Laodicea was a prosperous city, partly because of its successful trade in black wool, and partly from its geographical location, being on the intersection of two great highways, one from Smyrna and Ephesus, heading East through Syria to Persia, and the other running from the coast at Attalia to Pergamum. The location is not a natural one, and, in particular, the supply of water always involved problems. There was the hot spa water from Hieropolis, with its high sulfur content, and cold clear water from Colossae. Both were supplied to Laodicea, and one suspects that there was domestic cross-contamination, vividly described by John as water one would "spit out of his mouth". John uses this image to accuse Laodicea of being "neither hot nor cold".

Laodicea is the seventh and last of the churches addressed directly in Revelation.

Revelation then becomes apocalyptic, and we looked at the twelve ways of interpreting such literature listed by Wikipedia.

We shall continue with early Christian letters by reading correspondance from Clement of Rome to the church in Corinth.