We stopped at Aizanoi on the drive back to our home in Konya. This ancient city sits in and around the present-day town of Çavdarhisar, and walking through both the archaeological area and the town was part of the appeal for us. The bridge, the Temple of Zeus and the stonework scattered among the houses made the detour memorable. Our quick take: Go for the remarkably preserved temple and the pleasure of finding ancient remains throughout a living town. Allow time to walk beyond the temple. Check current opening hours, admission and access before you travel; our notes describe what we saw on our visit. Where is Aizanoi? Aizanoi is at modern Çavdarhisar in western Turkey. Here is the location of Aizanoi on Google Maps . We visited while travelling back toward Konya . If you are making a similar road trip, check the route and site access before setting out. 1. Walk across the old bridge The bridge over the Penkalas River was one of the first things that caught our attention. I liked...

Thyatira is our last visit to the seven congregations of Revelation. I want to show you some amazing parallels between what is written in the Bible about Thyatira and the artifacts that come from this city. First I will show you a connection between the message to the Christians in Thyatira from the Bible book of Revelation. I will also show you evidence of the deep connection between the Bible character of Lydia and this city. Let’s start. “I will refine you like copper.” Revelation 2:18: To the angel of the congregation in Thyatira write: These are the things that the Son of God says, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine copper. New World Translation – Study Bible Jesus used metaphors that people could relate to. Thyatira is no exception. Thyatira was a center for manufacuring. This is revealed in the coins minted in Thyatira. For example, they reveal that it had many trade guilds such as tanners, leather workers, linen workers and coppersmiths. I...

We visited ancient Pergamum, often called Pergamon, during our road trip to the cities named in Revelation. The archaeological sites are around modern Bergama in western Turkey. The acropolis, its steep theatre and the remains of several temples gave us plenty to explore; we also visited places beyond the hilltop site. Revelation 2:12, 13 refers to Pergamum as the place “where the throne of Satan is.” We wondered what that meant as we walked among the ruins. The verse does not identify a particular building, so the discussion below offers possibilities rather than a definite identification. Our visit to ancient Pergamum. The altar of Zeus and the acropolis One well-known interpretation connects the expression in Revelation with the altar of Zeus. On the hilltop, we could see its prominent position and the remains of its base. The scale and setting explain why this structure draws attention, but its appearance alone cannot tell us what Jesus meant. The site of the Zeus altar when w...

Sardis is our next stop on our road trip through Turkey to see the seven congregations of Revelation. Just like on our visit to Philadelphia , we again see some really interesting connections between what we see in Sardis and what Jesus writes to the congregation in the book of Revelation. When addressing the seven congregations in Revelation, Jesus used language and metaphors that the residents could relate to. So in this post I want to share three things that will make more sense to you when reading Jesus’ words to this congregation. You can connect them with things that you see in or around the city. But first, let’s see the text from the New World Translation. In bold are the connections we will make:  1. “To the angel of the congregation in Sarʹdis write: These are the things that he says who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead.   3. Therefore, continue mindful o...

Ancient Philadelphia is within modern Alaşehir in western Turkey. We stopped here while visiting the cities named in Revelation. The excavated area is small, but three details stayed with us: its layers of inscriptions, the setting of the message to Philadelphia, and the surrounding vineyard country. Here are our photographs and the location we used. Where are the ruins of Philadelphia? Find the ruins in Alaşehir on Google Maps . Most of the ancient city lies beneath the modern one, so the visible remains occupy only a small area. The map below shows Philadelphia among other cities associated with the congregations mentioned in Revelation. Philadelphia in relation to nearby ancient cities. The excavated area we walked through in Alaşehir. We spent about 20 minutes at the ruins themselves. That is how long our visit took, rather than a suggested time for everyone. We saw stonework and inscriptions from different periods, though there were few explanations on site when we visited in 2...

The ancient city of Laodicea confirms exactly what the book of Revelation says about it. I would like to show you three interesting finds that you can see in Laodicea today that confirm what the Bible says about it. The city is well excavated and is on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey as of 2013 * . The ancient city has a church that was built sometime after 300 AD and is one of the earliest known churches in the world. Where is Laodicea? Laodicea is in Turkey, not far from the modern day city of Denizli. During the first century, it was located in the province of Phyrgia . It’s exact location on Google maps is here . Three Interesting Finds in Laodicea First, here is the passage we use as our guide. ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or else hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold , I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, “ I am rich and have acquired riches and do not ...