The Seven Churches of Revelation – Part 8 Laodicea – The Church of Comfort
Revelation 3:14-22 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also 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." ' "
Earthly comfort is the PROBLEM of our hour. I know this is an unpopular message, but according to the Bible, earthly comfort is the last thing you are supposed to be trying to build in your life.
Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Laodicea has missed this essential truth of the Gospel of Jesus. There is only one Gospel and the hour that Laodicea is about to enter into will reveal that she does not have the true Gospel…the one that ACTUALLY works.
The events described in the Book of Revelation are describing the maturing of the age…the end of the harvest…that means what has been true for centuries will be shown to be MORE true as the season comes to harvest, what will be seen to be false will be shown to be MORE false, as the season comes to harvest. Let’s look at the four-fold pattern for the last of the Seven Churches and see what the Spirit is saying to us in this hour:
1. Jesus addresses Laodicea with a three-fold identity as “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God”
The Amen: Jesus is saying He is the one who AGREED with the Father about what REAL life is. Jesus did what Adam failed to do: live in perfect trust and obedience to the Father’s leadership, no matter how troubling that leadership looked:
Mark 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
By obeying the Father even to his own natural death, Jesus BEAT death. This brings us to the second identity.
The Faithful and True witness: By being the Amen…agreeing with God about life the way it was intended being worth the immediate cost, and subsequently beating death, Jesus proved that it is THIS Gospel that will bring greatness to all mankind that agrees with it FOREVER. Jesus is the Faithful and True witness about where REAL LIFE happens: face to face with God, on earth, forever. Laodicea thinks life BEFORE Jesus shows up is really good. Jesus has already proven that HE does not agree with this by “wasting” his natural life because he is looking forward to a time that is longer and more important, when He will rule over the kings of the earth:
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
The third identity is the most powerful one to understand: The Beginning of the creation of God.
Jesus is saying that He is the SOURCE of life. That, if you don’t agree with him (Amen with Him) about His Faithful Witnessing of Truth, then you do not really want TRUE life with Him. This is all about SELF DENIAL now so that life can begin when Jesus comes back and restores what He made in Genesis 1.
John 1:2-7 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
John the Baptist was the forerunner of self-denial. Have you ever wondered why God chose John the Baptist to make the way before Jesus? What does that mean? To understand this, you have to consider: How did John live?
Matthew 3:1-7 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: 'PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD; MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.' " 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Denial of self, separation from the comfort the world is trying to live in, and an “all-in” participation with Jesus in His return has ALWAYS been the true response of a follower of Jesus. That is what John did first…before anyone else. This is the spiritual violence that John the Baptist started 2,000 years ago. Jesus agreed with it. Jesus, the KING OF KINGS, came and lived the same way as John. Jesus was the Amen to the Truth that life is only really possible when the Father comes back into the Garden…until then, John and Jesus chose to CONTEND for that to happen with everything they had. They did not want a good life apart from the Father coming home. This is how the kingdom will come: by Spiritual Violence! Jesus KNOWs this is an offensive message. He told John’s disciples to guard against being offended by this message:
Matthew 11:6-15 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
This is important to understand, and sadly, many pastors and teachers will never teach you this. Even in John’s day, the paid spokespeople for God RESISTED this message in John’s life, and eventually killed Jesus. That is why John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees this:
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
According to the Bible, there are MANY false “leaders” in the end-time church…those who have made their job representing God to “the people.” According to Jesus, many of these people are actually IN the church seeming to do amazing things. They cast out demons, they prophecy, they heal people…and they do it all to make a name for themselves…they have simply found an interesting career path, a place to feel important, or they religiously think God will approve of them because they have dedicated their “livelihood” to him. God doesn’t want to be your job, He wants to be your everything…your very life, whether you work for Him or not. He cares more about the secret motivation of your heart than He does the earthly “results.” These false teachers, and the ones who follow them, have missed the most basic Genesis 1 fact: there is NO life possible apart from face to face contact with the life-source of mankind:
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Just like in John the Baptist’s day, these false leaders do not want you…the regular people… zealously trading your life for this all in desire to do everything you can…fasting, praying, teaching the negative aspects of the end time truth to warn people, giving your money away…denying yourself…because if you, the lowly people, do it…then they have to do it more, since they have claimed to be your “leaders.”
According to Jesus, these leaders are serving God because it is their profession, not their only hope and desire. They are hired hands who are DEADLY to the Church in a time of trouble:
John 10:11-13 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
You have to be discerning and watch for the hired hands. This is Laodicea’s MAIN problem: those who claim to be the true knower’s of God have never encouraged her about the TRUE gospel, just like in the time of Jesus’ appearing, those who claimed to know wouldn’t enter in, and actually prevented others from going in to true life:
Matthew 23:11-13 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 13 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either.
True leaders agree with Jesus about giving their lives…self denial…for the others as a living example of what it looks like to walk through the door and follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If a hired hand has to go do something for God’s people outside of their job description, they take time off of their regular day. The hired hand wants to make sure he has a good job or he probably won’t show up. He hangs with the other managers, but won’t actually do the stuff unless everyone is watching. The true Bride works her job all day THEN goes joyfully to serve and worship…she doesn’t care if anyone knows it. She can’t wait to be a part of the return of Jesus…any part… because she is lovesick! She just wants Jesus back in the Garden, even if it means the Great Tribulation.
The hired hands…the false prophets, teachers, and shepherds… simply expect to be compensated for their love either monetarily, through increasing honor, or through the praise of the people. False leaders in the Church are not the “Amen” to Jesus, they are the Amen to the Harlot Babylon, who does what the Bride is supposed to do…only for pay.
Church workers SHOULD get paid, really good ones should get DOUBLE paid, but then like everyone else, their passion…paid or not…is to do as much as possible to find out what Jesus’ plans are and then spend themselves on those plans…while DENYING themselves in a way that makes them different from the rest of the world. The Bride, whether she is employed by the church or not, is willing to forgo life now until the Groom returns:
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
This is how the first disciples and the vast majority of the early church lived, and they lived this way because the true leaders were continually pointing them to the fact that our entire lives are to be about Jesus coming back:
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Laodicea does not want to be that manner of person. She wants to love Jesus AND her comfy life. Isn’t that what God would want. He didn’t create HER to suffer tribulation or to deny herself…right? Wasn’t that lifestyle just for God’s son and His best friends?! Laodicea believes in balance…lukewarm…comfort…God believes in spiritual violence and self denial…contending for REAL life by trading a false experience of less-than-life. Laodicea’s love for her life now makes Jesus nauseas!
2. Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
Laodicea has no vision for what is coming, so she is COMPLETELY unprepared to endure the Tribulation, this makes Jesus sick to His stomach. He sees the tribulation coming at his beloved like a freight train and knows she can’t possibly live through what is coming without changing. All of her strength is in worldly success. Jesus is going to strip away every man-based strength from the earth to judge the false impression of the world that they can live without God in the Garden!! You cannot live apart from the source of life and Jesus is going to prove that to the earth over the course of 7 years by pouring our MORE life on the people that say amen to the AMEN and by stripping life from those who refuse to humble themselves and say Amen to God’s definition of life! By their lives and letters all the first leaders KNEW this. Laodicea has been deceived by her later leaders.
We are actually, by the CLEAR signs of prophetic fulfillment, in the last hour. Earthly comfort IS being swept out of the land by Jesus…on purpose. Have you looked around lately? This isn’t rocket science. The only reason some of us can still buy Audi’s and TV’s is because our government is falsely propping up our economy trying to keep the hand of God at bay. It will come crashing down…soon. You cannot wrestle Jesus and win.
Let me say this clearly: by the simple political movements the Bible describes in Daniel 7 and Daniel 11, we are clearly in the hour Daniel was told would lead to the Tribulation. Those very specific political signs have never happened before. Additionally, the aligning of the Muslim Brotherhood with the American administration sparked the greatest increase in persecution of Christians our generation has ever seen. This all began with the Arab Spring on December 19, 2010. By the prophecy in Revelation 2 over Smyrna, where Jesus promised she would enter into Tribulation 3 years before the rest of the world, I personally believe the 7-year tribulation has, in fact, started as of December 2013, three years after the Arab Spring began setting the Middle East on fire.
The facts on the ground in the Middle East support me in this observation. A revival of the Ottoman Empire…the seventh empire of Revelation 17, called A caliphate…HAS emerged. Israel is in a corner and WE are the ones backing her into it. Hamas (the Muslim Brotherhood) is enjoying great negative influence IN ISRAEL with OUR MONEY and political support. Let me tell you clearly what it says is coming next:
Matthew 24:9-14 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Believing that Jesus wants you to carve out a nice place for yourself and add Him to your cute life is a lie. This is Laodicea’s problem, she has things backwards. She wants to put her trust in the stuff so she can praise Jesus. Jesus wants her to put her trust in Him so the stuff doesn’t hold her hostage!
Laodicea does not understand the basic principal of true life: Jesus wants back into the Father’s Garden so He can begin preparing it to live again, and Jesus’ Bride is supposed to LONG for this to happen so much that she is ruined for anything less. If she does THIS, seeks His kingdom with everything first, then she will have whatever she needs.
Because Jesus loves, He will not force His Bride to get ready. Instead, Jesus has a BRILLIANT plan to get His self-focused and divided Bride to actually wake up and cast off the warm blanket of earthly comfort by commanding the wind and waves to storm around her. Jesus is allowing a storm to form to pull away all false comfort so that there is ONLY ONE true desire left standing…everyone who agrees with truth in the end will cry out day and night: GOD, PLEASE COME BACK SO I CAN LIVE!
This means that Jesus is removing His hand of restraint from the evil desires in men’s hearts in order to make the world a very uncomfortable place. Heavenly comfort…true comfort…is what we are supposed to be acquiring because we will need it NOW, and because we will enjoy it forever. That is why the faithful counselor is counseling us to change our value system:
3. Revelation 3:18 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Like any good Father, God wants His children to live for what is coming…to prepare. Like foolish children, MOST of the western Church has stopped caring much about what dad is warning about, and instead has begun twisting the Father’s true principles to make them more about living in the moment.
The end time tribulation is about disrupting the comfort…entirely…that the fallen earth has turned her gaze to. He is going to remove every comfort most of the USA has come to think is REQUIRED, and, even worse, taught the world to value. God is actually planning to remove YOUR false comfort…401k’s, savings accounts, checking balance, wine, fancy clothes, vacations, trucks, cars, career status, social status...on purpose. This is promised to be global. Look who claims responsibility for the devastation:
Isaiah 24:1-15 Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. 2 And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor. 3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left. 7 The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. 8 The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. 11 There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. 12 In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction. 13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done. 14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the sea. 15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
Do you see the last two verses? Do you see that there will be a people SINGING about the removal of comfort? Those loyal to Jesus will agree that the false comfort is actually KILLING the people Jesus loves. This is because the earth is mostly asleep to the fact that what they are calling life is MUCH less than what God called very good in Genesis 1:31. The Great Tribulation is the final stage is restoring Genesis 1:31. This is a VERY intense plan.
To get ready to endure this plan, Laodicea is counseled to BUY some things. Each of the items Jesus instructs Laodicea she will need to overcome the tribulation are things purchased by living the Sermon on the Mount…trading the cheap and dying earthly comforts for true wealth that will not only comfort her through the events of the tribulation, but will last for eternity as true luxury. As Jesus has told all seven churches in different ways: holiness is what matters. And Laodicea, like all the other churches, needs to make herself ready for the wedding.
The Sermon on the Mount is the roadmap to holiness. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) is the most straight-forward, clear, and comprehensive statement in of how to obey the Gospel and follow Jesus. It starts with humility in recognizing what you lack compared to Jesus and mourning it, and ends with the end time return of Jesus to judge everyone, first IN THE CHURCH, who doesn’t agree with His faithful witness that we are supposed to be living for the next age. The fire is going to test everyone to see if they have really loved Jesus wholeheartedly, as He loves them. Love is evidenced by obedience!
1 Peter 4:16-19 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Let’s look at what Jesus counsels Laodicea to acquire in advance of the Great Tribulation:
a. Gold refined in fire. The “Sermon on the Mount Mart” has this kind of gold. This is how you buy it:
Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The true treasure that lasts forever is purchased through the fire of testing. This isn’t talking about just giving your 10% tithe and considering the rest of your money yours!. This is talking about extravagant…irresponsible, by American standards…generosity. This is talking about taking what you are planning to retire on and using it, as other people’s needs arise, to help them. Giving just to get free of the grip of money on your own heart. How much should you give? Enough to make it hurt. This is what frees you from the snare of money. You have to do it secretly, so the only reward is freedom from the money itself. Many will give out of their abundance, but few will give what they are actually planning to live on:
Mark 12:41-44 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
If you think God is mostly concerned about you having a responsible and solid retirement over trusting that HE is your retirement plan an can provide for you no matter what, you absolutely do not know Him in the area of your money. This is almost NEVER preached in the American church, but this IS a significant part of the Gospel. If you don’t believe this, then you do not believe the Good News that Jesus has paid for you to live forever with Him on a renewed earth and how you hold your money now will forever affect the quality of your life with Him forever.
Luke 12:16-26 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
Only in the last 150 years was the concept of a “retirement” even imagined…and then, only in the industrialized western world. This concept of saving for a time when you would live on that wealth for any length of time would be foreign to 99.9% of the people to HAVE EVER INHABITED PLANET EARTH….yet many western churches actually preach that God wants you to be a good saver. This is a deceit. The antichrist is going to confiscate the savings of every believer. Right now in Iraq, believers are ALREADY having their wealth confiscated if they stay loyal to Jesus. This is going global, and if you do not prepare now, your moth-prone dollars and cents will be the very thing that entices you to compromise with the antichrist and take his mark so you can keep working and not “lose it all.” One way or the other YOU MUST lose it all, either by denying yourself and taking up your cross voluntarily, or having your wealth confiscated in the last 3.5 years. If you die to it now, it cannot kill you later:
Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
No one who takes the mark can live. You will forever burn in a lake of fire if you choose to keep access to your money. This is what Jesus is sick to His stomach about fixing in the heart of Laodicea:
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
b. White garments to hide your nakedness. Again, found in aisle 6 of SOM Mart:
Matthew 6:28-33 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you do not buy these garments, you simply WILL NOT MARRY JESUS:
Matthew 22:10-13 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Just to be clear, the Bible tells us the Bride gets herself ready, by growing in holiness…through the Sermon on the Mount. This isn’t tricky theology or sleight of hand with Bible verses, just the main and plain meaning of the Bible. This is what wedding garments are:
Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
c. Eye salve…healed eyes…a new vision of life that goes past the 70 or 80 years you think you might get. If you don’t see life as beginning in Genesis 1:31, stopping in Genesis 3, and not starting again until Revelation 19, then you have a bad eye. You need salve. Know where to buy it? That’s right! Mountain Mart:
Matthew 6:22-24 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Denying yourself now and living for the time when Jesus returns to earth is “Christianity 101.” There is no other Gospel. The problem Laodicea has is related to where she lives. Laodicea is a western mindset. Because of the American experience, everyone wants comfort, and the west has it. In fact, our lust for comfort is one of the reasons God judges end time Babylon.
Let me say this plainly: I believe we live in the end time Babylon…clearly…and almost every church in the western world has a touch of the Laodicea Fever…some are actually consumed by it, as health and wealth now…before Jesus returns…has become their very theology. Revelation 18 is describing what the Great Tribulation is going to do to the end time Babylon…and why. Listen, if this isn’t describing America, how does this passage indicate God feels about the America we know?:
Revelation 18:1-24 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' 11 "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' 19 "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' 20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."
Everyone must overcome the luxury of the land they were born into…this isn’t just for the “rich”…many of those who have relatively little are plagued with the hunger to taste the same things “everyone else has” (that is a lie, you know. 90% of the world is lusting for even less than you have if you are an American). If you don’t overcome what seems normal to Americans, you will suffer the same fate described in Revelation 18, by your own choice. Anyone can come out of Babylon. If you choose not to, you will not have what it takes to make it through what is clearly coming. That is why according to Jesus Laodicea is poor, wretched, blind, and naked…they simply don’t have the true Gospel to endure the time of testing. Laodicea is flat broke and doesn’t know it because they won’t let go of the worthless wealth and dreams they are holding instead of the dream of Jesus’ heart…very good…God with man in the garden. If Laodicea had THAT in her hands, she would gladly trade every last cent and every last minute to hasten the day…she would be red hot on fire for Jesus to return. She needs to answer the door to Jesus to overcome.
Oh to overcome is LIFE!! The promise for Laodicea is the grandest of all. You see the richer you are, the harder it is to be saved, but when you lay down great wealth, you are MORE like Jesus. HE HAD IT ALL, and laid it all down:
Philippians 2:4-9 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, 8 He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,
That brings us to part four of the pattern:
4. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Jesus LOVES Laodicea. He knows how hard it is to come out of comfort, because He left perfect comfort for her! If she is willing to come out and be the Amen to God’s economy…the faithful witness to the fact that Jesus tells the truth…if she is willing to actually believe that life doesn’t begin until He is back on the planet….then Jesus will give her the right to rule with Him forever. This is the pinnacle of rewards. This is the same thing He offered to the rich young ruler. This wealthy young man could have been one of the 12 disciples…ruling on 12 thrones forever:
Matthew 19:20-28 "I've obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else must I do?" 21 Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I'll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" 25 The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked. 26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." 27 Then Peter said to Him, "We've given up everything to follow You. What will we get?" 28 Jesus replied, "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon His glorious throne, you who have been My followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
This is impossible for man, but with God, everything is possible. THAT is why the Tribulation, and the Great Tribulation MUST come. All the false comfort is going so that there is ONLY ONE true desire left standing…this is what all the world is supposed to be demanding from heaven: GOD, PLEASE COME BACK SO I CAN LIVE!
If God removed the air from the earth, we would all suddenly ONLY care about air. This is how we are all supposed to feel about Jesus. If we really understood the truth of life, the entire earth would be on a non-stop protest to heaven…night and day…until God gave us back Himself, or we died.
Right now, in this hour, God is shining the light of truth on the darkness in men's hearts. That is why the earth is increasing in intensity...murder, theft, acts of war...the only solution is for the source of life to come back to the garden. As people wake up to this truth in humility, they will begin a 24-hour cry out to God to come back...and HE WILL:
Luke 18:1-8 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' " 6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
Earthly comfort is the PROBLEM of our hour. I know this is an unpopular message, but according to the Bible, earthly comfort is the last thing you are supposed to be trying to build in your life.
Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Laodicea has missed this essential truth of the Gospel of Jesus. There is only one Gospel and the hour that Laodicea is about to enter into will reveal that she does not have the true Gospel…the one that ACTUALLY works.
The events described in the Book of Revelation are describing the maturing of the age…the end of the harvest…that means what has been true for centuries will be shown to be MORE true as the season comes to harvest, what will be seen to be false will be shown to be MORE false, as the season comes to harvest. Let’s look at the four-fold pattern for the last of the Seven Churches and see what the Spirit is saying to us in this hour:
1. Jesus addresses Laodicea with a three-fold identity as “the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God”
The Amen: Jesus is saying He is the one who AGREED with the Father about what REAL life is. Jesus did what Adam failed to do: live in perfect trust and obedience to the Father’s leadership, no matter how troubling that leadership looked:
Mark 14:36 And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
By obeying the Father even to his own natural death, Jesus BEAT death. This brings us to the second identity.
The Faithful and True witness: By being the Amen…agreeing with God about life the way it was intended being worth the immediate cost, and subsequently beating death, Jesus proved that it is THIS Gospel that will bring greatness to all mankind that agrees with it FOREVER. Jesus is the Faithful and True witness about where REAL LIFE happens: face to face with God, on earth, forever. Laodicea thinks life BEFORE Jesus shows up is really good. Jesus has already proven that HE does not agree with this by “wasting” his natural life because he is looking forward to a time that is longer and more important, when He will rule over the kings of the earth:
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
The third identity is the most powerful one to understand: The Beginning of the creation of God.
Jesus is saying that He is the SOURCE of life. That, if you don’t agree with him (Amen with Him) about His Faithful Witnessing of Truth, then you do not really want TRUE life with Him. This is all about SELF DENIAL now so that life can begin when Jesus comes back and restores what He made in Genesis 1.
John 1:2-7 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
John the Baptist was the forerunner of self-denial. Have you ever wondered why God chose John the Baptist to make the way before Jesus? What does that mean? To understand this, you have to consider: How did John live?
Matthew 3:1-7 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: 'PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD; MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.' " 4 Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Denial of self, separation from the comfort the world is trying to live in, and an “all-in” participation with Jesus in His return has ALWAYS been the true response of a follower of Jesus. That is what John did first…before anyone else. This is the spiritual violence that John the Baptist started 2,000 years ago. Jesus agreed with it. Jesus, the KING OF KINGS, came and lived the same way as John. Jesus was the Amen to the Truth that life is only really possible when the Father comes back into the Garden…until then, John and Jesus chose to CONTEND for that to happen with everything they had. They did not want a good life apart from the Father coming home. This is how the kingdom will come: by Spiritual Violence! Jesus KNOWs this is an offensive message. He told John’s disciples to guard against being offended by this message:
Matthew 11:6-15 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER BEFORE YOUR FACE, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
This is important to understand, and sadly, many pastors and teachers will never teach you this. Even in John’s day, the paid spokespeople for God RESISTED this message in John’s life, and eventually killed Jesus. That is why John said to the Pharisees and Sadducees this:
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
According to the Bible, there are MANY false “leaders” in the end-time church…those who have made their job representing God to “the people.” According to Jesus, many of these people are actually IN the church seeming to do amazing things. They cast out demons, they prophecy, they heal people…and they do it all to make a name for themselves…they have simply found an interesting career path, a place to feel important, or they religiously think God will approve of them because they have dedicated their “livelihood” to him. God doesn’t want to be your job, He wants to be your everything…your very life, whether you work for Him or not. He cares more about the secret motivation of your heart than He does the earthly “results.” These false teachers, and the ones who follow them, have missed the most basic Genesis 1 fact: there is NO life possible apart from face to face contact with the life-source of mankind:
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Just like in John the Baptist’s day, these false leaders do not want you…the regular people… zealously trading your life for this all in desire to do everything you can…fasting, praying, teaching the negative aspects of the end time truth to warn people, giving your money away…denying yourself…because if you, the lowly people, do it…then they have to do it more, since they have claimed to be your “leaders.”
According to Jesus, these leaders are serving God because it is their profession, not their only hope and desire. They are hired hands who are DEADLY to the Church in a time of trouble:
John 10:11-13 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
You have to be discerning and watch for the hired hands. This is Laodicea’s MAIN problem: those who claim to be the true knower’s of God have never encouraged her about the TRUE gospel, just like in the time of Jesus’ appearing, those who claimed to know wouldn’t enter in, and actually prevented others from going in to true life:
Matthew 23:11-13 The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 13 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves, and you don't let others enter either.
True leaders agree with Jesus about giving their lives…self denial…for the others as a living example of what it looks like to walk through the door and follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If a hired hand has to go do something for God’s people outside of their job description, they take time off of their regular day. The hired hand wants to make sure he has a good job or he probably won’t show up. He hangs with the other managers, but won’t actually do the stuff unless everyone is watching. The true Bride works her job all day THEN goes joyfully to serve and worship…she doesn’t care if anyone knows it. She can’t wait to be a part of the return of Jesus…any part… because she is lovesick! She just wants Jesus back in the Garden, even if it means the Great Tribulation.
The hired hands…the false prophets, teachers, and shepherds… simply expect to be compensated for their love either monetarily, through increasing honor, or through the praise of the people. False leaders in the Church are not the “Amen” to Jesus, they are the Amen to the Harlot Babylon, who does what the Bride is supposed to do…only for pay.
Church workers SHOULD get paid, really good ones should get DOUBLE paid, but then like everyone else, their passion…paid or not…is to do as much as possible to find out what Jesus’ plans are and then spend themselves on those plans…while DENYING themselves in a way that makes them different from the rest of the world. The Bride, whether she is employed by the church or not, is willing to forgo life now until the Groom returns:
Matthew 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
This is how the first disciples and the vast majority of the early church lived, and they lived this way because the true leaders were continually pointing them to the fact that our entire lives are to be about Jesus coming back:
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Laodicea does not want to be that manner of person. She wants to love Jesus AND her comfy life. Isn’t that what God would want. He didn’t create HER to suffer tribulation or to deny herself…right? Wasn’t that lifestyle just for God’s son and His best friends?! Laodicea believes in balance…lukewarm…comfort…God believes in spiritual violence and self denial…contending for REAL life by trading a false experience of less-than-life. Laodicea’s love for her life now makes Jesus nauseas!
2. Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
Laodicea has no vision for what is coming, so she is COMPLETELY unprepared to endure the Tribulation, this makes Jesus sick to His stomach. He sees the tribulation coming at his beloved like a freight train and knows she can’t possibly live through what is coming without changing. All of her strength is in worldly success. Jesus is going to strip away every man-based strength from the earth to judge the false impression of the world that they can live without God in the Garden!! You cannot live apart from the source of life and Jesus is going to prove that to the earth over the course of 7 years by pouring our MORE life on the people that say amen to the AMEN and by stripping life from those who refuse to humble themselves and say Amen to God’s definition of life! By their lives and letters all the first leaders KNEW this. Laodicea has been deceived by her later leaders.
We are actually, by the CLEAR signs of prophetic fulfillment, in the last hour. Earthly comfort IS being swept out of the land by Jesus…on purpose. Have you looked around lately? This isn’t rocket science. The only reason some of us can still buy Audi’s and TV’s is because our government is falsely propping up our economy trying to keep the hand of God at bay. It will come crashing down…soon. You cannot wrestle Jesus and win.
Let me say this clearly: by the simple political movements the Bible describes in Daniel 7 and Daniel 11, we are clearly in the hour Daniel was told would lead to the Tribulation. Those very specific political signs have never happened before. Additionally, the aligning of the Muslim Brotherhood with the American administration sparked the greatest increase in persecution of Christians our generation has ever seen. This all began with the Arab Spring on December 19, 2010. By the prophecy in Revelation 2 over Smyrna, where Jesus promised she would enter into Tribulation 3 years before the rest of the world, I personally believe the 7-year tribulation has, in fact, started as of December 2013, three years after the Arab Spring began setting the Middle East on fire.
The facts on the ground in the Middle East support me in this observation. A revival of the Ottoman Empire…the seventh empire of Revelation 17, called A caliphate…HAS emerged. Israel is in a corner and WE are the ones backing her into it. Hamas (the Muslim Brotherhood) is enjoying great negative influence IN ISRAEL with OUR MONEY and political support. Let me tell you clearly what it says is coming next:
Matthew 24:9-14 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Believing that Jesus wants you to carve out a nice place for yourself and add Him to your cute life is a lie. This is Laodicea’s problem, she has things backwards. She wants to put her trust in the stuff so she can praise Jesus. Jesus wants her to put her trust in Him so the stuff doesn’t hold her hostage!
Laodicea does not understand the basic principal of true life: Jesus wants back into the Father’s Garden so He can begin preparing it to live again, and Jesus’ Bride is supposed to LONG for this to happen so much that she is ruined for anything less. If she does THIS, seeks His kingdom with everything first, then she will have whatever she needs.
Because Jesus loves, He will not force His Bride to get ready. Instead, Jesus has a BRILLIANT plan to get His self-focused and divided Bride to actually wake up and cast off the warm blanket of earthly comfort by commanding the wind and waves to storm around her. Jesus is allowing a storm to form to pull away all false comfort so that there is ONLY ONE true desire left standing…everyone who agrees with truth in the end will cry out day and night: GOD, PLEASE COME BACK SO I CAN LIVE!
This means that Jesus is removing His hand of restraint from the evil desires in men’s hearts in order to make the world a very uncomfortable place. Heavenly comfort…true comfort…is what we are supposed to be acquiring because we will need it NOW, and because we will enjoy it forever. That is why the faithful counselor is counseling us to change our value system:
3. Revelation 3:18 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. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Like any good Father, God wants His children to live for what is coming…to prepare. Like foolish children, MOST of the western Church has stopped caring much about what dad is warning about, and instead has begun twisting the Father’s true principles to make them more about living in the moment.
The end time tribulation is about disrupting the comfort…entirely…that the fallen earth has turned her gaze to. He is going to remove every comfort most of the USA has come to think is REQUIRED, and, even worse, taught the world to value. God is actually planning to remove YOUR false comfort…401k’s, savings accounts, checking balance, wine, fancy clothes, vacations, trucks, cars, career status, social status...on purpose. This is promised to be global. Look who claims responsibility for the devastation:
Isaiah 24:1-15 Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants. 2 And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor. 3 The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish. 5 The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left. 7 The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh. 8 The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10 The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in. 11 There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone. 12 In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction. 13 When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done. 14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the sea. 15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
Do you see the last two verses? Do you see that there will be a people SINGING about the removal of comfort? Those loyal to Jesus will agree that the false comfort is actually KILLING the people Jesus loves. This is because the earth is mostly asleep to the fact that what they are calling life is MUCH less than what God called very good in Genesis 1:31. The Great Tribulation is the final stage is restoring Genesis 1:31. This is a VERY intense plan.
To get ready to endure this plan, Laodicea is counseled to BUY some things. Each of the items Jesus instructs Laodicea she will need to overcome the tribulation are things purchased by living the Sermon on the Mount…trading the cheap and dying earthly comforts for true wealth that will not only comfort her through the events of the tribulation, but will last for eternity as true luxury. As Jesus has told all seven churches in different ways: holiness is what matters. And Laodicea, like all the other churches, needs to make herself ready for the wedding.
The Sermon on the Mount is the roadmap to holiness. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) is the most straight-forward, clear, and comprehensive statement in of how to obey the Gospel and follow Jesus. It starts with humility in recognizing what you lack compared to Jesus and mourning it, and ends with the end time return of Jesus to judge everyone, first IN THE CHURCH, who doesn’t agree with His faithful witness that we are supposed to be living for the next age. The fire is going to test everyone to see if they have really loved Jesus wholeheartedly, as He loves them. Love is evidenced by obedience!
1 Peter 4:16-19 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Let’s look at what Jesus counsels Laodicea to acquire in advance of the Great Tribulation:
a. Gold refined in fire. The “Sermon on the Mount Mart” has this kind of gold. This is how you buy it:
Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The true treasure that lasts forever is purchased through the fire of testing. This isn’t talking about just giving your 10% tithe and considering the rest of your money yours!. This is talking about extravagant…irresponsible, by American standards…generosity. This is talking about taking what you are planning to retire on and using it, as other people’s needs arise, to help them. Giving just to get free of the grip of money on your own heart. How much should you give? Enough to make it hurt. This is what frees you from the snare of money. You have to do it secretly, so the only reward is freedom from the money itself. Many will give out of their abundance, but few will give what they are actually planning to live on:
Mark 12:41-44 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
If you think God is mostly concerned about you having a responsible and solid retirement over trusting that HE is your retirement plan an can provide for you no matter what, you absolutely do not know Him in the area of your money. This is almost NEVER preached in the American church, but this IS a significant part of the Gospel. If you don’t believe this, then you do not believe the Good News that Jesus has paid for you to live forever with Him on a renewed earth and how you hold your money now will forever affect the quality of your life with Him forever.
Luke 12:16-26 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?' 18 So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 21 "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." 22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?
Only in the last 150 years was the concept of a “retirement” even imagined…and then, only in the industrialized western world. This concept of saving for a time when you would live on that wealth for any length of time would be foreign to 99.9% of the people to HAVE EVER INHABITED PLANET EARTH….yet many western churches actually preach that God wants you to be a good saver. This is a deceit. The antichrist is going to confiscate the savings of every believer. Right now in Iraq, believers are ALREADY having their wealth confiscated if they stay loyal to Jesus. This is going global, and if you do not prepare now, your moth-prone dollars and cents will be the very thing that entices you to compromise with the antichrist and take his mark so you can keep working and not “lose it all.” One way or the other YOU MUST lose it all, either by denying yourself and taking up your cross voluntarily, or having your wealth confiscated in the last 3.5 years. If you die to it now, it cannot kill you later:
Revelation 13:16-17 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
No one who takes the mark can live. You will forever burn in a lake of fire if you choose to keep access to your money. This is what Jesus is sick to His stomach about fixing in the heart of Laodicea:
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
b. White garments to hide your nakedness. Again, found in aisle 6 of SOM Mart:
Matthew 6:28-33 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you do not buy these garments, you simply WILL NOT MARRY JESUS:
Matthew 22:10-13 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Just to be clear, the Bible tells us the Bride gets herself ready, by growing in holiness…through the Sermon on the Mount. This isn’t tricky theology or sleight of hand with Bible verses, just the main and plain meaning of the Bible. This is what wedding garments are:
Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
c. Eye salve…healed eyes…a new vision of life that goes past the 70 or 80 years you think you might get. If you don’t see life as beginning in Genesis 1:31, stopping in Genesis 3, and not starting again until Revelation 19, then you have a bad eye. You need salve. Know where to buy it? That’s right! Mountain Mart:
Matthew 6:22-24 "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Denying yourself now and living for the time when Jesus returns to earth is “Christianity 101.” There is no other Gospel. The problem Laodicea has is related to where she lives. Laodicea is a western mindset. Because of the American experience, everyone wants comfort, and the west has it. In fact, our lust for comfort is one of the reasons God judges end time Babylon.
Let me say this plainly: I believe we live in the end time Babylon…clearly…and almost every church in the western world has a touch of the Laodicea Fever…some are actually consumed by it, as health and wealth now…before Jesus returns…has become their very theology. Revelation 18 is describing what the Great Tribulation is going to do to the end time Babylon…and why. Listen, if this isn’t describing America, how does this passage indicate God feels about the America we know?:
Revelation 18:1-24 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury." 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.' 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 "The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' 11 "And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like this great city?' 19 "They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.' 20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" 21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth."
Everyone must overcome the luxury of the land they were born into…this isn’t just for the “rich”…many of those who have relatively little are plagued with the hunger to taste the same things “everyone else has” (that is a lie, you know. 90% of the world is lusting for even less than you have if you are an American). If you don’t overcome what seems normal to Americans, you will suffer the same fate described in Revelation 18, by your own choice. Anyone can come out of Babylon. If you choose not to, you will not have what it takes to make it through what is clearly coming. That is why according to Jesus Laodicea is poor, wretched, blind, and naked…they simply don’t have the true Gospel to endure the time of testing. Laodicea is flat broke and doesn’t know it because they won’t let go of the worthless wealth and dreams they are holding instead of the dream of Jesus’ heart…very good…God with man in the garden. If Laodicea had THAT in her hands, she would gladly trade every last cent and every last minute to hasten the day…she would be red hot on fire for Jesus to return. She needs to answer the door to Jesus to overcome.
Oh to overcome is LIFE!! The promise for Laodicea is the grandest of all. You see the richer you are, the harder it is to be saved, but when you lay down great wealth, you are MORE like Jesus. HE HAD IT ALL, and laid it all down:
Philippians 2:4-9 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, 8 He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names,
That brings us to part four of the pattern:
4. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Jesus LOVES Laodicea. He knows how hard it is to come out of comfort, because He left perfect comfort for her! If she is willing to come out and be the Amen to God’s economy…the faithful witness to the fact that Jesus tells the truth…if she is willing to actually believe that life doesn’t begin until He is back on the planet….then Jesus will give her the right to rule with Him forever. This is the pinnacle of rewards. This is the same thing He offered to the rich young ruler. This wealthy young man could have been one of the 12 disciples…ruling on 12 thrones forever:
Matthew 19:20-28 "I've obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else must I do?" 21 Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 24 I'll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" 25 The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked. 26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." 27 Then Peter said to Him, "We've given up everything to follow You. What will we get?" 28 Jesus replied, "I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon His glorious throne, you who have been My followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
This is impossible for man, but with God, everything is possible. THAT is why the Tribulation, and the Great Tribulation MUST come. All the false comfort is going so that there is ONLY ONE true desire left standing…this is what all the world is supposed to be demanding from heaven: GOD, PLEASE COME BACK SO I CAN LIVE!
If God removed the air from the earth, we would all suddenly ONLY care about air. This is how we are all supposed to feel about Jesus. If we really understood the truth of life, the entire earth would be on a non-stop protest to heaven…night and day…until God gave us back Himself, or we died.
Right now, in this hour, God is shining the light of truth on the darkness in men's hearts. That is why the earth is increasing in intensity...murder, theft, acts of war...the only solution is for the source of life to come back to the garden. As people wake up to this truth in humility, they will begin a 24-hour cry out to God to come back...and HE WILL:
Luke 18:1-8 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' " 6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
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