Revelation 3:14-18,Hebrews 11:23-29

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 3:17

I am rich - Thou supposest thyself to be in a safe state, perfectly sure of final salvation, because thou hast begun well, and laid the right foundation. It was this most deceitful conviction that cut the nerves of their spiritual diligence; they rested in what they had already received, and seemed to think that once in grace must be still in grace. Thou art wretched - Ταλαιπωρος· Most wretched. "The word signifies," according to Mintert, "being worn out and fatigued with grievous... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 3:18

I counsel thee - O fallen and deceived soul, hear Jesus! Thy case is not hopeless. Buy of me. Gold tried in the fire - Come and receive from me, without money and without price, faith that shall stand in every trial: so gold tried in the fire is here understood. But it may mean pure and undefiled religion, or that grace or Divine influence which produces it, which is more valuable to the soul than the purest gold to the body. They had before imaginary riches; this alone can make them... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14

And unto the angel . Those expositors who understand "the angel" of a Church to signify its chief officer, may with some plausibility argue that at Laodicea it seems almost certain that this was Archippus. In his Epistle to Philemon, a wealthy convert of Colossae, St. Paul sends greeting to Archippus ( Philemon 1:2 ). If Archippus were the son of philemon, he might very well have been Bishop of Laodicea at the time of St. John's message. Moreover, the son of a wealthy and influential... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14

Laodicea: self-conceit and self-deceit. Here is a Church which has an utterly mistaken view of itself. It thinks itself as well off as need be. Our Lord declares it to be in a desperately bad condition. It is addressed by Christ as by the "faithful and true Witness," as the "Beginning of the creation of God;" not as the beginning in the sense of "the first part of," but in the sense of the Beginner, in whom the creation had its beginning, and still has its continuance, meaning, plan, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-21

The epistle to the Church at Laodicea. It was a wealthy city in which this Church had her home, and it was large and beautiful also. It stood on one of the great Roman roads which led away to Damascus and Arabia. Hence there was a large stream of traffic continually flowing through it, and its inhabitants became very rich. At the time when this letter was sent them they were building for themselves one of those huge amphitheatres which the Greeks and Romans of the day were wont to build in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

The epistle to the Church in Laodicea. Laodicea, on the Lycus, a tributary of the Maeander, lay some fifty miles to the south-east of Philadelphia. The modern Turkish name, Eskihissar, signifies "the old castle." It is situated on the western side of the valley of the Lycus, on the opposite slopes of which, some six or eight miles distant, were Hierapolis and Colossae, with which it is associated by St. Paul ( Colossians 4:13 , Colossians 4:16 ). Named at first Diosopolis, after its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

(7) The Epistle to the Church in Laodicea. The "Amen, the faithful and true Witness," speaks to the untrue and unfaithful Church, whose outward appearance contrasts so with her internal state. Deceptive pretentiousness receives its rebuke. The lukewarm—neither hot and fervent in devotion nor lowlily acknowledging itself to be cold; neither fervid in holy affection nor consciously lacking holy fervour and confessing it—lacking the true warm fervour of love, and either not knowing the lack,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

The words of Christ to the Church at Laodicea. "And unto the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans," etc. "Laodicea is in the south-west of Phrygia, on the river Lycus, not far from Colossae, lying between it and Philadelphia, destroyed by an earthquake A.D. 62, rebuilt by its wealthy citizens without the help of the state. This wealth (arising from the excellence of its wools) led to a self-satisfied, lukewarm state in spiritual things. In Colossians 4:16 it is mentioned. The Church in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:15

I know thy works; and because they are not what they should be ( Revelation 3:16 , Revelation 3:17 ), I give thee this admonition, which is nevertheless a warning and a token of my love ( Revelation 3:19 ). That thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. The lukewarmness of which the Epistle complains was produced by a fallacious sense of security, begotten of ease and prosperity. In truth those "secure," without care, had become the careless ones. Active opposition... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:16

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. The distaste and nausea produced by lukewarm food, which the stomach naturally rejects with loathing, are used as a figure in which to express the abhorrence of Christ for those who lacked zeal in his service (cf. Le 18:28 and 20:22, "That the land spue not you out also"). But the sentence is not irrevocable; there is still hope of averting it: ΄έλλω σε ἐμέσαι , "I am about to spue thee," i.e. ... read more

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 3:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 3:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:14-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:16

Group of Brands