Hello,

I am pondering the words of Christ:

quote:

---

Revelation 3:18
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

---

What exactly is the gold tried in the fire? I believe that the raiment is the righteousness of Christ, and am not sure if the gold tried in the fire is the Word? Some insight into this would be appreciated.

God Bless,
Will

Here are some insights Sister White shared on the subject:

COL 158
[Rev 3:17, 18 quoted] The gold tried in the fire is faith that works by love.

FW 23
They need the divine love of God which is represented by gold tried in the fire; they need the white raiment of Christ's pure character; and they need the heavenly eyesalve that they might discern with astonishment the utter worthlessness of creature merit to earn the wages of eternal life.

FW 84
We thank God that there are souls who realize that they are in need of something which they do not possess--gold of faith and love, white raiment of Christ's righteousness, eyesalve of spiritual discernment.

7BC 965
The gold that Jesus would have us buy of Him is gold tried in the fire; it is the gold of faith and love, that has no defiling substance mingled with it. The white raiment is the righteousness of Christ, the wedding garment which Christ alone can give. The eyesalve is the true spiritual discernment that is so wanting among us, for spiritual things must be spiritually discerned (RH April 1, 1890).

4T 88, 89
The True Witness counsels us to buy of Him gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eyesalve. The gold here recommended as having been tried in the fire is faith and love. It makes the heart rich; for it has been purged until it is pure, and the more it is tested the more brilliant is its luster. The white raiment is purity of character, the righteousness of Christ imparted to the sinner. This is indeed a garment of heavenly texture, that can be bought only of Christ for a life of willing obedience. The eyesalve is that wisdom and grace which enables us to discern between the evil and the good, and to detect sin under any guise. God has given His church eyes which He requires them to anoint with wisdom, that they may see clearly; but many would put out the eyes of the church if they could; for they would not have their deeds come to the light, lest they should be reproved. The divine eyesalve will impart clearness to the understanding. Christ is the depositary of all graces. He says: "Buy of Me."

So the gold is faith & love which is given to us by God, and that faith given to us is tested nas well. The eyesalve is to clear up our vision to see our true condition and repent of our prideful ways, and then humble ourselves and "buy" the gold? Let me know if that sounds on track. Thanks Mike!
God Bless,
Will

You will note that the Lord pleads with the Laodecian church that they buy from Him the "Gold and the Raiment", but the prophecy does not state that the church actually responds to His pleading.

IOW, there is no prophetic indication that the Laodecian Church repents of their "lukewarmness".

Pretty alarming isn't it!

You are right Myarsman. Jesus is pleading to the Laodecian church to buy the Gold & Raiment, and it seems to be a warning as well. A warning to be heeded in which He tells the Laodecian church what to do.

God Bless,
Will

Yes, it is a warning with dire consequences if it is not followed. I failed to find any prophetic depiction of this church heeding the warning, though. Are you aware of any?

I didn't see any indication that the warning was not heeded either. The only basis for the warning being heeded is found in Scripture where Jesus tells us if we love Him we will keep His commandments, and to follow Him. I am not saying that this is a commandment in that sense, but I do believe that if you love Jesus you will follow Him, and listen to Him.

God Bless,
Will

I would agree with you there.....

The point that I am attempting to make is that this particular prophecy paints a very poor picture of the Christian church. Sadly, this is the last church to be presented. No other church follows the Laodecian church. I would conclude, then, that this church is the final church to exist prior to the second coming of Christ.

If this church is indeed the final church and it is in such a "lukewarm" condition and this specific prophecy does not indicate that this "lukewarmness" changes, and Jesus says that this "lukewarmness" will cause Him to "spew" this church from His mouth, then who will be saved in the end?

Another point is that there is no indication within this prophecy that this church undergoes any form of purification or "hotness" prior to Christ's return. IOW, it remains in a state of "lukewarmness" right up to the Second Coming.

Well, that would mean that no one living is saved when Jesus comes, wouldn't it?

Who then, is the "we" Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 4:17? And who will the 144,000 be, if not those who heeded the counsel of Jesus to the Laodiceans, and repented of their condition?

Jesus does tell us that:

quote:

---

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

---

So it seems that the to each church there is a warning, and a message to be heeded such as He tells us in Rev 3:18 & 19. It also seems that we need to repent of our pride(?) as that was part of the message in verse 18, and in verse 19 He tells us to be zealous and repent. There is a Hope
God Bless,
Will