Revelation 3:14: 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.

John addressed his seventh and final letter from Patmos to the angel (servant) of the church in Laodicea (Lay-ah-duh-SEE-uh).¹ The servant in Laodicea may have been Archippus (Ar-KIP-us), whom Paul identified in the book of Colossians.² Laodicea means justice of the people–a fitting name for church members guided by their own standard of devotion.³ Christ had nothing good to say about them.⁴

The church in Laodicea probably began through Paul's ministry in Ephesus⁵ located about 40 miles to the west.⁶ The church initially flourished,⁷ even though Paul probably did not personally minister to the Laodiceans.⁸ His epistle to the Ephesians was apparently intended for them.⁹ Laodicea was sufficiently close in proximity to the cities of Colossae (kah-LAW-sigh) and Hierapolis (HIGH-uh-rap-uh-lis) that Paul grouped the three churches together when he wrote his epistle to the Colossians.¹⁰ Paul also wrote an epistle to the Laodiceans, but it did not become part of the New Testament canon.¹¹ Ironically, one of several Catholic councils was convened in Laodicea to decide the Bible canon in 361 AD.¹²

Laodicea got its name from Laodice, the wife of Antiochus II, who was the king of Syria that rebuilt the city in the second century BC.¹³ In the first century AD, the city was extremely wealthy¹⁴ and known for its black wool industry, among others.¹⁵ It had three theaters and a large stadium.¹⁶ Following a devastating earthquake in 60 AD, the wealthy citizens rebuilt the city without any financial assistance from Rome.¹⁷ Such wealth caused pride and the ultimate downfall of church members in Laodiciea.¹⁸

Turkish invaders eventually destroyed the city, and it never rose again.¹⁹ Today, it is deserted and goes by the name of Eski-hissar, meaning old castle, in modern Turkey.²⁰ John's letter predicted this deadly end to both the city and the church, saying: These things saith the Amen.²¹ Amen usually signals the end of a prayer or pronouncement.²² Here, it is used at the start of the letter to declare as truth²³ the end or amen of the Laodiceans.²⁴ The destruction of the city and her people bears witness of this unalterable truth spoken by the Amen.²⁵ Christ also identifies himself as the faithful and true witness as an extension of the name-title Amen.²⁶

Christ likewise identifies himself as the beginning of the creation of God.²⁷ This refers to Christ's birth as the first begotten spirit child of God in the premortal existence,²⁸ which makes him first in time and in rank among all God's creations.²⁹ This title expresses the inferiority of all other things, including the wealth and material objects worshiped by the Laodiceans.³⁰ Christ frequently identifies himself as the Beginning and the End,³¹ but this verse reverses the natural order of this title by mentioning the Amen (end) before the Beginning. The Amen (Christ) thus identifies himself as the Beginning.³² John alludes to the words of Isaiah 46:8-10 as the Amen and declares the end of the Laodiceans and other saints like them from the beginning.³³

The end is also placed before the beginning because the end of the old paves the way for the beginning of the new.³⁴ In other words, the end of Christ's ancient church (including the Laodiceans) during the Great Apostasy³⁵ led inevitably to the new beginning of the restored church in the latter days.³⁶ Similarly, the end of great wickedness at the Second Coming³⁷ will lead inevitably to the beginning of righteousness during the millennium.³⁸

Revelation 3:15-16: 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.

Christ knows the works of church members in all seven churches of Asia,³⁹ including the mediocrity of the Laodiceans.⁴⁰ The apathy of the Laodicean church is a universal type for saints in the latter days.⁴¹

Through his all-seeing eye,⁴² Christ saw that the Laodiceans were neither cold nor hot⁴³ in their testimony.⁴⁴ The cold and hot imagery fits Laodicea perfectly because cold and hot springs of water existed in the area.⁴⁵ Also, the city did not have an adequate water supply at its hilltop location and aqueducts brought water from surrounding springs. The water flowing through the aqueducts was lukewarm by the time it got to the city.⁴⁶ By analogy, the Laodicean members of the church were spiritually lukewarm⁴⁷ because they distanced themselves from Christ⁴⁸ as the source of living water.⁴⁹ Drinking warm water can make people vomit,⁵⁰ and the Lord uses this powerful imagery to say that the lukewarm saints make him sick, saying: I will spue thee out of my mouth.⁵¹ This is the focus of the following chiastic word pattern from Revelation 3:15-16:

The metaphor leaves no room for middle ground between hot and cold because there is no middle ground between serving God and serving mammon.⁵² Neutral ground does not exist for baptized members of the church ⁵³ in the fight between good and evil.⁵⁴ They cannot be neutral on earth⁵⁵ any more than they could be neutral during the premortal war in heaven.⁵⁶

Surprisingly, Christ prefers decidedly cold people to indifferent and lukewarm people.⁵⁷ There are at least five reasons for this counter-intuitive truth. First, lukewarm saints are hypocritical because they have the outward appearance of Christlike devotion, but lack the inward commitment.⁵⁸ Second, lukewarm saints make a mockery⁵⁹ of the plan of salvation⁶⁰ because they are not valiant in their testimony of Christ⁶¹ and live beneath their privilege⁶² to enter the celestial kingdom.⁶³ Third, lukewarm saints covenant at baptism to serve God and others,⁶⁴ but they fail to keep their commitments⁶⁵ and thus become like the one-talent servant in the Parable of the Talents⁶⁶ and the disobedient son in the Parable of the Two Sons.⁶⁷ Fourth, lukewarm saints are in a spiritual rut⁶⁸ of indifference⁶⁹ that follows a crooked path of least resistance⁷⁰ instead of the strait and narrow path.⁷¹ Fifth, lukewarm saints have hardened hearts⁷² that the Spirit cannot penetrate to bring about good works.⁷³ Cold people with a misguided commitment to the wrong cause,⁷⁴ on the other hand, can have their hearts changed⁷⁵ to become hot,⁷⁶ as was the case with the apostle Paul.⁷⁷

It takes energy to make water either cold or hot.⁷⁸ Spiritually apathetic saints⁷⁹ are too lazy, indifferent, or stubborn⁸⁰ to expend the spiritual energy it takes to become committedly cold or hot.⁸¹ A commitment to be cold or hot is an exercise of agency.⁸² Lukewarm saints surrender their gift of agency⁸³ through apathetic inaction,⁸⁴ leaving them to be acted upon.⁸⁵ They conform their lives to the world around them⁸⁶ and become like salt that has lost its savor and is good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.⁸⁷ This surrender of agency must offend God deeply because a heavy price was paid to preserve the agency of mankind⁸⁸ when Lucifer sought to take it away in the premortal existence.⁸⁹ Upward progress ceases when agency ceases to exist by the willful and/or neglectful inactions of those who possess this gift.⁹⁰