Lesson 81. Distinctive Features of Laodicea

The second and third chapters of the book of Revelation tell us what awaits God’s people during particular periods of history. If we look at a map showing the locations of the cities described, we see that they lie one after another. For example, you cannot travel from the first to the fourth while bypassing the second and third, and so on. The nature of their geographic arrangement points to a sequence of periods that replace one another. Laodicea is at the very end, and no other city appears after it in the prophecy. Therefore, this message deserves very careful consideration, for it has distinctive features relating to the last days in which we live. This message is addressed personally to me and to all of God’s people in order to point out matters that must be understood correctly.

From all Christ’s previous messages to His disciples during different periods of history, we can take examples and distinctive features of those eras and apply them to ourselves, improving our understanding of God’s love and the Creator’s care for His children. But the message to Laodicea contains information that was not present in the other messages. This is important to consider.

The salvation of those who believe in Jesus has always been under His authority, and He alone decides who will be delivered and how, according to God’s mercy. But as iniquity increased, grace abounded all the more. During every era of its development, God’s people received increasing light. Accordingly, God’s expectations and requirements grew along with it. What was sufficient for salvation in the past may be far too little today. If God has explained to me a truth with which my predecessors were not acquainted, He will hold me accountable for obeying it, but He will not hold them accountable, because it had not yet been revealed to them. My ancestors will be judged according to the light they possessed. Yet ignorance will not excuse the many people who had an opportunity to learn a special truth but deliberately refused to study it, considering it unnecessary, unimportant, or personally uninteresting.

In the days of the apostles, faith in Jesus alone was sufficient for salvation, and believers received as a pledge the special power of the Holy Spirit, Who guided them, performed miracles and signs through their hands, and taught them everything that had been revealed for their time. Today, that same Spirit directs us and explains what He has revealed to us in our day. He teaches believers to obey the truths for the last days that have come through His revelations and God’s messengers.

When a person first comes to Jesus, he is like a child who does not yet know or know how to do anything. It is wrong to expect from him what has not yet been revealed to him and what he has not yet learned. Yet even while he is still a sinner, by God’s grace such a person is declared righteous. This righteousness is conditionally imputed to him through faith in Jesus. When a person of God begins to grow, he learns the truth, and conscious obedience according to the light received is then expected of him. The believer is now conditionally endowed with God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Why conditionally? Because he remains free to choose and can always change his choice. But as long as a person believes in Jesus and obeys the revealed light, this contributes to his salvation by God’s grace.

Laodicea has a special message that possesses power and authority particularly in our time, and God expects me to take an interest in this truth. Only then will He be able to reveal it to me.

During all the other periods, the Lord declared that He was coming soon. He addressed five churches with similar words. But in the message to Laodicea, the Lord declares that He is already standing at the door. It is evident that He has already come and has something extremely important that He desires to share with me. He expects me to respond to this event. We are not discussing the Second Coming of Jesus to the whole world. The message teaches us that the Lord has come to His people in order to prepare believers in a special way for the Second Coming and for the events preceding it. All the previous instruction will be insufficient to endure the coming trials. Ignorance of this present counsel will neither excuse nor protect me on the day of judgment. If Jesus gives me something, He is deeply interested in my taking and receiving it. When I take such a step of faith, all God’s commands, commandments, and promises come into effect at that moment, and I am declared a doer of the law. Everything promised and provided for me in this case is given to me. Through faith in Jesus, on condition of obedience to the light received, I become the possessor of all the qualities and blessings listed by the Lord in the message to Laodicea. If I disagree with or ignorantly reject this message, Jesus will spew me out of His mouth, just as He warned. God’s love will be revealed in special mercy toward the obedient and in justice toward the negligent. Whether I want it or not, I am confronted with a choice: to accept the message and allow God to work in my life, or to reject it and close my heart to Christ forever.

The fact that Jesus offers without pressure, counsels gently, knocks quietly, and calls calmly does not mean that His message can be neglected while other blessings are still received for overcoming temptations and resisting Satan’s power. The great power for victory is contained precisely in Christ’s humility. He gives an example of how to behave and how to proclaim His message. It will be loud, yet very humble. Jesus will leave every person the right to choose.

Imagine the following scene. A man gives his beloved a box containing a ring and asks her to become his wife. The bride understands that behind the ring lies the prospect of a life together as his wife, with all the rights and responsibilities that follow. But she does not immediately decide how to answer and begins to think, weighing all the advantages and disadvantages. Then the bridegroom says, “If you refuse me, I will kill you—or arrange for others to kill you. So make your decision, my dear. I think my offer is very attractive.” What does such an approach look like? This is sometimes exactly how I attempt to present Jesus to the world through the message to Laodicea. But in reality, the offer sounds like this: “This world is very dangerous, and you are at risk of perishing in it. But I offer you My hand and heart. If you say yes to Me, I will do everything to protect you and shelter you from temptations, not allowing death to touch you. But you must choose this yourself. I respect your decision.” And the Lord waits for an answer.

The message to Laodicea contains many offers described in symbolic language. We must examine them in order to understand the meaning of the images and decide how they apply to my life and to the life of my church. The Lord reveals to those who seek everything they need to know, while leaving symbols and parables to those who are accustomed to evaluating God’s truth superficially and have no interest in it.

I do not claim that our studies are exclusive. I simply invite you to study what the Lord has already revealed to His people—what He desires to give so that we may meet the coming events worthily and fully armed. The whole world is already saying that something must happen, but people are mostly expecting economic and political upheavals. We are waiting for the Second Coming of the One Who is Love, Who stands at the door and knocks, Who offers us the opportunity to buy heavenly treasures and to become our Husband.

1. What was revealed to you in this lesson?

2. How does the message to Laodicea relate to our School of Agape Love?

3. Is this message an expression of God’s love for His people in the last days?

4. Are you prepared to continue studying the message to Laodicea in order to understand its depth personally?

5. How can understanding this message help me in the coming trials?

6. Where in the message to Laodicea is Agape love mentioned?

7. Please read Revelation 1:3; Psalm 92:6–7; Proverbs 1:20–33; Proverbs 12:1; and Revelation 22:18–21 in the light of our lesson.