The Laodicean Church

Jesus Christ Prophesied to Seven Churches

"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:20)

The seven churches are the primary focus of the first three chapters of Revelation. They have been left in a place of witness as represented by seven golden candlesticks and by the seven stars in the right hand of Jesus which are their angels.

The Seven Churches from a Chronological Perspective

According to the chronological perspective, each church mentioned represents a period in church history marking a phase of the growth, change, and ultimate falling away of the Body of Jesus Christ.

The Seven Church Periods

1. The Church in Ephesus 

2. The Church in Smyrna 

3. The Church in Pergamos 

4. The Church in Thyatira 

5. The Church in Sardis  

6. The Church in Philadelphia 

7.  The Church of Laodicea 

Jesus Christ's Prophecy to the Laodicean Church 

14 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; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 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: 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 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. 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. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:14-22)

The Laodicean Church: Its Characteristics

The Laodicean Church is the present-day American church.   It's man centered and worldly.  Its focus is on human relationship building where the fear of God has been replaced by the fear of man and where pleasing God has been replaced by pleasing man.  It's a church that seeks a type of world peace apart from Jesus Christ that's to be achieved by reconciling human differences.  It's no longer God's salt and light called out of the world, but legally, is incorporated and allied with state governments, the federal government, and even with the United Nations.

Truly, the Laodicean (American) Church, which loves darkness more than light, has become a refuge for Satanic agents. 

"The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed...which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air [Satanic agents] come and lodge in the branches thereof. (Matt 13: 31,32)

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4)

It's Lukewarm and has been Rejected  

Jesus Christ had nothing positive to say of the Laodicean church.  It's without zeal concerning God's word and all manner of unbiblical teaching is tolerated.  Rather than building a relationship with God, this church's primary focus is building and reconciling human relationships.  Rather than denying themselves and picking up their crosses, this church is content to have a social gospel where the only sin is social sin (attempting to correct their unbiblical pastor).    

It's Poor (spiritually), but believes it's Rich 

The Laodicean (American) church believes it's rich and self-sufficient and while most of its members think their middle-class status to be God's blessing, it's actually spiritually poor and lacking.  

Being puffed by their worldly success and having an inflated opinion of themselves, they even feel competent to question and change God's word. "Hath God said?"  Happily meeting in "discussion groups," they reach consensus to change or to negate God's word in order to suit their numerous lusts.  The born-again minority within this church, being resistant to this change process and its attending peer pressure, will find themselves just like Jesus: alienated and driven outside the camp.   

Although the Laodicean (American) church claims to be rich and in need of nothing, Jesus Christ has revealed its poverty in the starkest terms: it's poor, wretched, miserable, naked, and blind.  

"For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. " (2 Cor 10:18)   

It's Blind and in need of Eyesalve (the Holy Spirit)

The Laodicean (American) church is spiritually blind.  The majority of its pastors and congregation members, not having saving faith in Jesus Christ, are without the Holy Spirit.  Having no Spirit of Truth, it remains indifferent to biblical doctrine and incapable of rightly dividing God's word.  

Lacking the Holy Spirit, American church members are also incapable of even discerning the signs of the times.  They remain blinded to important events shaping the world like Zionism, the existence of the Noahide Laws, the identity of the Antichrist, and the timing of the church rapture.  Worst of all, they remain blind to their own desperate need.

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."  Matthew 15:14

It's Naked needing to be Clothed in White Raiment (Righteousness)

Jesus Christ declared the Laodicean (American) church to be naked.  Without the Holy Spirit, they aren't justified in Jesus Christ and are without God's righteousness (White Raiment).      

Being puffed and pleased, they imagine themselves to be well clothed.  While clothes they might have, white raiment they had not.  

"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Rev 19:8)

Jesus Christ is Unwelcome 

The Laodicean (American) church won't allow Jesus Christ entrance, but having mercy, He still "stands at the door and knocks." Since this church excludes Jesus from that which professes to be His own Body, it's not surprising that Jesus will "spue them out of His mouth" upon His return. 

Like Jesus, born again Christians zealous for God and His word find themselves unwelcome in today's churches.  Not being allowed to manifest any gifts that will edify or correct, they're told that they must agree with their errant pastor or leave.  The born-again minority, then considered hateful, divisive and intolerant, will suffer social alienation if not complete shunning.  

Truly, modern American churches have become cults run by men who love to "lord it over."  Not being educated in God's word, but in corporate business strategies or in the world's organizational models, today's pastors may stress the need for practices like "facilitator training" or "leadership development."  The need for church members to be holy, sanctified, and set apart from the world will rarely be stressed.     

Jesus Christ Counsels the Laodicean (American) church to buy of Him Gold tried in the Fire

Jesus counsels the Laodicean (modern American) church to "buy of me gold tried in the fire."  Today's church members, proud and puffed by their worldly status, imagine their "riches" to be God's blessing.  However, these "riches" have yet to face the fires of affliction which will refine their gold (if there be any) and burn up their many vain imaginings.  Once tried in the fire, this church's true poverty will be revealed.   

When Jesus counsels this church to "buy of me gold tried in the fire," He may, in fact, be giving them notice that since they will not be taken, but "spued out" upon His return, they'll need to be tried by the fires of Tribulation-which will include their beheadings (see the Noahide Laws).   

If "left behind" by Jesus, will you believe in Him and be willing to lose your head, or will you believe in the Antichrist and take his Mark?

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev 3:10)

Jesus Christ Counsels this Church to be Zealous and Repent

In verse 19, Jesus counsels: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."  

The majority of today's American church members, being proud, blind, and naked, are not God's children and will not come under the Lord's rebukings.  They can't be chastened. 

American churches today operate like exclusive country clubs or even like cocktail parties with the pastor acting as host.  Their club / cult members, puffed by their imagined prosperity, will often disapprove of the church's born-again minority, who are persecuted and often in trouble for following Jesus.  This disapproved of minority, then thrust "outside the camp," are actually those few who are approved of God and chastened by His love.  

God's discipline comes on "as many as I love," to stir them to zeal and to repentance which is the opposite of the lukewarmness which characterizes today's Laodicean American church.