3:8 “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”

• Again, as we have seen repeatedly (Revelation 2:2; 2:9; 2:19; 3:1), Christ is very much aware of what is going on in the way of the works of brethren.  This is how our works will be brought into judgment (II Corinthians 5:10).
• The open door is not Calvinism meaning they cannot fall away.  The open door is a door of opportunities (Acts 14:27, I Corinthians 16:5-9, II Corinthians 2:12, and Colossians 4:3).
• Why is a door of opportunity given to them?  They had little strength (possible money, numbers, etc.), but they still worked for the Lord.

• Jews were at one time God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), but at this time if you were to be God’s people it had to be of a different birth (Galatians 3:22-29).  Jesus addressed this issue with some who thought their heir to Abraham’s seed was sufficient (John 8:31-47).  Smyrna had a similar problem (Revelation 2:9).  How does that make them of the synagogue of Satan?  Well, if they are not with the Lord, they are against the Lord (Matthew 12:30).
• Christ is not promoting the worship of man, but is telling them that soon these individuals will humble themselves before the feet of the brethren.  Similar promises are made in the O.T. such as Isaiah 60:13-14.

• “Kept” Strong’s # 5083 “tereo tay-reh’ –o”: “to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; to observe to reserve…” –Thayer.  Notice the following passages with the same Greek word (Matthew 19:17, Matthew 28:20, John 8:51, John 14:15, II Timothy 4:7-8, and I John 2:5).
• The hour of temptation (trial) is a period in which there would be trials in their lives that will affect them and all the world, but Christ will strengthen them to be able to overcome (Philippians 4:13).

• Christ admonishes the brethren to hold on to their faithfulness and not to allow anyone to take their faith from them.  Christ will quickly (readily) be there to strengthen and protect. To loose the crown would be to loose eternal life; see: Revelation 2:10.

• In the ancient of days one who died having given outstanding service would have his name inscribed in a pillar as one who served faithfully in the temple of their god.  This, like chapter twenty-one, has the church at hand, not Heaven.  The church is the temple of God (I Timothy 3:15).  There would be no more going out because the glorified church is a place of security (Revelation 21:1ff.).

• Again, a similar conclusion to that we have seen over and over again to the churches of Asia Minor.  The point made is to listen to what the Lord is saying.

• The city of Laodicea was located in the Lycus River Valley together with Hierapolis and Colossae.  This valley is a natural route of travel from east to west.  It was 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia.  The city was founded in the third century BC by Antiochus II and was named after his wife “Laodice”.
• This city was known for producing a type of black wool cloth from the sheep they had and this put them in the clothing business.  It also manufactured a type of ointment used for eye diseases.   This city was known for its wealthy citizens.  Bankers and all types of rich folks lived there. This city was lacking terribly in an adequate water supply they little they had was hot springs that emitted lukewarm water.  From evidence of mineral deposits in their aqueduct system some scholars have concluded these hot springs to be their primary water source.  Laodicea was the banking center of Asia Minor having much gold there. This city also had a medical school.
• In AD 60 the city was devastated by an earthquake. They were so wealthy and proud that they declined Roman assistance and rebuilt the city themselves during the reign of Nero. This pride and self-wealth also played a big role in the attitude of brethren in Laodicea.
• Paul addressed this church through the letter to the church at Colossae (Colossians 4:16).
• Christ is the “Amen” – what he says will be; follows with the next statement that Christ is the “faithful and true witness” for there is no unfaithful part of him and as true witness he is truth.
• The record proves that Christ is true and so are His words (John 19:31-37).
• He is “the beginning of the creation of God” or the originating source of creation.  This verse is simply stating that Christ is the CAUSE of the creation… As Thayer put it “…that by which anything begins to be…”
• Some would have you to believe that this creation period included the creation of Christ and they use Revelation 3:14 to try and justify their claim.  However the Bible teaches that Christ has always been (Micah 5:2), will always be (Revelation 1:8), and that He has created the earth (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:13-18, Hebrews 2:9-10, and Hebrews 11:3).

• Jesus knows their works and their works say something about them.
• They are Not cold (completely dead), not hot (completely alive), they were lukewarm (doing some work, but not as they should have been).  They were in the middle.

• As lukewarm water is not good (water the town had as a supply), neither is the condition of the church.  It is sickening to the Lord so much that he wants to “spue” [vomit] them out of His mouth.  Partial service is not pleasing to the Lord (Mark 12:28-30).
• Serving the Lord is more than lip service (Luke 6:46 and Titus 1:16).

• Physical wealth means nothing towards salvation (Luke 12:15-23 and Luke 16:19-31).
• Physical wealth is sometimes a set back for ones salvation (I Timothy 6:6-11 and Matthew 19:16-24).
• In the case of these brethren they thought their physical wealth solved all of their problems.
• The terms Jesus used to summarize their spiritual wealth shows they were spiritually bankrupt.

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. James Orr, John L. Nuelsen, Egar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Hendrickson, 1929),
3. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).