[CynicalBear]

>>So here's my question: do you think these seven churches of Asia were local churches in the sense of dioceses?<<

Bless your heart. Only those called by God, born from above, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit are part of the ekklesia of Christ. It includes all of those "called out" throughout history. That is the invisible ekklesia as only God knows who they all are. The local "assemblies" are members of the universal ekklesia and are the visible part of that ekklesia. Christ is the head of that ekklesia and present with them when meeting with as few as two or three. There is no single earthly organized hierarchical structure such as the Catholic Church would have you believe.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Well, bless YOUR heart. So those seven "ekklesias" of Asia in John's vision were truly "called by God, born from above, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit"?

Is that why John called them ekklesias?