REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 3.18
Gleanings from the Book of
Revelation:
A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION TO JOHN
(The Apocalypse)
LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
CHAPTER 3
The Letter to the Church at Laodicea
(Continued)
OUTLINE
1. The
Addressee – To whom the
letter is addressed (3:14)
2. The
Address – To where the letter is
addressed (3:14)
3. The
Addresser – From whom the
letter is addressed (3:14)
4. The
Approval – The acclamation
of good qualities (None)
5. The
Accusation – The
presentation of bad qualities (3:15-17)
6. The Appeal
– The application to change (3:18-19)
7. The Advice
– The recommendation to change (3:20-22)
As we have discussed in the previous study, being
lukewarm is a very serious problem existing not only in John's day but also in
contemporary churches and individual Christians. Jesus Christ does not want
just committed Christians - He desires total dedication to His person. After
all, He gave His life for you and by faith in Him promised to give you eternal
life as a result.
6. The Appeal – The application to change
(Verse 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.
(Verse 19)
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
I counsel thee
I - Jesus
Counsel means to deliberately give or recommend advice.
Thee (you) is in the singular, meaning you as an
individual.
“These three things are what I need you to do if
you are a lukewarm person”:
1.
Buy of Me gold tried
in the fire
2.
Buy of Me white
raiment
3.
Anoint thine eyes
with eyesalve
Buy of (or
from)
Me
Here, the Amen, Faithful Witness, and the
Beginning of the Creation of God – Jesus Christ is using imagery from the book
of Isaiah:
Isiah
55:1-2 - Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat;
yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price.
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your
labour for that which satisfieth
not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
This is a tremendous passage analogous to food
that is eternally satiating and sustaining for spiritual life. Jesus is
essentially making an offer you can’t refuse – to buy from Him Heaven’s
commodities at no cost.
In verse 18, the offer is for real riches found
only in Christ:
1. Pure gold
2. Pure white garments
3. Anointment for perfect spiritual vision
1. Pure
Gold
Gold, the most precious metal, goes through a refinement
process [by fire - incineration] to take out all the dross and impurities. The nine
to ten-hour dangerous and tedious process consists of melting, and mixing it with various
combustible chemicals, distilled water, silver, etc., only to produce a 2.75
troy ounce 999.99% gold ingot. [see videos on YouTube]
The heavenly city of Jerusalem and its streets are
described in Revelation Chapter 21 as 100% pure gold – so pure it is
transparent, which no man, with all of the modern technology, can nor has been
able to duplicate.
Revelation
21:18b - And the city was
pure gold, like unto clear glass.
Revelation
21:21b – And the street of the city
was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass.
That thou mayest be rich
Gold is a symbol of divine righteousness,
something money cannot buy. This gold may only be purchased by faith.
1 Peter
1:7a - That
the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth.
By buying gold tried
in the fire from the Lord, Jesus is indicating that one will be eternally
wealthy, not with earthly 99.9% pure gold, but 100% pure gold (as in the New Jerusalem)
acquired only in a spiritual dimensional realm after physical life.
Romans
3:22 - The
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe.
Therefore, richness in terms of eternity is
righteousness, the most precious possession of His world.
Laodicea was world-renowned for its extreme
wealth. In effect, Jesus is labeling the Laodiceans poor in comparison to Heaven’s
riches, e.g., Israel’s King Solomon, the wealthiest man who ever lived,
ultimately concluded, “All is meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes
12:8 - Vanity
of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
2. Pure white
garments
The second piece of advice Jesus offers is to
purchase heavenly white raiment or garments. You recall, Adam and Eve initially
were clothed in white light, so white that the shame of their nakedness did not
appear.
As pure gold is representative of righteousness,
white raiment represents righteous deeds. Respectively, one is your position
(positional righteousness) in Christ, the other your practice, i.e., righteous
works for Christ.
2
Corinthians 5:21 - For He
(God the Father) hath made Him (His Son Jesus Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).
Revelation
19:8 - And to
her (the
transfigured Church of God) was granted
that she
should be arrayed (clothed) in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints.
Ironically, the Laodiceans were at the pinnacle of
world fashion during the Roman era. In light of that, Jesus sees them naked.
3. Anoint
your eyes with eye salve
Lastly, even though Laodicea was foremost in the
manufacturing of eye salve (or tephra
Phrygia [Latin]), an eye powder exported in tablet form), the risen Lord
gives counsel for them to buy of Him eye ointment to receive spiritual sight
and open their blind eyes to the richness of God’s wisdom and glory. The
anointing of the Holy Spirit provides this enlightenment.
Ephesians
5:13 - Everything
exposed by the light is made clear. (HCSB)
(Verse 19)
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent.
Continuing His appeals, almost sounding like a
parent to a young child, Christ says:
As many as I love
Love in this passage is not agape love (an intimate passionate love), but phileo, a fond affectionate love from one friend to another - Those
who are willing to listen and follow through with what He has stipulated.
Two-part solution:
1. What He will do – His actions
2. What you should do – Your responses
A. What He will do
I rebuke and chasten
1. Rebuke
– Greek: ἐλέγχω, elegchō
[Strong’s G1651], to convict, reprove, or tell a fault.
2. Chasten
– Greek: παιδεύω, paideuō
[Strong’s
3811], to discipline, instruct, or teach.
The Lord’s chastisement is for His children to
discern between right and wrong.
Hebrews
12:6 - For
whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth disciplines), and scourgeth (punishes) every son whom he receiveth.
One writer labels this action as “spiritual spankings.”
B. What you should do
Be zealous therefore, and
repent
1. Zealous – Greek: ζηλόω,
zēloō [Strong’s
G2206], to
earnestly have the desire to move for or against something.
2. Repent – Greek: μετανοέω,
metanoeō [Strong’s
G3340], to think differently, militarily do an
about-face in a 180° direction.
In the context of
the Church of the Laodiceans, the risen Savior assumedly alludes to
non-believers. However, God’s never-ending love encompasses everyone. He
chastens believers as well as unbelievers and does not discipline or punish out
of hate, but love for one’s soul. To the believer, He desires them to be
conformed to the image of His son (cf. Romans 8:29), to the unbeliever, He
persuades them to the cross (see 1 Timothy 1:15).
It is also not Jesus’ intention to spew (spit,
vomit) anyone out of His mouth, but to listen to His words and by faith, repent.
2 Peter
3:9 - The
Lord is not slack (slow) concerning His
promise(of judgment or vengeance), as
some men count slackness; but is longsuffering (patient) to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You recall, before He expired on the Cross, He
asked His Father to forgive those who executed Him for not knowing what they
were doing. Isaiah prophetically summarizes:
Isaiah
45:24 - Surely,
shall one say, in the LORD have
I righteousness and strength: even
to Him shall men come; and all that are
incensed against (angry
with) Him shall be ashamed (put to shame).
7. The
Advice – The recommendation to
change
(Verse 20-22)
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.
Behold
Know, consider or understand this.
I stand at the door and knock
Knock conveys the connotation of continual and
consistent rapping. In contrast to the Philadelphia letter where the church has
an open door, the Laodiceans receive an epistle from the risen Christ whose
church door is closed.
Twentieth-century artist Warner Sallman has
captured the true quintessence of Laodicea with his rendition of Christ at Heart’s Door. By inference,
Jesus is seen outside of His church knocking on its door to enter - even on an
individual basis.
Over the years, many ministers have used this
passage as an evangelistic life application message to justifiably suggest
Jesus is knocking at the door of one’s heart to receive the Gospel message.
Even though the word door may be used
literally or figuratively, once again, in the context of the letter to the
Laodiceans, Jesus Christ is knocking on the portal or entrance door to this
particular church or type of individual, not merely the heart.
The imagery presented is Jesus standing on the
outside of a church, bearing witness to His name, requesting to enter, and
allowing them to re-enter into His fellowship once again. Insofar as the
letters to the seven churches are concerned, this is His last call or
invitation before His judgment is placed upon the earth.
Jesus says:
If any man (anyone) hears My voice, and open[s] the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup (dine) with him, and he with Me.
Any man
Forcing no one, man is in the singular tense. Once
again, the primary mission of Jesus is to communicate eternal life to anyone.
Luke 19:10
- For the Son
of man is come to seek and to save that which was (those who are or
the) lost.
Sup
Sup is an interesting word In Greek: δειπνέω, deipneō
[Strong’s
G1172]. Used two times in the New Testament, it means
to dine. However, it is a derivative of the Greek word deipnon meaning supper or feast, always referring to the main or
evening meal of the day. For example, the word was employed during the Last Supper:
John 21:20
- Then Peter,
turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned
on His breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
Supper will also be our festive main meal in the Kingdom
– The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Revelation
19:9 - And He (Jesus) saith unto me
(John), Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb. And He saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
The Lord is metaphorically conveying He desires
communion, fellowship, relationship, and partaking with Him daily for eternity.
Once again, to the Laodiceans, the offer is implying there is still time to
have one last meal before nightfall (the judgment). On the negative side, if we
do not have dinner together, we will not be together when the dawn of the
Kingdom arrives. In other words, the Age of Laodicea is almost over. Open the
door. This may be your last chance to let Jesus enter.
Sup with him, and he with Me
That is, having a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, communion with Christ.
(Verse 21)
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.
To the
Overcomers
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne
Jesus, the First One to be victorious over death,
the world, and Satan, is offering a tremendous promise to the overcomers of
Laodicea, they will be granted permission to sit with Him and God the Father on
the heavenly Throne to share in His victory.
My Throne
This Throne is established in Heaven, His
dominion, and the Lord will rule over all creation. His angels will stand,
glorify Him, and execute His bequests – a prophecy to be fulfilled in the
Millennium Kingdom and into eternity.
Psalm
103:19-20 - The
LORD hath prepared His throne in the
heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the LORD, ye His angels that
excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His
word.
Revelation
8:2 - And I (John) saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
I…am set down with My Father in His throne
The Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is
presently seated with His Father in Heaven.
Hebrews
8:1b - We
have such an High Priest, Who is set on the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens.
(Verse 22)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
As the Lord walks amongst the seven candlesticks, for
the seventh and final invitation, He says, “If you have an ear to hear, listen,
examine your heart, and give heed to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you,
collectively and individually.”
This completes, not only the last of the series of
seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor but also the second division
of the book of Revelation – The Things
Which Are.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is distinct about the commodities Jesus
sells?
2. Describe the difference between gold on Earth and Heaven.
3. Explain earthly and heavenly clothing.
4. How and why does Jesus punish?
5. What was the purpose of Jesus’ first incarnation?
6. Why is our risen Lord knocking?
7. Where is Jesus today?
8. What is unique about the Church of the
Laodiceans??
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to others.
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