Sunday 31 May 2015

K041. Why was the Lord's punishment on the lukewarm people (churches) so serious?

Rev 3:15-16 KJV  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  (16)  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

I believe that the punishment or judgement was serious enough for all of us to wake up because He spue them out ! It meant that they were rejected from His presence. It could mean loss of eternal life. It could also mean that they had eternal life or the word before they lost it or that they were in the Lord before the Lord spue them out. Many of them had probably asked, "Why is the Lord so ungracious to us. We have done many things for Him ..  We are not bad people although we are not perfect. At least, we are better than the sinners who are not purchased by the blood of Jesus .."

Yes, I believe that they were purchased by the blood of Jesus. They were the people (whether we reckon them as true believers or not) in the church of Laodicea who were preciously bought and redeemed by the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord would speak only to the churches or the believers (and those who were about to fall); not to the world:
Rev 3:22 KJV  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Or else, Paul would not warn that those who were purchased by the His blood might still fall and be drawn away:
Act 20:28-31 KJV  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.  (29)  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.  (30)  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.  (31)  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Hence, in the Bible passage above, Jesus was not judging the sinners of the world; He was judging the lukewarm believers of His church. "But why was the punishment so serious? Why would He judge more favourably because the lukewarm believers were once purchased by His blood, So to speak?" Many would ask, especially the lukewarm themselves. Well, I believe that the lukewarm believers could be worst than the sinners. It was because they did more damages to the churches than the damages that a sinner from outside world can do to the churches. They could be worst than the false prophets who preach false doctrine. I will show how a lukewarm believer who preach vain doctrine or 'ding dong bell' doctrine could be more disgusting and damaging than a false prophet:
For example, a lukewarm believers who behave like a 'ding dong bell' preacher will first preach or mock against the preaching of repentance or those who preach it. He will then switch back gradually to the preaching of false repentance with his own version of explanation. But now he would turn around and claim that all the churches have falsely accused him or misunderstood him about his preaching on repentance. He would argue vehemently that he has never preached against repentance because he has always asked the sinners to repent, when actually he has only asked the sinners to believe or to change their minds only.
Please think, If this is not disgusting, I don't know what can be more disgusting than this?

Hence, I believe that the Lord has judged rightly when He spue out the lukewarm, not because He did not love them, but because He loves the churches too much to allow His bride to be corrupted or perverted by human craftiness or lukewarm behaviours.

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