Ecclesiastical Emetics

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Ecclesiastical Emetics
In Defense of the Faith
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Wendy Wippel

The adjective “ecclesiastical” has come to define anything described by it to mean “related to the Christian Church”. “Emetic”, a noun, means “something that makes you vomit”. Together? “A church that induces vomiting”. Which should clue you in to the topic of today’s offering: Laodicea. The church that actually seriously supports a pre-trib rapture.

Laodicea, as you probably realize, is the last of the seven churches directly addressed by the Lord Himself (through John) in Revelation 2 and 3. What you may or may not know (and the average Pete and Peggy in the pew won’t ever hear this), is that among evangelical scholars the predominant view is, although the churches were all actual churches in Asia Minor (Turkey) at the time, the churches listed also represent, symbolically, the history of “the universal church” from the time of Christ’s death until He comes again.

Which can seem kind of farfetched. That is, until you actually read the passage carefully and realize that’s pretty much exactly what it claims to be. Really.
It starts out:

Quote :: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.

Two important take-home messages here.

First: Jesus is going to give His followers messages-- through visions given to John—which are intended to let them know what is going to happen to them in the future.

Second: These messages will be in code, because they will be sign-ified. God will explain what will happen to all of His servants, through all ages, through the use of “signs”. Meaning symbols that will serve as an analogy for each point He is making.

For example: I could tell you that this morning I am at work; the ball’s in my court, and I am going to have to bite the bullet.

All true. But I’m pretty sure that nobody out there is thinking that I’m either a professional tennis player or a police officer. We understand that the bullet and ball are “signs” that serve as an analogy very relevant to other situations too. The bullet and ball are specific examples that potentially have wider application.
So let’s dive in deep to the passage, addressed to “the seven churches of Asia”.

Quote :: I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and,“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. (Revelation 1:9-11 NKJV)

First John just said 7 churches in Asia, now he names them. At this point we should wonder why God names specific churches. If what He prophesies applies to all of His servants going forward, why designate seven specific churches? And why these churches specifically?

John is then given an incredible vision:

Quote :: Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,“Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. (Revelation 1:12-18)

Seeing the glorified Christ just about undid John (verse 17). But then, finally, he was given the reason for his visions. A God-appointed job to do:

Quote :: Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.(Revelation 1:19)

What does this mean? Actually it breaks the job into three parts, and the three parts are in order in the chapter.

1) What you have seen, i.e. the vision of the Glorified Christ (serving sort of as the signature stamp on the rest of the messages).

2) What is: the seven churches (and their report cards).

3) The things that will take place after “ what is”. Meaning after the Church Age.

What justifies the leap from “what is” being the seven churches addressed in 96 AD to them representing the whole church age?

First: remember that God said He was going to speak in analogy.

Second: when you study the letters in depth, some cannot be limited to one particular church.

Third: Remember that specific Churches were named (and no doubt actually earned the report card they got).

Finally: When the meanings of the names are considered, the seven churches (only in the order provided) also describe, in pretty incredible detail, the seven phases of church history as it has unfolded since John put these words to pen. So God has used these chuches as an analogy, in a broader sense, to also prophesy seven distinct periods in church history.

If you’ve never had an opportunity to study this out, let me know, and I’ll ‘splain it all some week in the near future. For now, let’s look just at the last church, at Laodicea and her report card.

Quote :: And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 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— 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. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Revelation 3:14-21)

This is the last church. Actually, God has a lot of other things to say about “the church” in the end times, actually.

1) There will be a great falling away before tribulation begins:  that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (II Thessalonians1:2-3)

1) Apostate pastors and teachers will multiply:  For false and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Mathew 24:24)

Those ministers will be demonically driven:  Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (II Corinthians 11:14-15)

“The church” will end up headed by an agent of Satan himself who will command that all the world worship the image of the antichrist or be killed.:

Quote :: Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed . (Revelation 13:11-15)

See any overlap between Laodicea and the last church (prophesied)?

One thing it took me a long time to realize is that there is a pretty amazing statement Jesus makes in Rev 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Remember that this is Jesus’ message to “the church” at Laodicea. And He’s outside, trying to get in.

And there’s a difference between “the church” the universal church formed by all the people who believed on Him from the time of His resurrection till the time when “the church” meets their Savior in the air and “a church, composed of people who reject God’s truth for more progressive/seeker sensitive, social-justice oriented, inclusive doctrine that tickles their ears. Laodicea, bereft of any believers, has to be the tribulation church of the Antichrist, clueless but smug, self-satisfied, and happy.

And with no believers in that last church, there had to have been a pre-trib rapture. Amen.

There will be a church in the Tribulation—one whose members will say Lord, Lord, didn’t we do everything in your name?

You know the Lord’s answer. I never knew you.