seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I had always assumed that John was a captive on Patmos. Neither the Roman Government nor the corrupted Jewish leaders could have John running around willy nilly saying Jesus was the Messiah and proved it by vanishing from the borrowed grave. That may not be the case.
This is from the easy English site.
The writer of Revelation describes himself just as ‘John’. Some people ask who this might be. The usual view is that he is John the apostle. He is the son of Zebedee and brother of James. Probably he lived longer than the other apostles. He was a leader of the church at Ephesus. The authorities had put him in prison on the island called Patmos. He had relations with the 7 churches in Asia. He knew the Christians in these churches.
Verse 9 John says, ‘I was on the island called Patmos’. This means ‘I came to be on the island called Patmos’. He would probably be there for the rest of his life. He was there because of the word of God. He had been a brave preacher. He was also there for the witness to Jesus. He had been faithful in preaching God’s message. He had been faithful about the truth about Jesus. He suffered for his faith. The authorities would see him as a poor Christian preacher. They would make him do very hard and heavy work.
Verse 9 John says, ‘I was on the island called Patmos’. This means ‘I came to be on the island called Patmos’. He would probably be there for the rest of his life. He was there because of the word of God. He had been a brave preacher. He was also there for the witness to Jesus. He had been faithful in preaching God’s message. He had been faithful about the truth about Jesus. He suffered for his faith. The authorities would see him as a poor Christian preacher. They would make him do very hard and heavy work.
This is a different look at John's time on Patmos. It's from enduringword.com.
For the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ: Most scholars assume that John was on Patmos because he was arrested and imprisoned in persecution from the Romans. This is probably the case, especially because John said that he is your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. However, it is also possible that John was on Patmos as a missionary to the prisoners there.
The ancient Christian historian Eusebius says John was imprisoned at Patmos under the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. (Church History, III.18, 20 – from the Nicean and Post Nicean Fathers Series 2, Volume 1, pages 148-149)
“According to Victorinus, John, though aged, was forced to labor in the mines located at Patmos. Early sources also indicated that about A.D. 96, at Domitian’s death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus when the Emperor Nerva was in power.” (Walvoord)
“According to Victorinus, John, though aged, was forced to labor in the mines located at Patmos. Early sources also indicated that about A.D. 96, at Domitian’s death, John was allowed to return to Ephesus when the Emperor Nerva was in power.” (Walvoord)
I got this from GodVine.
It is commonly supposed that John was banished to this island by Domitian, about 94 a.d. No place could have been selected for banishment which would accord better with such a design than this. Lonely, desolate, barren, uninhabited, seldom visited, it had all the requisites which could be desired for a place of punishment; and banishment to that place would accomplish all that a persecutor could wish in silencing an apostle, without putting him to death. It was no uncommon thing, in ancient times, to banish people from their country; either sending them forth at large, or specifying some particular place to which they were to go. The whole narrative leads us to suppose that this place was designated as that to which John was to be sent. Banishment to an island was a common mode of punishment; and there was a distinction made by this act in favor of those who were thus banished. The more base, low, and vile of criminals were commonly condemned to work in the mines; the more decent and respectable were banished to some lonely island.
My guess is.... Jesus has a mission. John is part of that mission. John's time on Patmos.... well I figure John's on Patmos and Jesus has a chore for John to complete. I'm sure John is spreading the Gospel no matter where he is. I sure they could have stuck him in a hole and he would have still found a way to get the Gospel out. If my friend was the Son of God..I mean if I knew Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.... in real life... reach out and hug me real.... you can bet I'd be telling His story.
