Did God stop Paul from going to China?

In 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter addresses his letter to the Christian sojourners (strangers/travelers) “in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.”

These are the Roman provinces that Peter was writing to, in what is modern day Turkey. (On the map below they are written in orange lettering, and Asia is below Bithynia.

“Asia”, is actually mentioned 19 times in the New Testament (not the continent of Asia, like we think of), but the Roman province.

Here are some other interesting times Asia is mentioned in the New Testament:

In Acts 16:6, Paul says “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia”.

*When I read this as a teenager many years ago, I was like why would God not allow Paul to go preach to Chinese people???? For years I wondered about that!!!

BUT, if you read ahead just 3 chapters, in Acts 19:8-10 Paul and others actually stayed there in the area for 2 years and everyone in Asia (the Roman province), heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles.

In Revelation 1:4 and 1:11, John is directed to send this letter to the 7 churches in ASIA:

“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

As you can see on the map, Ephesus is on the coast of the province of Asia (as you can see in the previous map, too), and Ephesus is actually the capital city of that region.

So no, Paul was not prohibited from preaching the good of news to “Asian” people, they were momentarily redirected, but eventually everyone in that Roman province of Asia heard the good news! (and a 30 year old Bible mystery for me has been solved!!)