During one of his missionary journeys St. Paul visited Ephesus in Turkey.
He stays in the city about three years (Acts 19:1-20). In Ephesus Paul discovers twelve believers who were baptized but who did'nt as yet have God's spirit. Paul baptizes them in His name and they receive God's Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7).
In looking at the letters to the 7 Churches, we see the Lord speaking directly to the 7 Churches
that existed in the Holy land at the time John lived. We also see the Lord's opinion of those Churches, and what they were doing at the time: Ephesus, Pergamon, Laodicea, Sardis, Thyatira, Smyrna, Philadelphia churches.
Turkey is called the Other Holy Land as it has more biblical sites than any other country in the Middle East. Antioch - the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians; Tarsus - where Apostle Paul was born and many others..
Biblical Scholars J.M. Bellew (1823-74) J.C. M. Bellew was a noted author, preacher, and public reader.
He was ordained in 1848 and served in several curacies in
England. In 1851 he assumed the chaplaincy of St. John's
Cathedral in Calcutta. He returned to England in 1855, and over
the next decade became noted as one of London's finest
preachers.
During this period he also published several volumes of sermons
as well as a work called "The Seven Churches of Asia Minor."
Accompanied by the illustration of Thomas Allom, this appeared
in the Art Journal in 1862. In 1868 Bellew resigned as a
clergyman and converted to Catholicism.
He then became successful as a public reader, with elocutionary
prowess comparable to that of Charles Dickens. Following two
extended reading tours in America, Bellew suffered a physical
breakdown, dying prematurely at age 51. Bellew's visit to the
Seven Churches must have occurred during his travels to or from
India.
