Laodicea
14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of Godâs creation. 15 I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 16 So because you are lukewarmâneither hot nor coldâI am about to vomit you out of My mouth! 17 You say, âI am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.â But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.â Revelation 3#15Revelation 3#16Revelation 3#17Revelation 3#18Revelation 3#19Revelation 3#20Revelation 3#21
Historical Context
Like Thyatira, Laodicea was a prosperous industrial and commercial center. It was located in Phrygiaâs Lycus Valley, six miles south of Hierapolis. They had a horrible water supply and used aqueducts to pipe water from the hotsprings of Hierapolis for Roman baths. The problem with this is that by the time it arrived, it was lukewarm and not very soothing. In Hierapolis, their water was hot and full of minerals, it was used for healing purposes. The church in Laodicea was established by Epaphras during Paulâs three-year stay at Ephesus. Sadly, all the grandeur that came from its economic prosperity led to the spiritual bankruptcy of the church, and the complacency during abundant times led to lukewarm hearts.
Authorâs Intent
When Jesus addressed them, He spoke about the solutions for spiritual poverty, spiritual nakedness, spiritual blindness, spiritual compromise, and their un-Christlike behavior. He compared them to their water supply, saying that it would be better for them to either be cold and refreshing or hot and soothing, instead of being disgusting and making others sick. The solution was simply to spend more time with God and less time investing in the riches of this world.