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 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §29
Gracious heavenly Father, we are so fond of Your holy Word till our hearts just burn within us, when we know that Your Spirit comes down in the midst of us and there speaks to us, and our hearts reach out and take ahold of it. And we just seem to feel so good over it, Lord. And to know that in this dark hour where there's so much confusion... Like the prophet said, "In the last days there would come a famine (something to this order), not for bread and for water, but for the hearing of the true Word of God; and men...
The Spoken Word is the original seed
62-0318 §190
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60-1204E §119
And a sword went out of his mouth. What was He? The white horse rider of Revelation. Notice the sword. Out of his mouth goes a sharp two-edged sword, the Word. And finally, by his Word, when it's made manifest to all the sons of God, He'll tramp every nation down with his Word by this sharp sword. Look here what happened as we get it: ...in his right hand...: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. A sharp two-edged sword. What was going from...
The Spoken Word is the original seed
62-0318 §271
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Revelation, Chapter 4b Twenty-Four Elders
61-0101 §32
Now, when these disciples had said, "Oh, Jesus said, 'This man wouldn't die,'" Jesus never said that. Jesus said, "What is it to you if he lives till I come?" But to see the disciples making a saying of it, then Jesus reached down and took John and brought him up and let him rehearse the whole thing, seen the rehearsal of the coming of the Lord. John seen the Church. He seen the end of the church age. He saw the end of the Jews. He saw the second coming. He saw all the order. And look what God had to do: boil him i...