A study in the book of Revelation.
These lessons are covered over the course of two nights of instruction and completes the last of the seven churches of Asia Minor listed in the Book of Revelation. Laodicea is the last and worst of all the seven Asia Minor churches. It is the reverse of the church of Philadelphia. Laodicea is a compound word that means “the rights of the people or rule by the people.” The city was founded before 1000 BC but was not named Laodicea until 250 BC. The physical location of the city was about 40 miles east of Ephesus. It was known for the lukewarm water it got by aqueduct from the hot springs of Hierapolis. It was a very wealthy city of merchants, bankers, and industry. Laodicea was the main center for rich black wool that came from the unique sheep that grazed the area. The wool was used in their industry to produce carpet and garments.
Laodicea had a famous school of medicine that was known for its eye ointment. There is evidence that the people in the city liked to be entertained. The ruins indicate that the city had a gymnasium, a large racetrack, three lavish theaters and some bathhouses. The Christian church was also wealthy, and ruins of her buildings can still be seen in that area. Even though we know this church had large buildings, nothing is known of the ministry of this church outside of Laodicea. This by itself tells us that the church was self-centered and added little to early Christian evangelism and missionary efforts. This church represents materialistic churches that are poor spiritually that exist in the last days just prior to the second coming. It includes “prosperity churches” and some “large seeker churches” and “emergent churches” that have watered down the true gospel and provided an entertainment center for the flesh in order to make Christianity acceptable to everyone.
