The church at Laodicea: Part 1 of 5 (series: Lessons on Revelations)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

The church at Laodicea

Book of Revelation
By: Tom Lowe Date: 6-29-15


Lesson: II.G: The church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)


Revelation 3:14-22 (KJV)

14 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;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 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:
18 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.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 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.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.


Introduction

‘THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS was situated in Phrygia, on the border of the Province of Asia, along with nearby Hermapolis (modern Pamukkale) and Colossae, in the fertile Lycus Valley, about 66 miles south and east of Philadelphia. It was an area where there was a very large Jewish population. So many Jews immigrated here that the Rabbis protested against the Jews who sought the wines and baths of Phrygia. It was the last city in this clockwise loop of cities in the travel pattern for delivering the letters, beginning with Ephesus.

In the ancient world, there were at least six cities called Laodicea and this one was called ‘Laodicea on the Lycus’ to distinguish it from the others. The name Laodicea comes from Laodice, the name of the wife of Antiochus II of Syria who founded the city between 261 and 253 bc. The settlement was called Diospolis before it became Laodicea ‘city of Zeus,’ which accords with the fact that Zeus was the chief god of Laodicea. There was also a cult practicing emperor worship, and another that worshipped Asclepius, the god of healing.

In ad 60 a great earthquake destroyed Philadelphia and Sardis, and devastated the city, but its citizens were so rich and independent that they refused any help from the Roman government and out of their own resources rebuilt the city. No wonder Laodicea could boast that it was rich and had amassed wealth and had need of nothing. It was so wealthy that it did not even need God (or so they thought).

It is clear from this passage that the wealth of the city greatly affected the church. It seems strange to most people that riches and sorrow go together. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Most of the time, riches produce rotten living. There are a few rich people who serve God, and there are a few rich churches that are spiritual; but the general rule is that riches brings sorrow. Jesus said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” That does not mean that God cannot or will not save a rich man—He can, and He will. But the sad fact is that riches and spirituality do not seem to walk together.

In the first century B.C. Laodicea became a financial center and a place where gladiatorial games were held. Prosperity was due, in part, to the wealth this city had acquired in the first century through the philanthropic gift of 2000 talents, a gift from Hieron, one of its leading citizens, who adorned Laodicea with many fine public buildings. The influence of the family of Zeno the orator, who had led the resistance against the Parthians under Labienus in 40 bc and thus received Roman citizenship from Mark Antony, helped the city’s stature. A main road from Rome and Troas to the east went through Laodicea, helping to make the city an important commercial center.

Laodicea was well-known for its wool industry, the wool being softer even than that of Miletus; it was a Raven black color, which was attributed to the water the sheep were drinking. It is true that the water in the area is calcareous (chalky) and that it gathered other elements as it flowed from hot springs and other sources.

The city was the chief medical center for the area, with its nearby medical school sponsored by the temple of the Anatolian god Men Karou, which was located west of Laodicea. An ‘eye salve’ (v. 18), produced at Laodicea was made from pulverized Phrygian stone, a preparation recommended by the Physician Galen as good for eye diseases. The city’s doctors were so famous that some of their names appear on the coins of Laodicea. The city also developed an important cloth industry, producing a cloth called ‘Ladicean.’

The archaeological remains at Laodicea include part of the city wall, three gates (Ephesian, Hierapolis, and Syrian), two theaters on the north side, a temple of Iconic style, a stadium, gymnasium, nymphaeum/fountains, aqueducts, etc.


Commentary

14 And unto the angel1 of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

In the opening of the letter to the church at Laodicea, several names are used for Jesus that have not been used yet in Revelation—“THE AMEN, THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD.” All three stress His authority.

• He is the ‘AMEN,’ the Old Testament title for God. This is a strange title and may go back to either of two origins.
In Isaiah 65:16 God is called the ‘God of truth’; but in the Hebrew, He is called the ‘God of Amen.’ Amen (meaning “so be it”) is the word which is often put at the end of a solemn statement in order to guarantee its truth. If God is the ‘God of Amen,’ He is unreservedly to be relied upon. This would mean that Jesus Christ is the One whose promises are ‘TRUE’ beyond all doubt.

In John’s Gospel Jesus’ statements often begin: “Truly, truly, I say to you” (John 1:51; 3:3, 5, 11). The Greek for truly is Amen. It is possible that when Jesus Christ is called the Amen it is a reminiscence of His own way of speaking. The meaning would be the same, Jesus is the One whose promises can be relied upon. He is the witness on whom we can rely and who is true. A witness must satisfy three essential conditions. (a) He must have seen with his own eyes that of which he tells. (b) He must be absolutely honest, so that he repeats with accuracy that which he has heard and seen. (c) He must have the ability to tell what he has to say, so that his witness may make its true impression on those who hear. Jesus Christ perfectly satisfied these conditions. He can tell of God, because He came from Him. We can rely on His words for He is the Amen. He is able to tell His message, for never did man speak as He did. And neither will He dilute the truth; He is the true witness which means He will not distort the truth. He sees through all the sham, the shallowness, the outward show of our lives. He is a completely trustworthy and perfectly accurate witness to the truth of God—“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

In the film, “A Few Good Men,” Jack Nicholson had a line which has become well-known; “You can’t stand the truth.” We could not stand being told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Society has invented a thousand ways of conveniently blunting the sharp edge of truth. The Lord Jesus is the faithful and true Witness. He sees a lukewarm church, and He tells it the truth about itself in a memorable and particularly undiluted form. Yet even that harsh truth is softened with His love.

• He is THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD (better translated ‘the principle’ or ‘source’ of creation) is ambiguous, since it could mean, either, that Jesus was the first person to be created or that He began the process of creation. To say that Christ is the first creature created by God is contrary to Scripture, for He Himself is “the beginning and the ending” (1:8), the original agent in God’s creative work. He is the “BEGINNING” (literally “beginner, originator, initiator”) of creation (John 1:3; 3:14) and the “first born of creation”; that is, the most preeminent, supreme person ever born— The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15). As a man, He had a BEGINNING, but as God, He was the BEGINNING.