Day 01 - Smyrna, Pergamum

Gunaydin from Türkiye!

After what seemed like 40 hours of travel, we landed in the warm and welcoming country of Türkiye. Four hours of sleep and a delicious breakfast buffet later, we began the first day of our journey…

Day One brought us to the city of Izmir, or as known in the Bible, Smyrna. In the ancient world, there was a connection between Smyrna and death  - its name identical to the Greek word for the sweet-smelling spice myrrh - which was used to wrap dead bodies.  While this city was founded by fierce and fearless Amazonian women who worshipped the goddess Diana, its history is significant as it offers a better understanding why the people are urged to worship the one True God. Ruined by earthquakes and rebuilt, Smyrna serves as a beautiful picture of how even broken, we are given new life of wholeness in Christ.

Our first stop was Agora, the marketplace where people gathered to build community, sell goods, and share a bit of gossip! We learned that Smyrna was also the place where refugee Jews were welcomed as they fled from persecution.In the book of Revelation 2, John writes t o the church in Smyrna to not be afraid of the persecution they would face, but rather stand firm and remain faithful, knowing that the promise of the victor’s crown will be fulfilled.

Our second stop led us to Pergamum, known today as Bergama, and is referred to as the Throne of Satan in the book of Revelation. Here, pagans sought healing from and offered worship and sacrifices in man-made temples to pagan gods in search of healing. Revelation 2:12 continues admonishing the people of God to repent from worshipping false idols and encourages His people to remain true to His Name, because He is the ultimate sacrifice and worthy of all our worship. 

So what has He shown us today? The world will offer distractions and false hope. But the Lord commands us to stand firm, to remain faithful, to know that He is our hope, the One True God who works all things in His perfect timing, for our good and for His glory. He remains. He who is faithful fulfills His promises even today. 

şerefine, 

Rebeca