 THE
LAODICEAN CHURCH
“Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of
assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.” Isa.1:13
Introduction
The churches today lay in spiritual ruin. They stand in the same terminal condition as Israel of old when the LORD
said: “For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead thy cause,
that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.” Jer.30:12,13. Within this deplorable state of affairs
there are faithful individuals within the fallen churches that constitute "Babylon:" Catholic and Protestant alike.
The LORD knows His own and will gather them together “as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings” “before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Lu.13:34; Mal.4:5.
The spiritual malady seen
throughout Christendom stems from certain doctrines the church upholds as being Bible compliant and loyal to the teachings
of Jesus Christ. The leading doctrine is the false notion of the natural immortality of the soul. This near-universal doctrine
drawn from ancient paganism is exposed to be the lie that it is in the first book of the Holy Bible: Genesis. At the time
when man abandoned GOD and turned away from life “the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know
good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.”
To Adam the LORD declared: “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out
of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen.3:22,19. Adam was not alive before GOD
created him. Neither would he be alive after he died. Because “in all points as he came, so shall he go.” Eccl.5:16.
It is “the tree of life” alone that
provides eternal life-giving nutrition. It resides in the New Jerusalem. Nowhere else! And only those who live with Christ
will live immortal lives because they will partake of its life sustaining fruit. In this, Jesus promised, “Blessed are
they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
Rev.22:14.
The bitter fruit of the
pagan view of immortality is the near universal doctrine of Christianity declaring immortality to little children in the fires
of hell. This is a fallacy of the most grotesquely demonic imagination; and yet, virtually all mainstream Christians believe
and teach this: with many of them even rejoicing for this to be so. Many ministers including men like Jerry Falwell have openly
led their congregations to insultingly cheer and give applause to those they believe will suffer a fiery agony throughout
eternity. It is the same spirit that led Pat Robertson to scornfully laugh as he said the word “bloodbath” in
his description of the impending war between the Palestinians and the Jews. It is this spirit that Hal Lindsey displayed at
a prophecy convocation where after describing the horrific destruction during his fictitious “seven year tribulation”
(drawn from corrupting Daniel 9:27’s prophecy of Christ on the Cross) he laughed as he said, “I’m not going
to be here.” This is because he asserts the fictitious “secret rapture” precedes the "seven year tribulation."
It is this spirit that lies at the
heart of their true character. It is the same spirit that ruled in the coliseum of Rome when people cheered and gave standing
ovations to human victims being torn apart by wild animals. This is why the Bible has assigned our nation of America the precarious
title: “the false prophet.”
It
is under this condition of spiritual poverty that the LORD has pleaded with His children throughout history:
“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar
hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. To whom will ye liken me, and
make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like? They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and
hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship [statues of Christ, the Cross, Mary and the Saints].
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove:
yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and show yourselves men:
bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors [all who trample GOD’S Holy Law]. Remember the former things of old: for
I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous
bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass;
I have purposed it, I will also do it. Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my
righteousness: it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my
glory.” Isa.46:3-13.
Living In The Spirit of Laodicea
There was only one sin that Jesus publicly rebuked every time
it reared its ugly head: the sin of pride. When the LORD sat and ate with sinners they knew they were in the Presence of One
who knew their downcast position in society. They knew their spiritual poverty and embraced the Words from the One who acknowledged
their worth in the sight of GOD.
Not
so, in the sight of the scribes and Pharisees. These people, to them stood condemned and hopelessly lost. And therefore were
viewed as “dogs,” and shunned as “publicans.” Pride has such a broad range of influence, from the
openly scornful to the quietly belligerent. It is to this class of mankind that Jesus addresses spiritual poverty. In the
last of the seven churches the LORD identified precisely where the church is today, both in time and character:
Revelation 3:14-22 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; 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. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not
that thou art wretched [shameful], and miserable [a cause of suffering], and poor [living in spiritual poverty], and blind
[undiscerning and indifferent to their needs and the needs of others], and naked [exposed as unrepentant in sin]: 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. As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 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.
Among the grand lessons of Scripture is how the LORD follows three steps in addressing our lives. First, He acknowledges
our efforts. Then He identifies the problems. And then finishes by giving the simple remedy. But the key words in His message
to the Laodicean church is how they and we today “knowest not.” The churches today do not know their spiritual
condition. This is the first acknowledgement the churches must make in their response to the Saviour's Words. Little do
men know the base mettle of their characters without the drawing influence of the Holy Spirit. Every gesture of courtesy,
care, and sacrifice for others is drawn from the heart by GOD Himself: "their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."
Isa.54:17. But rather than bring the reformation the LORD calls for, men ruling the church stand in a posture of belligerence,
assuring the congregation that their course is heaven-led. This is the devil’s age-old snare. We see this at the time
of John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ's first advent.
As Elijah faced an apostate religion in his day, John the Baptist faced an apostate religion in his day. There is a
great need today for the Spirit of reformation to give backbone to the church as when John the Baptist said: "O generation
of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." Matt.3:7,8.
To the common man the Pharisees and Sadducees
were the most pious men of GOD. Their works displayed a level of discipline and perfection that commanded homage from the
people. It was this religion that the apostle Paul had been raised and dedicated to: “If any other man thinketh that
he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness
which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is
of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any
means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Phil.3:4-11.
In the testimony of John the Baptist we see precious counsel given to those whose hearts were pricked by the Spirit
of GOD to make simple reforms in their spiritual lives and inquired of John what they should do:
“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth
and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more
than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto
them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. And as the people were in expectation,
and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed
baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the
wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. And many other things in his exhortation preached
he unto the people.” Lu.3:9-18.
In
John’s heaven-led wisdom we see how the counsel he gave is being disobeyed today, both in and out of the church. And
in each of these times of history where GOD raised up a voice declaring His Righteousness we see a corrupt religion ruling
over the common people who were deceived into trusting those whose rule over religious practice betrayed their trust as GOD'S
stewards.—And yet, they each claimed fidelity to GOD. We also see in every case that when reproof comes to the church
the persecution of the LORD’S messengers always follows. Jesus forewarned His disciples of this ugly tradition of sinful
men who claim to serve GOD:
“Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And
because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Matt.24:9-14.
As it was then, so it
will be repeated today as “the remnant” prepare the way for the LORD’S 2nd Advent. “The holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim.3;15) provide every
insight to educate the saints in all that we are to face together as a people. It is called the time of Jacob's trouble
(Jer.30:6,7). But in the end a great compliment will be paid to this last generation, who by sin’s standard are the
weakest of the weak, but the Glory of the LORD will lift them from their poverty and from their oppressors of both demons
and men: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler
over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." Matt.25:21.
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