Revelation 3:16 Means "Yuck."

by Rev. Joda Collins

For most people, Revelation 3:16 is a difficult verse to understand. 

Revelation 3:16," So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

Some believe this verse means Christians will be kept out of heaven if they are not hot (on fire) for Jesus 24/7 in this life, or denied salvation if said Christians are not on fire for Jesus at the time of the Rapture (or some variation between these two extremes).   The problems with those conclusions are, at least, two-fold. First, heaven nor salvation is ever associated with or symbolized by the mouth of Jesus (or God).  Second, according to the verse Jesus will not spit cold Christians from his mouth. Even if the mouth of God (Jesus) is representative of heaven or salvation it makes no sense that on-fire (seriously devoted) Christians and stone-cold (grossly insincere) Christians are saved and/or enter the mouth of God (heaven) but lukewarm Christians are denied entrance or residence in the mouth of God; that is, salvation and/or heaven. So, let's get rid of this view.

Let's follow elementary Bible analysis Step 1, Class 101.  Take everything in the Bible as literally as you can as long as it does not strain godly logic or violate basic Bible truth.  Or, put another way, everything in the Bible is literal unless there is a good reason to make it otherwise.  Much of the Bible is both literal and symbolic, but this concept is beyond the scope of this article because it is beyond the scope of Revelation 13:6.  Revelation 13:6 is not symbolism but euphemism.  

Most people like chocolate.  We like chocolate candy bars and we like chocolate powder or liquid in hot or cold milk.  Most people do not like room temperature water or milk mixed with chocolate. As a matter of taste, most people would probably spit out a mouth full of room temperature chocolate milk because it is distasteful. To be enjoyed, hot chocolate needs to be hot and a cold chocolate drink needs to be cold. So, "...because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" simply means if a Christian is insincere in his or her walk with Christ and pleased to be far from what he or she ought to be in Christ's power, said Christian's demeanor and life is unacceptable (distasteful) to God.  Being spit out has nothing to do with the mouth of God representing heaven or salvation.  The verse has nothing to do with a Christian being thrown into hell.  Revelation 3:16 is just a euphemism for "Yuck." 

Rev. Joda Collins

I make no claim that anyone else agrees with me.

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