Seven churches
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THE SEVEN CHURCHES<br />
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reincarnation. But this is not referring to reincarnation but to resurrection and<br />
continued judgment. Life continues and ultimately the long suffering of God the<br />
Father wins. The entire fallen beings will be redeemed and the creation itself will<br />
be redeemed from the curse of decay. This probably was the stand point of Paul<br />
as seen in Romans 8. This then validates the basic character of the Fatherhood<br />
of God and his Love. Then and then alone can the whole creation be released<br />
from the law of decay and death.<br />
1Co 15:21-26 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of<br />
the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in<br />
his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then<br />
comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every<br />
rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies<br />
under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.<br />
Rom 8:19-23 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of<br />
God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who<br />
subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay<br />
and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation<br />
has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we<br />
ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as<br />
sons, the redemption of our bodies.<br />
THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA THROUGH CENTURIES<br />
A bishop from Smyrna attended the council at Nicea.<br />
In the 5c. Bishop Protherius, was present in the synod at Chalcedon.<br />
Bishop Aethericus, assisted at three synods in this century, at Constantinople,<br />
Ephesus, and Chalcedon.<br />
In the 6c there was a bishop of Smyrna in the fifth synod held at Rome and<br />
Constantinople: and even in the "eighth" century, one Antony, a monk, supplied<br />
the place of the bishop of Smyrna in the Nicene synod.<br />
The Turks have in this place now thirteen mosques, the Jews two synagogues, and of the<br />
Christians there are two <strong>churches</strong> belonging to the Greeks, and one to the Armenians .