Many of these cities (in modern-day Greece or Turkey) have been destroyed (Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colosse). Modern cities have been built by some of their ruins but there are no Christian church buildings in existence (though there may be a few Christians living in some of these cities). Even the famed “Seven Cities of Asia Minor” in Revelation chapters 2 & 3 were destroyed except for Laodicea which is now the modern city of Denizli, Turkey. The Islam religion dominates in that city and in nearly all the other cities. The only exception may be in Thessalonica where there are Christians.

Why did this happen? We have an answer given to us in the addresses to “the seven churches which are in Asia” (see Revelation 1:11 with chapters 2 and 3). We see the Lord having to censure believers in 5 of these 7 churches for declining spiritual conditions that had come in over the course of time. In the first address (to Ephesus) the Lord Jesus said, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; REPENT and do the first works, OR ELSE I WILL come to you quickly and REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND FROM IT PLACES—unless you REPENT” (2:5). He also told those in the church at Pergamos to REPENT (2:16) as well as Thyatira (2:21), Sardis (3:3), and Laodicea (3:19). The answer to your question then is: These churches DID NOT REPENT and in time their “lampstand was removed.” The “lampstand” refers to their “testimony” to their fellow-citizens, for believers are supposed to be a “light” to those in “spiritual darkness.” We see this truth in Matthew 5:14-16 where Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, and IT GIVES LIGHT TO ALL WHO ARE IN THE HOUSE. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” When they were no longer a “LIGHT to those in their community” their purpose for having a Christian church was gone and God caused them to disappear.

Why wasn’t their faith passed on to the next generations? When believers cease to “live by faith” and “let their light shine,” they can’t expect their children and grandchildren to come to faith in Christ. Our local church fellowship just finished a Bible study with other believers on the book of Nahum. Nahum starts out with the words, “The burden against Nineveh.” A “burden” speaks of a “judgment” which was coming upon the city of Nineveh for their wickedness and God would destroy the city. What struck us was the fact that 150 years before Nahum gave this prophecy, the city of Nineveh had heard a similar message of judgment by the prophet Jonah and we read in Jonah 3:1, “So the people of Nineveh BELIEVED GOD, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, FROM THE GREATEST TO THE LEAST OF THEM.” In other words, every inhabitant of this very large city REPENTED. And because they “believed God and repented” we read in verse 10, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” We can surely assume that the grace of God that saved them was proclaimed far and wide through the nation of Assyria. We can also assume those who were saved were happy to “pass on this good news of salvation to their children and grandchildren who were born to them.” But in time, hearts were no longer touched by this message of God’s grace and with each succeeding generation they became harder and more wicked, and eventually they were so wicked that God raised up Nahum to announce their coming judgment. I believe we learn from this that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) and just as the “LIGHT of God’s grace” became dimmer in the seven cities in Asia until the lampstand was removed, the “LIGHT of God’s grace” was snuffed out in Nineveh and the city was destroyed. May God’s grace be so precious to us that our “light doesn’t go out.” If it does, future generations may hear the gospel from us, but they will become “gospel hardened” by not seeing the truth lived out in our lives.  (DO)  (675.5)