When we turn to the last of the seven angels we find the hardest decipher. The Archangel makes it clear that he’s consider carefully his message and that he’s quite concerned. He praises the angel and then gives him a harsh and clear rebuke.
This brings us to the mindset of the Eastern religions; Buddha, Tao, Confucius, Shinto, Hindu, or Angel of the Eastern mindsets.
When we turn to research the history of Laodicea we find a plethora of empty plenty. The city was rich, trade was rampant, culture was deep and historic.
The city was named after a queen of an ancient kingdom and when her history is researched we find a confusing meltdown of politics and strange connections to Babylon and Egypt. We find a history of lots of happenings but no clear direction; nothing in particular.
We should not forget that Babylon is a symbol of Many Religions and that the wise sages who visitied the Baby Jesus and brought upon it the wrath of Herodes where from Babylon the great, or so it is believed. It is also quite possible that the sages were from further east.
We should also consider that Egypt has a close tie to the Abrahamic faiths, as does Babylon which was an ancient connection point to the far east. Egypt had for a short period tried to establish Monotheism but was a hotpot of idolatry and symbolism.
Trade from the Silk Road connected Babylon with Persia which had good connections with upper India and though we have to dig a little bit for this it is hinted that we can safely look eastwards. Let us not forget the great prophet Zoroaster who established a great Monotheist tradition in Persia which extended to India and still thrives in certain cities.
But subtly enough we find nothing in the plenty. The direction to the east is there but subtle. History of the city is rich but nothing clear comes to mind. Archaelogy shows us that the city made fantastic buildings and the culture had very strong ties to Jerusalem and large deposits of Gold was regularly sent from there to the Temple in Jerusalem
{3:14} And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; {3:15} I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. {3:16} So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. {3:17} Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: {3:18} 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. {3:19} As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. {3:20} Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. {3:21} To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. {3:22} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
As mentioned before we do not find so much in the city to make it absolutely clear what the Archangal Michael is telling us. So we turn to the message itself to find clues. Again we don’t find much, yet the text is voluminous and the esoterism and ethics are clear.
The city represents some ideology which is rich and deep yet shallow and empty at the same time. It would be tempting to consider the great prophet Buddha. He was a prince who forsake the tradition and wealth of his father, went for a lifelong journey through the wilderness of many ideologies or wisdoms, and ended up as a fat enlightened Buddha teaching lots of wisdom.
Suddenly we begin to see the direction. When we consider the mindset of Buddha’s Nirvana we begin to see the entire world of the far east, not only the religion of Buddha but an entire world of a certain philosophy.
We see Tao and Confucius teaching more or less an approach to life, void of God. We see Buddha himself teaching an insight but no clear and comprehensible meaning or purpose; or God.
We see the thousands of gods of Hindu and Shinto, no real direction but lots of deities representing more confusion than order; again no clear purpose and meaning embodied by a grand creator.
They all admit that there is or might be one God but make no distinction about who or what he is or what he represents. Only that you have to be a good and nice person and attain some state of mind through meditaion, yogistic practices, templistic practices or simply through the spiral of reincarnation and Karma.
Neither hot or cold, but lukewarm and no purpose or empowerment. No idea represented making it worthwhile to use as a greater meaning for the adhering person. Only something tragically nice and cozy.
This is the eighth article about the Seven Churches or Seven Angels of the Apocalypse
