THE FINAL CHURCH

The last prophetic church.

1844–Second Coming of Jesus

19th to 21st centuries.

The church which proclaims the judgment that has already come, Rev.14:7.

Now we reach the final church.

Laodicea is generally understood in the Adventist historicist framework as representing the church in the final period of earth’s history.

The name itself is significant.

It is commonly understood as meaning:

“Judging the people”

or

“a people judged.”

That makes Laodicea remarkably appropriate to the Adventist understanding of the period beginning in 1844, when Christ entered the pre-Advent judgment.

The Adventist Encyclopedia describes the pre-Advent judgment as beginning in 1844 and continuing until shortly before Christ’s return.

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 SALUTATION

Revelation 3:14:

“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write…”

But now Christ describes Himself in three extraordinary ways.

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“THE AMEN”

Jesus is:

“the Amen.”

He is the final confirmation of God’s promises.

What Christ says is certain. It means “So Be It” or “To Be True” or simply “Truth”.

Culmination of the work of intercession and judgment of Christ in the heavenly temple.

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“THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS”

Jesus is:

“the Faithful and True Witness.”

This is particularly important because Laodicea has lost its ability to see itself accurately.

Laodicea thinks one thing.

Christ says another.

Laodicea says:

“I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.”

Jesus says:

“you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Who is right?

Jesus.

The True Witness sees what Laodicea cannot see about itself.

Jesus is “Faithful and True”, the “Word of God” Rev 19:11,13

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“THE ORIGIN OF THE CREATION OF GOD”

Revelation 3:14 says:

“the Beginning of the creation of God.”

This should not be understood as saying Christ was the first created being.

Jesus was and is the Author of Life. He is preeminent.

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” Psalm 90:2

The psalmist speaks of an eternity that goes backwards and forwards. John’s Gospel declares that all things were made through Christ.

Rather, Christ is the source, ruler, and origin of creation.

The language points to His divine authority.

And that becomes particularly meaningful in the final church.

The One who created us is the One who calls us to be recreated.

“I KNOW YOUR WORKS”

Revelation 3:15:

“I know your works…”

Again:

I KNOW.

Christ knows Laodicea.

But now comes the devastating assessment:

“that you are neither cold nor hot.”

LUKEWARMNESS

Revelation 3:16:

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Why is lukewarmness so dangerous?

Because it creates the illusion of spiritual health.

A cold person knows he needs Christ, he is dead spiritually

A hot person knows he needs Christ, and brings enthusiasm, joy, love and shares with others the love of God.

But the lukewarm person thinks:

“I am doing fine.”

That is the heart of Laodicea.

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“I AM RICH”

Revelation 3:17:

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’…”

Laodicea’s problem is not merely poverty.

It is self-sufficiency.

The church believes it possesses what it needs.

It has:

• truth,
• doctrine,
• prophecy,
• institutions,
• history,
• knowledge,
• identity.

But Jesus says:

“you do not know…”

This is perhaps the most tragic phrase in the chapter.

“You do not know.”

Laodicea’s greatest problem is that it does not understand its own condition.

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THE THREE GREAT NEEDS OF LAODICEA

Jesus therefore gives three remedies.

1. GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE

Revelation 3:18:

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire…”

Gold represents genuine spiritual riches.

Faith.

Love.

Character.

Christ-centered faith that has been tested.

The church needs something it cannot manufacture.

It must receive it from Christ.

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2. WHITE GARMENTS

Jesus says:

“that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.”

The white garment represents the righteousness of Christ.

This is absolutely central.

Laodicea does not need better public relations.

It needs:

Christ’s righteousness.

The answer to Laodicea is not:

“Try harder.”

The answer is:

“Come to Jesus.”

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3. EYESALVE

Jesus says:

“anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Laodicea is spiritually blind.

It cannot accurately diagnose itself.

It needs the Holy Spirit’s discernment.

It needs Scripture.

It needs spiritual vision.

It needs to see:

Christ

Self

Sin

Salvation

The times in which it lives.

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“AS MANY AS I LOVE, I REBUKE”

Revelation 3:19:

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”

This verse changes the emotional tone of the entire message.

Laodicea is not a message of hatred.

It is a message of:

LOVE.

Jesus rebukes because Jesus loves.

The purpose of the rebuke is restoration.

The answer is:

Be zealous.

Repent.

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THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VERSE IN LAODICEA

Revelation 3:20:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

This verse is often used evangelistically to invite unbelievers to accept Christ.

But its original context is startling.

Jesus is speaking to the church.

Christ is standing outside the door of Laodicea.

The tragedy is not that Laodicea has no religion.

The tragedy is that the church can become so religious that it leaves Jesus outside.

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“IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE”

Jesus says:

“If anyone hears My voice and opens the door…”

Notice the word:

“Anyone.”

The final message becomes intensely personal.

Jesus does not say:

“If the denomination opens the door.”

He says:

“If anyone…”

The revival of Laodicea begins with individuals.

One person opens the door.

Then another.

Then another.

Until an entire people are transformed.

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“I WILL COME IN”

This is the heart of Laodicea.

Not:

I will give you more information.

Not:

I will give you another institution.

Not:

I will give you another program.

Jesus says:

“I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

The solution is:

CHRIST IN THE HEART.

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THE LAODICEAN MESSAGE AND THE INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT

Here we come to a central Adventist connection.

If Laodicea represents the final church during the judgment period, then its message is a call to:

• self-examination,
• repentance,
• faith,
• righteousness by faith,
• overcoming,
• preparation for Christ’s return.

The investigative judgment is not intended to make Christians afraid of Christ.

It reveals the seriousness of our decision concerning Christ.

Adventists understand the pre-Advent judgment as demonstrating God’s justice while revealing His saving work on behalf of those who trust Him.

The judgment therefore asks:

Who has truly placed their trust in Christ?

Who has allowed Christ to transform the life?

Who has remained faithful?

And ultimately:

Whose name remains in the Book of Life?

 Revelation 7 and 14 describe a final people who are:

• sealed,
• identified with God,
• associated with the Lamb,
• faithful,
• characterized by truth,
• standing with Christ.

The Laodicean message describes the spiritual preparation necessary for God’s final people.

The 144,000 are presented later as those who have passed through the final crisis and stand with the Lamb.

Therefore we can see a theological progression:

Revelation 3

Repent.

Revelation 7

Be sealed.

Revelation 14

Stand with the Lamb.

Revelation 14:12

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

That verse brings together two things:

obedience

and

faith.

Neither replaces the other.

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CHARACTER

The final issue is not merely:

Who has the correct denomination?

It is:

Who has the character of Christ?

The sealing represents God’s ownership and the settled loyalty of His people.

This is why Laodicea’s counsel is so important.

The church must receive:

Gold

Faith and love.

White raiment

Christ’s righteousness.

Eyesalve

Spiritual discernment.

These are not three unrelated commodities.

They describe a people being transformed by Christ.

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 “TO HIM WHO OVERCOMES”

Revelation 3:21:

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne…”

What an incredible promise.

The final church receives one of the greatest promises in Revelation.

Christ overcame.

Now He invites His people to overcome with Him.

And how did Jesus overcome?

Through:

• dependence upon the Father,
• faith,
• obedience,
• Scripture,
• prayer,
• sacrifice,
• complete surrender.

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THE SECOND COMING

Now notice something.

The entire message of Revelation 3 moves toward Christ’s return.

Sardis:

“I will come…”

Philadelphia:

“I am coming quickly.”

Laodicea:

Christ is standing at the door.

And Revelation 3 ends with the promise of reigning with Christ.

The next major movement in Revelation takes us toward:

the throne,

the heavenly sanctuary,

the opening of the prophetic scenes,

the judgment,

the Second Coming,

and finally:

the New Jerusalem.

The church is therefore living at the very threshold of eternity.

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 LAODICEA IS NOT A REJECTION MESSAGE

This point deserves emphasis.

It is tempting to read:

“I will vomit you out of My mouth”

and conclude that Christ has abandoned His church.

But look at what immediately follows.

“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”

Then:

“Be zealous and repent.”

Then:

“I stand at the door and knock.”

Then:

“I will come in.”

Then:

“To him who overcomes…”

Then:

“I will grant to sit with Me on My throne.”

The progression is:

REBUKE → REPENTANCE → RESTORATION → FELLOWSHIP → VICTORY → REIGNING WITH CHRIST.

That is gospel.

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THE SEVEN CHURCHES — THE COMPLETE PROPHETIC STORY

We can now see the entire progression:

The traditional dates are approximate and have varied somewhat among Adventist interpreters, especially concerning the boundaries between Sardis and Philadelphia. The central prophetic sequence is more important than pretending every transition occurred on a single calendar day.

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THE AMAZING PROGRESSION

Look at what happens to the church.

EPHESUS

Love lost.

↓

SMYRNA

Persecution endured.

↓

PERGAMOS

Compromise introduced.

↓

THYATIRA

Corruption institutionalized.

↓

SARDIS

Truth recovered but spiritual life weakened.

↓

PHILADELPHIA

Advent hope awakened.

↓

LAODICEA

Judgment-hour preparation.

↓

SECOND COMING

Christ returns.

This is not merely church history.

It is the story of the great controversy.

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THE GREAT CONTROVERSY CONNECTION

The central controversy between Christ and Satan is over:

God’s character, God’s government, God’s law, and humanity’s allegiance.

The seven churches demonstrate this conflict unfolding through Christian history.

Satan attacks through:

• persecution,
• deception,
• compromise,
• false worship,
• spiritual deadness,
• complacency.

Christ responds with:

• truth,
• grace,
• correction,
• righteousness,
• faith,
• perseverance,
• His presence.

And finally:

Christ wins.

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 THE FINAL QUESTION OF REVELATION 3

The question is not:

“Are you a member of the right church?”

The deeper question is:

“Is Jesus inside?”

That is the question of Laodicea.

A person may know:

Daniel 7.

Daniel 8.

Daniel 9.

Revelation 13.

Revelation 14.

The 2300 years.

The Sabbath.

The state of the dead.

The sanctuary.

The three angels’ messages.

And still be spiritually lukewarm.

Knowledge is not salvation.

Jesus is salvation.

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 WHAT LAODICEA MUST DO

Jesus gives a remarkably simple prescription.

1. BUY FROM ME

Stop trusting yourself.

Receive from Christ.

2. GOLD

Receive genuine faith and love.

3. WHITE RAIMENT

Receive Christ’s righteousness.

4. EYESALVE

Ask Christ to open your spiritual eyes.

5. BE ZEALOUS

Become earnest.

6. REPENT

Turn away from self-sufficiency.

7. OPEN THE DOOR

Let Jesus in.

8. OVERCOME

Remain with Christ.

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 THE FINAL CHURCH AND THE FINAL GOSPEL

The Adventist understanding of Revelation does not separate the final warning from the everlasting gospel.

The three angels of Revelation 14 begin with:

“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come…”

The judgment-hour message is therefore fundamentally a gospel message.

It announces:

THE JUDGMENT HAS COME.

But also:

JESUS IS YOUR HIGH PRIEST.

And:

THE HOUR OF HIS RETURN IS NEAR.

The Adventist Church officially describes its mission as proclaiming the everlasting gospel and the Three Angels’ Messages in preparation for Christ’s soon return.

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 THE FINAL APPEAL

Revelation 3 ends with one of the most astonishing invitations in Scripture.

Jesus says:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

Imagine the scene.

Jesus is outside.

He is not pounding the door.

He is knocking.

He does not force His way in.

He waits.

And He says:

“If anyone hears My voice and opens the door…”

Anyone.

The invitation is personal.

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CONCLUSION: FROM THE FIRST CHURCH TO THE LAST

Revelation 2 and 3 together give us an extraordinary picture of Christ’s relationship with His church.

To Ephesus:

“Come back to your first love.”

To Smyrna:

“Do not fear.”

To Pergamos:

“Repent of compromise.”

To Thyatira:

“Hold fast.”

To Sardis:

“Wake up.”

To Philadelphia:

“Hold fast what you have.”

To Laodicea:

“Open the door.”

And behind every message is the same Christ.

The Christ who:

walks among the lampstands.

knows His people.

holds the stars.

died and rose again.

has the sword of God’s Word.

has eyes like fire.

opens the heavenly door.

ministers as our High Priest.

rebukes because He loves.

knocks because He desires fellowship.

and promises to sit with the overcomer on His throne.

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THE GREAT LESSON OF REVELATION 3

The Reformation recovered the Bible.

The Advent movement recovered the expectation of Christ’s return.

1844 pointed the Advent movement toward Christ’s final heavenly ministry.

The judgment points us toward the seriousness of eternity.

The 144,000 point us toward God’s final sealed people.

The three angels point toward the final gospel proclamation.

But everything ultimately points to:

JESUS.

The final preparation for the Second Coming is therefore not merely knowing more prophecy.

It is allowing the prophetic Christ to transform us.

The final church needs:

the faith of Ephesus,

the courage of Smyrna,

the discernment of Pergamos,

the faithfulness of Thyatira,

the awakening of Sardis,

the perseverance of Philadelphia,

and most of all—

THE OPEN DOOR OF LAODICEA.

Because the final question is not whether Jesus is coming.

He is.

The question is:

WILL WE BE READY WHEN HE COMES?

And Jesus Himself gives us the answer.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

Open the door.

Let Him enter.

Let Him transform the heart.

Let Him give us His righteousness.

Let Him seal us as His own.

And when He comes, may we be among those who overcome.

For the promise is:

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne…”

And then the entire story of Revelation moves toward its glorious conclusion:

Jesus comes.

The dead in Christ are raised.

The living saints are changed.

God’s people are gathered.

The great controversy ends.

JESUS CHRIST — THE FIRST AND THE LAST.

THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

THE AMEN.

THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS.

THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR.

OUR HIGH PRIEST.

OUR JUDGE.

OUR SAVIOR.

AND OUR COMING KING.

“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

Ellen White wrote:

“The message to the church of the Laodiceans is a startling denunciation, and is applicable to the people of God at the present time.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

The Lord here shows us that the message to be borne to His people by ministers whom He has called to warn the people is not a peace-and-safety message. It is not merely theoretical, but practical in every particular. The people of God are represented in the message to the Laodiceans as in a position of carnal security. They are at ease, believing themselves to be in an exalted condition of spiritual attainments. “Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

What greater deception can come upon human minds than a confidence that they are right when they are all wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception. They know not that their condition is deplorable in the sight of God. While those addressed are flattering themselves that they are in an exalted spiritual condition, the message of the True Witness breaks their security by the startling denunciation of their true condition of spiritual blindness, poverty, and wretchedness. The testimony, so cutting and severe, cannot be a mistake, for it is the True Witness who speaks, and His testimony must be correct.

It is difficult for those who feel secure in their attainments, and who believe themselves to be rich in spiritual knowledge, to receive the message which declares that they are deceived and in need of every spiritual grace. The unsanctified heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” I was shown that many are flattering themselves that they are good Christians, who have not a ray of light from Jesus. They have not a living experience for themselves in the divine life. They need a deep and thorough work of self-abasement before God before they will feel their true need of earnest, persevering effort to secure the precious graces of the Spirit.

God leads His people on step by step. The Christian life is a constant battle and a march. There is no rest from the warfare. It is by constant, unceasing effort that we maintain the victory over the temptations of Satan. As a people we are triumphing in the clearness and strength of the truth. We are fully sustained in our positions by an overwhelming amount of plain Scriptural testimony. But we are very much wanting in Bible humility, patience, faith, love, self-denial, watchfulness, and the spirit of sacrifice. We need to cultivate Bible holiness. Sin prevails among the people of God. The plain message of rebuke to the Laodiceans is not received. Many cling to their doubts and their darling sins while they are in so great a deception as to talk and feel that they are in need of nothing. They think the testimony of the Spirit of God in reproof is uncalled for or that it does not mean them. Such are in the greatest need of the grace of God and spiritual discernment that they may discover their deficiency in spiritual knowledge. They lack almost every qualification necessary to perfect Christian character. They have not a practical knowledge of Bible truth, which leads to lowliness of life and a conformity of their will to the will of Christ. They are not living in obedience to all God’s requirements.

It is not enough to merely profess to believe the truth. All the soldiers of the cross of Christ virtually obligate themselves to enter the crusade against the adversary of souls, to condemn wrong and sustain righteousness. But the message of the True Witness reveals the fact that a terrible deception is upon our people, which makes it necessary to come to them with warnings, to break their spiritual slumber, and arouse them to decided action.

In my last vision I was shown that even this decided message of the True Witness had not accomplished the design of God. The people slumber on in their sins. They continue to declare themselves rich and having need of nothing. Many inquire: Why are all these reproofs given? Why do the Testimonies continually charge us with backsliding and with grievous sins? We love the truth; we are prospering; we are in no need of these testimonies of warning and reproof. But let these murmurers see their hearts and compare their lives with the practical teachings of the Bible, let them humble their souls before God, let the grace of God illuminate the darkness, and the scales will fall from their eyes, and they will realize their true spiritual poverty and wretchedness. They will feel the necessity of buying gold, which is pure faith and love; white raiment, which is a spotless character made pure in the blood of their dear Redeemer; and eyesalve, which is the grace of God and which will give clear discernment of spiritual things and detect sin. These attainments are more precious than the gold of Ophir.

I have been shown that the greatest reason why the people of God are now found in this state of spiritual blindness is that they will not receive correction. Many have despised the reproofs and warnings given them. The True Witness condemns the lukewarm condition of the people of God, which gives Satan great power over them in this waiting, watching time. The selfish, the proud, and the lovers of sin are ever assailed with doubts. Satan has ability to suggest doubts and to devise objections to the pointed testimony that God sends, and many think it a virtue, a mark of intelligence in them, to be unbelieving and to question and quibble. Those who desire to doubt will have plenty of room. God does not propose to remove all occasion for unbelief. He gives evidence, which must be carefully investigated with a humble mind and a teachable spirit, and all should decide from the weight of evidence”. 3T 252-255

Appeal:

“Father, help us not merely to understand Revelation, but to hear what Your Spirit is saying to us. If we have lost our first love, bring us back. If we are suffering, give us courage. If we are compromising, give us conviction. If we have tolerated error, give us discernment and a spirit for correction. Help us hold fast to Jesus and to His Word. Give us the faith, the discernment, the courage to reject compromise, the faithfulness of the remnant. And above all, help us to overcome through the blood of the Lamb, so that when Jesus comes, we may receive the crown of life and live with Him forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”