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). It is possible the word meant the messenger or the actual person who delivered the letter, but that would require seven different messengers, one from each of the churches to have traveled to Patmos to get the letter to deliver it. The Greek word (aggelos) is typically translated as an angel or a messenger. Even Aristotle spoke of the medicines from Laodicea that supposedly helped with eyesight and hearing. 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. That would not be logical since the church at Laodicea has already accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man here my voice, and open the . All things are through Him, and we exist through Him. Colossians 1:16 (HSCB) says, For everything was created by Him, in heaven, and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. Hebrews 1:2 (HSCB) says, In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. He has served in the pastoral ministry for over 40 years, pastoring congregations across six states. Theologians have struggled for two thousand years, trying to determine who exactly they are. Laodicea was a church that had not overcome sin but rather been overcome by sin. He humbled Himself so that He could achieve His purpose in God's plan by putting God's will before His own. We must pray and cry out to God, and our lust for sin has to feel the pain of being denied. The name is derived from two words: laos, meaning people and dike, meaning decision (Strongs Concordance). Nevertheless, the sin nature, also known as the natural man, is the impurity that interferes with a souls faith coming forth as pure gold just as impurities in nature prevent pure gold from being found. Hebrew writing has no vowels, so the Greek leter for "e" was added by the translaters to make the word easier to read and speak. It has everything to do with imparted righteousness. It was the perfect water for drinking, cooking, or even bathing. Revelation 3:20. Have you ever been locked out of your own house? The major idea behind this word is constancy and reliability.8 Isaiah referred to God as the God of amen, due to his truthfulness and trustworthiness (Isaiah 65:16). 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). All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. To heal their weak spiritual condition, Jesus said, I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see (verse 18). But in this verse, Jesus is telling the church that they are naked and in need of white garments that only he can provide. Jesus starts by calling himself the Amen, a term reserved for God himself in the Old Testament. He currently pastors the Austin, Texas, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. You will know Gods character and will, and that is the heart of spiritual discernment being able to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, you will be trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Pay close attention! Call (626) 587-0033! Jesus knew how to use God's grace. Hierapolis achieved great renown for its hot springs and day spas. God cares more about the condition of our hearts than the condition of wallets. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. The focus of justification is the removal of the guilt of sin. The act of hearing implied obedience. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Whats valuable both now and in eternity is what God cares about: treating people right, forgiveness, and loyalty (Matthew 23:23, Micah 6:8).Were meant to use possessions and love people, not love possessions and use people. Time. Jesus doesnt just look at the actions we perform; he focuses on the heart. Both churches needed a severe rebuke. The Greek word for faithful, ( - pistos) means true, sure, trustworthy, believable, worthy of credit.9 The Greek for true, ( - alethinos) means loving truth, veracious and hence worthy of credit.10 (According to dictionary.com, the word "veracious" means habitually speaking the truth; truthful; honest.) The first question well delve into is why they needed to purchase white garments. Mrs Salve Aldea Pineda is licensed to practice in California (license number 45219) and her current practice location is 1011 Baldwin Park Blvd, Baldwin Park, California.She can be reached at her office (for appointments etc.) It was a central banking center and traded well in black wool and an innovative eye salve used for medicinal purposes. . Revelation 3:14-22. In other words, the name indicated that people made their own decisions. If this is what Christ had in mind, then being a cold Christian would be like giving someone a cool refreshing drink on a hot summer day. All things are from Him, and we exist for Him. Repentance is more than a feeling. Thats pretty strong language. Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to yourinbox. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Incline your ear to his voice. Trusted Eye Doctor in Baldwin Park, CA. Gods problem with this church was not that it was an inactive body of believers. Hierapolis had a hot spring that was considered to be medicinal. The writer speaks to those who had become dull of hearing, meaning they had little to no spiritual discernment. Following the pattern of the other letters, this one was also to the angel of the church. It costs our life. You, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Nine miles to the east of Laodicea lay the town of Colossae. In addition, its wealth came from the production of a fine quality of famous glossy black woolwhether dyed or natural in color is not known. As a man, Jesus also had this self-will and was tempted, but His firm resolve from the very start was, Not My will, but Yours! For us to overcome as He overcame, we need to make that same decision and faithfully stick to it, no matter what happens or how we feel. For a faster response, please call us directly at 888-666-8135. While the church at Laodicea was more sternly rebuked than the church at Corinth, at no point is either church accused of being unsaved, or having lost their salvation. John did not use the appropriate word if he was addressing an elder, deacon, or pastor. We have been warned and cautioned to be ready for His arrival. The therapeutic virtues of the waters became the calling card of the town. Incline your ear and come to Me. If were doing something hoping that it will bring ourselves glory or accolades or pats on the back, then were not doing for God. The Greek word amen () was transliterated from the Hebrew word for amen (). Once again, Jesus Christ begins this message by identifying Himself as the One giving the message. In Gods eyes, anything not done for Him, has no value, no use, no purpose. Jesus wants you to be hot. The image is of a Savior who expects that His church will be looking for Him, awaiting His arrival. They were a prominent banking center for the entire region. For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13, also see Colossians 1:7). In our world filled with technology, material prosperity and modern conveniences, many mistakenly assume that they do not need God. Dont become lukewarm about Gods way of life! After all, He's knocking at the door. Used by permission. What happens if the church does not hear his voice and does not open the door? Even though Jesus spent time with sinners, he never called them friends. The second theory is that the Greek word is a human messenger, instead of an angel. Cc trang web thay th tt nht cho Herbert-armstrong.org - Kim tra danh sch tng t ca chng ti da trn xp hng th gii v s lt truy cp hng thng ch trn Xranks. 3. Amen is not an actual Greek word. It was a banking center. It is to have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Gold, clothing, and eye salve represent the three major industries of Laodicea: banking, textiles, and medicines. Laodicea was a city that was so rich; it minted coins that bore the images of Apollo, Asclepius, and Zeus.16 The reproach in verse 17 assumes that the Christians in Laodicea were also rich, as the passage would have no meaning to poor people. 1. Click the button below for more information about the copyright.Copyright. (16) So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. They may have lost their focus and strayed in their Christianity, but they are still a body of believers that Christ wanted to straighten out. The hot mineral water was brought down from Hierapolis and used by the textile industry. There are two terms that I would like to point out, and those are attrition and contrition. Attrition is regret for sin prompted by fear for oneself: Oh, no. Is that type of failure even possible for an angel? Laodicea was so conscious of its medical skill in the care of the eyes that it never realized that it was spiritually blind. 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. Laodicea quickly became a rich city, rich enough to be able to rebuild itself without outside help after the destructive earthquake of 60 A.D. What does it mean to purchase something? What, or rather, who, are these angels? We must be determined to pursue purity and to do what pleases God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). The only way to be in a right relationship with God is through forgiveness. Repentance comes from the heart and involves confessing from the heart. They produced a world-famous salve, reputed to cure certain kinds of eye diseases. Instead of being victorious over temptation, temptation had been victorious over them. 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. What exactly is forgiveness? In ancient Greek culture, the evening meal was a social event. 14a To the angel of the church in Laodicea. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35). 3. A 1,000-year-old Anglo-Saxon 'eye salve' made from onion, garlic, wine and part of a cow's stomach has been shown to wipe out 90 percent of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, otherwise known as MRSA. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 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. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. Jesus himself used the word amen in this context many times. It was about 100 miles east of the port city of Ephesus. It was uncontaminated water straight from the mountains. Whatever were doing, or however were serving, we need to examine our hearts and our motives and see if were doing it for the right reason. Of course, Gods love extends to all humanity. Does it matter which side of the room you sit in? As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. The word beginning (arch) could be translated as that by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause.12 The New Testament scriptures are very clear about Christ's role in creation. The word hot is the Greek word (zestos) and means hot or boil.15 Quite possibly, the Laodiceans may have associated the word hot with the hot waters of Hierapolis. Jesus was in heaven with God, but voluntarily became a man for our sakes. In this situation, you are not standing for Christ; you are standing for yourself. To fully understand what amen means, you must turn to the Old Testament. If we pray for help as Jesus did, with humility and desperation to gain victory, then we will get help. The phrase ears to hear is used throughout the Bible, starting with Deuteronomy 29:4. Setting wine flasks in hot water allowed the wine to heat to the desired temperature. Works, or deeds, are more than simply what we do; they are how we live. Although it had earlier been called Diospolis and then Rhoas, Antiochus II of Syria named it for his wife Laodike and populated it with Syrians and with Jews who were transplanted from Babylonia to the cities of Phrygia and Lydia (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1939, Laodicea). 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. We now come back to the question of how to purchase white garments from Christ, but before we do that, there a couple of terms that I need to define. The Bible speaks of eye-salve. into Greek letters, and then into English letters. The ancient Greeks liked to drink hot water. I got caught. It covers a myriad of areas, including pride, impatience, selfishness, unrighteousness, irritation, laziness, vanity, complaining, sexual impurity, unbelief, discouragement, envy, greed, ingratitude, etc. Laodicea Located in the Lycus Valley in SW Phygia Two important trade routes met here Hierapolis was 6 miles to the north across the Lycus River (mentioned in Col. 4:13) Colossae was ten miles away Laodicea was the wealthiest city in Phrygia. God the Father sanctifies (1 Corinthians 1:30) by the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) and in the name of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11). 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