During the first two centuries, Roman persecution of the Church was sporadic and local. John may have feared that the hostility would spread throughout the empire, but those he was addressing in the seven churches in western Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) had likely not yet been affected (Rev 1:9; 2:1–3:22). The cities of these churches had temples dedicated to emperor worship, but the emperor himself did not necessarily impose or orchestrate such worship at this point; rather, local communities