In Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus is characterizing the church in the city of Laodicea during the decade of 90-100 A.D. Those letters were directed to the church system of that day which would, over the following 2000 years, reflect the spiritual condition of the coming church eras. The final two eras (Philadelphia and Laodicea) described the eras which people of my generation (1940’s through the present) have live through. Christ’s letter to the Laodicean Church (Rev. 3:14-22) perfectly characterized the end-time Progressive church as it exists today. Jesus described the present church as valuing material gain more than spiritual riches. Through the Apostle James He warns the Progressive Church that they are playing with their eternal lives.

In James 5:1,2 the Lord condemns the rich men. He warns the Progressive church to weep and howl for the miseries that would come upon them because their riches are spiritually corrupted and their clothing is moth-eaten. And things would grow worse in the last days about which He warned: “Your gold and silver is cankered (rusted) and the rust of them will be a witness against you. It will eat your flesh as if it was fire. You have heaped treasure together IN THE LAST DAYS.” Progressives who are rich and increased with goods put those riches above spiritual riches gained by studying, believing and obeying God’s Word–His Law. It is not a sin to be rich IF A MAN PUTS GOD FIRST, as many Scriptural references reveal. But if a believer places material fortune before spiritual righteousness his riches are nothing. Putting God first is the only way to truly prosper. Read the episode featuring Jesus and the rich salvation seeker in Mark 10:17-27.

Like the Laodiceans, Progressive churchites are relatively rich, but their spiritual lives are rust-eaten. They are certain that their having taken Jesus as their personal Savior guarantees their salvation. God says that their choice of “riches” will destroy them like fire consumes everything it touches. During the coming Tribulation period fire of various sorts will consume everything in its path. The coming Tribulation Period will destroy what so many have spent their lives accumulating. Nuclear war will destroy materially; the Lake of Fire will destroy both spiritually and bodily. For this reason there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth when people realize that they had chosen the wrong object of worship and had listened to the wrong prophets.

In James 5:5 the apostle warns the self-satisfied Progressives of this era that they are fattening themselves up for the spiritual and physical slaughter that will one day arrive on the scene. Luke 12:15-31 shows us how easy it is to get caught up in the pursuit of physical things which automatically lessens their zeal for spiritual things. Satan has a history of turning what seems to be harmless pursuits into a future filled with misery.

We must ask ourselves if we are rich toward ourselves or toward God. We must keep our focus on the spiritual as Luke 12:29-37 tells us. We are to prioritize the Kingdon of God and be always working in order to qualify to enter it. God, we are assured, will take care of everything else. We must never allow concerns about physical things divert our life’s focus. Spiritual matters are the only things that matter. Compared to pleasing God, what is there to focus on (Prov. 2:1-7; Matt. 13:44-46)? If we consider the brevity of this life and the importance of eternity, we will understand why our “walk” in this life is so vitally important.

Revelations 19 says that Christ’s bride will have been preparing for His return throughout her earthly “walk.” Paul tells us that we all run the “race” of life, but only those who run by God’s rules will receive the prize. The Progressives’ self-concocted race rules (church doctrines) will not count when the Great Judge comes to measure our spiritual output.

Jesus warns us that there are many who will have spent their adult lives preaching, performing miracles and doing many wonderful things in His name, only to be told by Him: “I NEVER KNEW YOU” (Mat. 7:23). If this is true of the Progressive Church’s spiritual leaders, it is also true of those who follow their lead.

Then there are those who, at one time, had been true virgins (Christians) but had fallen by the wayside by answering Satan’s seductive pull to join him in a much easier, more user-friendly version of Christianity. To those people Jesus will say at judgment: “I DO NOT (NOW) KNOW YOU.” Either way, the news will be devastating for those who “know” that they are one with their Creator but are in reality one with Satan. L.J.