Echoes of the Ancient New Testament Cities: Laodicea and a Mini Arc

Matthew James Elliott

Bibleinfo.com

In the Bible, there are seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Have you ever wondered why they were the churches mentioned and how they came into existence? I know that was one of the biggest questions on my mind when I was in college earning my degree in Biblical Studies.

I was so fixated on those seven churches that I missed some important discussion about the different beliefs about the end times and had to go back and study those on my own. There was something about those churches that just seemed important. Otherwise, why would they have been mentioned? For the next few posts, I intend to dive into the history of those seven churches. First on this deeper dive is the city of Laodicea.

It may be the last church mentioned in the book of Revelation, but its history merited being one of the first three I researched for this series. Why? Well, because its history lies hand in hand with Colossae, the city I wrote about last month. Truthfully, once I knew I was going to write that article, I knew I was going to do this one too. After all, Colossae is only one of three cities that are part of the Tri-City network I talked about last month. Let's not forget Ephesus from a few months ago either.

Laodicea was a wealthy and strategically placed city. Its position along the major trade routes from the east and west meant it played a huge role in several industries. Financially, it was one of the wealthiest cities of its time. Medically, it produced several industry-moving discoveries because it was home to a thriving medical school. Commodity, the black wool industry contributed significantly to its reputation for prosperity.

When we hear about the city in Revelation 3:14-20, verses 15-16 talk about a lukewarm church. That's not just a spiritual statement; aqueducts positioned miles away from the city walls brought their water in. By the time it found its way there, it was tepid and lukewarm. Hierapolis had hot, mineral-rich springs. People knew Colossae for its cool and refreshing water. Laodicea had neither, and its water tasted horrible.

Around 60 AD, Laodicea was hit with a devastating earthquake, and not the one that destroyed Colossae approximately four years later. This is a critical event because the city was wealthy enough to rebuild itself without any assistance from Rome. Historians consider this an important historical fact. If we take another look at 3:17-18, scripture calls them out on this sentiment.

One of the more well-known passages from Revelation comes from 3:20. “Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in…” It reminds us, or at least me, that I’m a work in progress, just as much as this church was. Paul expresses his concern for the church in Laodicea when he writes to the Colossian church, and he encourages them to share his letter with the Laodiceans.

Painting of Epaphras from safequardyoursoul.com

There is also a rumored letter that was written to the church by Paul, but that has been lost. Even just the mention of Laodicea and Hierapolis in Colossians 4:13-16 means that it had value to the ministry of Paul and his companions. Scripture doesn’t actually tell us who founded the church in Laodicea, but the most historically grounded explanation is Epaphras, based on the scripture I just provided. This means that between 50 AD and 60 AD, Laodicea was an active community recognized by the early church.

When Revelation was written in the 90s AD, the city failed to meet this calling. During Domitian's reign, the city had temples dedicated to the imperial cult. Archeology confirms that builders constructed temples, which likely honored Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, and even emperor worship. This stands to show that there was a diverse group of people living in Laodicea, and echoes that lukewarm spirit mentioned in Revelation.

All of this history makes for a good story, doesn't it? It also reminds us that history is shaped by more than just the people who lived it. History can be shaped by the industries of the past as well. What are some places you have learned about that echo this?

See you in the pages, 

MJE

PS, (Next Time we get to visit two cities, Smyrna and Philadelphia)

~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which gave him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is married and has three wonderful children who bring him immense joy and inspiration. One of his favorite things to do with them is to share stories they can someday learn from. When writing a story, he aspires to minister to others with love, equip them with encouragement, and use the gift God has given him as a writer to help readers experience God in a real and meaningful way.

Find Matthew on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and even Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

If you're curious about The Hope of Inheritance or any of my books. Right now, my followers on my REAMStories Author Page are being entered into a drawing for some fun gifts. To check it out, just follow me there. You can also read Mysteries in Ephesus, Season 2 of The Ephesus Pages, while you're at it.

~~~

One Story Still Untold. Four Unlikely Authors.

Together, their Message will speak to Many.

The city of Rome was a vast and beautiful place-- on the surface. That is, until a great fire burned and destroyed most of it. Deep in a world hidden from those who would strike against them, four unlikely men work together to share a message of truth. This truth was spoken by those who were cut down because of the calling to go forth and preach. 

The message has always been clear: The hope of our inheritance is Christ living within each of us. In the echoes of persecution, sorrow, and even death, this message still reigns supreme, but will the people listen? Only time will tell, but before anything, these four men must come together and unite a church separated by fear and suffering.

Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon by Nancy J. Farrier

My husband and I just returned from a trip to New Mexico where we visited Aztec Ruins, just outside of Farmington. The Ruins were fascinating and the information was something I wanted to share with you.

Small doorways
to navigate

The name Aztec Ruins is a bit deceptive since there is no historical indication that the Aztecs came north. Instead, the person at the Ruins suggested that the Spaniards at that time traveled north and named everything Aztec—possibly because they were so impressed with the Aztecs and their culture.

So, who inhabited Aztec Ruins? The consensus is that in the late 1000s and 1200s the ancestors of the Pueblo people built and inhabited the Ruins. They were migratory and the first known place they built a home was in Chaco Canyon to the south of Aztec Ruins.

 

By Rationalobserver
Wikimedia Commons

Chaco Canyon was the home of the ancestral Pueblos from about 850 A.D. to the early 1000s. In Chaco Canyon, they built what is called Pueblo Bonito, a house that had approximately 800 rooms and 37 kivas—ceremonial chambers. It is thought to have housed around 1,000 people. There are other sites within the park that housed even more people, along with more ceremonial kivas.

Original roof/ceiling

It is thought that the Pueblos left Chaco Canyon and migrated north. Some of them ended up building the ruins in current day Aztec, New Mexico. The historic site is Aztec Ruins.

The Ruins has a great Kiva, a ceremonial structure that still has the original rooms with a reconstructed building and timber roof. The room is mostly underground and has a sacred feel to it. There are pits inside and ladders leading to upper rooms at the back of the structure. The construction is fascinating.

Great Kiva ladder leading to
back rooms and exit

Great Kiva fire pit
and floor vault

Inside wall showing
use of stones.

Throughout the Ruins the structures, whether the houses or the standing kiva, are more polished on the outside, but a little rougher on the inside. There is a use of homemade bricks interspersed with rocks, making an interesting design. Along one of the outer walls, there is a section that is made up of green rock set among the bricks. It is unknown why they did this, maybe just for a design.

One of two roofless kivas

The large kiva contained a central fire pit, two floor

Another roofless kiva

vaults, and four pillars at each corner of the sunken room. There was bench seating around the outer walls. The intricate ceiling was beautiful and there were probably places for torches to add light. It is thought that the people put sticks across the floor vaults to use as foot drums during ceremonies. There were other smaller kivas that didn't have a roof. 



The Great Kiva was excavated in 1921 by Earl Morris. In 1934 he led the crew that reconstructed parts that were missing. After finding bits of plaster from the original walls, Morris matched the reconstruction paint color and type as best he could.

Corner doorway in
upper back

One of the questions in the construction is the unusual use of corner doorways. There are two of them in Aztec Ruins. These are unique and detract from the stability of the walls. There is much debate about the reason these corner doorways were installed, but no clear indication of the reason.

North wall of ruins

There are so many fascinating aspects to the Ruins, but one of the most amazing to me was the north wall of the building. It was designed so that if you stand at the end at dawn on the summer solstice, you could watch the sun rise along the wall. Lining up the walls with the solstice was something the Pueblo people did. It also aligns with sunset of the winter solstice. I would love to be there at one of those times and see that phenomenon.

Green rock section on outer wall.

The Pueblo ancestors left Aztec Ruins by around 1300. There is no obvious reason, possibly because of drought or social factors. They traveled north where they established the Mesa Verde ruins in Southern Colorado. You can read an HHH article about Mesa Verde here.

Have you ever visited Aztec Ruins? It's a fascinating place. There is so much history and so many questions about the people who lived here. I loved the reverant feel of the place and the care that is taken to keep it intact.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

HHH May 2026 Book Day!

Books You Don't Want to Miss!

 

 

A WHOLE NEW PLAN  

by Denise M. Colby

California, 1870. Pastor William Baker built his life on steady faith and safe choices, but the arrival of Lydia Spencer upends everything. Independent and outspoken Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. Lydia is a Pinkerton detective, undercover as a schoolteacher while tracking a dangerous crime boss. She’s determined to protect her friends in Washton even if it means keeping her distance from the kind, steadfast pastor who sees too much. But when Will and Lydia are thrown together in a search for truth they find themselves fighting not only for justice, but for a future neither had planned. 

DUTCH DAWN  

by Linda Shenton Matchett  

Will they survive the 500-mile journey to freedom? Isak Westgard is only six missions short to be rotated stateside. Then the unthinkable happens, and he crashes in the occupied Netherlands where the chances of him making it back to England are slim to none. The beautiful and tough-as-nails resistance courier begs to differ and claims she hasn’t lost anyone yet. The problem is the longer they’re together, the less he wants to escape.   

 

HEART'S PROMISE 
Book Three of Heart's Desire 
by Linda Hoover 

Welcome back to Jacob and Julia's Iowa farm.

In 1893, their children are eleven and ten. When Jacob and Julia adopted Annaliese as an infant, they were told God had a special plan for her. As Annaliese grows up, she wonders if the plan will be world-changing.

Julia's old friend, Edward Harrington, comes to visit, along with his wife and son, Robbie. Their time at the farm is the beginning of a like/hate relationship and later something more between Robbie and Annaliese. When the families travel to San Francisco in 1900, a shocking revelation from Edward's wife could change everything for Annaliese.

 

 

LISSA AND THE SPY  

by Camille Elliot 

In Regency-era London, Miss Lissa Gardinier enters her second Season seeking a marriage in order to escape her mother's constant criticism. So she represses her cheeky remarks behind a quiet, innocent facade. The enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude is dismayed when a chance encounter with Miss Gardinier entangles her in his world of secrets and subterfuge. He cannot afford to be distracted by Lissa’s charming smile and unflappable demeanor. As danger stalks them and true feelings come to light, can Lissa and Jeremy navigate the labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love?

 

 

SCHOOLED IN LOVE 

by Kimberly Keagan 

Rule-breaking American heiress Beatrice Dennison discovers a rare book in her uncle’s library, and promptly enlists buttoned-up Cambridge academic Lord Henry Tisdale to help translate it. But the centuries‑old text holds more than history—it draws them into long days in the library, whispered discoveries, and a partnership neither expected.

As they work side by side, Tris and Harry must face meddling family, academic rivals, and an attraction that threatens everything they’ve built on opposite sides of the Atlantic. When the truth about the manuscript forces a choice, they must decide whether to cling to their carefully ordered lives—or risk everything for a once‑in‑a‑lifetime love.

SECRETS OF EPHESUS SERIES 

By Liisa Eyerly

The award-winning series unveils gripping historical mysteries set in the perilous world of ancient Rome. In Obedient unto Death, a scribe is murdered during an illicit Christian gathering. Sabina, a fearless believer, navigates a treacherous world of deceit and betrayal to discover the killer. In Fortunes of Death, our sleuth returns—risking everything to expose murder, magic, and corruption beneath the empire’s glittering surface.

Reviewer Deborah Anneraves: “Murder mystery—Intrigue—Love—Fellowship through Christ. This series has it all! Eyerly is wonderful! If you’re tired of boring—read this series! I love a good mystery!” Prepare to be hooked! 

 

TEXAS FORSAKEN

 by Sherry Shindelar 

Maggie Logan (Eyes-Like-Sky) lost everything when a raid tore her from her family. She adapted—marrying a Comanche and rebuilding her life. But the U.S. Cavalry destroys that life. Forced into a world she wants nothing to do with, Eyes-Like-Sky’s only hope may be an engagement to the man who killed her husband.

Plagued by guilt, Captain Garret Ramsey seeks redemption by taking responsibility for the woman he widowed and her baby. Though he is determined to do whatever it takes to protect them, is he willing to risk everything for a woman whose heart is buried in a grave?

  

TEN TEXAS TALES 

by Thomas Goodman 

FREE! A deadly train stunt. A governor's "pardon palace." A UFO crash in 1897. A town that outlawed dancing. Here are ten true tales from turn-of-the-century Texas.

THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set
Historical Romance Series 

By Mary Davis 
 

THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?

THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.

THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?

THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms. 

THE RELUCTANT HEALER OF HALIFAX 

by Terrie Todd 

(releases August 1, 2026) 

Three days ago, Pearline Campbell's family was whole and Oliver Hamilton still loved her. But upon returning to Halifax disfigured and shellshocked, Oliver ended their relationship. Then came Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Halifax harbor was leveled by a tremendous explosion. . .and Pearline fears nothing will ever be whole again. Her parents are dead, her brother is missing, and her sister refuses to speak. Pearline must fortify herself to open her home to needy orphans, including an unidentified baby. Where can she find the strength for each new day as misery grips the city?

 

 

THE SCHOOLMARM AND THE MINER 

by Denise Farnsworth 

Adelaide Duncan's dream of teaching is within reach until her father's gambling forces her to start over. She takes a position in the gold rush town of Dahlonega, where unruly students, rules against teachers courting, and her feelings for a certain widowed father threaten her hard-fought independence.

Wade Coulter walked away from the law after he lost his wife and son. Raising his daughter alone is safer than letting anyone in. But Lotty’s new teacher makes him question everything. Just as he begins to trust again, a dangerous man from Wade’s past threatens both the women he loves.

A Little History About Chocolate

                       Seeds in the pod                                                                Cocoa Tree       

                                                                             

             Chocolate is one of my favorite sweet things to eat. In the third book of my Heart’s Desire series, Heart’s Promise, my characters go to San Francisco on vacation. One of the things they experience is Ghirardelli chocolate, so I decided to take a look back at the beginnings of this treat. Cocoa beans, which are needed to make chocolate, grow in long pods on cocoa trees. The beans are small, bitter seeds. The trees require hot temperatures, high humidity, consistent rainfall and protective shade. You can find them ten to twenty degrees north and south of the equator in Central America and Central Mexico. That means I have no hope of growing a cocoa tree in my backyard in Ohio.

                                    Aztecs                                         Mayans

The articles I read took me back over 4,000 years to the Mayo-Chinchipe people, then the ancient Olmecs around 1,800 BC, who historians believe used cocoa beans to brew warm, flavored drinks. It was too bitter to drink alone. Around the 8^th century, the Mayans began using cocoa beans for money, as well as a drink. They mixed the ground beans with maize in water and added allspice and vanilla. In the 1500s AD, the Aztecs in central Mexico also put a high value on cocoa beans. The people groups seemed to believe the drink had health benefits. Some thought it was “food from the gods.” The drinks were used in religious ceremonies and as a beverage for royalty.  

In 1519, a Spanish explorer named Heran Cortes spent some time with the Aztecs. In 1528, he took the drink to Spain. It didn’t take the Spanish long to add sugar. Hot chocolate made its way to other European countries and to America. By the 1600s and 1700s, chocolate houses, similar to today’s coffee shops, sprang up as popular places for the well-to-do to meet over a cup of hot chocolate. During the Revolutionary War, wounded soldiers sipped the hot drink to warm up and get an energy boost. Thomas Jefferson predicted hot chocolate would become as famous as tea and coffee.

                                                                    

                                                                                                                      

In 1847, a company called J.S. Fry & Sons in England added extra cocoa butter to liquid chocolate, turning it solid and creating the first mass-produced chocolate bars. The Cadbury Chocolate Company is one of their biggest competitors. Over the next several decades, chocolate makers added milk powder to recipes to make milk chocolate. In 1879, Rodolph S. Lindt of Switzerland designed a machine that stirred the chocolate until it was smooth and velvety. Dozens of other companies followed his example.

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Most chocolate makers started out selling chocolate powder as a product to mix with water or milk for a beverage. Improvements made it possible to make chocolate bars and so much more. Milton Hershey established his company in 1894. James Baker of Baker’s Chocolate started his business in 1764. KraftHines owns Baker's Chocolate now, but kept James Baker's name on the baking bars.

                                                                                                       

                                                                          

Domenico Ghirardelli was born in Italy in 1817. He apprenticed with a candy and confectionary maker, spent some time in Peru, then went to Stockton, CA during the gold rush. He opened a general store selling supplies and confections to miners, then he opened another store in San Francisco. After trying to sell spices, coffee, mustard and liquor along with chocolate, he settled on mustard and chocolate only. In 1893, needing more space, he and his sons bought the Pioneer Woolen Building on San Francisco’s northern waterfront. That location became Ghirardelli Square. Today, the company is owned by Lindt and Sprungli, but we can still see Ghirardelli chocolates everywhere candy is sold. 

I hope you'll enjoy this recipe for chocolate chip cookies using Ghirardelli chips.

Ghirardelli's Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome back to Jacob and Julia's Iowa farm.

In 1893, their son Justin is eleven. and daughter Annaliese is ten. When Jacob and Julia adopted Annaliese as an infant, they were told God had a special plan for her. As Annaliese grows up, she wonders if her purpose will be world-changing.

Julia's old friend, Edward Harrington, comes to visit from England, along with his wife and son, Robbie. Their time at the farm is the beginning of a like/hate relationship and later something more between Robbie and Annaliese. When the families travel to San Francisco in 1900, a shocking revelation from Edward's wife could change everything, beginning with taking Annaliese to England. 

If this is God's plan, Annaliese is disappointed. It's nothing like she imagined, and her heart's desire is to go to veterinary college. This could mean a very different future for her.

Heart's Promise

About the Author

Linda, a retired librarian, lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. An avid reader and writer since childhood, she began her publishing career writing columns and a middle-grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. Her desire is to entertain, but more importantly, to encourage readers with God’s faithfulness.

Visit Linda at her website.    Linda Hoover Books

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