<p>3:17 <em>For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing- </em>The implication was that they believed some kind of false prosperity Gospel, reasoning that their wealth was a result of their spirituality and God blessing them for it. Hence the next half of the verse insists that contrary to what they are think, they are in fact deeply unspiritual. This verse is a powerful argument against the prosperity Gospel, for apparent material blessing is portrayed here as <em>not</em> the reward for spirituality but the fruit of unspirituality. The language of saying to themselves that they were rich and &quot;have prospered&quot; is exactly that of the rich fool (Lk. 12:21). So we can safely assume that &quot;you say...&quot; refers to what they, like him, said to themselves within their hearts. And these words of the heart are what we are judged by. But the same Greek word used here is used of how those who accepted 'Babylon' were made rich and prospered because of her (18:3,15,19). And Babylon is presented in Jeremiah as considering she needed nothing Whatever 'Babylon' referred to in the Laodicean context, these apparent Christians had materially benefitted from connection with her- be it the synagogue system, the pagan trade guilds or the Roman Caesar cult. And there may well come a latter day wave of prosperity- for those who associate with latter day Babylon. But for Christians, it will cost them their eternity.</p><p><em>Not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked</em>- They perhaps considered that their material wealth must reflect their spiritual wealth. They were unaware that spiritually they were poverty-stricken and naked, needing to develop the riches of faith and clothing of righteousness. It seems to follow that their feeling of being spiritually rich and needing nothing was fuelled by being &quot;increased with goods&quot; - as if the material prosperity of the very last days will lead some to interpret this as God's blessing upon them, and a sure sign of their acceptability.&nbsp;&ldquo;I am rich...&quot; is alluding to Hos. 12:8, where Israel's wealth was associated with a feeling that they were therefore without sin: &quot;Ephraim said, I am rich... in all my labours they shall find no iniquity in me that is sin&quot;. This encourages us again to think that the first recipients of these letters were Jewish converts. Likewise, the description of them as wealthy but naked is taken straight out of Ez. 16:7 about natural Israel; suggesting that it is Jewish converts who are being written to here.</p><p>They were unlike Paul, who lamented &quot;O wretched man that I am&quot; (Rom. 7:24 s.w.), throwing himself upon the Lord Jesus in total faith in His grace. The Greek for &quot;miserable&quot; is found only in 1 Cor. 15:9, where apostate Christians considered that they had &quot;hope in Christ&quot; only in this life, and were therefore considered by the Spirit to be &quot;miserable&quot;. For them, their level of association with Christianity gave them some psychological benefits in this life, but the wonder of sin forgiven and certain eternity ahead had not dawned upon them. They refused to accept that they were &quot;poor in spirit&quot; and could, upon that recognition, have sure hope for the future Kingdom (Mt. 5:3 s.w.). They refused to see themselves in the man born blind from birth of John 9, who is set up as representative of us all; they would not recognize that they were totally naked before the eyes of the Lord Jesus (Heb. 4:13). From these references we see that wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked all refer to what we all naturally are; by refusing to see themselves as such, the Lord's work and provision for them was not seen as necessary.</p><p>The unfaithful now walk naked, in the Lord's eyes; but they will do so in the final condemnation of Rev. 16:15. They can walk naked <em>now </em>and repent, clothe themselves so as to cover the nakedness of condemnation which they now have; but not then.</p>