The Only Guaranteed Way to Escape End-Time Catastrophes

CHAPTER 16

LAODICEANS HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF SMUGNESS OF THE RICH

Part of Jesus Christ’s admonition to the Laodiceans is stated in Revelation 3:17-18 (NKJV): “17 Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked-- 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Those with a Laodicean attitude seem to think they are spiritually rich, meaning they feel that they have great understanding of God’s plan of salvation and way of life. They seem to have pride in that knowledge and feel that is sufficient for their salvation and have need of nothing else. They seem to be equating knowledge with righteousness. However Jesus Christ describes their true spiritual condition as being wretched, miserable and poor instead of being rich and they are blind, unable to see their true condition.

Laodiceans being naked has two implications. First nakedness can mean lacking in righteousness! Jesus Christ’s bride is to be arrayed in fine linen at its marriage to the Lamb.

Revelation 19:7-8 says: ‘7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

Laodiceans being naked means that they are not arrayed in fine linen which is righteous acts. This means that the Laodiceans are lacking in righteousness. Righteousness is obeying God’s commandments (Psalm 119:172). They are self-satisfied with their knowledge of God’s plan and way of life, but are not living that way with their whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Actually, the condition of the Laodiceans is worse than just not obeying God’s commandments wholeheartedly.

In Ephesians 6:10-14 Paul counsels Christians to put on the whole armor of God to fight and defend themselves against the arch enemy, Satan the devil. He writes: “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins [private parts] girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness…”

A person is considered naked if his or her loins or private parts are uncovered. Paul says Christians should gird their loins with truth to defend themselves against the wiles of the devil. Thus when Jesus describes the Laodiceans as being naked, He means that they have lost knowledge of some of the truth. All members of God’s Church should be thoroughly grounded in the doctrines and other truths God restored through Mr. Armstrong. But the Laodiceans have lost knowledge of some of the doctrines and other truths, or have compromised with them in their thinking and attitudes.

We should not be surprised at Jesus’ strong rebuke of the Laodicean era of His Church. In the previous six eras of His Church, Jesus had nothing critical to say about the Smyrna and Philadelphia eras. For the other four Jesus had something positive to say before he criticized and admonished them for some negative traits. But He had nothing positive to say about the Laodicean era.

Human beings, including members of God’s Church with God’s holy spirit, seem to have an incredible tendency to be deceived despite receiving warnings for decades to be on guard about a deceiving event. Mr. Armstrong warned God’s Church about the “falling away” from the truth and lukewarm Laodicean attitude many times with warnings such as “You don’t get it brethren!” Despite these warnings 80% in God’s own Church have fallen away after Mr. Armstrong died.

Even in a future event, multitudes with God’s holy spirit will be deceived. After 1000 years of Jesus Christ’s reign, Satan will be released from solitary confinement for a season (Revelation 20:7-9: “7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”).

First he will go to the demons separately imprisoned (Revelation 18:2) and many will likely be willing to follow him. Then they go out to deceive the nations once more and in a very short time, perhaps months only, great multitudes, who have God’s holy spirit (because holy spirit will be given to all in the millennium) from the four corners of the earth will march through the breadth of the earth and attack the saints gathered at Jerusalem, perhaps for the Feast of Tabernacles.

The entire world will have been warned for perhaps a century and will also know precisely when Satan will be released from his prison. They will also know which nations will be deceived by him. Despite these warnings these people will still be deceived into attacking the camp of the saints.

Even in the imminent future, we have God’s repeated warning through the parable of the ten virgins that Laodicean members of God’s Church will have to go through the Great Tribulation and 50% will compromise with the truth and give in to the threats of the Beast and the False Prophet and lose their only chance for eternal life. They may give in because of fear or deception.

It seems a kind of blindness will take over even some genuine members of God’s Church possessing God’s holy spirit despite Jesus Christ’s warning to the Laodiceans to guard against it.

REASONS FOR LAODICEANS' BLINDNESS

Here are some of the major reasons that this blindness can occur.

1) One of the major tactics used by deceivers is to pitch their change or modification of doctrine, or heresies as “new revelation” from God. They claim that changes mean that they are growing in “grace and knowledge.” Many people want to be known for the character trait of being meek and teachable like Moses. They don’t want to be labeled as inflexible, resistant to growth and they believe they prove that to themselves by accepting changes. This was one of the mistakes the author himself made which caused him to stay in the Worldwide Church of God for 15 years even when the Tkaches had changed or watered down virtually all doctrines.

Such people are forgetting that the truth has been restored to God’s Church in the Philadelphian era through Mr. Armstrong and Jesus Christ counsels this era to “hold fast” to what has been restored to them. They must realize that any change from the truth is “error.” It is impossible for one to grow in knowledge from what one has proved to be the truth. Those who accept changes probably did not prove all the doctrines from the scriptures for themselves. God counsels His Church in Titus 1:7, 9 (NKJV), “7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God…9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”

2) Another major reason for blindness among the Laodiceans is that they think they are “intellectually enlightened.” They have pride in their intellectual superiority. In apostolic times, the Roman province of Laodicea was known for its wealth and prided itself in its medical skills, particularly in healing diseases of the eye. In the Philadelphian era of Mr. Armstrong’s time, diligent Bible study still required effort, and pouring over books and concordances. But in the Laodicean era of modern times, access to biblical knowledge has exploded because of the Internet. Plethora of sermons and answers to biblical questions from every angle are readily available. And thereby lies part of the danger. Cunning crafty reasoning can lead to doubts about established truth. Pride in knowledge also leads a person to not feel the need for close diligent self-examination so that he is unable to discern his true spiritual condition. Feeling of “intellectual enlightenment” leads to a false feeling of righteousness, when in reality the person is just drifting along in his or her life without spiritual growth. The antidote, of course is ever thirsting for knowledge and seeking after it by diligent Bible study on one’s own. On the other hand, reading articles or books written by others should also keep a person humble by realizing that there is always so much more to learn and one’s knowledge and understanding is just a drop in the bucket of all knowledge of the Bible and the truth.

3) When Jesus admonished the Laodiceans by saying “Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'…” he was actually referring to the material wealth of the Laodiceans. Material wealth and the feeling of security that comes with it can make a person feel self-sufficient and even invincible. But Jesus warned the Laodicean members that spiritually they “…do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.”

There are some things about which members in God’s Church in this era have to be really on guard against. First of all, they must remember that being in the Laodicean era means that it will be the dominant condition among many members. So each member must always do a regular self-examination of his condition by assuming that the chances are that he is included among those with the Laodicean attitude. Secondly, members of God’s Church probably have never been richer in the history of the Church than at any other time. Government help has never been greater in the USA and British Commonwealth nations than at any other time. Large bank balances and retirement accounts breed a feeling of invincibility and self-sufficiency that the need to pray to God for physical and material help is never urgent. In addition, the author has made available parts of hundreds of millions of dollars in funds that he has control over for help for anyone who is really in need as part of the tithing system that the Church practices. All this readily available help in time of need can lead to a less than zealous and fervent spiritual attitude. Members must always be on guard against these possible sources of danger that can lead to spiritual lethargy.

4) Another reason that blindness can occur is simply the age we live in. Paul the apostle described the last days in these terms in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, high- minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

We live in an entertainment and pleasure-loving age. Members of God’s Church can get intensely involved in professional and college sports, entertainment on TV, internet, and otherwise, numerous Church activities for families, young adults, singles, teenagers and young children, parties with Church members and friends, movies and the like.

Material wealth makes all this access to entertainment and pleasure possible. But pursuit of pleasure and even wealth itself leaves less and less time for pursuit of spiritual growth, eventually leading to blindness and inability to see one’s true spiritual condition.

The antidote was given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:33: “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” But how does one seek first the Kingdom of God? One does that by making God’s work the top priority in one’s life and exercising all the tools of spiritual growth: daily prayer, daily Bible study, regular fasting (norm or minimum should be once a month) to get close to God and for self-examination, daily meditation on one’s spiritual condition or other godly topics, fellowship with Church members, and exercising God’s holy spirit. These tools of spiritual growth will be covered in greater detail later.

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