Prophecy in the Spotlight, October 19, 2026

Prophecy in the Spotlight with Dan Goodwin

Laodicean Christianity Part Two: The "Un-" and "Self-" Words of a Lukewarm Church

Dan Goodwin and co-host Charles Hiltibidal continue their study of Revelation's Laodicean church, working through two parallel word lists, hyphenated "un-" words and "self-" words, that they say describe today's lukewarm, self-centered Christianity.

Picking Up Laodicean Christianity, Part Two Dan Goodwin opens Prophecy in the Spotlight by telling viewers this episode continues last week's study of Laodicean Christianity, the final church of Revelation chapter three. He reviews the passage, verses fourteen through eighteen, where Christ tells the angel of the Laodiceans that He knows their works, that they are neither cold nor hot, and that because they are lukewarm He will spew them out of His mouth. Goodwin reads the church's own words, "I am rich, and increased with goods," and calls it a description that fits modern believers who have too much stuff to even consider the mission field. He and co-host Charles Hiltibidal, called Doc, joke about the storage shed industry, with Goodwin recalling a man from decades ago who was told buying a storage facility business guaranteed income for life because everyone has more belongings than space. Goodwin notes Revelation chapter four opens with a door opened in heaven, which the two read as the rapture, insisting the church age clock is ticking down toward the end.

The List of Un- Words Returns Hiltibidal explains that months of research produced a list of hyphenated "un-" words describing today's lukewarm believers, beginning with unattached, people connected to no accountable membership, and unaccountable, since many reject the authority God placed in a pastor as under-shepherd. Goodwin ties accountability to Hebrews thirteen, where believers are told to submit to those who watch for their souls and must give an account, distinguishing it from Romans thirteen's command to submit to government. The two move through unreliable, unconcerned, unfaithful and unwilling, Goodwin lamenting that the biblical cry "here am I, Lord, send me" seems absent from today's missionaries, though Hiltibidal defends that most missionaries his own church supports remain solid in doctrine. They continue through unchurched, uncommitted, and unscriptural, which Hiltibidal ties to confusion over which Bible translation to trust, recalling a podcaster who favors the ESV and has quoted three different Bibles in one message, creating, Goodwin says, a dangerous situation where the listener decides which Bible is right.

Accountability, Authority, and the Under-Shepherd The conversation turns to church governance, with Hiltibidal warning that the greater danger facing the modern church is not outside opposition but a creeping Laodiceanism among believers themselves. He criticizes congregations that strip denominational names from their signs to seem generic and that replace a single pastor with a leadership team, insisting that even Paul and Barnabas worked as a team under clear order, God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, down to the under-shepherd. Goodwin agrees that the buck does not stop with a deacon board, noting that even board-run churches usually have one man whose vote everyone watches, making him the real authority, sometimes above the pastor himself. Hiltibidal says he finds this grieving to watch, comparing his reaction to Christ being sick at His stomach over the Laodiceans. Goodwin adds that many pastors have simply given up their authority because the culture pressures them to measure success by numbers and money rather than faithfulness to scripture, so they stop fighting and drift from hot into lukewarm.

From Un- Words to Self- Words Hiltibidal reveals that his "un-" word list grew out of a parallel list of "self-" words describing the same lukewarm believers, beginning with self-centred and self-orientated, which Goodwin links to a selfie generatio