Lesson 97. The Overcoming Laodicean

God’s people in the last days will have a special status and special guidance from God in their struggle against the forces of sin. The enemy of souls has centuries of experience in deceiving humanity and successfully applies his knowledge to tempt and destroy souls. It is simply impossible to withstand such temptations in our own strength.

At the same time, our generation of God’s children possesses the fullness of the light and the knowledge of truth that was gathered over many years at the cost of blood, sleepless nights, and constant prayer, so that it might stand before us in all its depth, lacking nothing. This truth grants every seeker and every thirsty soul what the soul needs and the heart requires. The Lord Himself has come to teach each of us personally the knowledge that lies hidden in the earth like a concealed treasure, waiting to become the possession of all who seek it.

After Laodicea, there will be no further generation of believers whom the Lord has determined to endow even more generously with Heaven’s special gifts. We are the final generation.

World events stir people’s minds, and many think about how to preserve their wealth, how to survive these crises, and how to arrange life so that they will be comfortable. Only a few begin to ask what God desires to tell them.

An overcoming Laodicean is one who has accepted God’s plan for the final conflict and has a very deep and personal relationship with Christ.

Let us examine the characteristics of the Laodicean overcomer, beginning with the conclusion of this message. It speaks of a person who has ears and hears what the Spirit says unto the churches. He listens attentively to all the blessings of previous generations. Such a Laodicean is also prepared to discern God’s quiet voice amid the varied noise of this world and thousands of other voices. He knows how the Spirit speaks, and as a member of God’s family, he recognizes his brothers and sisters by the Spirit among thousands of other people. God unites such children of His into one team, binding them with ties of love and friendship. These believers will endure any trial and preserve their pure relationships forever. The hearing ear is given by God. Proverbs 20:12.

The Laodicean who overcomes receives a special blessing from God as his reward. He is granted the right to sit with Christ on His throne, just as Christ sat with the Father on His throne. It is now very difficult to understand what this means from Heaven’s perspective, but I believe it refers to a special status that will exalt a person in God’s sight before the entire universe.

It is written of Satan that he dreamed and planned to obtain this throne. Isaiah 14:13–14 says: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”

The enemy of humanity desired to become like God in authority and power, but not in love and character.

The Laodicean, however, does not crave what was Satan’s cherished dream, but receives it as a reward for his desire to become like the Most High in love and character. The believer succeeds because Christ Himself desires to make him so. Jesus seeks to fill the lives of the saved with light and the special gifts of His love and to reveal within my heart the full depth of this Divine quality that human perception can comprehend.

I do not understand the meaning of the throne, but I understand what love is. It is interesting that the one who strives for power does not receive it and loses everything, while the one who thirsts for love receives from God love, authority, and everything else he did not even expect. Although I know of such a great reward, I do not understand what it is and do not seek to obtain it. For me, the greatest happiness is Christ: living with Him throughout all Eternity, seeing His face, and following Him wherever He goes. If He sits upon the throne and asks me to sit beside Him, I will gladly do so, simply to be near Him. But without Jesus, I do not need even the most exalted throne.

In the conflict ahead and the approaching storm, I am more concerned not with the reward, but with how to prepare for these events so that I will not fall or lose hold of God’s hand. It is important to me to remain faithful unto death.

I learned this because I spent much time with Jesus, inviting Him to supper and discussing all my plans and prospects with Him, communing with Him in purity of heart after allowing Him to put that heart in order. I became accustomed to supping with Him, and He with me.

An overcoming Laodicean is one who heard the quiet voice of Jesus, heard the knock at the door of his heart, and opened every area of his life to the Lord. He allowed God’s love to put his soul in order and the blood of Jesus to wash his thoughts and feelings from every impurity and vice so that they might become absolutely pure. This knock at the door was desired and expected, for zeal for God’s gifts and the gift of repentance had attuned my perception to hear and heed. All this took place because of the assurance of God’s love and the chastening that Jesus, in His mercy, brought into my life. A fierce struggle was waged against my old man, who did not want to surrender or accept God’s judgments and rebukes, but the Lord prevailed, for without Him I could do nothing. I simply chose life with Him and opened my heart to the truth, however difficult it might be for me.

Without God’s wisdom, symbolized by the eyesalve, I probably would have seen nothing. But I bought this light and allowed its rays to illuminate my mind, and God granted me an understanding of what to do and how and where to go. I began to see the beauty of God’s character and to behold it with the open eyes of my soul. This became possible through the merits of Christ and His righteousness, which was first imputed to me through faith in His merits and then became imparted righteousness within me through faith which worketh by love.

I see the advantage of the white raiment of God’s light. When Jesus tore away all the filth of my ambitions, He clothed me in the purity of God’s love and faith. This became possible through the purchase of heavenly riches symbolized by pure gold tried in the fire of Eternal love. I immersed myself in this boundless ocean of God’s character in order to become a partaker of His nature. I allowed myself to be refined so that all the impurities of my nature and all my harmful habits might be burned away by heavenly fire and driven from my life, allowing the pure gold of God’s character to shine. I began learning to become rich in true treasure, and now I can pay all my enemies, friends, and neighbors with God’s love.

But I cannot imagine where I would have found all this if the Faithful and True Witness had not pointed out these heavenly goods to me and counseled me to purchase them.

If I had not learned of my true lukewarm condition and who I really am, I believe my mind would have continued sleeping and remaining satisfied with the achievements that, in my opinion, had clothed me, enriched me, and made me happy. What more did I need? The light shines, the Spirit is poured out, the work advances, and deeds are accomplished. But the Amen, the Beginning of the creation of God, came and began to demolish all my foundations. I saw that my true condition and my pride in my achievements and successes in spiritual growth made Him sick.

It is frightening to imagine what would have happened if I had stopped at any one of these stages of development and gone no further. I do not even want to describe the full horror of such a condition. Yet I also do not wish to credit myself with anything beyond what I have received, lest I become a hypocrite.

Search me, O Lord, and see whether I am on a dangerous path...

1. What was revealed to you in this lesson?

2. Who is an overcoming Laodicean? Describe the overcomer.

3. How do you understand what it means to sit upon the throne?

4. What motivates you toward Eternal life: the reward, or being with Christ?

5. Why is it important to learn to hear God’s voice?

6. What reasons prevent you from becoming an overcomer, if any?

7. Please read 1 Samuel 3:7–10; Isaiah 50:4–5; Revelation 19:10; John 16:13; Psalm 46:11; Revelation 3:21; 21:7; Luke 10:20; Daniel 7:22; Matthew 5:8; and Ephesians 4:15, 21 in the light of our lesson.