Chapter
Verse

Revelation 3:14

ESV “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
NIV To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
NASB To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Origin of the creation of God, says this:
CSB "Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God's creation:
NLT Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen — the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
KJV 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;

What does Revelation 3:14 mean?

In this verse Jesus commands the apostle John to write to the church in Laodicea in care of "the angel of the church," likely the pastor. In both Greek and Hebrew, the words translated as "angel" more literally mean "messenger." Laodicea was known for its independence, having experienced a devastating earthquake in AD 17 but refusing financial aid from Rome. The city of Laodicea was located near Colossae and Hierapolis, about 40 miles southeast of Philadelphia. Antiochus II named the city after His wife Laodice. It was a wealthy trade-route city with an abundance of bankers and merchants. The church in Laodicea had characteristics that prefigured those of many churches in the modern and post-modern eras.

The letter to the church at Laodicea concludes the second section of Revelation, those things which were presently existing at the time John wrote these words (Revelation 1:19).

Jesus identifies himself as "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of God's creation." The name "Amen" indicates that He is God's perfect and final revelation. The writer to the Hebrews affirmed that "long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son" (Hebrews 1:1–2). Jesus is also God's reliable witness, who never swerves from the truth. The Laodiceans could take His word to them at face value. Furthermore, Jesus is the originator of God's creation. In His gospel, John testifies: "All things were made through [Jesus], and without [Jesus] was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3). Because of Jesus' superior, sovereign person and work, the Laodiceans had good reason to heed what He communicated in His letter to them.
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