Your tour will begin at the Velvet Castle where you can view all of the city of Smyrna, as mentioned in the Bible, as well as Izmir Bay. The church in Smyrna had experienced great pressure from the Jewish authorities; it is here that people claiming to be Jews, were not Jews and who was called the synagogue of Satan. Today, no archaeological evidence of such a synagogue exists. It had closed its doors to Christians and its leaders were inciting the Roman authorities to persecute the church. The Jews later had a similar role in the martyrdom of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna

Today, we will visit two of the Seven Churches of Revelation. A most memorable experience will be Pergamum, with its Acropolis and the steepest Theater. Pergamum is described in Revelation as “the seat of the throne of Satan” in reference to the altar of Zeus, where we pause for reflection on the fulfilment of Scripture. Nearby, we will visit the Red Basilica, once a pagan temple; it was later converted into a Christian church. Thyatira was an ancient commercial centre which was located in the fertile valley where the trade route passed. One of the town’s cloth and dye merchants was a woman named Lydia, who conducted business as far away as Philippi. She became the first European convert to Christianity in Philippi, during Paul’s second missionary journey.

The church in Pergamum existed in the place where Satan had his throne. This reference probably does not refer to the altar of Zeus that sat atop the thousand-foot acropolis that towers over the lower city. Rather it refers to the city as the seat of the provincial koinon, or assembly, whose leader was also the chief priest, “the beast out of the earth,” of the imperial cult—the first cult temple in Anatolia. The Roman governor of Asia, Fabius, exercised the power of life and death - the “right of the sword” (ius gladii) - in his province, and the imperial cult temple housed a white stone stele inscribed with a decree issued by Fabius around 9 BC. Jesus stated that He held even higher authority with his sharp, double-edged sword. One church leader named Antipas had already been martyred in the city; Antipas is the only person named in the Book of Revelation as a martyr.

It was decreed that Augustus’ birthday be made an official holiday in Asia as well as mark the beginning of the municipal new year. The birth of Caesar Augustus was called the beginning of life and breath), and his birthday was declared the beginning of good news for the world. The emperors made the same claims to the deity as Jesus Christ! Pergamum was an ancient Kingdom dated back to 323 BC. This Hellenistic city was the centrE of culture, commerce and medicine with its philosophers, scientists and artists like Galen (131-210 AD). Other points of interest in Pergamum include the Asclepion, the ancient hospital, the Acropolis, the Church at the site of Serapium (the Red Court dedicated to St. John). After lunch, we will visit Akhisar, the modern city built on the ancient site of Thyatira, where we will see the ruins of the 5th Century A.D. Basilica dedicated to the name St. John.

Our first stop of the day is Sardis. Here, sights include the Gymnasium, the Sardis Synagogue, and the Temple of Artemis. At Sardis, your thoughts will turn to the Old Testament period following the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It was at this time when the phrase “rich as Croesus” originated. Croesus was the king of Lydia from 560-546 BC, and Sardis, his capital, was situated on the Sart Çayi (the Pactole River). Gold was discovered in the Pactole River at Sardis and it was here that coinage, as we know it, began; the first coins were minted in Sardis. Cyrus and the Persians defeated and captured Croesus for all his wealth, and made Sardis the administrative centrE for the western part of their empire. The fabled “Royal Road” connected Sardis with the Persian cities to the East. Sardis was the hardest hit of the twelve cities destroyed in the earthquake in 17 AD. Emperor Tiberius, according to the Annals of the historian Tacitus, gave much relief towards its rebuilding.

Your visit to Sardis will include the gymnasium and the ancient Jewish synagogue. You will visit the Temple of Artemis, while studying in the light of prophetic Scripture. The church in Sardis had become dead in spite of its reputation. The city’s acropolis had fallen twice before because Sardis had fallen asleep and let down her guard. Cyrus defeated Croesus in 546 BC, and the Cretan general Lagoras captured it for Antiochus the Great in 218 BC. Greek cities maintained a list of citizens in a public register. When someone committed a criminal action and was condemned, that person lost his/her citizenship and their name was erased from the register.

The believers who persevered would never be blotted from the eternal book of life. Sardis was noted as a textile centre, producing wool to make the ‘himation’, the most common outer garment for men and women in the Greco-Roman world. Since the colour white in the Book of Revelation always denotes purity and worthiness, it was only appropriate that White garments would be a suitable reward for the victors. After visiting the sights in Sardis, we will drive to Philadelphia, where we will have lunch and continue our tour.

The church in Philadelphia stood at an important junction of the imperial post road that ran from Rome through Troas, Pergamum, and Sardis, on through to Tarsus and eastward. As a result. They had an open door through which to share the gospel. Here, too, sits another synagogue of Satan that opposed the believers. Although no archaeological evidence for a synagogue has been found, a 3rd-century AD inscription was found 10 miles east of the city mentioning a “synagogue of the Hebrews.” Philadelphia was located in an earthquake-prone region called the Catacecaumene. Both Sardis and Philadelphia were devastated by earthquakes in 17 AD.

In the morning, our first stop is Hierapolis. From the East to the West there was a street having shops that lined up as every ancient city. The Basilica (dated back to the 6th Century AD), the temple of Apollo, the well-preserved theatre that can cater 14,000 spectators at a time, and the carved figures on the interior door must be seen in Hierapolis. Next, we will see the Necropolis where over 1200 cemeteries were excavated is another important site of Hierapolis. Because of the healthy water of Pamukkale, this city once was called a Sacred city. Now it’s time to have lunch and rest a bit. After lunch, we’ll continue to Laodicea.

A commercial city situated on the trade routes, will take you back to the first century; the two theatres, the Church of St. John, and the other ruins await your visit. The city was established in the 3rd century BC and the King of Syria Antiochus the Second, Theos, gave the name of his wife to the city. Laodicea, unfortunately, displays very limited history; however, its mention in the Book of Revelation makes its a must-see! The church in Laodicea was closely related to its sister church in Colossae and Hierapolis, and its spiritual condition was lukewarm - neither hot nor cold. Six miles north of the city were the thermal springs (not drinkable) at Hierapolis, whose white calcareous cliffs were visible in the distance. To obtain drinking water, the Romans built an aqueduct that ran five miles south to an abundant spring (now in Denizli). The cool spring water would become lukewarm as it passed through the aqueducts into the city.

The city was strategically located for trade and commerce and became a leading banking centre. It had accepted aid from Rome following earlier earthquakes. However, after the earthquake in 60 AD that devastated many Asian cities, only Laodicea, because of its wealth, refused to accept Roman financial assistance. This attitude of material self-satisfaction, “I am rich,” had seemingly entered the church as well. The church’s spiritual blindness was ironic because a famous salve for treating eye disease was produced by the medical school in Laodicea. The exhortation to buy white garments to cover their shameful nakedness is another example of irony, or the believers were living in a city where the Romans had established textile factories to manufacture clothing from the famous black wool of the region.

Laodicea was a “throne city” because a citizen, named Zeno, became king of Cilicia in 39 BC. and of Pontus in 36 BC; his family continued to rule in some measure in Anatolia over the next century. The Zenoid family figures prominently on the coinage of Laodicea. Once again the victors were promised that they would sit with Jesus on his heavenly throne. After the tour, we will depart for Kuşadasi, an impressive summer resort, for check-in at the luxurious hotels in the region and an elegant dinner buffet.

Although the church in Ephesus was commended for its hard work and perseverance, it encountered much spiritual opposition from the temple of Artemis as well as from the 14 or more other Greek deities that were worshipped. Today, you will visit one of the greatest archaeological sites as well as one of the Seven Churches. Ephesus, home to the Third Ecumenical Council, and the Church of St. John (where St. Paul preached), and currently under excavation, will capture your awe and imagination as you browse the marble-paved streets of ancient times. The city of Ephesus, once the commercial Centre of the ancient world, was dedicated to the goddess Artemis; her enormous temple was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The State Agora, the Heracletes Gate, Curates Street (named for the college of priests located here), the well-preserved two-story Celcus The city became part of the Roman Empire in the second century BC. As a Roman capital of Asia Minor, Ephesus boasted a population approaching 250,000 people. The Apostle Paul’s visit to Ephesus, during his second missionary journey, is where he preached to the Ephesians for a period of two-and-a-half years. Luke’s account of the worship of Diana appears in Acts 19:34-35. The Great Theater mentioned in Acts 19:29-31 could seat 25,000 people. You will walk the marble-paved street with grooves made by chariot wheels, in addition to seeing the Fountain of Trojan, the Library of Celcus and the Great Theater; you will also visit the Chapel of the Virgin Mary (Double Church), where the Third Ancient Council convened, and you will enjoy St. John’s Basilica (built on the site of the Apostle John’s tomb) and ponder the remains of the Temple of Diana.

Such external and internal conflict had caused the church to lose its first love of Christ and his saints. The site of Ephesus had moved three times during its early history. Unless the church repented, Jesus threatened to move its lampstand from its place of prominence among the Asian churches. (It does not mean Jesus would do away with the church.) The victorious Christians in Ephesus were promised to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. Paradise was the name for the Garden of Eden in the Greek Old Testament. Outside Ephesus was the grove Ortygia which was thought to be the traditional birthplace of Artemis. The sacred grove called paradises still drew pilgrims in the first century. The Christians were thus promised an eternal paradise far superior to that possessed by their pagan counterparts.

After Ephesus, we will depart for a special Turkish lunch, followed by a visit to an authentic Carpet Village where you will have the opportunity to view the local craftspeople create gorgeous authentic Turkish Carpets before your very eyes! You will be amazed as you see the process used for dying the threads and the creativity involved as you watch the carpet weavers work with their specially dyed Cotton and silk threads. You will soon learn why carpet weaving is an art and why each carpet exudes energy all its own.

This very special tour will now peak at the Virgin Mary’s House, recognized by the Catholic Church as the last residence of the Virgin Mary after Christ’s death, and visited by Pope Paul VI, Pope Jean-Paul, and Pope Benedict XVI; the tranquil grounds, as well the Special energy experienced inside the church, are sure to be one of the major highlights of your day. The Virgin Mary’s house, which is considered a pilgrimage site for Catholics, gives you the opportunity to drink holy water from the sacred spring located on its holy grounds; the water from the sacred spring is believed by many to possess special healing powers where many have proclaimed a cure for many serious ailments. Tears will surely fill your eyes as you see the crutches and other items left by those who experienced what is believed to be a miraculous healing.