The Faithful and True Witness

The message to the Laodicean church period begins with the words: "To the angel of the Laodicean church write: These are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God's creation" (Revelation 3:14).

It is commonly believed that the Laodicean period begins with the start of God's judgment in Heaven in 1844, when Daniel's prophecy about 2,300 evenings and mornings was fulfilled, and Christ began the final phase of Sanctuary cleansing, entering the Most Holy Place with His blood.

Laodicea in Greek means: laos — people, kaes — right, or in some translations, judgment. Laodicea at that time was a very wealthy city with its textile productions, banks, and pharmaceutical enterprises, which made it financially independent from other regions. When this city was destroyed by an earthquake in 61 AD, Laodicea's residents refused state assistance for reconstruction and rebuilt the structures with their own forces, which they subsequently were very proud of.

Angel is a Greek word "angelos," which means messenger, envoy. In this case, it can be both a personal address to the literal leadership of the literal Laodicea church and to messengers of the last time. "Thus says..." — the commandment begins when the Lord starts speaking. He is not verbose in His utterances, but each of His words has depth and meaning and fulfills what it is spoken for. Jesus presents Himself to His church and calls Himself by many names, each of which characterizes a specific feature that the Lord considers extremely important to emphasize and highlight precisely in this time of human history.

Recording prophetic visions, the apostle John at the very beginning calls Christ the Faithful Witness (Revelation 1:5), so that subsequently all readers of this prophetic book would pay attention to Jesus' name.

We read in Psalm 88:36-38: "Once for all I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to David— that his offspring shall endure forever, his throne shall be like the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies."

Amen is an ancient Hebrew word "amen," which means agreement with what is heard or said and is translated as "so be it." This word has the same sound and meaning in ancient Greek. It is translated as "truly." Usually "amen" is pronounced after a prayer or as a sign of agreement with what is heard. The Lord calls Himself by this name, making it clear that all His words are true, have power, and will certainly be fulfilled. This name is like a seal on all God's utterances, making them inviolable and unchangeable.

By naming Himself this or that way, the Lord did not simply pronounce the first thing that came to mind. He invested deep meaning in each name so that the reader and student could be imbued with the depth of revelation and understand that they are dealing with One whose words are true and will certainly be fulfilled. If the Lord Himself affirms that "so be it," then so it will be. This name of Christ calls us to have faith that God's words will certainly accomplish what they were said for.

It is worth noting that usually the word "amen" is said in conclusion, but in this message, it is pronounced at the very beginning. This may mean that the address to Laodicea is the last and true warning. The prophecy will occur at the appointed time. It will certainly come true precisely.

A witness is one who was or will be an eyewitness to certain events and can provide an objective description of what they saw and experienced, without bringing in their own speculations. A person who was not present at certain events or who distorts reality is called a false witness. In judicial, historical, or scientific practice, a witness can become the only source of true evidence to direct the investigation in the right direction.

The Lord calls Himself a Witness, emphasizing that He is Faithful and True. A witness cannot be false by definition, but additional names help us understand that every word of Christ will certainly fulfill precisely what it was said for.

Faithful means one who maintains loyalty and is reliable, devoted, and meeting expectations. God by His nature is the Most Faithful Executor of His promises and words. Prophets repeatedly pointed to this amazing characteristic of God's character — to be faithful to all His words and promises and fulfill them in absolute accordance with the purpose for which they were spoken. This also means that the Faithful Witness can be relied upon because His words will be a reliable and unshakable foundation for further relationship building. God's faithfulness forms trust in me that expects God to fulfill each of His words exactly when He considers necessary or when the time of fulfillment comes.

True means truthful and completely corresponding to reality, encompassing, considering, and including all objective information about someone or something. Truth cannot be false or indefinite, otherwise it is not truth.

Once Jesus already declared about Himself: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). His immaculate life and impeccable faithfulness to God's law confirmed this statement, and His death established these names for Him forever.

"Beginning of God's creation." The Lord did not call Himself this by chance. He invested a very deep meaning in this concept. Jesus said by this about His eternal existence, for through Him everything began to be, and nothing began to be that has begun to be (John 1:3).

With what love the Lord addresses His people in this message, wanting to point out the problem and provide a way out! Upon careful examination of each word of this message, we discover the deep meaning of God's address to His church and His immeasurable desire to save each of its members, making them victors. All the names of God mentioned in this message have one common root — "Love". It is out of love for us that Jesus transmits this sad and reproachful message, desiring that we listen to it and fulfill everything He counsels.

Although the first verse of the message does not carry any call, it shows us the magnitude and might of the One who addresses us with this beautiful message. And if we consider the appearance of the Speaker described a little earlier, it sounds majestic.

We read in Revelation 1:3: "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." Here it speaks about the one who reads, in this case, the one who writes to you, those who listen — those who read, and those who keep — those who have ears and, reading into each word, try to precisely fulfill what they are called to. Simple listeners will have no benefit from new knowledge, but those who execute the word will become victors and receive the reward. We read in John 13:17: "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

Reflection Questions for this Chapter

1. Please read Revelation 19:11; 2 Corinthians 1:20; John 1:1-3; Psalms 40:14; 71:18-19; 145:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:9; Mark 16:20; Revelation 21:5-6; 22:13,20-21; Proverbs 14:15,25; Lamentations 3:22-23 in light of this chapter.

2. What other verses came to your mind?

3. What did you understand from this chapter?

4. Are you interested in discovering something new and beautiful about God?

5. What other names of God do you know?

6. Why does the Lord often call Himself by new names?

7. Why did Jesus give Himself the name "Amen" at the beginning of the message to Laodicea?

8. Do you think the message to Laodicea is a true message for our time?

9. Does the Faithful Witness expect that His message will attract the attention of God's people and be carefully studied by us?

10. Do you think the Lord made a mistake by not saying any words of praise for the Laodicean church?

11. Do you believe that each message of Christ to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 is an address to Christians of different eras and periods?

12. What will happen to those who ignore studying the Message of the Faithful Witness and study something else?

13. Is it worth always remembering the verses from Revelation 1:3 and Revelation 22:18-19 when studying the Book of Revelation? Do such statements frighten you?

14. Will the Lord bless people who decide to study the Faithful Witness's message and fulfill everything written in it?

15. Do you enjoy studying the message to Laodicea?