A Background

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>For The Believers In The Body Of Christ</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="For The Believers In The Body Of Christ"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id761.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Love As The Base"><U>Love As The Base</U></A>   |   <B>A Background</B>   |   <A HREF="id763.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Parallels"><U>Parallels</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id764.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stars Vs. Messengers"><U>Stars Vs. Messengers</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spiritual Food"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Spiritual Food</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Psalms, Hymns Spiritual Songs"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id147.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gospel Outreach"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Gospel Outreach</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id159.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">"About Us"</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id186.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id187.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Related Links"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Related Links</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id639.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JESUS IS LORD!"><U><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011899330000.gif" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">JESUS IS LORD!</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>A Background</I></div> <div> The Seven churches mentioned in Revelation chapters 1 - 3 are in Asia minor as shown below.  Notice how they are geographically in order as well as written in order from #1 (Ephesus) to #7 (Laodicea).</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="625fd580.gif" border=0 width="765" height="600" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> I conducted a search on the seven churches (Revelation chapters 2 and 3), located in </div> <div> Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and found that they are listed in their geographical order in what is today eastern Turkey (see map above), touching on The Aegean Sea. The island of Patmos was just off the coast.</div> <bR> <div> Beginning at Ephesus, it was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north through Smyrna, up to Pergamum, and then about another 100 miles back southeast through Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, to Laodicea, which was about 100 miles east of Ephesus. </div> <bR> <div> And so it was that the apostle John, while exiled by the Romans to the island of Patmos, was given to write Revelation - a book of The Bible that, more than any other, speaks of events coming in our time now. The Bible states very clearly that there are many wondrous and spectacular events coming upon the world.</div> <bR> <div>   I'm sorry that I have more questions than answers at this time, but what was so significant about these churches or cities as they were?  The fact that they we all grouped together so perfectly and not scattered all over the entire region is amazing in itself.  Than adding to that, they all had issues that seemingly got progressively worse from city to city, except for Philadelphia, of course.  Seeing how God worked in the past by arranging circumstances and events, it is quite clear that He purposefully arranged these 7 cities as they were to use them as an example and as a warning to us.  </div> <bR> <div>   The book of Revelation has 22 chapters in it but only the first 3 are dedicated to the Lord's speaking to the 7 churches.  To me, that means that these 3 chapters are so full of meaning and significance to us.  I feel that it is to prepare us for what is to come in the remaining 19 chapters.  Let us who have ears to hear, hear what the spirit is saying to the churches. </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id758.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Revelation 1 3"><U>Revelation 1 -3</U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>