Tuesday, 19 August 2014
The straight Testimony given by the Faithful and True Witness to the Laodicean church is of utmost importance, as acceptance or rejection has eternal consequences. As the searchlight is turned on in the lives of God's professed remnant people, it is clearly identifiable that the majority are not only wretched, miserable, poor, and naked, but that they are blind. This blindness is not literal, it is a spiritual blindness of the mind; a blindness that results from willful rejection of light; a blindness that occurs because of accepting the god of this world and rejecting the Creator of this world. Those who are blind cannot plead ignorance, for ignorance is no excuse for error or for sin while there is every opportunity to know the truth. Such individuals are blind to their own spiritual degradation and therefore can see no need of sight. However there is hope, otherwise there would be no reason for the counsel to obtain from Christ the eyesalve. As one receives the eyesalve he/she becomes painfully aware of his/her deplorable condition and how it is that Christ, along with our cooperation, can clean us up and finally save us. The eyesalve that can enlighten our eyes to the truth and to our standing before God represent the counsels given to us through the Spirit of Prophecy, God's law, and the study of prophecy. If a person continues to reject the Spirit of Prophecy, he/she will continue in the lukewarm Laodicean condition. There are striking and significant parallels between Christ's day and our day today as it relates to the Laodicean condition and message. The blind leaders in Christ's day caused the people to remain blind, which if they continue in darkness, they will alike fall in a ditch. Because of the blind leaders' rejection of the Spirit of Prophecy through John the Baptist, they also rejected Christ and the people generally followed these apostate leaders, and thus it is today. But like blind Bartimaeus desperately crying to Jesus for his sight, and had his request granted, we too can have our spiritual eyesight enlightened as we cry out, acknowledge our blind sinfulness, look into and heed God's laws and testimonies, and diligently study and apply Bible prophecy.