WE ARE IN THE LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE! WAKE UP!
When Jesus addressed each church in the second and third chapters of Revelation, He introduced Himself by specific identifiers that fit each church. These identifiers were already spoken in chapter one to describe Jesus as the apostle John saw Him or heard Him speak.
To the church at Ephesus, He was "the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands."
He called Himself "the first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life" when He spoke to Smyrna.
"The One who has the sharp two-edged sword" is the Person who spoke to Pergamum.
To Thyatira Jesus said He is "the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and feet like burnished bronze."
Sardis was addressed by "the One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars."
"He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens" spoke to the church at Philadelphia.
Each of His declarations affirmed absolutely His power and authority as God, the Creator. But when He spoke last to the church at Laodicea, His self-description took on a different tone.
Jesus said of Himself, He was "The Amen, the faithful and true Witness." That much John had written about what he had seen and heard about Jesus. Then Jesus went on and said something more, something that He had not said or revealed to John: "the Origin of the creation of God." Laodicea is the only church to which Jesus made a claim about Himself that He had not first shown to John.
Not only did Jesus say something about Himself totally different to this last of the seven churches, but the requirements He put on Laodicea were also not of the same type as for the other six.
Jesus did not have one positive thing to say about Laodicea. He spoke to a church that thought it had arrived spiritually, but was neither here nor there, so to speak. She was poor, naked and blind! Yet, she had no idea her condition was so grave. Jesus advised her to come to Him to buy garments, eye salve and gold to correct her impoverishment. He told her to repent, but said He was outside the door, not within the Church itself, knocking to see if anyone would open the door and let Him in.
Laodicea was a totally different church from the first six. What made her so different? What made her spiritual welfare so precarious?
The clue is given in what Jesus said to her about Himself at the beginning of His discourse: "the Origin of the creation of God." Jesus talked about Himself as the Creator, the Origin of all things. Why did He say that to her? We need to take a look at recent history to gain insight.
In 1925 the Scopes trial focused on whether or not evolution could be taught in the public schools. Tennessee's Butler Act forbade that evolution be in the curriculum at all. Yet, Tennessee had mandated that a certain textbook be used for teaching science. In that very text, evolution was promoted as the cause of the earth's existence.
Opponents to the biblical account of creation pressed for evolution to be part of science courses. While neither side won the court case soundly, evolution continued to be taught in public schools, eventually across the nation.
Now America has had several generations educated in the godless theory of evolution. Fertile young minds believe the error and think it is true. Science has supplanted creation as the origin and sustainer of our present world, universe and all that are in them. God has been pushed to the sidelines, rejected, ignored and scorned as the Creator. Evolution has stolen the throne that rightfully belongs to God!
He has been robbed of His rightful place as Absolute Authority and Power, wisdom and ingenuity. Daily life has turned away from a Living, caring Creator to an impersonal, mechanistic figment of man's imagination called scientific theory. Credit for all that exists is given to "Mother Nature," natural causes or happenstance!
The fear of God no longer exists within the Laodicean church of today. Oh, you question that label for the Church at large? During Howard Pittman's death experience, when Pittman presented his case for living and returning to earthly life, God called all Pittman's 'good works' as a pastor and foster parent an abomination to Him! God even termed Pittman a Laodicean pastor. What a strong condemnation that was! Pittman was humbled.
Furthermore, when God outlined the things Pittman was to come back to earth to preach, the first thing He said is, "This is the Laodicean church age." When God says it, it's true!
Though people give God lip service today, they do not truly embrace God with honor, dignity and awesome, holy fear. He has been downgraded to being a buddy, One who winks at sin and excuses it at every turn. He is 'used' to provide wealth, prosperity, blessings that primarily are physical, not spiritual...and salvation has become as easy to gain as repeating a little prayer and having a handshake with someone else telling you that you are saved. That assurance role has been usurped from the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16).
Laodicea did not recognize Jesus as her Creator and Sustainer. She did not respect Him as holy. That is why Jesus said she should come to Him for her necessities--He is the Provider unsought by those calling themselves Christians, but having no life or spiritual breath, muchless fruit of salvation to demonstrate.
The worst part is that they were neither cold or hot. Jesus had nothing extreme in their lives to which He could appeal. They did not respect Him as Creator. They did not fear Him as their judge, the One who could send them to the lake of fire for eternity. Yet from their lips came a weak form of what they called worship.
Their lives and interests centered on themselves and how satisfied they were with their religiosity. There was nothing within their framework of thinking that was fixed on eternal truths. Jesus had been rejected and absolutely replaced by a theory hatched in hell by a created being that denied Him as his and their Creator. Without that fundamental truth as the pivotal point, there was no hope for them. Jesus stood outside and knocked, but would anyone hear and open up to Him?
When the Church could have and should have been adamant about taking evolution out of the schools and preaching and teaching the Creation account with fervor, she rested on her oars and let it happen with few ripples to impede evolution's progress. Without strong belief in God as the Creator and His being Omnipotent which instills holy awe and fear of Him, there is little hope for the modern church. God is dead to most professing Christians. Being free of His authority, they have no fear of hell, no belief in His truth, and are destined to be spewed from Jesus' mouth, just as He said.
Laodicean professors are not alive spiritually, but believe they are. God is giving them an opportunity to wake up to their spiritual insipidness and turn humbly to Him. For the most part, it appears today that the Church merely rolls over in bed and goes back to sleep. She is unwilling to believe the truth about herself, but instead turns a deaf ear to the truth. Woe be to the sleeping church!