In our world filled with technology, material prosperity and modern conveniences, many mistakenly assume that they do not need God. The Corinthian believers were engaged in some seriously messed up things. There are a couple of points that I need to make here that you might not have seen before. It was uncontaminated water straight from the mountains. In John 14:14, Jesus said: You are my friends if you do what I command you. Had this church been filled with non-Christians, Jesus would not have called them friends. Therefore, the Lord Jesus tells them to buy eye salve from Him to see their spiritual state. Various thermal installations, which included immense hot basins and pools for swimming, were built to take advantage of the natural resource. Christ told the church at Laodicea to buy____from Him to become truly rich. We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Baldwin Park Eye Care | We are located at 4829 New Broad St, Orlando, FL, 32814. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. What does it mean to be cold? For example, lets say that I issued instructions for you to sit either on the left or the right side of the room but not in the center. The city was also famous for its red dye, made from the juice of the madder root, and the leaves for medicinal purposes. Six miles to the north, the town of Hierapolis sat on the top of the cliffs overlooking the valley. Nine miles to the east of Laodicea lay the town of Colossae. That, I believe, is the point. Time. What is the time of need? I dont think so. EYESALVE i'-sav (kollourion; collyrium; Revelation 3:18 ): A Phrygian powder mentioned by Galen, for which the medical school of Laodicea seems to have been famous (see Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia), but the figurative reference is to the restoring of spiritual vision. God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the condition of wallets. Serving wine lukewarm would be considered an insult. He would vomit them out of His mouth because their works were so distasteful to Him. The problem lies in that it seems improbable that Christ would use a human to write a physical letter to an angel, rebuking it for falling short in its duties as a Christ-follower.4 If the angel is an actual angelic representative of the local church, and answerable for its failure, then the seven angels in chapters 1 through 3 failed miserably. Revelation 3:14-22 Laodicea also had a medical school for training people to become doctors. What does it mean to be hot? 3. We must be determined to pursue purity and to do what pleases God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). The city also became renowned throughout the empire for it's eye and ear salve. The word for dine is the Greek word (deipns), which means to eat at a banquet.24 This word for dine is very similar to the Greek word for dinner deipnon, the evening meal. The Greek word arche, which is translated Beginning, has a range of meanings from beginning, origin to the person or thing that commences to that by which anything begins to be to the first place, principality, rule, magistracy (Thayers Greek Lexicon). It was a banking center. They were storing up treasure on earth, but not in heaven. The lack of white clothing does not mean they removed their salvation; it simply means the clothing that symbolized their purity and righteousness was gone. Water is an important necessity for any metropolis, and the ancient city of Laodicea accommodated this need. Jesus was obedient and faithful, even to the point of death (John 12:27,28). The church at Laodicea was not victorious, but Christ had not yet given up on them. If there had been a corresponding word in the Greek language, then amen could have been translated. Why does the church not hear his knock? You must know the truth so well that, when the lies of the enemy appear, you can recognize them. White is the most frequently mentioned color in the Bible. Those who do not have "ears to hear" are spiritually dead and cannot obey God until they respond to His work in their hearts (John 6:65; Romans 11:8). Although Laodicea produced the best eye-salve in the ancient world, the Laodicean Christians were blind when looking at their spiritual state. The act of hearing implied obedience. He humbled Himself to the Father's will. valley. In terms of textiles, a hot Christian is clean, lives a pure life abstaining from sin, and the colorfastness of the Holy Spirit ensures the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) doesnt fade. Modern Laodicea: Four Characteristics Similar to its ancient type, 21st-century Laodicea suffers from a number of specific ailments including: (1) pride in financial wealth and abundance of goods, (2) lukewarm temperature, (3) blindness, and (4) nakedness. Just in case you're beginning to get the point that the person referred to here is truthful, honest, believable, and worthy of credit (trustworthy); that is exactly the idea that John is pointing out. Temples had a joint purpose of worship and medical studies. In this case, the angel represents the church. One of the famous Laodicean remedies was a "Phrygian eye-salve" which was supposed to cure inflammation. Colossae had been a major trade center on the trade route from Sardis to Konya and was famous for the dark red wool cloth that carried that its name, colossinum (also derived from the madder root). Instead of being victorious over temptation, temptation had been victorious over them. Instead, this namethe Beginning of the creation of Godmeans that Jesus was the Creator of the universe. That would not be logical since the church at Laodicea has already accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. After letting him ineffectively try to cover himself, God provided clothing for him. As a testament to its wealth, Laodicea had two theaters, a gymnasium, and a large stadium. It is showing that all things were created through Him. Both of these cities were known for the pure waters that flowed through them. Laodicea was a town in the Lycus River valley in present-day Turkey. Fertile ground of the valley was good grazing for sheep. As we await the return of Jesus Christ to earth, we need to avoid becoming callous to Gods way of life and His expectations of us. In the New Testament, a believer dies with Christ to live a new holy life in the power of Christ's resurrection and identification with Christ's suffering (Romans 6:1-11, Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:8-10). gold. This letter was not written by a weary shepherd, hoping to be let in for some comfort and a bite to eat. Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man here my voice, and open the . The hot mineral water was brought down from Hierapolis and used by the textile industry. Moses was rebuking the rebellious Israelites by saying, But to this day, the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. He was not referring to physical hearing, but to those who may hear the commands of the Lord but who lacked comprehension and desire to act upon those words (Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2). Production of the famous "Phrygian powder" was also performed in Laodicea. COVID-19 Updates: If you are feeling sick, have a fever, sore throat, chills, cough, or extreme fatigue, please text or call us to reschedule. The word for love used in this verse is not agape but phileo. If anyone in the church hears Christ's voice and opens the door, he will come and dine with them. The great Roman road stretching to the inland of Asia from the coast at Ephesus ran straight through its center, making Laodicea an important center of trade and communication. The discipline of Christ stated in Hebrews 12:5-11, explains that God's discipline proceeds from his love and seeks to develop righteousness in his people. The word rebuke is the Greek word (elegch) and means to convict, to prove one in the wrong.21 Jesus is doing more than just telling the Laodiceans their faults; he is convicting them of their sin. John is only the recorder of the words, faithfully writing down what Jesus is saying. Christ told the church at Laodicea to buy___from Him so they could see. Jesus lived a life of humility. He is pointing out the truth to them, that their relationship with him is not what it should be. After such strong correction, it is especially poignant to note that God wants sinners to repent and will quickly forgive their sins if they do. Keep in mind as you read about the Laodiceans that they are a church filled with Christians. You dont expect (or want) to have lukewarm coffee served to you. The Laodiceans were rich and self-sufficient, with no need for God to supply their needs. About Laodicea (See Colossians 2:1; 4:13-16) . Tunics manufactured in Laodicea, called trimata, were so well-known that the city had the nickname of Trimataria.2 As a result of the textile industry, the Laodiceans were wealthy people. Imparted righteousness is the righteousness of sanctification, wherein God causes the Christian to become more and more Christlike. Jesus is the power and authority that God utilized in creating the universe. Unfortunately, Colossae did not have the wealth that Hierapolis or Laodicea possessed, and the city did not completely rebound from the earthquake in 60 A.D. as well as they did. It is through our relationship and identification with Christ and His work, and our faithfulness in the conflict with sin as we draw upon Christ, that we get to share in His reign as a reward for faithful service. Throughout the ages Satan has blinded the minds of most people (. The only way to be in a right relationship with God is through forgiveness. The stones were ground up to powder which was mixed with oil producing a well-known eye balm that was distributed throughout the Greek and Roman world. 4. His entire life was a fulfillment of God's Word, and thereby, Gods will. Laodicea was a town in the Lycus River valley in present-day Turkey. They werent serving God the way he wanted them to be serving. A change of heart will follow honest confession. Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16. What are we supposed to overcome? There was no corresponding word in the Greek language to match the Hebrew word amen. The city was at the crossroads of north-south traffic between Sardis and Perga and east-west from the Euphrates to Ephesus. "11 (According to dictionary.com, the word "aver" means to declare positively, or state something as a fact.) Christ told the church (in verse 17) that they were blind, and in verse 18, they are instructed to purchase eye salve. The words of Jesus Christ arise directly from the prosperity and the skill in which Laodicea took so much pride and which had in the minds of its citizens, and even of its Church, eliminated . There is a difference between transliteration and translation. Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lyous [sic.] The first part of this process is accomplished by pulverizing or crushing the gold ore and then placing it in a furnace. Jesus used scripture as a weapon. (20) Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. The Laodiceans needed to turn away from putting their trust in their earthly gold and instead put their trust in Jesus Christ, and that would involve repentance. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 NASB. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8. It is the foundation of wisdom. Whenever Christ says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear, He is calling for people to pay careful heed. You see Laodicea was a very wealthy city. No, it does not; just dont sit in the center. Local resources of zinc and alum became the basis for the production of eye ointments, known as kollyria, also sold by merchants from Laodicea.3 The powder would be mixed with water to give it a paste-like consistency and then applied to the eyes. Those terms are imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness. All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. Christ is at the door! What will happen to me? Contrition, on the other hand, is regret for the sin committed against Gods love and regret for having grieved the Holy Spirit. You would probably spit it out at the first sip. The word amen is used thirty times in the Old Testament. Greek 2854. kollourion -- eye salve. The city's reputation was for its money transactions and the good quality of raven-black wool grown in the area.1 The black wool, spun into dark yarn, was added to yarn dyed in other colors and made some very intricately patterned colored clothing, which sold for a high price in Rome. They think they have need of nothing because they are saved and on their way to heaven. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote that the Laodiceans had again refused aid from Rome following an earthquake that badly damaged the city in A.D. 60 (Annals, 14:27). Concluding with encouragement, Jesus reminds them that if they overcome, they will rule with Him (verse 21). The image is of a Savior who expects that His church will be looking for Him, awaiting His arrival. Incline your ear and come to Me. The eye salve must be purchased, and it is expensive. It can only come by the revelation of Jesus Christ to the believer, and then must be developed by way of training in righteousness (Hebrews 5:14) and prayer (Ephesians 6:18). I could wish you were cold or hot. We're currently processing your request and we'll be in touch soon. Isaiah 55:1-3 (NASB). As a result of not being either hot or cold for Jesus, they are like a rancid drink or repugnant drink that leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. It is a message of hope and victory. That the citys banking assets were noteworthy is evidenced by the fact that Cicero cashed huge bank drafts in Laodicea. The Laodicean Church became predominant towards the end of the twentieth century. Call (626) 587-0033! The letter to Laodicea was written to Christians who already had the white garments of salvation, so we are led to wonder why they needed to purchase more white garments and how to purchase them. Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. But it's written that it was as a man that He humbled Himself, and was obedient. It is up to the hearer to decide whether to take the Word seriously and try to understand it, and obey it. The therapeutic virtues of the waters became the calling card of the town. So what does it cost to purchase eye salve from Christ? If you are living a self-reliant, self-sufficient life; relying on your strength rather than Christs, then you are lukewarm. He was the beginning of all things. ""To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. In the New Testament, eyes tend to represent spiritual discernment (Matthew 13:10-17, 1 John 2:11). The furnace must reach temperatures over 1064 degrees Celsius, to elevate the gold above its melting point. He often started a statement with Amen, amen, I say to you. (Many verses in the Gospels such as John 5:24 translate amen as truly, or verily.) They may have been well off economically, but they were poor in their relationship with God. The keys, according to this passage, are becoming skilled in the Word of God (by which we define righteousness) and practice (through which we gain experience). 3. According to Roman writer Tacticus, Rome offered to pay for the city to be rebuilt, but the people declined, saying that they were wealthy enough to restore their own city. Both Laodicea and Philadelphia served as gateways to the eastern region of Phrygia and as ambassadors for Greek culture. The church at Laodicea stands accused of being shamefully naked. The word zealous is the Greek word (zeleue) and means to be eager, earnest.23 The church is commanded to be earnest or zealous, which means a passionate eagerness to do God's will. The ruins, now called Eski Hissar, or old castle, lie near the modern Gonjelli on the railroad, and they have long served as a quarry to the builders of the neighboring town of Denizli. It looks like Laodicea had put their faith in the gold that perishes. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 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