Reality versus Fantasy, Part 2

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:19-20

If someone comes and says that he knows in his gut that he is in perfect health, I would say, “That may be what your gut says. But I want you to go to my doctor and get a complete physical examination. Then bring me the results and we can decide whether you are really in good health or not.” Our gut says many things about ourselves. But such subjectivity may not be reality.

Many modern philosophers, beginning with Sí¸ren Kierkegaard, have said that subjectivity is truth. This is the philosophy that governs our postmodern culture: we make up truth. But there is ultimate, abiding reality: it is the self-existing, self-sufficient, triune God. This reality is seen in God’s word alone.

When he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, John saw the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ in all his glory. At this terrifying sight, John fell at Christ’s feet as though dead. But the Lord Jesus told him not to fear. He said he is God: “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18).

In Revelation 2 and 3 we see this glorious Jesus walking among seven lampstands, which are the seven churches of Asia Minor. These churches represent the churches of all ages. As royal high priest, the Lord Jesus walks among his church, seeing reality and speaking to us about it. My prayer is that we will listen to what he says and be transformed by truth.

The Church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

First we read about the church of Ephesus, which was founded by Paul during his three years stay in that city. Ephesus is located on the west coast of what is now Turkey. The largest city of the time in Asia Minor, it had a population of 200,000 and boasted one of the seven wonders of the world, the temple of Artemis. The harbor of Ephesus could accommodate the largest ships of the time, and its theater could seat about 24,000. It even had a bank and a museum. Its temple served as a sanctuary for criminals, as well as a place where hundreds of priests and priestesses promoted temple prostitution. John probably arrived in Ephesus around 66 A.D.

Now it is about 95 A.D. The first generation of Christians has almost all passed away, and John is writing to second-generation Christians. It seems that during the time of Emperor Domitian, John was banished to the nearby island of Patmos and sentenced to hard labor because of his faith in Jesus Christ.

As the Lord walked among the churches, he saw right through people. Thus, he uses the words “I know” ten times in these two chapters. Our God never judges by outward appearances. His eyes are like blazing fire. He looks into our hearts and speaks truth.

What, then, is the reality Jesus Christ observed about this church in Ephesus? In Revelation 2:2 he says, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men.” The Ephesians worked hard for God and their church was full of works. They persevered in their faith through trials and remained orthodox, believing in the apostolic doctrines. When some false apostles came to this church, these believers tested and rejected them. They hated the heterodoxy of the Nicolaitans, who promoted antinomianism and practiced sexual immorality and idolatry.

Yet their royal high priest, the Lord of the church, saw a fatal flaw in them: they had forsaken their first love. Thus, theirs was a dead orthodoxy and their numerous labors were not prompted by love. In fact, love had gone out of this relationship long ago. But the Lord will not tolerate such church life.

The Lord’s counsel consisted of seven verbs:

1. Remember, which is a present imperative, meaning, “Continue to remember; recall.” They were to continuously go to the high standard of the Scriptures to see from whence they had fallen.
2. (From where) you have fallen, which is a perfect indicative, saying they had fallen away long ago and were still estranged from their blazing, first love for God.
3. Repent, which is an aorist imperative, meaning they should repent right away, immediately, and once-for-all.
4. Do, which is another aorist imperative telling them to prove their repentance by doing good works.
5. I am coming. This indicates the certainty of Christ’s coming in judgment.
6. I will remove, which is a future indicative, speaking of removing their lampstand from its place. Again, this shows certainty of judgment if they did not repent.
7. Repent. Once again, this calls for immediate, once-for-all repentance.

This was the reality from the lips of Jesus Christ who was walking among the lampstands. The Lord of the church is not pleased with mere belief in the Bible and its doctrines, and in the creeds and confessions of the church. Mere belief is not good enough for the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor is he pleased with mountains of activities and programs. He demands that we love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and that we love our neighbors as ourselves.

It is interesting to note that although the Ephesian church was orthodox and performed many works, God rejected it outright. Imagine what the Lord Jesus would do if he came to many modern churches. The Ephesians were proud of their “Christian life.” But their view of themselves was not true; Jesus had to bring them to reality.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we read, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I f I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” (vv. 1-3).

This tells us that we can live a “Christian life” without love. But God detests such a life. So God warned that he was about to remove the church of Ephesus from its place unless it repented quickly. And, sadly, in due time, it was destroyed. In this passage the Lord is warning us that we also must remember, repent, and do all things with flaming, sacrificial love for God and for one another.

The Church of Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)

Christ’s second message, delivered to the church of Smyrna, may shock us. Smyrna, which is modern Izmir, is a beautiful city located on the Aegean Sea in western Turkey, north of Ephesus. It was here that the Romans burned Polycarp, bishop of the church and disciple of the apostle John, at the stake on February 23, 155 A.D. for his faith in Jesus.

The saints at Smyrna were very poor; because of their faith, many had lost their jobs and properties. Additionally, they were often falsely accused by the Jews before the Romans, as Jesus and Paul had been.

The Lord knew of their afflictions. So he begins, “I know your extreme poverty.” Then he revealed what was going to happen to them. Notice, he did not say that he was going to punish their enemies and give them material blessings and long life. Instead, he said that their enemies were going to throw some of them in prison for ten days, which represents a long, yet limited time, and that some were even going to be killed. Then he asks them to remain faithful to him through death, telling them, “Fear not!”

This message is counter to modern preaching that Christians should always be healthy, wealthy, powerful and famous. Did not Jesus tell his disciples, “Take up your cross and follow me”? Any other kind of preaching is false. Paul said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” The Sovereign Lord has permitted the devil to kill a multitude of his saints throughout history. Death to the saints is entry to life forevermore.

So the truth from the lips of Jesus Christ to this church and to us is: Don’t expect an easy life of peace and affluence. In his will, God may permit us to suffer for his name.

The Church of Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

The church of Pergamum was located “where Satan has his throne” (v. 13), in an area known for emperor worship. The Christians of Pergamum refused to sacrifice to Caesar because their Lord was Jesus. So they were persecuted in this place where Satan ruled and poured out his venom against the saints of God.

We are told that one believer, Antipas, had already been martyred in Pergamum. Could not the Sovereign Lord have prevented him from being killed? Yes, but God does not always spare his people from suffering. He promises to give us eternal life, but that does not necessarily include long life on this earth.

What was the problem of the church of Pergamum? Unlike the church of Ephesus, they tolerated sexual immorality and doctrinal errors. In Revelation 2:14-15 we read, “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

This church had a false view of love; thus, they refused to judge and exercise church discipline. They emphasized Christ’s love at the expense of his holiness and received everyone in the name of love.

Jesus rejects such thinking. Because he is holy, his church must also be holy. So he told them: “Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (v. 16). If Jesus were non-judgmental, there would be no eternal judgment and no one would be sent to hell. But notice: though he threatens destruction, he also gives them an opportunity to repent.

The Church of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29)

The church of Thyatira also permitted evil to be taught and practiced in the name of inclusivism through a wicked woman who called herself a prophetess. She promoted idolatry and sexual immorality while teaching against separation from the world and its sinful practices. This woman taught that it was all right to go to pagan festivals, join in their sacrifices, and engage in sexual immorality. (PGM) She was like modern Christians who say, “Once saved, always saved. What we do with our bodies not affect our souls. Besides, how do we know what evil is unless we experience it?”

This church also failed to exercise church discipline. This is the primary problem in the church today. By and large, modern evangelical churches have forsaken discipline for non-judgmental love. Nicolaitans, Balaamites, and Jezebelites have complete freedom in these churches.

But what was the Lord’s view of this? “Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling” (Revelation 2:20-21). Christ is saying, “This is my church, and because I see wickedness in it, I am going to take action. Be holy, for I am holy.” Jezebel was not this woman’s real name, but she was like Jezebel, who brought Baal and Asherah worship into Israel, despised her husband’s authority, and killed the Lord’s prophets. Thank God, he is patient and gives us time to repent.

But this woman refused to repent. And notice the Lord’s response: “So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (vv. 22-23).

First Corinthians 5 speaks about the church’s refusal to discipline a man who was living with his father’s wife. But in 1 Corinthians 11:30 Paul writes that because of their sin, “many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep,” meaning they died. You see, the Lord exercises discipline, no matter what.

The Church of Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

The church of Sardis was considered the most dynamic church around. But as the Lord walked among the people, he said, “You have a reputation that you are alive, but you are dead.” It is amazing how different reality is from our own opinion. Galatians 6:7 tells us, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

Jesus said only a few people in this church had not soiled their clothes. “Soil” speaks about immorality and evil. Most of these people were not preaching the gospel. They were not speaking about sin, repentance, the cross, saving faith, heaven, or hell. They did not preach about the lordship of Christ, the second coming of Christ, and holiness. Instead, they were preaching about love, health, wealth, and power. They had a reputation of being alive. But Jesus said the reality was that they were dead and dirty. He whose eyes are like blazing fire does not judge by appearances. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, and our motivations.

So he says, “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent” (v. 3). These are present imperatives. Jesus was saying, “Keep on remembering. Go back to the Scriptures and find out how you should live. Repent immediately, begin to obey, and do so continuously.” Otherwise, he said, he would come and punish them and blot their names out of God’s book.

The Church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)

The church of Laodicea was located in the region now called Pamukkale, next to the ancient city of Hierapolis. In verse 15 the Lord brings reality to this church, saying, “I know your deeds.” It is like the evaluation found in Daniel 5:27: “You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.”

These people were living in self-delusion. In verse 17 Jesus quotes them: “You say, ‘I am rich.'” The Greek word is plousios, from which we have “plutocrat.” This is speaking about material wealth. The church at Smyrna had been materially poor but rich toward God. But Laodicea said, “I am rich.” Then: “I have acquired wealth.” In the Greek is it peploutêka, which means “I have been wealthy for a long time.” Then: “I do not need a thing,” meaning “I don’t need Jesus Christ.” This church was like the fool of Luke 12, who said, “Soul, eat, drink, and enjoy your life for a long time.” Psalm 49 speaks about such people and how they trust in their riches

True saving faith is always self-abnegation and dependence on Jesus. But these people said, “We don’t need anything.” They were so rich that when they experienced an earthquake in A.D. 60, they refused to accept the large sum of money Rome sent to help them, choosing instead to rebuild the city by themselves. This was their attitude: “We don’t depend on anyone.”

But the Laodiceans were ignorant of spiritual reality. What was the truth? First, the Lord said, “You are wretched.” The same word is used in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am!” Second, “You are pitiable.” Third, “You are a beggar; in other words, so spiritually poor that you have nothing.” Fourth, “You are blind; you have no spiritual insight.” Fifth, “You are naked.”

Self-esteem is a lie. The opinion these people had of themselves was one hundred percent wrong. So the Lord counsels them, “Buy from me. . . .” Jesus alone has what we need; we cannot buy it from anyone else. But if they were poor, how could they buy it? In Isaiah 55 the Lord says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (v. 1). Yes, we are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, and this salvation is costly. In fact, it is priceless, so no one can buy it. But God gives it to us as a gift. “Come and receive!” the Lord says.

So Lord counsels, “Buy from me.” There is no other Savior, no other atonement. All other religions are false. “Buy from me gold refined in the fire and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness.” This speaks of salvation, righteousness, and purity.

When we go out into the world, we see many such spiritually naked people walking about. They are rich but wretched. They are rich but naked. They are rich but blind. They are rich but pitiable. The Lord was telling these Laodiceans to buy gold from him, that they may become truly rich, and garments, that their spiritual nakedness may be covered.

Jesus next instructs them to buy salve that they could see. Laodicea had a medical school which was known for producing a salve for people with eye problems. But that could not help their spiritual blindness. They had to come and buy salve from Jesus that they might truly see. Then he says, “Be earnest and repent!” Thank God for that opportunity.

Finally, he gives an invitation. You see, even though this was a church, they kept Jesus outside. After all, weren’t they wealthy, educated, rich, famous, and powerful? Why do they need Jesus? So he says, “Behold, here I am!” God always takes the initiative. Here he is calling their attention to something wonderful. What is it? “I stand at the door” (italics added). It is in the perfect tense, meaning, “I have been standing here for a long time, standing against the door of your heart.” Then he says he is knocking. It is in the present tense, indicating a continuously knocking.

God came to this church of Laodicea. In Christ’s incarnation, God himself is coming down from heaven into our low estate. He is standing and knocking continuously at the door of our hearts by his Spirit, calling us by name. No one can be saved unless God takes the initiative, but here we see him doing so. Praise God for his mercy!

But there is also human responsibility. Jesus said, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door. . . .” That is speaking about conversion. Yes, we cannot be converted unless there is regeneration, but the truth is, he does regenerate us and opens our hearts to believe the gospel as he opened the heart of Lydia. So the Lord says, “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.”

We are amazed at the great mercy of God to this wretched, miserable, blind, naked people who declared their independence from God and trusted in their money and position. Yet God is not destroying them. Instead, he is saying, “I am standing, I am knocking, I am calling. Hear, open, and I will come in.” And then he adds, “I will sup with you and you with me.”

In ancient times, whenever a guest came, it would be the host’s responsibility to provide him with food. And in Luke 11 we read that when the host did not have any bread, he went to another friend to get some, even though it was the middle of the night. But here Christ is coming with our supper. He is always the host, and we are the guests. This is the covenant meal, the time of great enjoyment, the evening meal in which there is great fellowship, as in the garden of Eden when God came in the cool of the day.

Real life is fellowship with God. Money cannot do it. Position cannot do it. Those things only make us miserable, wretched, pitiable, blind, naked, and hopeless.

Nothing can save us but Jesus Christ alone. He has come, and he is standing, knocking, and calling. It is he who takes the initiative and raises the dead. So he says, “Open the door and I will come in. I will sup with you and you with me.” This is real life-God and man fellowshipping in Jesus Christ. Let me tell you, this is joy everlasting.

What about You?

Jesus told the Laodicean church, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.” At Colosse one could drink fresh water from cold springs, while at Hierapolis there were healing waters from hot springs. But Laodicea did not have its own water source, so it probably received water from Hierapolis. By the time it came to Laodicea through stone pipes, it was lukewarm. Additionally, this water was filled with calcium carbonate. So those who drank it could become nauseated and spit it out. That is what Jesus said about the Laodicean Christians: they were lukewarm and useless, and he was going to spit them out.

Jesus did not spit them out right away. He counseled them: “I am standing at the door, knocking and calling your name. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with you.” But then he warned that if they did not repent, they would be spit out, and on the last day he would say, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me!'” This is the big spit-they would be spit away from the presence of God to the second death called the lake of fire.

This is reality, coming to us from the lips of Christ. But now we are in the day of mercy, for we have not yet been spit out or killed by the sword of his mouth. We cannot fool God. He reads our hearts and sees all our ugliness. Yet he comes to us in mercy and in grace. Therefore, pay heed to his call and open your heart to him today. Repent, welcome him in, and eat with him, for he alone can satisfy. Our hearts are restless until they rest in God. May we come to him today and find rest.