I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth (Revelation 3:15,16). Who is the Lord referring to here? Sinners? No, sinners cannot be described as being in the mouth of God, only Christians. These verses are talking about Christians. The Lord is telling His people that if they are in a lukewarm condition, He will spew them into the Tribulation Period. They will not be gathered up with Jesus at His second coming. The Christians whom Jesus will take with Him at that second coming, the Rapture of the Church, are called the Bride of Christ.

How will the Bride of Christ look, the ones who will be taken with Jesus? Song of Solomon describes the Bride this way: She that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (Song of Solomon 6:10). The description is not one of a lukewarm Bride, but of a Bride full of beauty and power. Looking forth in the morning, the Bride is fresh, rested in God’s Spirit, God’s power and love, pure-minded through the Spirit of Jehovah—how marvelous! Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, she has such a mighty anointing, so much of the power of God that like a multitude of riders on horses, carrying banners she overwhelms those around her. It’s the strength of the Bride.

Spots and Wrinkles

As Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27). The Bride is a sanctified Bride, a cleansed Bride. This is the Bride of Christ today, the true Church, people on fire for God. The Lord gave Himself for the Church that He might sanctify it, set it apart, make it holy, that He might cleanse it through the Word of God, that He might present it unto Himself a glorious Church, a holy people without spot or wrinkle.

Some think that every Christian will be taken in the Rapture, but this isn’t according to the teachings of the Bible. The Lord said that you who are in a lukewarm condition absolutely will not go. If every child of God were going to be caught up with Jesus at His second coming, why did the Lord, referring to that second coming, tell us to watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36)? No one who comes to the Lord for salvation is told to pray that he be counted worthy of it—none are worthy—but Jesus, nevertheless, shed His blood to save all from their sins who would believe on Him. Now Jesus is saying to pray that you may be counted worthy to escape the horrors of the Tribulation Period. Something more than salvation is required. The people taken out will be without spot or wrinkle, without spot of sin or wrinkle of disobedience.

God was careful in giving details of the sacrifices that would be acceptable to Him in Old Testament days. Just as blemished sacrifices were unacceptable to the Lord, the Lord will not accept you as part of the Bride of Christ if you have spiritual wrinkles or blemishes.

Garments of righteousness are given to the children of God, but are they kept clean? Is your spiritual self spotless? Are you spotted by the sin of this world or are you really separated from that which is ungodly? Many are not. The Holy Spirit is the One to check your garments. If He finds things of this old world on your garments, you will definitely be left behind. Watch and be careful with your life.

Maybe You’re Not the Apple of God’s Eye

When the Bride, the apple of God’s eye, is taken out of this world, many Christians will be left behind to a rude awakening. They thought the Lord would never leave any of His people behind when He comes, but that is disputing the Word of God. Are you one who rejects part of the Word of God? Come to the Word of God with openness to the Holy Spirit. “Holy Spirit teach me; Holy Spirit show me. Holy Spirit let me know what the Lord expects of me. I want to know. I don’t want to be deceived.” A teachable person is one the Lord can work with and mold into a vessel of honor. Be careful not to be deceived by theories in conflict with the Word of God.

Seek daily for the anointing of the Holy Ghost. Anoint your eyes with His Spirit, with His eye salve. Anoint your ears with His Spirit so that you can hear. The Holy Spirit is your Teacher, guiding you into the truth of the Lord. Open your eyes to that truth. The Lord said if you were in a lukewarm condition He would spew you out of His mouth into tribulation. Does that sound as though all Christians will be taken in the Rapture? They will not.

What kind of child of God are you? Are you a real prayer warrior, on fire for God, walking in the steps of the Lord, close to Him? Only then will you be counted worthy to be taken in the Rapture.

Obviously, the only way you can have a Spirit-filled life is to be Spirit filled, full of His power, full of the Holy Ghost. We live in the Holy Ghost dispensation. The Holy Spirit is here to get the Bride of Christ ready for the Rapture.

King Saul Didn’t Miss the Greatness of God

King Saul is a type of the lukewarm Christian. The Ark of the Covenant, that Holy Place where the Israelites knew the Lord dwelled, was absent during King Saul’s entire reign. He never missed it. Many lukewarm Christians never miss the old-time power and the anointing of God.

David came to the throne, pining for the glory of Israel, for the time in the past when the power of God fell and the Lord fought for Israel. He was eager to bring back the Ark. Saul could have done the same thing, but he was lukewarm—before he actually backslid. God had chosen him to be king of Israel—God would not have chosen a sinner to be king. Saul had much in his favor when he started out, yet he grew lukewarm. When Israel was confronted by the Philistines and Goliath, Saul was so lukewarm that he couldn’t go forth to meet the enemy. Are you in that condition? Are you so lukewarm you can’t go forth to battle the enemy of your soul, so lukewarm that you run for cover, for a place to hide? You look for someone else to fight your battles. It’s the lukewarm spirit of Saul.

In that lukewarm spirit, Saul completely failed God.

Samson Lost His Badge of Dedication

Samson was a type of the Bride of Christ. Samson on fire—at one time—was like an army, terrible with banners. The enemy feared him. Any price the Philistines would have paid for the secret of his power, his strength. Samson was on fire, but the fire smoldered down to lukewarmness. Samson began to play around with the devil. He didn’t intend that, but if the devil can dampen your fire a little, he has a good chance to guide you into backsliding.

Samson at first ignored the devil. The devil couldn’t do a thing, really, to rob him of his power; but undaunted, the devil kept working and working, getting Samson to reach out just a little. “Now, Samson,” the devil whispered, “there’s no harm in this as long as you don’t let your hair be cut, as long as you don’t lose your consecration.” Samson’s long hair was the badge of his dedication to the Lord. When you lose your love for God—love is really that badge, isn’t it?—when you begin to lose that love, that first love you had for God, you are cooling down to lukewarmness, a dangerous state indeed. It’s a “don’t-care” state. “I don’t care if I don’t pray much. I don’t care if I don’t read my Bible today. I don’t care if I don’t fast at all. I’m not getting anywhere in the Lord, anyway. The Lord doesn’t seem to care for me like He cares for others.”

Samson kept disobeying God. He knew he wasn’t to fool around with Delilah. He knew the curse of God was upon her, that she wasn’t of the household of faith, that she was strange flesh—but he was there with her. Just because he was there did not take away the fact that he was God’s child. It didn’t take away the fact that God had given him a special gift, but it demonstrated how badly he was losing God’s anointing. As he continued to disobey God, the anointing grew so weak in his life that he told the secret of his power, something he was not to do. His hair, his consecration was cut. Because of it, his great strength and his power with God vanished. His dedication, his love for God, his power with God came to an end. Separated from his God, Samson was now a backslider.

It takes no effort at all for a lukewarm Christian to become a backslider. It’s as easy for a lukewarm Christian to backslide as it is for a Christian to miss the Rapture.

Do You Feel Unloved?

When you were on fire for God, you knew you were loved by the Lord. It didn’t matter what others thought; you could tell yourself that Jesus loved you. Now in that lukewarm condition you wake in the mornings feeling unloved, uncared for. You think the Lord does not understand you and how you feel, that He hasn’t really cooperated with you, even though you have tried—goodness, how you’ve tried. It hasn’t really been your fault at all that you’ve been a failure in serving God…lukewarm. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

You can still be a child of God if you’re disobedient, lukewarm—it’s according to the teaching of the Word of God—but to backslide you have to commit willful sin. There is no such thing as once in grace, always in grace, for you are free to sin whenever you desire. No man can pluck you out of the hand of God, but you remove yourself from that loving hand the moment you reach out for sin.

Willful Sin

What is willful sin? Knowing something is a sin and not caring; you commit that sinful act. You know it breaks the commandments of God, you know it’s one of the seventeen works of the flesh found in Galatians 5, and you do it anyway. You do it willfully. Then there is no more sacrifice for you. The Lord is not your sacrifice, your substitute; you had been saved, but now you become a sinner once more. Only sorrowful repentance, repentance with determination not to sin again, can bring you back into the grace of God.

But many Christians have not willfully sinned; they are just disobedient. They are not in God’s divine will but His permissible will. Every time you fail or disobey God you lose some of your anointing, some of your strength in the Lord. Every time you neglect to pray, to read your Bible, to gather with God’s people, you lose. Neglecting God brings a feeling of coldness to the things of God, indifference. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, Jesus tells us.

Treasure God’s Companionship

God calls on us to do many things, to be full of Him, to have our minds stayed upon Him, to pray without ceasing. When we’re anointed by God, on fire for God, we’re in an attitude of prayer toward Him. We have a close relationship with the Lord, and we talk to Him many times throughout the day and night no matter what we’re doing. He’s that near unto us with His love. Our thoughts go to Him continually.

In a lukewarm condition, however, you can go all day and never pray or give the Lord one serious thought. You simply do not miss having that close relationship with the Lord He desires you to have. But when you’re on fire for the Lord, you treasure that companionship; it’s the most wonderful, gracious experience in your life.

“Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh!”

The lukewarm Christian will not be looking for Jesus to come—He is coming only for those looking for Him. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him…and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25:6,10-13). The virgins in this parable of Jesus are all Christians, all virgins; but because the lukewarm virgins will not be looking for Jesus to come, they will not be ready. He is definitely coming for a people who are looking for Him.

In your own heart, are you honestly looking for Jesus to come; do you expect Him in your day? Is His coming reality to you? If not, something is missing in your spiritual life, and you must move toward God. If you were as close to God as you should be, you would know that He is coming in your day. Your eyes would be open as the Spirit shows you the endtime signs.

Desperate Search Parties

Remember when Elijah and Elisha crossed Jordan on their way to the spot where Elijah would be raptured? The sons of the prophets, a type of the lukewarm Christian, did not cross Jordan with them. They did not go all the way. Because they were not at the place they should have been, because they were full of doubt, they became the search party looking for Elijah on Earth after he was taken to Heaven. After the Rapture, desperate lukewarm Christians will form search parties, hunting for those taken up with Jesus. The majority of searchers will be the lukewarm Christians. Like those in Elijah’s day they will find it difficult to face the truth. “Surely the Lord didn’t take them all the way. Maybe He did pick them up, but He just hid them somewhere to frighten me. It just can’t be—I’m a child of God! I know I’m saved! I haven’t done all I should in the past, but surely the Lord wouldn’t leave me behind!”

A Home Remedy of Excuses

Again and again you hear Christians justifying their lukewarmness, salving their consciences. Self justification is not a healing salve; it only covers up the truth about yourself. “I haven’t done all I should have done, but I know a lot of people who do less than I. I know I don’t pray like I should, but who does? I haven’t studied the Word for ever so long, but ‘they’ never do.” Every excuse the lukewarm Christian gives for not wholeheartedly serving God compares his neglectful ways to someone else’s neglectful ways. “I’m no worse than they are.” He never seriously compares himself to those who are serving God with all their hearts; in fact, those are the people he criticizes.

The on-fire Christian, the one really alive in the presence and power of the living God, is anointing his eyes, his ears with the salve of the Holy Spirit, not with a harmful little home remedy of excuses, comparisons and criticisms. The salve of the Holy Spirit has the complete cure—wonderful, marvelous results in perfection. But the Holy Spirit cannot furnish you with His salve unless you yield to Him.

What condition are you in? Are you always making excuses why you don’t serve God? Yes? Then you’re failing God. It’s the lukewarm Christian who fails God, not the on-fire person, not the one Spirit filled and led by the Spirit, full of the glory and the fire of the living God. The lukewarm Christian is full of excuses.

They Received Their Marriage Supper Invitation

The parable in Luke 14:15-24 of a man who invited many guests to a great supper represents Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb for the Bride of Christ. The members of the bridal party were invited, but all with one consent made excuses. One said he had bought a piece of ground and he wanted to see it; another said he had bought five oxen and he must prove them; a third said he had married a woman and could not come. What did the host say when he heard the excuses? None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper (verse 24). He sent his servants out into the streets, the lanes, the highways and hedges so that his house would be filled. This is a picture of the lukewarm Christian. The lukewarm Christian will be left out of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, left for the Tribulation Period—but he will have been invited. Just like the host in the parable shut out those who refused his invitation, the Lord will shut out those who refuse to obey Him in all things. The Lord is tired of the lukewarm Christian’s excuses. Those on fire for the Lord are not making excuses; they’re working for the Lord.

Living Sacrifices

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1,2). Presenting your body to God a living sacrifice is the reasonable service for the on-fire Christian. The lukewarm have many arguments why this service is not reasonable to them. The lukewarm Christians conform all too much to this world rather than allowing themselves to be transformed by the renewing of their minds in Christ Jesus. The lukewarm walk almost hand in hand with the world—not quite, but almost. Not going all the way, they teeter on the very brink. So close to the world they stand that it is hard for some to separate them from the world of sin.

How many times do you think you can grieve the Holy Spirit before He withdraws from you completely? The lukewarm Christian is in danger of being without the Holy Spirit altogether. When the Rapture takes place, the Holy Spirit will not be dwelling in that one to change him in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. The Lord said He would spew out the lukewarm into the Tribulation Period. By the renewing of your mind, however, you can be transformed into that living sacrifice the Bible speaks about.

On Fire with the Mind of Christ

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). Those on fire for God have the mind of Christ. A lukewarm Christian does not have the mind of Christ. Was Christ ever in a lukewarm condition? Of course not. The mind of Christ is a mind on fire with the fervor of the Lord.

If you have the mind of Christ you are wide awake, looking for the Lord to come. Believing all the truths of God, you are in touch, in constant contact with Heaven; you’re a pilgrim and a stranger in this land. Don’t you believe that Christ was in constant contact with Heaven? Jesus said: Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always (John 11:41,42). The mind of Christ says, “Father, you always hear me.” It’s a mind separated from Lucifer and the world, an alert mind, a mind that accepts all the truths of the Lord, all of them. That kind of mind rejects nothing in the Word of the living God.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness (II Corinthians 6:14)? You young people: if you’re lukewarm, the devil may tempt you to marry one who is not saved, telling you that you can persuade that one to accept Jesus after you’re married. It usually doesn’t work. A person on fire for God never marries a sinner no matter how much in love that one is. The love for God that the on-fire person holds is the greatest treasure in his life. Marrying a sinner is turning directly against the Word of God.

Stand Fast

Be ye steadfast, unmovable (I Corinthians 15:58). The lukewarm Christian is not steadfast nor unmovable. The devil can move them quite a lot, in fact; and that is the reason they are moved into places God cannot use them, places that God frowns upon—still they are His children. They have not backslidden—yet. They are lukewarm.

Be steadfast, unmovable. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong (I Corinthians 16:13). Stand fast in the faith. A lukewarm Christian is not standing fast in the faith. The faith of God is the faith of the Early Church saints, the power of the Holy Spirit in action in the lives of human beings. This is what the Bible is talking about: the faith that Jesus brought and the faith that the Apostles gave to the people through the Holy Spirit of God. Be steadfast in this faith. The lukewarm Christian simply is not steadfast in the faith of God.

How Do You Speak to Yourself?

Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The lukewarm Christian is not filled with the Spirit. When you are filled with the Spirit you have no room for the things of the world; you’re full of God and the Word of God, not doubt and frustration. You’re feasting on God, looking to God, spending time with Him. You are an on-fire Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit; and we find in verses 19 and 20 that you are speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Be careful how you speak to yourself, of the music you listen to. You can go against the Word of God. The Lord is very careful with His children, guiding them on the right paths so they will not fall into the pits of Satan. Fill your mind with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs and praises to the Lord. When you listen to music, you are speaking to yourself with that music, letting it talk to you. What kind of music do you listen to? Is it hymns and spiritual songs? Do you sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord? Have you hindered yourself by the things you listen to, by how you speak to yourself? Why would you listen to music that does not edify or bless? It will drag you into that lukewarm state—or worse.

Do All to the Glory of God

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:13). Are you wearing the whole armor of God? If not, you are unprotected, a candidate for lukewarmness. The hour is too late to not be giving all to God. Wear the whole armor, girding the loins with truth; put on the breast plate of righteousness; shod the feet with the Gospel; hold tightly the shield of faith; wear the helmet of salvation, and use the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Do you have it all? Are you really on fire for God? Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31). Make sure that you can glorify God in all things.

You are precious in His sight, and He has anointed you for this hour, anointed you to be on fire for Him. God honors and treasures the obedient children of God, but the lukewarm will be spewed into great tribulation. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves (II Corinthians 13:5).

What condition are you in? I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot…So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.