Laodicea is a beautiful location in Asia Minor. Nearby are the great ruins of the cities of Colosse and Hierapolis, known for their springs?hot at Hierapolis and cold at Colosse. To the church at Laodicea, in between the two, John wrote these words: ?I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm?neither hot nor cold?I am about to spit you out of my mouth? (Rev. 3:15?16). What was it about the believers in Laodicea that led John to address them with those words?to portray their unfaithfulness in terms of hot and cold water? Could it be that there?s more to the meaning of hot water and cold water than what meets the eye when we first read that verse? An understanding of the geography, and particularly the water sources, of these neighboring cities gives us a new understanding of what this message may have meant to the church of Laodicea and what it means for Christians today.

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