The Seven Churches of REVELATION
Izmir = Smyrna ( Who knew?! )
I first heard God speaking to me about Turkey a month after I landed in Africa. When an update came in from an Asian friend who is “working” in the region, I received simple instructions to tithe a portion of all received funds here.
Months passed before I had any thoughts of actually visiting. After all, God had me on assignment in the smallest country in Africa. As that journey came to a close, however, I heard God speaking to me about Turkey. Really?
Gobble, Gobble
There were little signs at first, like the Turkish mug that I was repeatedly given when ordering tea at my favorite German bakery. Once, the Turkish football team was actually playing on the big screen while I sipped my Çay (Turkish word for tea, pronounced Chai) from this Turkish mug.
I’m a big fan of asking God for confirmation when I think I hear Him speaking.
Sometimes I’m dense, so I give my King full permission to make the call on my life as blatantly obvious as necessary. After all, He once used a flood to wash an entire bridge away for me just so I’d know—beyond any shadow of a doubt—that He is real. If He can send rain to demolish a cement structure in Texas and have a reporter capture it on video so that it shows on the nightly news in Michigan (after I asked God for a sign when crossing over said bridge just days before leaving the state), I figure He has no problem making Himself clear.
So, when enough signs were seemingly pointing to Turkey, I asked God to confirm to me if I was supposed to go there. The mug in the German cafe was from Antalya, a beautiful beach town on the Mediterranean sea. I’d love to visit, but I’m only going if You confirm exactly WHERE in Turkey You want me to go.
I prayed with two separate prayer groups on a Friday evening. “Abba, if you’re calling me to Turkey, please confirm WHERE I am supposed to go!”
Confirmation from an Ambassador
The next morning after we prayed, I received a phone call from the Gambian Ambassador. Because of how I was introduced to Basamba, I know this to be a God connection. (I owe you an update from my travels in Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau explaining how I met the Ambassador.) Basamba and I have since been working together on a few international projects focused around “Agriculture and Education”.
On this Saturday morning, Basamba had a direct question for me. He cut to the chase. “If we get this tree deal with the Turkish government, I’m going to need to fly you to Izmir. Are you available to fly to Izmir?”
Izmir? Yes.
It was in this way that God “called me to Izmir”. I reached out to a few friends in the region and asked about Izmir. Hannah laughed. Really? Izmir?
Hannah (and a few cohorts) have apparently been stewarding dreams and visions for years. Moreover, they’ve received prophecy related to those dreams about working directly with the Turkish government in Izmir on an olive tree project! Amazing.
God is so good…
There’s more!
If this was how it ended, it would have been amazing enough.
Many of you know that I’ve had an odd obsession with the book of Revelation over the last few years. Quite literally, when I have any spare time or if I cannot sleep, I’ll read Revelation out loud or listen to the audio in various translations.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I must have known that the seven churches were in Turkey, or thereabouts. I surprised myself.
Honestly, despite having read through the scripture about the seven churches hundreds—if not thousands—of times, I’ve never actually investigated the present-day location of these ancient cities. At least not in depth.
You guessed it!
I flew into Izmir, the exact place one would go it touring the seven churches in Turkey! Ephesus (modern day Efes) is less than an hour from Izmir, and the other Churches are dotted around the surrounding provinces.
During my first week, I stayed with a worker from Colorado who has been living in Izmir for eight years. This history buff and amateur scholar quickly informed me that Izmir is Smyrna!
IZMIR IS SMYRNA!
Revelation 2 & 3 speak about the seven churches:
Ephesus = Efes (Revelation 2:1–7)
Smyrna = Izmir (Revelation 2:8–11)
Pergamos = Bergamum (Revelation 2:12–17)
Thyatira = (Revelation 2:18–29)
Sardis = (Revelation 3:1–6)
Philadelphia = (Revelation 3:7–13)
Laodicea = (Revelation 3:14–22)
Connecting DOTs from a previous journey…
On March 20, 2023, I was in the King of Kings prayer room in Jerusalem, Israel.
As our two hour worship set came to a close, the director of the prayer room gave me a prophetic word that unlocked a word I released in the Spirit. Every time I hear this audio recording from that night, I get chills. These are not my words! I am simply the vessel being used, and I believe we will see the complete fulfillment of this prophecy.
It was only in worship this week that I realized how significant Izmir is regarding that word. God sent me to an EXACT LOCATION. He sent me to Smyrna (Izmir)!
The letter to the Church in Smyrna is Revelation 2:8-11. The word released in Israel the year prior was focused on Revelation 2:10.
I am speechless.
Is it possible that prophecy is real?
Does God still speak today?
I’m interested in hearing what you think.
Why do you believe what you believe?
I pray that the testimonies from my adventures will bless you and encourage you in your own faith walk. If you find the AL3XAND3R blog encouraging, please share with friends.
I’m Gr8ful.
Yes! God still speaks, most of the time we just aren’t taking the time to listen. Or we expect Him to speak one specific way and are blinded to the many other ( and often times very creative) ways He is speaking.
The confirmations and signs in your story are amazing and give me even more hope for God to confirm more of the direction and prophesies in my own life.
How amazing, my brother! I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures—I know God has a plan for you there.