(Revelation 3:14-22).
H. Smith.
In the address to the Church at Laodicea there is brought before us the solemn condition of the church, at the close of its history, as the responsible witness for Christ on the earth. This condition is presented as seen by the Lord. Thus we are not left to form our own partial conclusions as to the condition of Christendom in the last days; we have the unerring judgment of the One in whose eyes, as a flame of fire, all things are naked and open.
In the condition of Laodicea we see the final result of the first departure of the church at Ephesus. The failure of the church as a witness for Christ commenced with the loss of first love; it ends with the loss of Christ Himself. The professing Church my seek to accredit itself by retaining the Name of Christ, but, He, Himself is outside. Then this last phase is reached, the condition Is irremediable and the sentence pronounced is unalterable; the Lord's words are, "I will spue thee out of my mouth."
(V. 14). The Lord presents Himself to Laodicea as, "The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." Thus it will be noticed that, both in this church and that of Philadelphia, the Lord presents Himself in his moral attributes rather than in any judicial or official character. There is however, this difference, in Philadelphia the attributes are for the encouragement of the church; in Laodicea they are a rebuke to the church.
"The Amen". As the Amen, Christ is the confirmation and the fulfilment of all the promises of God (2 Cor. 1:20). The Christian is blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. All these blessings, purposed by God for the church, have been secured by the work of Christ and set forth in Christ – He is the Amen. The church, by a consistent walk in separation from the world, should have been in its measure a confirmation of, and a witness to, the truth of the heavenly calling. Alas! the professing church has given up the heavenly calling, settled down on earth and become the world. Instead of confirming, it has become the denial of the truth of God.
"The faithful and true witness." In all His path Christ was ever faithful to God, and a true witness for God in the world. The church was left in the world to be faithful to Christ, and a true witness for Christ as the Epistle of Christ. Alas! having failed in fidelity to Christ it has ceased to be a witness for Christ. Lukewarm, or indifferent to Christ it ends in witnessing to itself, for it says. "I am rich...and have need of nothing."
"The beginning of the creation of God." In Christ we see the exposure and setting aside of all that marked fallen man, whether Jew or Gentile, and the perfect setting forth of all those qualities that will characterise the new creation. Thus we read, "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but new creation" (Gal. 6:15 N.Tn.). The church should have been "a kind of first fruits of the creation" (James 1:18). The old creation has been marred by sin; but God purposes to have a new creation where all will be in accord with His heart. If marked by "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance,” it would be a witness to the new creation, Alas! instead of setting forth these lovely qualities, the professing church has become so utterly corrupt that, In its last phase, as one has said, there will be "nothing on the face of the whole earth so diametrically opposed to God, as professing Christianity."
Every attribute in which Christ is presented expresses what the church should have been in the world for God and for Christ. Thus, the way in which Christ presents Himself to Laodicea is a solemn rebuke to the professing church. It is as if the Lord said, "I present Myself to you in all that you should have been, to prove how completely you have failed to answer to My mind."
Nevertheless, when the church has utterly failed in confirming the promises of God, as being faithful to God, as being a true witness to the world, and as manifesting the fruits of the new creation and when, as a result of its failure, its coming judgment is foretold, it is still true that every responsibility in which the church has failed is perfectly met in Christ. He is still “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.”
(V. 15). Having presented Himself as the perfect standard by which the condition of the church can be judged, the Lord, in the solemn words that follow, exposes the condition of the church in its closing days, showing how far it had departed from the standard set forth in Himself.
We are not left to our limited vision, and partial knowledge, for we have the judgment of the One who can say, "I know thy works." First, the One who knows has to say, "Thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot." On the one hand, the great mass in Christendom are not "hot." They have no zeal for Christ; they are not reached by His grace, moved by His words, or constrained by His love. On the other hand, they are not “cold”. They make a religious profession but at the same time are totally unconcerned by the attacks on His Person, and the denials of His work. Christendom is marked by indifference to Christ. Further, indifference to Christ will always entail toleration of evil. The truth may be set aside by error; the inspired word given up for the infidel notions of men, and the grossest worldliness practised on every hand, but, in the last phase of Christendom it is all a matter of indifference.
(V. 16). Such a condition is so abhorrent to Christ that in the end He will spue the professing Church out of His mouth. He holds out no hope of any change or recovery in the mass of the great Christian profession. He definitely states that the time is coming when all that professes His Name on the earth will be utterly rejected by Himself. And when that which professes His Name is rejected and cast out by Christ as utterly nauseous, the Beast will say, “It is entirely suited to me, and I will pick it up and carry it,” (Rev. 17:3-8).
(V. 17). Then the Lord gives us further marks of the last state of Christendom. We have heard what the Lord has to say about Christendom; now we hear what Christendom says of itself. The Lord's words are "Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.” What is this but self-occupation, self-satisfaction, and self-sufficiency? The church was set to represent Christ and thus attract to Christ. So complete is the breakdown in responsibility that the professing church ends by talking about itself and seeking to attract to itself. With the utmost self-satisfaction it can boast in its intellectual riches, its numbers and material advantages in this world. So great its self-sufficiency that it can say, "I have need of nothing". And yet with all its boasted enlightenment it is utterly ignorant of its true condition, for the Lord has to say, "Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” How solemn that it is possible to pride ourselves on our spiritual riches, and yet be wholly ignorant of our true spiritual condition. The Lord says, "I know" but "Thou knowest not."
Such then is the solemn condition of professing Christendom in which we find ourselves to-day. Indifferent to Christ, tolerant of evil, self-occupied, self-satisfied, self-sufficient, and ignorant of its true condition.
If, then, from the Lord's words to Philadelphia. we learn what has His approval in the last days, and therefore that to which we should seek to answer, in the address to Laodicea we learn what the Lord utterly condemns, and that which we should rigidly shun.
Let us then seek above all else, to have the glory of the Lord before us, and beware lest, by reason of the general laxity we become tolerant of evil. While seeking to walk in the truth of the church let as not attempt to attract to ourselves, or make anything of ourselves, by boasting in light or spiritual riches. May we walk in that lowly dependence upon Christ that will preserve us from the spirit of self-sufficiency which would blind us to our true condition.
(V. 18). The Lord's solemn exposure is followed by the Lord's gracious counsel. The great mass in Christendom retain the Name of Christ, keep up the profession of Christianity but, as to fact, are unconverted. To such the Lord's word is, "I counsel thee to buy of me”.
The Lord is, indeed, “the faithful and true witness,” but, oh, how gentle and tender is this last appeal to the great unconverted mass in Christendom. He seems to say, “If you arewretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, you are the very ones for Me, and I am the only One for you. I have the gold, the white raiment, and the eye salve, and though you are poor you can buy of Me without money and without price.” The Lord's words “I counsel thee to buy of me” set forth in figure the need of a personal link with Christ. The fact that the Lord has to give such counsel is a clear proof that the great mass that compose the Christian profession in its last phase have no personal faith in Christ, and therefore 1ack all those spiritual blessings that Christ secures for the believer. They lack divine righteousness before God; they lack the character of Christ before men; and they lack all true spiritual discernment.
The Lord exhorts such to turn to Himself to obtain the "gold tried in the fire," that they may be rich. The gold tried in the fire speaks of the righteousness of God available for every sinner through the death of Christ, whereby the sinner that believes in Christ is set before God a justified man as clear from sins and judgment as Christ risen.
Moreover the Lord's counsel shows the need of the white raiment that we may be clothed. If the gold speaks of the righteous condition in which the believer appears before God, the white raiment speaks of the practical righteousness in the life of the believer before men (Rev. 19:8). Clothed in white raiment implies that before men we put on the beautiful character of Christ, and thus exhibit something of His lowliness and meekness, His grace and gentleness, His patience and forbearance, His holiness and sanctification.
Further, with all the boasted scholarship and intellectual attainments, the great mass of the Christian profession wholly lack the spiritual discernment that belongs to the simplest believer in Christ through the Spirit. The Apostle John can say to the babes in Christ, "The anointing which ye have received... teaches you of all things (1 John 2:27). Thus the Lord counsels these lifeless professors to turn to Himself for the “eye salve”. Paul, when converted was "filled with the Holy Spirit... And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales". He saw all things clearly.
Very blessedly we learn from the Lord's counsel that His desire for each believer is "that thou mayest be rich;” “that thou mayest be clothed;” and "that thou mayest see". In these three desires we have a brief summary of what the Christian should be as he passes through this world. He is one who before God is enriched with all the blessings secured by Christ's death, and set forth in Christ risen at the right hand of God. He is one who represents Christ, in the world from which He is absent, by presenting the character of Christ; and he is one who by the Holy Ghost has his eyes opened to see all things clearly.
(V. 19). As in the days of Israel's apostacy the Lord had His seven thousand that had not bowed the knee to Baal, so, in the last days of the Church's history on earth, in the midst of the vast profession that is passing on to judgment, the Lord has His own, known and loved by Him. Having loved His own He loves them to the end. Nevertheless, he may have to rebuke and chasten them. So the Lord has to say, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." Love cannot be indifferent to any spot on the object of love. So the Lord may have to rebuke us for definite failure, and chasten us in order that we may partake of His holiness. But He would have us to know that love - the love that passes understanding – is behind all his dealings with us. The hand that smites is moved by a heart that loves. Judging our thoughts, our words, our ways, in the light of His love, should we not find much to awaken zeal toward Himself as we think of all His patience and forbearance with us; and much to call for repentance, as to ourselves, as we recall our many failures. It was the look of love that broke down the Apostle Peter and led him to repent with bitter tears.
(V. 20). If yearnings of heart are awakened toward Himself as He reminds us of His love, then, for our encouragement He would have us to know that He longs for a place in our hearts. He stands at the door and knocks. If we hear His voice, and open the door He is ready to come in. Let us remember the latch is on our side of the door. To the one that opens the Lord says, "I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me".
He will not force his company upon us, but, if anyone desires His company let such remember that the Lord, on His side, desires our company, for He stands at the door and is knocking. When we think of all that He is in his love and grace, it is little wonder that we should desire His company. That He should desire our company is a great wonder.
If we let Him in He will sup with us. He will enter into all our exercises; He will counsel us in our difficulties, succour us in our weakness, and sustain us in our troubles, but He will do more, for He will bring us to sup with Him. He will lift us above our things to enter into His things, and give us to share in His thoughts and desires. Treating us as His friends, He will say to us as to the disciples, "All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15). He will unroll before us the glory of the world to come, and the yet deeper blessedness of the Father's home. Thus He will lead us to sup with Him as He delights our souls with the unseen and eternal things that no failure on our side can ever touch.
How blessedly the Lord thus intimates that in the closing days of Christendom it is still possible for any believer to enjoy the sweetest and closest communion with Himself. There is no suggestion of getting back to any great display of power before the world as at the beginning, but it is possible to get back to first love and communion with Himself.
(V. 21). Very blessedly the Lord encourages us to overcome the evils of Christendom by presenting Himself as the Overcomer. When on earth the Lord was surrounded by the world of corrupt Judaism, and His last words to His disciples were, "in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33) He proclaimed grace to the world, He warned the world, He wept over the world, but never for one moment did He associate with its outward forms of religion, admit its worldly principles, or sanction its corruption. Refusing the world, He found himself in reproach - a despised and rejected man. But the stone which the builders cast away as worthless has become the head of the corner (1 Peter 2:7). He is exalted to the Father's throne. In our day we find ourselves surrounded by the world of corrupt Christendom, and, with himself before us as our perfect example, we are exhorted to overcome its indifference to Christ, its toleration of evil, and its exaltation of men. Overcoming, we shall find ourselves in reproach and obscurity in this present world; but, in the world to come we shall have the appreciation of Christ by being made the sharers of His throne.
(V. 22). The address closes with an appeal to every individual with an opened ear, to hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To profit by the divinely recorded mind of Christ, as to the course of failure of the church in responsibility, as to the condition of the vast professing mass in the last days, and as to the path of believers in the midst of the failure, we must heed, not the message to one Church only, but the Spirit recorded words of the Lord to all the Churches. May we then have the opened ear, and the exercised heart to hear the voice of the Lord through the Spirit, and thus enjoy sweet communion with Christ, and be kept true to Himself until He comes.
Oh, I will come in and sup, dear soul,
We will mingle thine and Mine;
Thou shalt drink from my heart's full cup, dear soul,
Thou shalt taste of My kingdom's wine.
I will bring bring bright cheer from the board above, -
A fellowship blest and free;
A glory of joy, a rapture of love,
A heaven of song, - for thee!