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Book 7 covers the beginning of the book of Revelation and is significantly different both in tone and in content from the rest of the book. It is set in John’s day rather than in the future, though it has elements referring to events later in Revelation. As we shall see, it fits in with the remainder of the book, but before we investigate the opening chapters, we need to understand just what the book is.
The book of Revelation belongs to a class of writing called apocalypses. They were particularly popular in the last few centuries before Christ and in the first few after. There are Jewish and Christian apocalypses.
The word apocalypse means “revealing” which, of course, disproves the widespread belief that the last book in the Bible is hidden or obscure and hence difficult or impossible to understand. It is precisely the opposite: the purpose of the book is to make clear the events surrounding the return of Christ. It also means that attempts to spiritualize away the book are doomed to failure.
As we proceed, we hope to show that Revelation is neither obscure in language nor veiled in meaning, and that it only appears so through our own deficiency: we have forgotten the keys that make its prophesies clear. It is a major purpose of “Tapestry” to restore those keys to those seeking to understand the events at the end of this age.
The book of Revelation belongs to a class of writing called apocalypses. They were particularly popular in the last few centuries before Christ and in the first few after. There are Jewish and Christian apocalypses.
The word apocalypse means “revealing” which, of course, disproves the widespread belief that the last book in the Bible is hidden or obscure and hence difficult or impossible to understand. It is precisely the opposite: the purpose of the book is to make clear the events surrounding the return of Christ. It also means that attempts to spiritualize away the book are doomed to failure.
As we proceed, we hope to show that Revelation is neither obscure in language nor veiled in meaning, and that it only appears so through our own deficiency: we have forgotten the keys that make its prophesies clear. It is a major purpose of “Tapestry” to restore those keys to those seeking to understand the events at the end of this age.
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Chapter 1
The name of the book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” not “Revelations.” Nor is it the “Revelation of St. John.” In choosing to use “from,” the NIV is a bit sloppy here with the translation. The Greek simply says “the revelation of Jesus Christ” using the standard genitive of possession.
We will later discuss the word translated here as “soon” and show there is a reasonable chance it should better be translated as “rapidly” or “suddenly” when used concerning the Last Days.
Notice the “revealing” is made by God the Father to God the Son for him to share with those who follow him. Why would God the Son need something to be revealed to him? Because Christ doesn’t know the details of the Last Days.[1] That knowledge was, until Revelation was written, the sole province of the Father. Matthew 24:36 is generally taken to mean that the timing of the events surrounding the Second Coming are only held by the Father. But the verse means far more than that. It states that essentially nothing about the Last Days had been revealed (as of the Olivet Discourse when Jesus spoke). This book changes that, providing a partial revealing of the events leading up to Christ’s return and the Millennium. The timing, however, remains concealed. The author of Revelation calls himself John and claims to be the one who was shown the visions recorded in the book. Early tradition says that the writer is John the Apostle, but that position was not universally held. Papias, who lived approximately 60-130 AD, appears to mention two Johns from whom he received the teachings of the Lord. The first, whom he did not hear directly, was John the Apostle. The other, far more obscure, he calls John the Presbyter and implies that he himself had heard teachings from him. Early tradition, including that of Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexandria, state that the author of Revelation was the Apostle John. Much later, Eusebius of Caesarea, 260/265-339, says that the book of Revelation may have been written by John the Presbyter, making a distinction between him and the apostle. Eusebius is somewhat suspect both because he was writing 200 years later than Papias and because he believed that Revelation did not belong in the bible at all. In his view, Revelation’s description of a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth was incorrect. Were Revelation not written by an apostle, it would presumably be easier to dismiss. Another major difficulty with Eusebius’ position is that John the Apostle calls himself John the Presbyter (elder) not once but twice – in the introductions to both 2 John and 3 John. Some modern scholars introduce a third ‘John’ called unhelpfully ‘John of Patmos’ of which nothing else is known. That gives two candidates (John of Patmos and John the Presbyter) of whom essentially nothing is known and one (John the Apostle) whom the early church nearly universally affirmed was the author. While noting the presence of differences in language between Revelation on one side and the gospel and three letters of John on the other, we nonetheless stand with the earliest witnesses and hold that the book was most likely written by the Apostle John.[2] Patmos was used by Roman authorities as a place of exile primarily during the reign of Domitian in the late first century. There is near universal belief that John the Apostle wrote Revelation when he was, as he says, an exile on Patmos. This is known to have taken place in the 14th year of Domitian’s rule, 95 AD. This fact alone makes the arguments (see later) that Revelation was written during or just after the reign of Nero untenable and puts the writing near the end of the first century.[3] John, who was quite young at the time of the Crucifixion, would have been an old man when it was written. We note in passing that the author expects his work to be read aloud, presumably at church meetings. This speaks to a time when literacy was far lower than today. To benefit from the prophesies, the hearer must both hear what is read and take it to heart.
We now come to a difficulty concerning the return of Christ and the events of the Last Days that pervades all New Testament Scripture: the apparent belief of all concerned, including Christ, that the events of the prophesies would take place soon after the prophesies were revealed. John certainly seems to believe that what he saw will take place in the near future. The phrase translated “soon” (ἐν τάχει) in Revelation 1:1 actually means with quickness or speed. This is similar to the construction used in chapter 22 verse 20 where Christ says he is coming “quickly.” These two constructions can mean “within a short time” but can just as easily mean “suddenly.” The latter fits well with the repeated prophesies that Christ will come like a “thief in the night,” meaning suddenly (because unexpected) at an unknown time. While the argument is valid that the quoted constructions do not necessarily mean that John thought the return of Christ would take place shortly after he wrote Revelation, the same cannot be said of verse 3. The text in verse 3 is “ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς” which can really only be translated as it is here, “the time is near.” While much straining at gnats and swallowing camels has taken place concerning the timing of Christ’s return, it seems clear that Christ himself didn’t know when it would take place.[4] There will be signs as the day approaches (see the entire Olivet Discourse, as well as the events of Revelation), but until the revealing of the Antichrist, no one will know for sure when they will take place.[5]
The prophecy of Revelation is sent, along with brief introductory letters (chapters 1-3), to seven churches in Asia Minor near Patmos where John was imprisoned.
John passes on grace and peace (and, by extension, the entire book of Revelation) to the seven churches and, through them, to all the church. From whom, however, does the greeting come? From him who is and was and is to come, from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus. The question immediately arises as to whether this is a Trinitarian greeting. The Father and the Son are here, as well as a reference to spirits. The answer thus depends on whether the seven spirits before God’s throne are somehow representative of the Holy Spirit.
Support for the idea that the seven spirits are representative of the Holy Spirit may be found in Isaiah in a passage descriptive of the Messiah:
These are seven attributes of the Holy Spirit and hence not meant to be seven separate spirits. This appears to be supported by a very odd text in Zechariah:
The angel later speaks of the two olive trees separately, so it is likely the seven lamps on the lampstand are the Holy Spirit. John (see verse 12) sees something similar, but instead of a single lampstand with seven lamps, he sees seven separate lampstands.
If the seven spirits represent the Holy Spirit, this passage is definitely Trinitarian. There is, however, another possibility, namely that the seven spirits are seven actual spirits. That there are seven angels that stand before God’s throne, we know from Revelation 8:2a: “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God.” These are possible candidates for the seven spirits, though angels do not, as these seven spirits do, give their own blessings to mankind. Rather, they pass them on from God. If the seven spirits are seven angels, the most likely candidates for which angels are the seven archangels, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Saraqael, and Remiel. Of these, the Protestant Bible mentions Michael[6] and Gabriel,[7] the Catholic Bible adds Raphael[8] while the 20th chapter of the extra-biblical book of Enoch names them all. When he is introduced in Tobit, chapter 12, Raphael says "I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him." This certainly fits the seven spirits mentioned here in Revelation, so it is possible the seven archangels are meant. Another possibility is that both are meant. The argument goes as follows: Gabriel is (under this interpretation) one of the seven angels of the presence. In Luke (Luke 1:11,19) Gabriel is called “an angel of the Lord.” Throughout scripture[9] angels of the Lord speak God’s commands in the first person, showing they represent God very directly. Since it is emphasized here in Revelation 1 that the greeting comes from the seven spirits at God’s throne, it is certainly possible that since they speak directly for God (the -el at the end of their names means “God”), they are in essence the Holy Spirit and hence the greeting may be from all three members of the Trinity.
John offers praise to Jesus for freeing believers from their sins and making them a kingdom and priests to serve God the Father. Jesus himself is, of course, both king and priest.[10] This verse is one of the primary sources of the Protestant doctrine of “priesthood of all believers.” Since the “us” in verse 5b refers to all saved by Christ’s blood and the “us” in verse 6 tell that we are a kingdom and priests, any other interpretation seems difficult to justify.
The first part of this is a quote from Daniel 7, verse 13 and the second part is from Zechariah 12, verse 10. Even here in the introduction to Revelation John is making it clear that he is speaking of the time when Christ shall return to earth in glory. And indeed, in the letters to the seven churches (see below) each of them starts and ends with imagery of the Last Days.
Here and in Chapter 21 verse 6 the Alpha and the Omega refers to God the Father, while in Chapter 22 verse 13 it refers to Christ, making it very clear that Christ is God. Here, where it refers to the Father, it is consistent with the statement above that the revelation comes from the Father through the angels and John.
The formula “who is, and who was, and who is to come” primarily means “always existing.”
The general explanation of where the upcoming prophesies come from now provided, John adds his greetings to the seven churches, emphasizing that he, currently exiled to Patmos, is their fellow sufferer in general for the faith and in particular in the Domitian persecutions.
Patmos is an island just off the coast of Asia Minor. It and some of the neighboring islands were used as places of exile for those out of favor with the Roman emperor. John was exiled there for preaching about Christ against the demands of the emperor Domitian. Among the ‘crimes’ that could result in exile was magic, which included prophecy. It is unlikely the book of Revelation improved his position with Roman authorities.
The Lord’s Day is Sunday, the day on which Christ was resurrected. The Jewish Sabbath is never referred to as “the Lord’s Day” in scripture.
John is told to write his prophecy on a scroll and send it to the seven churches. The seven, in the order listed here, form an arc on mainland Asia Minor near Patmos. Starting on the coast northeast of Patmos, the list begins with Ephesus. Going north along the coast are Smyrna and Pergamum. From there, inland and somewhat south is Thyatira. Further south are Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
Where Zechariah saw a single lampstand with seven lamps on it, John sees seven lampstands. Here we are told that the seven lampstands are the seven churches to whom the book is addressed.
Christ, resurrected and glorified, speaks to John from among the seven lampstands. He holds seven stars and a double-edged sword comes out of his mouth. This sword will later be used to kill all those attempting to fight against the returning Christ at the last battle. He also refers to himself as the “first and the last.” Each of these features will be referenced in a letter to one of the churches.
It is understandable that John would be astonished at seeing the resurrected Christ in all his glory, given that he had also watched his friend die as he stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus’ mother Mary. Though John had seen Jesus several times after the Resurrection, this is the first time he has seen him as he is seen in heaven, glorified.
John falls to the ground when he sees the glorified Christ, but Jesus touches him and tells him not to be afraid and that he, though having died, is now ever living and, indeed, holds the keys of death and Hades.
Christ then instructs John to record what he has seen, what he is seeing of the present state of things, and what he will see of the future. It is possible that what “[John has] seen” is what is written in his three letters and in the book of John. This gets support from John 21:24 where it is said that John wrote what he saw. On the other hand, it may be that what he has seen and what he is seeing are both included in the letters addressed to the individual churches. What “will take place later,” the events around Christ’s return, are the subject of the rest of Revelation.
It is not clear who the seven stars are. Some have maintained that they are the bishops of the addressed churches, but there is nothing to support that. Stars can represent angels[11] and we are told that is what they represent here. But what is an angel of the church? Most likely, they are the guardian angels of the individual churches. We know that both nations[12] and individuals[13] have angels associated with them, so it would not be surprising that churches do as well. |
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Chapter 2We now have the letters to the seven churches. What the seven churches represent has been the subject of considerable dispute almost from the beginning. Some maintain they represent different examples of kinds of churches that may exist at any time. Others hold that they are each representational of the overall church in different periods of history (epochs) between when John wrote and Christ’s return. Still others maintain that they are seven churches founded by John. An alternative theory is that while John didn’t found them, he did oversee them during his time on Patmos.
All of these but the first – that they represent different types of churches – have little or no support in scripture. The second belief, that they describe the church in general in different epochs, has the problem that if the church type tells you the period of time you are in, then the “no one knows the day or the hour” scriptures are weakened. The strongest argument against the different churches representing the church at different epochs is that nothing in scripture hints that this might be so. There is little to no support for the theory that John founded the seven churches or that he had any particular authority over them, other than being the sole surviving Apostle by this time. Among other things, several of the churches were known to exist long before John was exiled to Patmos. The first supposition – that they are simply churches representative of different levels of commitment – has no explicit support either, but it does make sense, given the messages to the churches and the fact that those messages concentrate on attributes of the seven. We therefore tentatively accept the interpretation that, though they are specific churches of John’s day and near to Patmos, the purpose here is to categorize the characteristics of varying kinds of churches and convey God’s opinion of them. There is no time setting to the churches. The different kinds can exist at any time, as indeed they all existed in John’s time. Each of the seven letters has an introduction that harkens back to symbols associated with Christ in Chapter 1 and an ending that looks forward to the events of the Last Days described later in Revelation. It is usually not clear why those particular look-backs and look-aheads are used for a church. Nearly all the objections Christ has to the churches fall into one of two categories: the church has lost its original vigor, or it is compromising with paganism or tolerating those who do.
So far, God speaks of the church at Ephesus with strong approval. But as the next words show, the church shows a kind of lukewarmness which, from what God says to the church in Laodicea, is despised by him. If they continue to be lukewarm, despite their generally correct and scriptural behavior, God will deny them.
The lampstands were discussed earlier. Their place is by the throne of God.
Little is known about the Nicolaitans. They are mentioned only here in scripture, and nothing here says what they did or taught to earn God’s disapproval. While scripture is silent on them, the church fathers weren’t, though they were also uncertain who the prophecy referred to. Irenaeus and Hippolytus maintain they were named after and led by Nicholas the Deacon who is one of the first seven Deacons of the church and known as Nicholas of Antioch. Given the character of Nicholas in Acts 6, it is more likely that Clement of Alexandria is correct that a semi-Christian sect took Nicholas’ name but he had nothing to do with them. What they taught seems to have been that it was acceptable to follow pagan practices (to help rope in pagans for the church) and to have complete sexual license (on the grounds that all things are permitted Christians). St. Paul had some words to say concerning this attitude in 1 Corinthians 23.
The letter to the church at Ephesus ends, as all seven letters do, with an exhortation to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. This most likely means that the messages, though written to the churches, apply to everyone. If this interpretation is correct, then that supports the idea that the churches are kinds of churches present at all times in future history.
The final verse fits with condemning the Ephesians for inconstancy by promising eternal joy in the paradise of God for the one who overcomes until the end. It also means that if they turn back to their original fervor, they will be blessed eternally. This is the first example of a trend in the letters – tying the virtues and vices of the individual churches to their eternal results.
Smyrna and Philadelphia (see below) are the only churches for which Christ has no criticism. Interestingly, in both cases, coming persecution is mentioned in the letters. We will look at that in some detail in Chapter 3 where we discuss the letter to Philadelphia.
The church at Smyrna is doing everything right. That, however, will not save them from the persecutions near the end of the first Century. They will suffer them for “ten days.” Many have tried to tie this to ten emperors that will persecute Christians, or ten years of persecution, but its actual meaning is unknown. A possible but unlikely connection is that Roman law prescribed a holding period of ten days before a trial. Roman law, however, spoke of the period before a trial and this passage in Revelation discusses a period of trial itself.
Again, the message is to hold on and conquer in Christ’s name and they will be protected, not from the suffering, but from the punishments of those who do not follow Christ. Here, as well as many other places, God does not promise exemption from suffering. He only promises help through it and, ultimately, eternal joy for those who persevere.
Pergamum was, in John’s Day, a center of many pagan temples, particularly a large one dedicated to Zeus, and a center of the cult of the emperor. There are several things about the letter to Pergamum that have parallels in the account of the Last Days later in Revelation. The first such parallel is here. Christ appears as conqueror of the Antichrist and his armies. The double-edged sword is the same sword as in Revelation 19:21 that kills all who supported the Antichrist in the last battle. It is mentioned here as a descriptor of Christ and later in the letter as a threat to be used if the church doesn’t repent of its softness to paganism.
There are further parallels. Both Satan’s throne and emperor worship were centered in Pergamum. In the Last Days, the Antichrist is a creature of Satan and sets up his throne and the center of his worship in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. His doing so is so egregious that Christ says it is the first future event that will tell the Church for certain that the Last Days have started. It is not known who Antipas is or when he was martyred, but there were many waves of persecution and martyrdoms in the late first century, paralleling the final, ultimate persecutions under the Antichrist. Neither in the then-present persecutions, nor in the persecutions of the last days is the church promised exemption from suffering and martyrdom. It is, however, promised protection through the persecutions if they remain loyal to Christ. Not all is perfect in Pergamum’s church, however.
The two complaints essentially concern the same practices – too close an association with paganism and misuse of grace in sexual license. The Nicolaitans we have already discussed. What is meant by the teaching of Balaam is his conniving with the Moabites to lead the Israelites into idol worship and sexual immorality.[1]
The hidden manna has often been associated by scholars with Jesus, who is the bread of life and so the promise here is for a tighter relationship with the Savior for those to stay true to him during persecution. The manna is ‘hidden’ not from believers but from the non-Christian world.
The white stone has two meanings, both of which are relevant here. First, a white stone was given to those acquitted of a crime. Here it means the freedom Christians who persevere have from sin. Another meaning of the white stone is that it was sometimes given to victors in athletic contests and symbolized both the honor of the victor and also served as a ticket to a victory banquet, in this case the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The stone bears a new name known only to the Christian. It has many possible interpretations, but most likely means the complete transformation of “righteous men made perfect” that Christ will accomplish.[2] We learn in Revelation 19:2 that Christ himself will have a new name in the Last Days.
Thyatira is doing most things right and continually increasing in their service to God. But, like Pergamum, there are those who teach compromise with paganism:
It is unlikely that there was a real prophetess named Jezebel afflicting the church at Thyatira. It is far more likely that the term applies to a leader or leaders of influence who taught pagan compromise and licentious practices, following on the Jezebel of the Old Testament who was a Phoenician princess married to king Ahab and who led Israel into pagan practices, particularly the worship of Baal.
The ‘Jezebel’ at Thyatira was teaching the same two things as were condemned at Ephesus and practiced at Thyatira and Pergamum: pagan worship and sexual licentiousness.
If there was, as seems likely, no person at Thyatira named Jezebel, then the punishments here are more generally to be applied to those who teach such things. God also emphasizes that repaying is his purview, not ours. There is significant overlap between what Christ says here of “Jezebel” and what is later told to John about the Great Prostitute.
Christ says that with everything the faithful have going on, he will not add any burdens to them. Again, it is perseverance in the faith that is the ultimate command for Christians. Those who fight pagan practices in the church have no other burdens put onto them by God, other than to keep doing so.
Christ has authority over all the nations by right and will, after the defeat of the Antichrist, have the deed to the earth back in his hands. He will give that authority to his followers at his return.[3] Again, the letter looks forward to an event disclosed in the upcoming chapters of Revelation.
Those who follow Christ will be given “the morning star.” This is a direct parallel to the “hidden manna” given to Pergamum since in Revelation 22:16 Jesus calls himself the morning star.
The letter ends, as all of them do, telling anyone hearing what John wrote to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
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Chapter 3Chapter 3 continues the letters to the Seven Churches. There is no obvious reason Chapters 2 and 3 are separated except possibly for reasons of length. There is no change of topic between them
Note that the tree of life grows on both sides of the river. There are trees of life, not just one. Also remember where the tree of life was originally: in Eden, the paradise of God. We are back in Eden after all this time.
As we saw in Chapter 1, the seven spirits of God may be the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit while the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches to which John is commanded to write. Some have asserted that the seven spirits are the angels of the seven churches, and hence that this is a double reference to those angels. It seems, however, unlikely that here and here alone John would speak of the angels with this redundancy.
Again, the church is told to persevere in the faith and whatever happens, continue to do so.
They are a faultless church and have an open door before them, one that cannot be shut. This is contrasted with Laodicea, a church that is lukewarm and useless. There, the door is closed and only the members of the church can open it in response to Christ’s knock. In other words, the flawed church must do something to have Christ (back) while the flawless church already has him.
As with Smyrna, Philadelphia is a flawless church. Also along with Smyrna, Christ mentions persecution with respect to both churches, but with apparently opposite effects. Smyrna is promised that they will suffer persecution even to death, but that the one who endures will received the victor’s crown by Christ. It is very clear that Smyrna will undergo persecution, it will be severe, and if they persevere, they will be saved.
Philadelphia, however, is not told to persevere: they already are. And as a result, they will be “kept from” the coming persecution. Though there is a difference between the two churches, it is minor. Both are true to the teachings of Christ, though one is both praised for having endured and told (verses 11, 12) to hold on to what they have, while the other told to hold on as things get worse. This microscopic difference (if, indeed, it is a difference at all) does not warrant different outcomes. Which brings us to the term translated “keep from” in verse 10: “τηρήσω ἐκ.” This verse is used as a proof text by those who support the Pre-tribulation Rapture to show that the church will be removed from the earth prior to the Great Tribulation. Whatever else it might mean, it cannot possibly mean that for two reasons. First, the other perfect church, Smyrna, is told it will undergo persecution, even unto death, and it seems odd that the two essentially identical churches would be treated so differently. The other problem with using “τηρήσω ἐκ” as proof that the Church will be removed from the earth prior to the persecutions of the Antichrist is the only other use of that phrase in all of scripture. In John 17:15 (note, by the same author) “τηρήσῃς ἐκ”[1] is used.
It is very clear that the construction cannot mean “take them out of the world” since this verse very specifically contrasts taking them out of the world with what Christ is actually praying for: that God protect them from Satan. In both cases the churches – and indeed the entire Church of the Last Days – will go through tribulation, but be preserved from being lost to Satan. All Christians then alive will suffer the persecution of the Antichrist, but if they hold on to their faith, they will be protected during it from eternal loss.
The word translated “soon” is “ταχύ.” It is also used in Revelation 22:20. There are three possibilities, all supported by meanings of “ταχύ” (and its variants). The word can mean “soon” as in “without unnecessary delay” or “within a short time.” It can also mean “rapidly” or “quickly,” meaning once started it will happen with speed, and it can mean “suddenly,” as in “surprisingly.” There is apparently no way to discern which of the three is meant from the use of the word “ταχύ” (and its variants).
There are, however, indications elsewhere in scripture which shed light on the meaning here. When Christ is asked when the events of the end of the age will take place, he provides a long list of things that must happen first in the Olivet Discourse. This would rule out the idea of “within a short time” were it not for Matthew 24:34 which says, “this generation will not pass away.” This is generally taken to mean that Christ thought the generation living when he was asked the question would still be alive when the age ended. But careful reading of Matthew 24 shows that is not what he says. He says that when you see all these things (the lengthy list of signs he gives just before this), you can know that the return of Christ is imminent. It is consistent with that to say, therefore, that “ταχύ” should here be interpreted as “quickly” or “suddenly.” This translation is completely in accord with the Thief in the Night scriptures which say that Christ’s coming will be unexpected by those not on the lookout for it.
Another call for staying faithful to Christ. Christ’s new name is mentioned again in Revelation 19:2. There is probably no point in speculating what it might be, though “names” in scripture often represent the personhood, the essence of someone. This therefore implies that Christ will have a further mission and more to reveal about himself when he returns.
As much as God dislikes people opposing him, he dislikes people being wishy-washy even more. St. Paul, then named Saul, opposed Christ and his church vigorously and, upon conversion, became the most effective missionary of all time. But those who hold to nothing firmly are useless to God.
True wealth does not come from money but from being rich in the Lord. Christ tells the church in Laodicea to take the wealth they boast of and buy “gold refined with fire.” The refinement is the cleaning up of their works so only the good ones remain. Otherwise, that wealth is useless to them.
Christ is emphatic and most negative about the Laodiceans of all the churches. Indeed, he has nothing good to say about them. But they are still his. He still loves them, which is why he is rebuking them. It is here that he makes the most direct and personal appeal to members of the church, telling the Laodiceans that he is right outside and all they have to do is let him in. And if they do, he will eat with them and, if they persevere, they may sit with him on his throne.
This is the second time the image of a door with Christ on the other side is used in the seven letters. Philadelphia, one of the faultless churches, has an open door before them. In Laodicea, the members of the church must act to open the door – but Christ is knocking, wanting to be let in. He pursues all, even those who ignore him.
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