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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 .

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