The Church at Laodicea was considered to be the Apostate Church; the Church of Compromise:

"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;" Rev 3:14 (KJV

It's interesting that Our Lord uses only one WORD here in this passage from the Vision in the first Chapter of Revelation to describe Himself. As you recall, in each letter he has pulled something out of those verses there in the First Chapter to describe Himself to the Church he was addressing Himself. In each case it had to do with His Office as Christ the Intercessor; Christ the Intervener; and Christ the Inspector.

But we find here that He says,

"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;" Rev 3:14 (KJV)

That Name - "Amen"; simply spells out to them who He is. The Word Christ Means that He is The Faithful and True Witness. Isaiah 65:16; says:

"That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes." (KJV)

II Corinthians goes on to say:

"But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Corinthians 1:18-20 (KJV)

Jesus is The Amen! He will fulfill all the promises of God. He alone is the ONLY Faithful & True Witness. He tells us that He will say all and reveal all.

In our world today there are many Universities saying all kinds of things, and our Public School systems are saying all kinds of things. Here lately we have men and woman from both the Republican and the Democratic party saying all kinds of things. The Military and the News Media are saying all kinds of things; even the Church is saying all kinds of things - but none can be trusted But He who is the Truth, The Amen Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. How does He speak to us? Through His Word! What's the last thing people open for answers during a crisis? His Word! That should tell us all something about ourselves.

He goes on to say: "I know thy works," Rev 3:15 (KJV)

Now remember, in all of the other churches He found at least one commendation for the church, yet in this one he could find nothing good to say with regard to the Church here at Laodicea. He says...

"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 spue thee out of my mouth."

What an awesome TRUTH about a church.

"...I will spue thee out of my mouth."

That word "spue" in the Greek gives the inference of vomit. Now, to me, that's some pretty serious judgment going on. That doesn't sound at all to me like a bride that Our Lord would be looking to Rapture or have anything at all to do with - does it you?

If they had been cold, He would have been able to condemn them for their rejection of him and say like He did to Jerusalem when He declared,

"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Mat 23:39 (KJV)

Had they been hot with the Spirit like the Ephesians were - filled with the power and the manifestation and flow of the Holy Ghost, He would have commended them as he did the Church at Pergamum when he said, "and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith," (ref., Rev 2:13) and again to the church in Thyatira when He declared, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first". (ref., Rev 2:19) But there was nothing to say about Laodicea except that she was sickening to Him, and that is a depiction that God has often given of the church and her self-righteous ways.

But here was The Church at Laodicea who wasn't even "self-righteous". She didn't profess anything, but like the church at Sardis, she had become "...a church that was alive, but she was dead!" Rev 3:1 (KJV)  Can you think of a more flagrant and glaring testimony for a church of any period? Yet here is the Laodicean church who had not rejected Christ ... exactly, nor had she endorsed Him. She just was indifferent to the ways of God entirely.

You know that's where I believe much of the church sits today. We have men and women of the cloth who are violating the laws of God throughout the week and then preaching a watered-down doctrine on Sunday mornings. It is an insult to the message of Calvary to discount it's efficaciousness if I can say so; in other words it's power to save to the uttermost, which does not just cause one to be saved and satisfied and yet live like the devil. No! God's atoning work on the cross moves one on to sanctification and the desire to live for God. We are not perfected yet, in fact Paul says,

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." He goes on to say, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Rom 7:15; 24,25 (KJV)

The Church at Laodicea was definitely does not sound like a church that the Lord would want to Rapture out and live with for eternity does it? This was some heart searching thoughts that are brought to bear on all peoples of all ages in these words.
Jesus goes on...

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" Rev 3:17 (KJV)

There was a huge Temple erected there in the City called the MenKuru Temple which literally meant the Korean man. This Temple was like a mall in our day and age and everyone and anyone who bought and sold in that city - did it there at the MenKuru Temple.

This was a generation of people who literally believed their money could save them. They had wealth beyond compare, and used it to influence other countries and cities around them. Yet, they had no time for God. They had come to the place where their riches and their position afforded them much more opportunity than anything that was religious. In fact, it wasn't just he God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob they had rejected, it was al religion period. Since this Trading port was located (as was Philadelphia) on major thoroughfares along the way going West To East and East To West, they found that religion mainly "got in the way".

Their god was simple and one they could manipulate. Their love for money was truly the root of all evil in this city. So the Amen says,

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Rev 3:18 (KJV)

In the hills of surrounding this city there was said to be a soil of "odd color". I would guess it would have been like what we call clay today in many parts of North America; but this clay was touted as having some special healing properties. So they made and eye-salve out of it and sold it all around the then-known world. Come to find out later on when technology got to be sophisticated enough to test this eye-salve for it's redeeming qualities, it was found that it had none. That was an eye-opening experience for many who had claimed that this eye-salve had healing properties and found that it had none.

Perhaps the lord was referring to this very scenario with the people of Laodicea. He tells them to anoint their eyes with eye-salve so that they might see. It was an eye-opening experience for the people of Laodicea and the world who were purchasing this eye-salve for it's healing qualities to find out that it was void of any redeeming qualities whatsoever. How fitting that The Amen should charge them to anoint themselves with the same eye-salve that had made them to become rich and made them to feel as though they had no need for God, to find out that they too had no redeeming qualities - so much so that He says he would spew them out of his mouth.

Cradled deep within the middle of this stern rebuke of the Church at Laodicea we find an interesting statement - yet it brings us back to what he told the church at Philadelphia when He said, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience," (Ref., Rev 3:10).... and he says:

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Rev 3:19 (KJV)

You see, God is not willing that any should perish. How did Peter say it?

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." 2 Pe 3:9 (KJV)

And this is the everlasting and loving picture that we have of God the Father. The Great Amen says,

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20 (KJV)

To you and to me He is saying He Knows Our Works. Are you like the Laodicean church where you have allowed your business or your job to replace your time for God? We see by this message today that there is nothing that He Hates more than someone who has not made a choice one way or the other but just lives from day to day for themselves and to better their station in Life. He would have you know through the lips of this preacher that, "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Heb 9:27 (KJV)

"To him that overcometh..."

This means the temptation of the evil one to not live for the flesh, but to turn back to God and to begin living for God...

"...will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

Have you come to Him my friend? Do not wait but ask Jesus into your heart today. he will not hesitate to come in and to change your heart and mind, and to save your soul. Now is the day of Salvation, and I'm going to ask you to pray that prayer with me today, just repeat these words after me and mean them from your heart...

Dear Jesus, I realize that I'm a sinner. I ask your forgiveness of my sins today. I plead the blood of Calvary to cover my sins this day, and to wash me white as snow. I believe that you are God's Son and that you died for me, and rose again. And that it is by that resurrection that I one day will live forever with you. I receive you into my heart just now in Jesus' Name, Amen.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."