Jesus Christ Revealed: "To the church in Laodicea"

Revelation 3:14 (GW)

“To the messenger of the church in Laodicea, write: The amen, the witness who is Faithful and True, the source of God's creation, says:”

In the seven individual letters, we see the careful logic involved in deciding why each church received the section of the description that it did. Jesus Christ purposefully presented Himself to each of the churches in a way that would be historically and culturally relevant to them. The “self-descriptions” of Jesus Christ are not just general facts about His nature; they are specific pieces of revelation intended to deeply connect with the hearts and situations of these churches.

This is also how the Holy Spirit speaks to us through prophecy. In these letters, Jesus Christ delivers His prophecies in a very personal manner. He gives each church a piece of revelation regarding what He is like and who He is that is especially applicable to them in their situation.

Laodicea: "The Amen, the Faithful and True witness, the Beginning of God's creation!

Here Jesus Christ gives three “self-descriptions”: “the Amen, the Faithful and the True witness, and the Ruler of creation.” “Amen” is generally understood to mean “so be it,” however, its meaning is actually more forceful. It is really an oath: to say amen means to call down upon oneself the blessings or curses of the covenant {Numbers 5:21–22; Deuteronomy 27:15–26; Nehemiah 5:12–13}. This relates to both the old covenant and the new covenant. Jesus Christ, as the Amen, is coming in judgment against Jerusalem, the Temple, and the old covenant. He is, “the one throughout the Revelation who witnesses against the broken covenant and executes the curses of the covenant.

Jesus Christ is also the Amen of the new covenant, the guarantee of the covenantal promises. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He has established the new covenant, and all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Him. The apostle Paul uses this same terminology when discussing God’s promises in Jesus Christ: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Jesus Christ. And so, through Him, the “Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God” {2 Corinthians 1:20}. This is the fullest meaning of amen in the new covenant. Through Jesus Christ, the weight of the old covenant was removed, and the new covenant was established. 

So, our “amen” to God’s Word is both an oath and a recognition that our salvation is wholly dependent not upon our keeping of the Covenant but on the perfect covenant keeping of Jesus Christ, who placed Himself under the Covenant stipulations and curses in our place. In this statement, then, Jesus Christ warns the Laodicean believers of His coming in judgment against the old covenant and reminds them that He alone has established the new covenant. It is not because of their own righteousness that they are able to have relationship with God. This is important because the believers at Laodicea have become self-satisfied and self-sufficient. They need a reminder of their need for Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ also describes Himself as the “Faithful and True witness,” declaring that He is “the One whose eyes not only see exactly what is going on in the hearts of these people of Laodicea but whose lips also declare the exact truth as seen.” According to the Old Testament law, a matter was judged by the testimony of two or three witnesses {Deuteronomy 17:6}. This practice was also affirmed by Jesus and Paul {Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1}. Here, Jesus Christ presents Himself as the most faithful witness, the one so perfect He could be the amen to the new covenant. His witness, He declares, stands on its own. 

This is exactly the argument He made when the Pharisees accused Him of appearing as His own witness: “Even if I testify on my own behalf, My testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going…. In your own Law, it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am One who testifies for Myself; My other witness is the Father, who sent me” {John 8:14, 17–18}. This is affirmed again later in John’s vision: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, He judges and wages war” {Revelation 19:11}. Jesus Christ is the Faithful and True, the one whose witness stands all on its own. As the faithful and true witness, Jesus Christ is coming in judgment on the old covenant. However, before He does, He is warning complacent believers in Laodicea, telling them, like the believers at Sardis, to get ready. 

Lastly, Jesus Christ describes Himself as the “Source of God’s Creation.” He is the beginning, origin, first cause, and ruler of all God's creation; the One in whom creation had its beginning." Jesus Christ created the universe {John 1:3; Colossians 1:16}. As God the Son, He was not created. He always was, is, and will be. He was the Mediator in God's creation; all things were created through Him, and apart from Him nothing was created {John 1:3}; the world was made by Him {John 1:10}. Now that He has ascended to the Father's right hand in heaven, He has a place "far above... every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come“ {Ephesians 1:20, 21}. He is the One through whom all things were begun, and He will bring God's plan to its final consummation. He is still the one Mediator between God and mankind.