Revelation Chapter 3
THE SEVENTH CHURCH, SEAL, AND TRUMPET (The Harvest Period)
THE LAODICEA CHURCH (As taken from the, New Albany Notes on Revelation)
It is, strangely enough, a little more difficult to analyze this Church’s message than the previous messages. When we live in the middle of a situation, we are more inclined to negate important things and to exaggerate little things. The question regarding to whom the Laodicean message is written is even a problem.
See: How to study the book of Revelation, Part 37
The study of this message is closely tied to the study and appreciation of the parables of The Wheat & Tares and The Wise and Foolish Virgins. The lessons and inherent prophetic elements of those parables greatly affect the understanding of this last Church.
Before beginning a look at the message verse by verse, it is perhaps wise to have a five-step, brief narrative of the evolution of the message:
1. As Laodicea begins, the wheat are in captivity in Babylon —somewhat drowsy and stunned by the events of the Miller Movement period.
2. In Babylon they are exposed to the prevailing conditions, beliefs, and attitudes of their surroundings: a comfortable, lukewarm snooze; a feeling that the spiritual advances of the Reformation have made them rich both in information and in temporal things.
3. Suddenly the cry, “BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM!” (Matt 25:6)—with its attendant other doctrinal challenges —stimulates the wheat (and even some prospective wheat) to begin a re-evaluation of their positions.
4. The result is a COMING OUT (Rev. 18:4) —a GOING OUT TO MEET HIM (Matt. 25:6) —and a fervent trimming of lamps. It is the time of which Mal. 3:1-3 speaks. It is a time when the refiner’s heat will purify the consecrated (the Gold & Silver classes —the Sons of Levi) to realize and correct the dross which has been part of their lives (the wretchedness, miserableness, poverty, blindness, and nakedness.)
5. To accomplish this cleansing, these must apply the counsel of Verse 18 to activate their zeal in the procurement of gold, garments, eye salve. In so doing they can OVERCOME the prevailing weakness yet in Babylon (Verses 15-17) and, thus, receive of the Lord’s kind discipline (Verse 19) and of his provided meat in due season (Verse 20.)
This narrative includes much NOT in the Laodicea message itself, but, without question, relative to the same period and experience. This message is relative to the PREVAILING CONDITIONS of our day and, therefore, what WE (not Babylon) must overcome.
Babylon has been cast off; the Lord sends no message to a cast-off church. This message is entirely to “YOU,” not TO or ABOUT THEM. The message is not about individuals; yet, individuals must be the ones who overcome the weaknesses stated.
VERSE 14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.’”
AND TO THE ANGEL of the church, The Angel is Charles Taze Russell. (As evidence of this please see the article entitled, “One of the Seven Messengers to the Church,” found under our thread, How to study the book of Revelation, Part 39
It is interesting to note that in all of these seven Church messages the direction is “TO THE ANGEL… WRITE.” It is as if the angel himself, more than the Church, needs to know these things. Historically the angels seem very much to have acted and preached based on the content of these messages. It is not, of course, that these messages are not to the Churches themselves, but rather that they are TO the Churches THROUGH the angels. Without recognizing the angel and what he has been given in the way of understanding, the Church cannot hope to receive much of the message.
of LAODICEA write: The name means something like JUDGMENT OF or BY THE PEOPLE, or possibly JUSTICE OF or BY THE PEOPLE. The etymology is not precise. Some apply the meaning to the separation of wheat and tares by suggesting the meaning as A JUDGED PEOPLE.
Another very viable meaning is the period in which JUSTICE is SOUGHT BY THE PEOPLE —clearly a social phenomenon of our time. Others suggest that it means JUDGED BY THE PEOPLE referring to the Rev. 18:21 prophecy in which the Lordship of Churchianity is ultimately rejected by the people and swallowed up by the sea classes (restless humanity).
The actual city of Laodicea had many parts of its history and description which help us understand the anti-type. For instance: its products were famous BLACK CLOTH made from local wool, embroidered garments, and a well-known eye medicine called “Phrygian powder”; it also was an international banking center; its citizens were quite wealthy.
These things says the AMEN. . . The word means true, truth, sure. It is the word translated VERILY with which Jesus begins so many statements, and it is thus inseparably linked with him. Perhaps the Laodicean period needs this assurance that Jesus’ words and promises are, indeed, true. The expectations of the Miller Movement had many wonder about the possibility of finding sure truths in Scripture. The advent of Darwinism, Marxism, etc., strongly necessitated a counterweight of Scriptural truth. Jesus assures us in Laodicea that he is providing what is needed.
THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS . . . Since “amen” assures truth to us, this phrase must mean something different. Jesus, in his ministry, was faithful and truly witnessed before all the power and character of God. Since Laodicea is a time when the Son of Man would find little faith on the earth, the implication is that we, as did he (as we EMULATE HIM), must also be prepared to be faithful and true witnesses to God in this day of nearly no faith.
THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION . . . Jesus’ third part of his introduction to us is that he is God’s first creation. Without understanding this IDENTITY of Jesus, this stage of the Church could neither receive nor appreciate the wealth of clarified doctrine which makes up the meat in due season. Perhaps prophetically it also warns that OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS TRUTH MAY BE A PARTICULAR TRIAL FOR US before the age completely ends. (See Prov. 8:22, “The Lord possessed (created) me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.”) The nominal churches belief and teachings on the Trinity have been a stumbling stone for many of God’s true children, but now is the time to break free of the errors of orthodoxy.
We move on to our next verse in the next post.
