Escape Spiritual Blindness in the Laodicean Last Days
One of the saddest things in the book of Revelation is Christ’s message to the last church prophetically before the rapture—the Laodicean church. He says: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Rev. 3:16–17)
We are in this last church age, and all those descriptors apply to the apostate church unfolding right now. It is a departing from the faith and from sound doctrine. But I want to consider us as individuals living in this Laodicean landscape. Living close to the Lord is not a given. Am I also wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked? We all should ask ourselves that.
I want to pull out just one of those descriptors for these last days: blind. How do you know if you’re spiritually blind? After all, at one point every believer saw, or we would never have gotten saved.
The Bible tells us what dims and eventually snuffs out our spiritual sight:
· When we are barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re blind and cannot see afar off. (2 Pet. 1:8–9)
· When we fail to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we’re blind. (2 Cor. 4:6)
· When, like Eve, we give in to false teaching and let Satan corrupt our minds, we’re blinded. (2 Cor. 11:3–4, 13–15)
Fortunately, if you have become blind, there are sure ways to recover your spiritual sight. But of course, that begins only if you recognize that you’re blind. What’s typical in the Laodicean church age is that we do not know we are blind (Rev. 3:17). Perhaps the safest starting point is to assume you are.
First, get in your Bible—and before you read or study, pray this: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalm 119:18). What wondrous things should you be looking for? We saw it above: the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Look for God’s glory in Jesus Christ. He is on every page of the Bible—if not named, then in type. He’s there: the stone/rock, the Branch, the Good Shepherd, the lamb, the ark, the brazen serpent, manna, water, vine, the seed, and so many more.
Jesus says to the Laodicean church in Rev. 3:18, anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. Eyesalve is spiritual medicine that restores spiritual sight. For us, that spiritual medicine is the Word of God applied by the Spirit of God.
In summary, you need to get re-interested in the Word of God and search it for the glory of God. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes… The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Psalm 119:9, 130). As you read and pray, the Spirit will teach you, Jesus said. (John 14:26) Paul confirmed the same. (1 Cor. 2:12–14) Let the Spirit and the Word of God do the work of God in restoring your sight—of Him, His glory, His plan, His ways. Pursue His splendor, not your emotional fixes. Raise your eyes above yourself to the awesome, sovereign God. Fall in love with Him through His Word, with His Spirit illuminating Him.
This is only a small view of today’s Laodicean church as applied to us as individuals. If you’d like to look at the application to churches overall in our age, read Richmond’s paper “Today’s Sinking Church.”
Jody