What Does It Mean in Rev 3:16 Where the Lord Talks About Spewing Out of His Mouth?
1) Direct Answer
It means the Lord rejects the lukewarm church condition and removes it from being His mouthpiece. He will not speak through, endorse, or own that mixed, complacent state. He casts it out of His fellowship as a body, while still calling individuals to repent and overcome.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- “Because thou art lukewarm… I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). Lukewarm is neither hot (on fire of the Spirit) nor cold (openly unbelieving), but a safe, self-satisfied mixture.
- He describes them as saying, “I am rich… and have need of nothing,” yet He says they are “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
- He counsels, “buy of me gold tried in the fire… white raiment… and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve” (Revelation 3:18)—true faith, His righteousness, and spiritual sight.
- He stands outside, knocking: “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). The system is rejected, but individuals are invited.
- Overcomers are promised to sit with Him in His throne (Revelation 3:21).
The “mouth” in Scripture is the place of His Word and confession (Revelation 1:16; 2:16; Jeremiah 1:9; Romans 10:9-10). Being in His “mouth” pictures being the instrument He uses to speak and testify.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- The church is to be His Body on earth; the “mouth” is the part that speaks His Word.
- When a church becomes lukewarm—mixing truth with worldliness, boasting in wealth and programs while lacking the fire of the Spirit—He cannot let that represent Him. Like lukewarm water, it is nauseating, so He spews it out—He separates from it.
- Yet He loves and rebukes: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (Revelation 3:19). Those who hear His voice and open to Him personally will dine with Him now and reign with Him as overcomers.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, He rejects the lukewarm system, but He is calling out a people who will be hot with His life, clothed in His righteousness, and fit to speak His Word. Be zealous, repent, and let Him back inside.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Revelation, Chapter 4b Twenty-Four Elders
61-0101 §103
And when He said, "Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ," He didn't mean "Father, Son, Holy Ghost." He meant just what He said. When He said, "You must be born again," He didn't say "You ought to be." He said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." He never said, "Maybe they will." He says what He means! He's God and He can't take it back. He knows what's perfect, so He makes it that way. And that's the way He intends it to be, and you have to come up to that. Not Him come down to your idea; y...
Seals 8: The Sixth Seal
63-0323 §101
Now, we know the fire, in the 19th chapter, of the coming of Christ, proceeded a sword from his mouth, which was the Word. Is that right?---the Word. Oh, if you'll get this material now for that seal tomorrow night. The Word is the thing that God slays his enemy by. Now, look here. When these prophets are prophesying, if any man mistreats them, harms them, fire proceeds from their mouth---Holy Ghost fire, the Word. The Word is God. The Word is fire. The Word is the Spirit, see. "Proceeds from their mouth."
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 2:E-57
6. The Two-edged Sword. "And out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword." In Hebrews 4:12, "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Out of His mouth went the sharp two-edged sword which is the WORD OF GOD. Revelation 19:11-16, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful an...
Revelation, Chapter 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §88
Oh, my! We can stay a week on that. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Let's draw something right here now, just a minute. I got something I want to draw. Now, why don't we take that right there where we are.) Now, if we'll notice, here's a great picture. Now, here is the holy of holies. All right. Here is the holy place. And here is the... First, before coming there, is the sea. All right, now notice. How do we approach God? "Faith cometh by hearing," hearing the Word of God that's being reflected from the holiest of ho...
Revelation, Chapter 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §83
How do we come? We've got to come, this Gentile church, to this Word---sea of glass, water, water of the Word. Is that right? Recognize the Word the way it's written. Then the sacrifice is received and filled with the Holy Ghost from the inside, shining through, the light of that age. From this... Here it comes out of the holy place into here, out of the star into here. Get it? Notice now at the end of this age, John, when he saw the sea of brass there, it was clear as crystal. What was it? The Word had been taken...