God loves His church even though He has been grieved by its poor spiritual condition throughout the years. He loves His church as a parent loves a wayward child. Message after message has been sent to counsel, reprove and encourage the believers to stand firm and be faithful. The Laodicean message describes the condition of God’s church in the final years prior to His Second Coming. It also shows God’s great love and what He is doing to bring healing and salvation to His people individually. The spiritual condition is this: “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.” Revelation 3:15–16
Then the following verses more definitively describe this lukewarm condition. “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: 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.” Revelation 3:17–19
In these verses is described the mindset of the Laodiceans. These people think they are rich when they are actually poor. “The message to the Laodicean church reveals our condition as a people.” –The Review and Herald, December 15, 1904. This was the condition of God’s church in the year 1904. There was a shaking in God’s church not too long after that time. Is it possible that some of those in the remnant church today have also become Laodicean in spirit? Only you can answer for yourself. “To the idlers in the Lord’s vineyard the Laodicean message is sent.” –Manuscript 26, 1905. “The message to the Laodicean church is applicable to all who have had great light and many opportunities and yet have not appreciated them.” –The Review and Herald, March 11, 1902
Let us compare the Laodicean mindset to the mindset of the church of Smyrna. The church of Smyrna suffered great persecution, especially in the time of Diocletian. At that time Christianity was outlawed as a sect and they were persecuted.
“And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Revelation 2:8–9
The church of Smyrna was poor from outward appearances, however, God views them as rich. He considers them rich because they knew they were poor and realized they had a need of something which in turn would make them rich. Laodicea has the opposite experience. They think they are rich, when, in reality, they are poor. Also, Smyrna has no rebuke but only commendation from God whereas Laodicea has only rebuke and no commendation. This does not mean that God loved the Laodiceans any less. In fact He states very clearly that He loves them very dearly and because He loves them He rebukes and chastens them. Jesus does not leave these people alone in their sin. He says, “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.” Revelation 3:20
Jesus is shown to be on the outside, knocking to get in. If He was inside, He would not be knocking. He is knocking at the door of the heart of every person who claims to believe in Him. Unfortunately, some believe that Jesus is already in their heart when He is, in reality, still on the outside. This deception is Satan’s masterpiece. He deceives people into thinking they do not need anything because they think they have Jesus when the truth is that Jesus is still on the outside, knocking.
It is important to recognize the voice of Jesus when He knocks. He is not using flattering words. No, the voice of Jesus says we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
There is a blessing promised to all those that hear His voice and open the door. “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.” Revelation 3:20. If we will hear His voice in our hearts and open the door, Jesus has promised that He will come in to us personally. Thus the message to the Laodicean church is a personal message. It is not just a doctrinal theory, but a personal experience with Jesus. This is what is needed to be ready when Jesus returns to the earth to gather His people.
In the following quote is explained the purpose of Jesus sending the Laodicean Message: “I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God’s people at the present time, and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. . . . It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 186
Jesus wants to come into each heart and make a positive change. His voice is heard from these sources: “Every warning, reproof, and entreaty in the Word of God, or through His delegated messengers, is a knock at the door of the heart; it is the voice of Jesus asking for entrance.” –The Review and Herald, November 2, 1886
The Laodicean message is given to fit us for the presence of Jesus. It is the preparation needed for the loud cry. The Latter Rain is nothing short of the presence of Jesus. Jesus wants to come and abide in each one of us. This is the essence of the Laodicean message.
PRESENCE OF JESUS
“But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” Romans 10:6–8
Jesus is very near. His presence is close by. No one needs to go to heaven or to the grave to find Him. He, the word of faith, can be in your mouth and your heart.
“In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1); the Word is Jesus. Today we have the Bible, the Word of God, in our hands. It is not a theory or a book with just some interesting stories and counsels. It is the Word of God. This Word is to be put into the heart. The psalmist says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:11. The natural Laodicean person has the truth but it is not in the heart because Jesus is shown to be outside, knocking to get in. The preparation for the latter rain is not the argumentation or debate of doctrine but the absorption of God’s word as a person, as Him personally into the heart.
In order for this to become a reality we will go through negative experiences, as mentioned, for reproof, warning and entreaty.
The truth is that we will appreciate Jesus more when we understand that we have a need of Him. When we feel we are rich and increased with goods, we feel that we have need of nothing. The words, “poor, blind, naked, wretched, and miserable” are not pleasant words to describe our spiritual condition, however, they are true. But if we will draw nigh to God then He will draw nigh to us and help us to overcome every negative character trait. This is a painful process for some.
SUBMISSION
The Laodicean Message is a message of submission.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:7–8
The Bible encourages us to draw nigh to God, and when we do so, we read that He has promised to “cleanse your hands, ye sinners.” The closer we come to Jesus the faultier we see ourselves. This is actually a positive experience. It is not beneficial if we do not see how sinful we really are. It is actually very dangerous. There is nothing as dangerous as the deception of spiritual pride. It is the one sin that is at the root of many church, as well as individual, problems. When we submit to Jesus, He will show us the plague spots in our character and we will want to come to Him for healing. He has promised to help us to overcome.
SORROW
The Laodicean message is also a message of sorrow. Not sorrow in a worldly sense, but spiritual sorrow; sorrow for our poor and weak spiritual condition.
“Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” James 4:9–10
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” John 16:20
The promise is that our sorrow will be turned into joy if we are faithful through the trying times. There is some close cutting work to be done in our character. Being sorrowful is essential for salvation. We cannot be saved without going through this type of experience.
DEPENDENCE
The description the faithful witness gives of our natural condition is not one of dependence. The Laodiceans naturally feel they have need of nothing. They cannot be helped in this condition. They are saying that they are independent or self-sufficient. The truth is that their strength is proportionate to the strength of their dependence on Christ. Without Christ we can do nothing. The natural mind does not realize this.
In Matthew 18 we read how the followers of Christ are to be converted and become as little children. “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1–4
Little children are very dependent on their parents for all their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs. In the same manner we are dependent on our Heavenly Father. We cannot go to heaven unless we are dependent on our Heavenly Father as little children are dependent on their earthly parents. A little child is not only very dependent, but also very trusting of the leading of their parents. If they love their parents they are willing to obey without asking questions. This type of dependence we need to have in Jesus.
HOPE—A HELPER
Although the Laodicean people mentioned in this message appear to be self-sufficient and blinded by their own righteousness, there is a remnant who will realize their sinful condition. These few cling to the hope that is promised. They understand that they do not need to remain in this condition. There is a counselor who has provided a remedy. He says, “buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed.” Revelation 3:18. Jesus is a wonderful counselor. He makes no mistakes in His counseling. The Bible says, “Lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5–6.
This is hard for many people to do. In fact it is impossible to be done without Christ. The challenge is to open the heart to Jesus when He knocks. Some do not want to open up to Jesus because they are afraid that He will show them how sinful they really are. Yes, this is true, He will. Jesus will reveal to us the things that separate us from God. Many are offended by God’s word. They only want to hear smooth sayings and thus they stay away from Christ. They have some cherished sin they do not want to give up. Jesus is endeavouring to prepare our hearts, by breaking the self-righteousness and love of the world that many have been cherishing.
“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you. Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.” Zephaniah 2:1–3
Remember that Jesus has promised to be a true friend. He is calling all sinners, even those in that terrible condition described. He wants to come in and clean up, and hopes that we will be willing to permit Him to do so. He has promised to never leave us if we seek Him and open the door to Him; however, we must seek now, today, if we want to be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
“Are you in Christ? Not if you do not acknowledge yourselves erring, helpless, condemned sinners. Not if you are exalting and glorifying self. If there is any good in you, it is wholly attributable to the mercy of a compassionate Saviour. Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your talents, your virtues, your piety, your philanthropy, or anything else in you or connected with you, will not form a bond of union between your soul and Christ.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 48
It is not because we are good people that He loves us but it is because He is good that He loves us. We need to come to a place of absolute helplessness and know that He loves us regardless of our past experiences, or our present condition. He is willing to come in and clean our hearts if we will only open the door.
“Your connection with the church, the manner in which your brethren regard you, will be of no avail unless you believe in Christ. It is not enough to believe about Him; you must believe in Him. You must rely wholly upon His saving grace.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 48
Hanging wholly upon His saving grace is the total dependence that we need to have. If it was not for Jesus we would be nothing. He is asking to come into our hearts to save us. This is the Laodicean message. When we dwell upon this thought joy springs up within us that no one can take away.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38–39. When Jesus comes into our hearts, nothing can separate us from His love nor can anyone take away our peace.
TO BE IN CHRIST
Have you opened your hearts’ door to the knock of Jesus? Jesus will not force His entrance into your heart. You must be the one to open the door. If you have opened, then trust. He will come in and change your vile heart into a heart of flesh. You may not understand how it is done, but you must trust that because God said it, so it will be.
“A life in Christ is a life of restfulness. There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding, peaceful trust.” – Steps to Christ, p. 70
We are not to expect to have some high emotional feeling to indicate that we are in Christ. Feeling or no feeling, we need to trust and believe. I have given myself to Jesus and He will work in and through me because He said He would.
“Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might. So you are not to look to yourself, not to let the mind dwell upon self, but look to Christ. Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection, of His character. Christ in His self-denial, Christ in His humiliation, Christ in His purity and holiness, Christ in His matchless love—this is the subject for the soul’s contemplation. It is by loving Him, copying Him, depending wholly upon Him, that you are to be transformed into His likeness.” – Steps to Christ, p. 70
“When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Saviour and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ. The pleasures of the world, life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults and imperfections—to any or all of these he will seek to divert the mind.” –Steps to Christ, p. 71
“Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter. Each morning consecrate yourself to God for that day. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus day by day you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.” –Steps to Christ, p. 71
This is the Laodicean message. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27. Daily we must give Him our plans and ask His counsel and be willing to follow what He says. Let Him live in and through you.
“The closer you come to Jesus, the more faulty you will appear in your own eyes; for your vision will be clearer, and your imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan’s delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing you.” –Steps to Christ, p. 64
You cannot grow unless you go through the sorrow of cutting away your sinful habits and character traits. One must leave behind every sin if they desire to stand before a Holy God and be counted worthy. However, this sorrow will end in joy for everyone who allows Jesus to work in them.
MEEKNESS
The Laodicean message will result in meekness in the people of God.
“Meekness in the school of Christ is one of the marked fruits of the Spirit. It is a grace wrought by the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier, and enables its possessor at all times to control a rash and impetuous temper. When the grace of meekness is cherished by those who are naturally sour or hasty in disposition, they will put forth the most earnest efforts to subdue their unhappy temper. Every day they will gain self-control, until that which is unlovely and unlike Jesus is conquered. They become assimilated to the Divine Pattern, until they can obey the inspired injunction, ‘Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.’” –The Review and Herald, January 18, 1881
With the truly meek person, there is a continual waiting upon God, and a submission of the will to His. The understanding grasps every divine truth and the will bows to every divine precept, without doubting or murmuring. “True meekness softens and subdues the heart, and gives the mind a fitness for the ingrafted word.” –The Review and Herald, January 18, 1881
“It brings the thoughts into obedience to Jesus Christ.” –The Review and Herald, January 18, 1881
“God wants you to let Him manage you, that you may be a lovable Christian.” –That I May Know Him, p. 21. If we manage ourselves we will not be lovable at all. Open the door to your heart and Jesus will come in and be your manager, and you will be a lovable Christian.
“The Lord would have the natural and hereditary traits of character come under the pruning knife. Look steadfastly unto Jesus, that you may catch His spirit and cherish the qualities of Christlike character. Then it will be recognized by all who have any connection with you, that you have learned of Christ, His meekness, His affection, His tenderness, His sympathy. Never rest satisfied until you possess a loving and lovable spirit. Your words may come from the good treasure of the heart to strengthen, help, bless, and win all around you. . . . Others catch your spirit. The seeds we sow will bear a harvest in goodness, patience, kindness, and love, or exactly the opposite.” –That I May Know Him, p. 218
We must have an intelligent understanding of the Laodicean message if we want to be united with Christ and be prepared for the latter rain. When we open the door to Jesus He will work in us. There are some Christians who take this to mean that you only need to believe in Jesus and you will be saved. You do not need to do any works. This is a fallacy. If we do not work we do not believe in Jesus. It is a work of cooperation between man and God. (See Acts of the Apostles, p. 482)
When we allow Jesus entrance, He begins a work in us and we must cooperate with this work. If Jesus is living within us, we will not do any evil works. Also the good works we do are not from us alone, but from Christ dwelling in us. It must be Christ personally in you and in me just as the Father was in Christ. As the Father was in Christ so He wants to be in us also.
It is my prayer that we understand the Laodicean message and let Jesus come into our hearts to cleanse us from all our filthiness or lukewarmness. When we look to Jesus’ character traits and dwell upon His Word we will become more like Him. Then we will be ready when the Latter Rain is poured out upon God’s people and will be found to be faithful workers in the cause of Christ. Amen
Wendy Eaton