“And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write.”
Revelation 3:14
Laodicea. For Bible believing Christians the name sends chills through one’s heart. It’s the last church Christ speaks to in Revelation 3. This is the church age that exists in the last days before believers are raptured out of this earth. An apostate church will take its place at the start of the Tribulation. Laodicea is the age we live in. Therefore the Lord’s message to it is highly relevant to believers, especially us.
The Name The name Laodicea is comprised of two Greek words,
laos, which means “people” or “nation,” and dike, a legal word meaning “custom,” or “judgment,” – the rule of the people. Laodicea existed to please all people, to accommodate all views, to keep everyone happy. We clearly see this attitude in our culture today – nothing offensive, everyone’s truth is truth.
The Location Laodicea is located between three major waterways and at the intersection of two major highways, one which ran east-west (from Ephesus toward Babylon) and another which ran
north-south(from Sardis to the southern coast of Asia Minor). The city sat on the south bank of the River Lycus approximately 100 feet above the Lycos valley floor on a flat plateau. It was located in a triangle of cities with Colossae (10 miles to the southeast) and Hierapolis (6 miles to the northeast). Its location was ideal for commerce and tourism. Thus it became economically prosperous. The site of Laodicea put the local church in a position to spread the Gospel across all of Asia Minor.
The History of Laodicea Laodicea was founded by the Seleucid King Antiochus the Second between 260-250 B.C. He named the city after his wife, Laodice. The city was very modern. The very educated and very rich lived there. They included orators and physicians. The wealthy citizens desired to gain the favor of
Rome. They erected statues to Roman dignitaries and the Emperors Augustus and Nero. They made the birthdays of the emperors days of celebration. Thus it received the blessing of Rome. One ancient writer wrote that Laodicea was “more significant than even the cities on the coast”.
The Church Located in the city was a Christian church. This church is mentioned four time in the Bible (three times in Colossians and once in Revelation). One of the references in Colossians refers to a house-church run by a woman named Nympha. On his third missionary journey Paul went through this area but spent his time in Ephesus instead of Laodicea. It is believed that while in Ephesus, he sent Epaphras out to evangelize surrounding cities which included Laodicea. If this is true the church began there between 54-56 AD, only 2 decades after Christ’s resurrection. .
A large Jewish population in Laodicea lived in Laodicea. They became very wealthy so much so that that Flaccus, the governor of the province, became alarmed at the amount of currency the Jews were sending to Jerusalem to pay their Temple tax. Therefore he put an embargo on the export of currency. Why is this significant? Throughout Acts we see devout Jews rise up in every city to oppose Christianity when it is introduced. They considered the Gospel heresy and would not accept Christ as the Messiah. When we come to Laodicea we hear of no such conflict, no turmoil between the Jews and the church. This shows us that both the Jews and the church have assimilated into the world. They have become so tolerant that no one needs to hate them – they are no different than the city in which they dwell.
What can we Learn? One of Satan’s favorite strategies is to cause the church to stay silent with God’s truth. He tells us you may believe it but don’t offend others. He tells us the love of money, the desire for ease, the need to avoid persecution bare more important than fulfilling Christ’s mission for His church. In Laodicea prosperity and acceptance from the city become more cherished than obeying the Lord. Sound like the age we live in?