I dont mean to stand before you this morning and try to pretend that this is brand new material for you. In this view, the book contains neither historical allusions nor predictive prophecy. Bookofrevelationlaodicia7churches7sevenlampstandslukewarmgoldrefinedinthefirechapter31. In these letters, jesus addresses the spiritual health of each church. Mounces greatest strength is interacting with, unpacking, and evaluating the various theories. Its amazing how a little geography and historical context can clear things up. In this revised edition of the classic 1977 work the book of revelation nicnt, based on thenestlealand greek new testament, mounce has expands his work to reflect more than twenty additional years of working with revelation, its text, and the scholarship that surrounds it. I must apologize to nora ephron, the director of sleepless in seattle, for playing on the title of her 1993 movie starring tom. Why did jesus speak so strongly against lukewarm faith. Now lets open our bibles to revelation chapter 3, and we come to the last of the letters to the seven churches, the letter to the church at laodicea, the church that made the lord jesus christ sick the lukewarm church. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. The book of revelation starts with this is a revelation from jesus christ, which god gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. The seven churches of revelation, also known as the seven churches of the apocalypse and the seven churches of asia, are seven major churches of early christianity, as mentioned in the new testament book of revelation. The book of revelations, part 1, letters to the seven churches the bibles book of revelation part 1 letters to the seven churches exploring the prophecies of scripture this is the revelation given by god to jesus christ so that he in turn could tell his servants about the things which are now very soon to take place.
Revelation the dragon pursuing a woman, from the bamberg apocalypse. Youll get this book and many others when you join bible gateway plus. Seven churches of revelation bible study david jeremiah blog. Is there any other scriptures that outline what a lukewarm christian is actingdoingsaying to be considered so. Join our christian chat and take the prophecy bible quiz diana on 9605 helpful blog vote 15.
So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, i will spit you out of my mouth. The use of lukewarm and spit you out in this verse invokes imagery of lukewarm water turning ones stomach and provoking vomit. By spitting those people out of his mouth, jesus is rejecting those who do not decide whether to follow him or reject him. I shall not blot that name out of the book of life, but acknowledge it in the presence of my father and his angels 6 let anyone who can hear, listen to what the spirit is saying to the. There are many symbols and their meanings are seemingly hidden. The laodicean period of the church is where we are today. The book of revelations, part 1, letters to the seven. I must apologize to nora ephron, the director of sleepless in seattle, for playing on the title of her 1993 movie starring tom hanks and meg ryan. In this revelatory bible study message, joseph prince takes an indepth look at the seven churches in the book of revelation and the personalized messages given to. To me, this interpretation of the verses makes a lot more sense. So, the divine author of revelation is jesus christ and the human author is the apostle john. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, i will spew you out of my mouth.
Because of the many visions and symbols that come from the book of revelation there are several different approaches to interpreting it including the idealist view, the. All of them are located in the asia minor, presentday turkey. This is the word of god and the testimony of jesus christ. Such socalled christians appear to be christians in name only but are most probably false converts. The book of revelation, the last book of the bible, has fascinated and puzzled christians for centuries. God hits him with a doozy of a revelation hey, thats not a bad idea for a title. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant john, 2 who testifies to everything he saw. The greek name of the bible book of revelation, apoka. This name indicates the meaning of revelation it uncovers matters that had been hidden and discloses events that would happen long after it was written. Revelation 19 niv bible after this i heard what sounded. But first and foremost this book is the revelation of jesus christ. The seventh and last study about the seven churches of revelation is concerning the letter to the church at laodicea.
And the word lukewarm, chliaros, is simply a word for tepid water. Then i heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, come. The book of revelation often called the revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words, the apocalypse, the revelation, or simply revelation is the final book of the new testament, and consequently is also the final book of the christian bible. The laodiceans were neither cold nor hot in relation to god, just lukewarm. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, the apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation of jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. He had a very, i think, a very good summary of what all of these messages, and im not going to read the entire passage here, but to the churches, they were given exhortations he says, that were personal in character. In love, the lord rebukes and disciplines them, commanding them to repent verse 19. Jesus is saying that lukewarm people make him sick.
Increase pacing and solidify personal tastes in reading. Each letter, as proclaimed by jesus and recorded by john the apostle, declares the triumphs and failings of the recipient churches and warns each congregation to repent. We get the idea of lukewarm christians from johns recounting of jesus letter to these christians. He praised, encouraged, challenged, and warned each church so that they may be faithful to the end. This audio sermon and transcript is entitled laodicea, the lukewarm church, and is from the ministry of david legge, a christian preacher and bible teacher from belfast, northern ireland. Lukewarm people attend worship fairly regularly because they think that is what they have to do, not what they want to do.
Approaches to interpreting the book of revelation the book of revelation is often very hard to understand because of its visions and elaborate symbolism mounce, 1992, p. Many of the verses are foreboding and frightening, yet whoever reads this book is promised a blessing rev 1. During roman persecution john exiled to the isle of patmos for his faith, was sent an angel with gods commission to record the word of god, and the testimony of jesus christ, and of all things he saw. Lukewarm stands in opposition to both hot and cold, and that is most likely how the laodiceans would have heard jesuss message to them. I have entitled this article, lukewarm in laodicea, based on the statement in the letter, because you are lukewarm, and not cold or hot 3. Here is a passage that you have all heard before many times. In other words, their faith doesnt mean very much to them. The distaste and nausea produced by lukewarm food, which the stomach naturally rejects with loathing, are used as a figure in which to express the abhorrence of christ for those who lacked zeal in his service cf. Lacking in every way, it was compromising, conceited, and christless.
The lukewarm church sermon by raymond pooley, revelation 3. February 2008 this sermon was delivered at the iron hall evangelical church in belfast, northern ireland, by pastor david legge. The church in babylon the church in babylon the church in laodicea revelations 3. Enjoy having an easytounderstand overview on the seven churches in revelationpacked with quickreference charts, simple summaries, and a fullcolor map, this quickreference pamphlet explains jesus message to each of the seven churches and shows key information at a glance. The book of revelations, part 1, letters to the seven churches. In his book, the revelation of jesus christ, on pages 51 and 52, and we have this in our revelation unveiled booklet. Each of the seven letters addresses a different church in asia minor, one of which is to the christians who live in a city called laodicea. The book of revelation, a prophecy of warning and hope. The verse is part of the first of four visions john the apostle will reveal in the book of revelations.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, i will spue thee out of my mouth. Hes just a mildmannered christian guy living in exile whenpow. In fact, its that guy and that church that were going to focus on in the conclusion of our blog series through the 7 letters of the book of revelation. This is part 10 of a chapterbychapter bible study series in the book of revelation. So, because you are lukewarmneither hot nor coldi am about to spit you out of my mouth. Revelation then becomes merely a collection of stories designed to teach spiritual truth. Jan 02, 2020 the fact that the lukewarm individuals to whom christ speaks are not saved is seen in the picture of jesus standing outside of the church revelation 3. Ephesus, smyrna, pergamum, thyatira, sardis, philadelphia, and laodicea. See the meaning of the seven seals, seven trumpets and bowls of wrath. The name laodicea means judging the people which matches the seventh day adventist teaching, since 1844, that we are in the time of judgment now, with christ cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. To jerry and sherry roberts thank you for your faithful friendship and love for our lord and my family. One historian says, the water supply of laodicea was derived from an artificial pipeline, bringing water which was literally lukewarm and so impure as to have an emetic effect. Revelation 6 niv the seals i watched as the lamb bible.
These words are from the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation. The usa is in the bible, in revelations, see that this is clearly so. Instead, they drift along, perhaps going to church. You and your family are a blessing beyond description to us and so many others. When the lamb opened the second seal, i heard the second living creature say, come. Joseph prince powerful truths from the book of revelation. These letters, as you know, are directed at seven churches, actual churches, historical churches in actual cities in asia. This summary of the book of revelation provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of revelation. They arent particularly enthusiastic about it, nor are they hostile toward it. Jesus letter to this church wastes no time denouncing the congregation for its lukewarm faith, threatening to spit the congregation out of his mouth revelation 3. Its title is derived from the first word of the koine greek text. Today, were on the last leg of our trip and have dropped by the church in the city of laodicea. And so, that positions it out there as a very important city in the 1 st century, late 1 st century when the book of revelation was written.
A lukewarm christian is someone who claims to be a believer in jesus but does not appear to be committed to christ, may occasionally attend church, rarely reads the bible, and dabbles in the sinful things of the world. The advice in these letters is prophetic, forewarning presentday christian communities. Four times the author identifies himself as john 1. Book of revelationlaodicia7churches7sevenlampstands lukewarm goldrefinedinthefirechapter31.
Perfect for personal use, small groups, or to add depth to any revelation bible study. Essay on interpreting the book of revelations 1435 words. Suffice to say i didnt have much in the way of pacing or personal tastes going into our first reading challenge. The book of revelation contains seven letters from jesus to 7 churches in asia minor. The book of revelation is not really the revelation of its author, the. From as early as justin martyr in the second century a. These things saith the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of god. The book of revelation provides descriptions of each church. Youre probably misunderstanding what it means to be a. The bible actually tells us what a lukewarm christian is. Jan 08, 2020 the verse is part of the first of four visions john the apostle will reveal in the book of revelations. The problems began in ephesus, as she lost her 1st love and have continued to worsen as we come to laodicea, the lukewarm.
Book of revelation read, study bible verses online. The bible says it is better to be hot or cold than lukewarm. The book of revelation addresses seven letters to seven churches in asia minor modernday turkey revelation 23. Their material prosperity is contrasted with their spiritual poverty, the violet tunics that were the source of their wealth with the white robe of baptism, and their famous eye ointment with true spiritual.
It was transcribed from the tenth recording in his the book of the revelation series, entitled laodicea, the lukewarm church transcribed by preach the word. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant john. When it came to reading, early in the school year i hadnt done much reading if any outside of class literature. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. The heart of this is revealed when we wonder if we have to come to church on sunday night or wednesday night. The seals i watched as the lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Two of them were in good standing, but the other five had major problems. Book of revelation explained scripture by scripture. I read a book that has a listing of characteristics of lukewarm christians that i will share with you. The book of revelation, often called the book of revelations, revelation to john, apocalypse of john, the revelation, or simply revelation, the revelation from jesus christ from its opening words or the apocalypse, is the final book of the new testament, and therefore also the final book of the christian bible. Revelation chapter 3 kjv king james version behold i stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice th word, and open the door understanding i will come into him and sup communion with him and he with me.
Sep 02, 2016 in this revelatory bible study message, joseph prince takes an indepth look at the seven churches in the book of revelation and the personalized messages given to each church by the lord. In this vision, john saw the risen jesus standing among seven burning lights, representing the seven churches in asia minor modernday turkey in the first century. John is told to write down everything god shows him, and boy is god going to show him some strange things. Revelation 6 new international version niv the seals.
4 1500 1503 957 269 1668 1400 196 1111 200 1064 116 465 1354 318 220 1344 460 487 231 100 823 1123 659 612 286 967 910 1024 864 1124 1339 373 434 545 1289 1261 790