavens and a new earth, which man will never spoil. If all around us we see the sad results of man’s unfaithfulness in Christianity, God points us to the One who never fails. If we are willing to take God’s remedy, we may admit the Lord, who stands at the door and knocks, and enjoy blessed fellowship with Him. He has not changed!
Are we willing to take God’s remedy? No doubt, the reference to buying gold, white raiment, and eye salve has a voice for those who are not real, but the believer needs this remedy too, although the application may be different. The unbeliever needs to understand his true sinful condition before God and realize that he can have no righteousness before God without the blood of Christ. The believer, however, having become infected with religious pride and the spirit of the world around him, may also need to be brought back to the cross and to realize that “in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:1818For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. (Romans 7:18)). We cannot have feelings of pride if we stand at the foot of the cross.
The unbeliever needs to have white raiment as a result of having his sins forgiven, but the believer may need to change his outward walk and ways, for we read in Revelation 19:88And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Revelation 19:8) (JND) that “the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints.” If the true child of God already stands before God in all the perfection of Christ Himself, then God looks for a walk that corresponds to this. This may be sadly lacking in us today, so that the world sees no difference between us and the unbeliever. Our clothes may have become soiled so that we resemble the unbelievers around us.
Eye salve speaks to us of the Holy Spirit. The unbeliever, who is not indwelt with the Holy Spirit, finds it impossible to see clearly in moral and spiritual matters. He needs new life in Christ and the Holy Spirit to enable him to understand the things of God. But the believer who is walking in the flesh will also find his vision clouded and his spiritual perception dulled. He too needs to judge his ways, so that the Spirit that dwells within Him can once again minister Christ to His soul and enable him to see clearly what would please the Lord.
His Counsel
In love, the Lord counsels His own to avail themselves of these remedies, for He has not changed, and He earnestly desires their fellowship. The One whose love took Him to Calvary’s cross wants the company of those for whom He died. We will have it with Him for all eternity, but how blessed to enjoy that fellowship now, where He is still rejected!
This dispensation may end in Laodiceanism, but all the resources that God gave at the beginning of the church period are still ours to draw on. If we will take God’s remedy, He is able to produce a Philadelphian character in us today!
W. J. Prost