Laodicea was also known as a center for the wool and dye trade. To hear is to obey. Jesus' life was controlled by God's will: Not my will, but Yours, be done. When Jesus came into the world, He declared, God, You have given Me a body, and I have come to do Your will. (Hebrews 10:5-7) Similarly, when He was facing enormous trials at the end of His life, He said, not My will, but Yours, be done (Luke 22:42). What did they think it meant to be hot? It was named Laodicea by the Greek ruler Antiochus II Theos around 260 BC in honor of his wife Laodice. Actions, behaviors, motives, and the heart are all intertwined; they cannot be separated. ointment made from spice nard and an eye salve made from Phrygian stones. Two of the doctors from Laodicea were so famous that their names appear on the coins of the city (Zeuxis and Alexander Philalethes). 17 Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. Jesus also told the Laodiceans to "anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" (Revelation 3:18). Please understand that Christ is not referring to saving faith in this passage. In the Old Testament, the sacrifice could not be slain until it had been presented to the priest. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth (Luke 21:34-35). Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance. Only a few are willing; the rest have ears, but they do not have ears to hear (Matthew 7:1314, 2427). 14a To the angel of the church in Laodicea. Greek 2854. kollourion -- eye salve. Other sources suggest that the water came from a hot spring with mineralized water containing sulfur, giving it an unpleasant taste and smell. The black wool of Laodicea produced some stunning dark-colored garments. 19a Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline. 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. You dont expect (or want) to have lukewarm coffee served to you. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. They probably think they are just like any other church. 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. "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. In Gods eyes, the Laodiceans are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. While many impurities are burned off in the furnace, other metals remain. Fertile ground of the valley was good grazing for sheep. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). 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. If I go to the store to purchase something, I exchange my money for the goods I wish to purchase. 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. It is the ordinary daily trust of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20) by which we live and minister to others. The phrase he who has an ear qualifies everyone who will listen and obey. We cannot deny our sin or find excuses to justify it. "Laodicea had a famous school of medicine; and a special ointment known as "Phrygian powder," famous for its cure of eye defects, was either manufactured or distributed there, as were ear ointments also. Even though Jesus spent time with sinners, he never called them friends. What did we read in Isaiah 55:1-3? The truth is that sometimes the wicked prosper (Jeremiah 12:1). All of their success and self-righteousness was nakedness in Gods sight. Here we see Christ speaking as a merchant, advising the church to buy his merchandise. The Bible is the weapon God has given us; words to use against Satan's deceit like Jesus did, words that show us what to do, words of comfort. The ancient Greeks thought that only a barbarian would drink undiluted wine. Jesus is standing at the door, expecting his servants to open it. 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. Ho! It was about 100 miles east of the port city of Ephesus. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:5-9 NASB). White is the most frequently mentioned color in the Bible. They werent serving God the way he wanted them to be serving. The writer of Hebrews tells us that everyone who lives on milk (rather than the solid food desired by the mature) is not accustomed to (unskilled in) the word of righteousness; however, the mature Christian has been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, you will be trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Laodicea was known for it's black wool. Hierapolis achieved great renown for its hot springs and day spas. God expects His people to maintain zeal for His way of life. They stood on an important junction of trades routes running more or less north to south and west to west. This messageas well as all of the othersis still important for Christians today. Verse 14 leaves no doubt the Jesus Christ is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. The Greek word for deeds ( - ergon) means means denotes comprehensively what a man is and how he acts.13 Typically translated as works or deeds, these words do not accurately convey the richness of the Greek word. Listen, that you may live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies shown to David. Their money has become their idol, and they worship it rather than worshiping God. 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. Revelation 3:20. Eye salve in Laodicea The city of Laodicea was known for its extraordinary eye salve, as well as a medical school. The first question well delve into is why they needed to purchase white garments. This process causes the gold to coagulate and form nuggets and clumps of gold. People traveled from around the world to obtain these supposed healing elixirs. If there had been a corresponding word in the Greek language, then amen could have been translated. The word for love used in this verse is not agape but phileo. Its critical to keep in mind that Laodicea, who Jesus speaks to, is a church, a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ (Christians). Hebrews 5:11-14 shows how the eye salve to fix spiritual discernment is utilized. 3 Ways to Avoid Becoming a Lukewarm Church. The first part of this process is accomplished by pulverizing or crushing the gold ore and then placing it in a furnace. When we see mega churches today respond to criticisms they . When we say that God imputes Christ's righteousness to us, it means that God thinks of Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, or regards it as belonging to us. Does it matter which side of the room you sit in? Many portions of the city remained unusable afterward. You must know the truth so well that, when the lies of the enemy appear, you can recognize it. 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. It was the suffering of the cross He used daily, when He said No to His own will, the sin in His flesh, even when it bombarded Him incessantly with its demands and deceitful attraction. Youre going to have to give him your time. Instead, this namethe Beginning of the creation of Godmeans that Jesus was the Creator of the universe. The third theory (I tend to side with this one) is that the angel is simply a personification of the church itself.6 A personification is an imaginary person or creature conceived to represent something. Jesus is the power and authority that God utilized in creating the universe. A third lesson is that we need to vigilantly maintain our spiritual eyesightour ability to see things from a spiritual perspective. What he was telling his listeners was that what they were about to hear from him was faithful, reliable, true, and believable. The red dye was added to white wool and then spun into a brilliant red colored yarn. Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, credited to a person enabling him/her to be justified in the eyes of God. We know from this introduction that what follows is being said by Jesus. One of the wealthiest city of that area during Roman times, Laodicea was widely known for its banks, a medical school with a famous eye salve [1], and a textile industry famous for glossy black wool that was used for making tunics and cloaks. After all, He's knocking at the door. It is showing that all things were created through Him. The second thing we need to look at is what it means to be hot. Time. The verse is not talking about salvation; it is talking about usefulness or purpose. 18cand eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 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. David Treybig is a husband, father and grandfather. Along with Colosse and Hierapolis, it was one of the cities in the fertile Lyous [sic.] Laodicea lies 40 miles southeast from Philadelphia in the Lycus Valley. Various thermal installations, which included immense hot basins and pools for swimming, were built to take advantage of the natural resource. 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. The hot mineral water was brought down from Hierapolis and used by the textile industry. 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. But it's written that it was as a man that He humbled Himself, and was obedient. If we pray for help as Jesus did, with humility and desperation to gain victory, then we will get help. A change in behavior will follow true repentance. How is your hearing? The only way to be in a right relationship with God is through forgiveness. This promise is amazing because, whenever we do overcome in the battles of life, it is always through Him. Then we must take active, practical steps to avoid falling into sin. Dinner was a time for everyone to catch up on the daily activities of the rest of the family, and whatever friends were in attendance. Of course, Gods love extends to all humanity. In this situation, you are not standing for Christ; you are standing for yourself. You must know the truth so well that, when the lies of the enemy appear, you can recognize them. gold. The city was at the crossroads of north-south traffic between Sardis and Perga and east-west from the Euphrates to Ephesus. Although Laodicea produced the best eye-salve in the ancient world, the Laodicean Christians were blind when looking at their spiritual state.