The Church of Laodicea ?

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” 2 Corinthians 10:12

Since the first century, Christians have speculated on the historical identity of the churches  mentioned in chapter 3 of the Book of Revelation. As with so many prophetic statements from the  Bible, events are easier to identify looking back than they are looking forward into the future. The prophecies concerning our Lord's crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension are an illustration.

However as we move deeper into the 21st century, current events have identified trends which beg for identity from Bible passages that have been examined expectantly for centuries. In saying this, I am aware that the historical record is strewn with mountain top predictions of ominous judgemental events that never occurred. History remembers them in order to mock any one who feels that they may have some insight into the future. Therefore I am aware that I run that risk.

But however it turns out in the actual prophetic calendar, I believe there is value in exposing what the Scripture has to say in principle, and applying it to what we see. We can hold up trends next to the Scripture for comparison, and in doing so be prompted to act in a manner that will preserve us from any judgement that is implied if we do nothing .

Generally, scholars have valued the Letters to the Seven Churches as Christ's revelation of the character of the Church during historical periods known generally as the last days. The Last Days is a term recognized to be all the time between his ascension to heaven after his resurrection and his yet future coming again in Glory. The Lord's admonition to each church is short and not decisive enough to ensure positive identification but there is sufficient detail to prompt comparison to what an individual can see in his own local church and beyond in the Christian world.

Without apology therefore, I contend that the present day evangelical protestant church corresponds tragically to Laodicea. Every church in every age has had its problems and strengths locally, but no where in church history have all the sins of this passage been so general and evident world wide.

First the church, in the west, has withdrawn from the world. It is no longer a player.
No where in Scripture is the Christian church ( the body of believers) ever allowed to have a mountain top mentality. By that phrase, I mean the church is not permitted to withdraw to a safe  place and just put in time. The church is called to be witnesses both to the Gospel of salvation for Sinners and its application---salt and light on the earth. The church is admonished to be in the world but not "of it."  I am persuaded that (1 Peter  5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, seeking whom  he may devour.) this verse is to be considered in its spiritual as well as its real life context. Christians can be destroyed by Sin in the mind and they can also be the victims of persecution as we have seen in Africa, India and Syria. The western church knows nothing of this persecution of the body because they have for generations sheltered themselves within the  toleration limits of their society and the confines of their church buildings.....and this at a time when very little can be hidden from public view.

In the past agrarian societies without any form of electronic communication scrutinized only the events of their local neighborhood. They hardly knew what was happening in the next town or county let alone provincially or nationally. Today, everyone is able to be aware of developments on the national and international scene if they so choose. My fear is that the responsibility to take up this  educational challenge is deliberately avoided,  because the more you know, the more you are held responsible for a meaningful response.

The internet and the alternate media are all available constantly on WIFI systems which deliver data  to your telephone. There is no excuse not to know at least in summary, of policies and events that are planned for you. If you cannot do the research yourself, there  are those who have been exercised to  do it for you. We must recognize that to bury one's head in the sand is not a Christian response. Ignorance is no excuse when all around us is a suffering world.
That is not to say that individuals can change the world, but that  should never be an excuse for not speaking up where there are injustices. It is my view that a sovereign God intervenes against Sin in His own time, but if we are individuals, and if we refuse to speak for the weak and down trodden, we will be judged for our silence. The Samaritan stopped to help the injured victim while the publicans and Pharisees passed by on the other side.

Policies implicate us all, for the tax dollars that we pay to governments become the means of financing what we as a nation become responsible for. Consider abortion, which is everywhere among us. Millions of children have been slaughtered by the permissive policies which allow the mother to take the life of the unborn child. Christians are responsible for that position for it has much Biblical support. The womb after all is said and done, is an intensive care unit from conception until birth.

Similarly, foreign policies of western governments seldom make any sense except in terms of the narrow self interest of a select group of insiders. Millions are killed in wars which through the efforts of investigative reporters have been  shown to be more about oil wealth than national security. In fact Americans constantly talk about defending their  freedom, when their 900 bases world wide are platforms for the launching of aggressive military intervention or invisible subterfuge. The historical record for this statement is undeniable and yet Christians pride themselves in the support of their servicemen who carry out these deeds.

The only way this can happen is for Christians to accept the establishment media's justification  and to deliberately ignore the alternate media's reporting of conflicting evidence. Is this done so that son John can proudly wear his uniform without shame? Are Christians to be exempted from the responsibility to speak out against injustices because they deliberately ignore facts that are easily  obtainable from reliable sources? Media that tells lies has forsaken the responsibility to provide  truthful news and has become the propaganda arm of government. Christians who acquiesce in this ignorance have become complicit in the crimes committed. The alternate media has eliminated any  plausible excuse for ignorance.

That said, it's true, that before the internet, pastors and religious leaders use to be able to claim a certain  level of doubt, therefore excusing themselves from commitments to speak out. After all, if they really didn't know and they were so busy visiting their parishioners to find out, they just may have been excused activism. Tax policy comes in here again because western governments have insisted that church leadership remain silent on all social and international issues in order to keep their tax exempt status. In other words, the government has purchased the silence of the churches. Tax the people hard and then provide tax exemptions for religious social clubs who will not exercise the  "Mind of Christ" on behalf of the weak and powerless for fear of losing their church property. So just maybe --pastors and church leaders have hidden behind tax law too .

The effect of course is predictable: Much sermonizing and exposition on the Scriptures that never gets outside the church walls to condemn the oppressors and apply compassion to those who are the weak and powerless victims.

Revelation 3:15-16
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
----The Lord Jesus Christ