What did John see on the Isle of Patmos?

It is altogether fitting that the Bible should conclude with the Book of Revelation. History had a beginning, and the Scriptures are clear that history is going to have an end. According to the Book of Genesis, God spoke the first word; and according to the Revelation, God is going to speak the last word.

The first book of the Bible would not be complete if it were not for the last book. Genesis tells about the commencement of the heavens and earth; Revelation tells about the consummation of the heavens and earth. Genesis tells about the entrance of sin and the curse; Revelation tells about the end of sin and the curse.

Genesis tells about the tree of life and how man was driven from it; Revelation tells about the tree of life and how man is invited back to it. In Genesis, sorrow begins; in Revelation, sorrow is banished. The Revelation is a fitting conclusion to the whole account of redemption.

The word “Revelation” comes from the Latin translation of the Greek word “apocalypse”—which simply means “to unveil.” The Book of Revelation is not a puzzle book, but an unveiling. It is the unveiling of a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, as He brings human history to a close here on the earth.

The Book is not a Revelation of the four horsemen, nor of the woman clothed with the sun, nor of the fall of Babylon, nor of the new Jerusalem. The last book of the Bible is a revelation of Jesus Christ.

John's Revelation on the Isle of Patmos is a profound and captivating account of spiritual enlightenment. As John found himself exiled on the remote island, he experienced a series of divine revelations that would shape the course of history.

John, the apostle, had a remarkable experience on the Island of Patmos. Around AD 95, he was exiled there by Emperor Domitian for preaching about Jesus and proclaiming His resurrection from the dead. Despite the island’s volcanic, treeless, and rocky terrain, John received divine visions that would later become the basis for the Book of Revelation. Imagine this: isolated on Patmos, John found himself in the company of millions of angels and other celestial beings, far from the loneliness one might expect.

On the Lord’s Day ( The Sabbath), while in the Spirit, he heard a loud voice like a trumpet instructing him to write down what he saw and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea . It’s a captivating account of spiritual enlightenment that continues to shape the course of history.

In New Testament times, Patmos was a destination for criminals and political prisoners. Convicts were allowed relative freedom to roam the small island, but most had to provide their own food and shelter and were guarded by Roman soldiers against leaving. Many died of exposure, violent attacks by other convicts, or starvation. Tradition holds that John’s friends and followers in Ephesus sent food and other supplies to John on the island, and that is how he survived.

Patmos is significant because of its relative insignificance. Patmos is another example of the way God “chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29). Patmos had nothing in itself that would draw the attention of the Lord, except that His servant John was there (Revelation 1:10). Though Patmos was but a dot in the ocean, God saw John there and entrusted him with important prophecies. John was exiled by the world, but he was not forsaken by God.

The psalmist asks, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” and then he answers, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7–10).

Nothing and no one is too insignificant for God to use. If Jesus was with John, a prisoner on the tiny island of Patmos, He is with us wherever we are and whatever circumstances we are in. Even on Patmos, there is hope. Wherever we are, there is hope, and we can worship and serve God in spite of our circumstances (Psalm 54:6; 50:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

John's vision of the Son of Man.

John's vision of the Son of Man, also known as John’s Vision of Christ, is a vision described in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9–20) in which the author, identified as John, sees a person he describes as one "like the Son of Man" (verse 13). The Son of Man is portrayed in this vision as having a robe with a golden sash, white hair like wool , eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze and a voice like rushing waters. He holds seven stars in his right hand and has a double-edged sword coming out of his mouth. The vision is interpreted by Christians as the only identifiable physical description of Jesus in any form in the Christian biblical canon.

John of Patmos, the author of the Book of Revelation, wrote how on the Lord's Day he was "in the Spirit", and heard a loud voice "like a trumpet" (Revelation 1:10). When he turned around, he saw this Son of Man figure. In Revelation 1:18, the figure identifies himself as "the First and the Last", who "was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever", a reference to the resurrection of Jesus.

Some of the language used in Revelation 1 is also used in Revelation 19 to describe the Rider on the White Horse. In both places, he has a sword coming out of his mouth (1:16 and 19:15) and has "eyes like blazing fire" (1:14 and 19:12). The sword proceeding from Jesus’ mouth describes the counterintuitive way God's messiah conquers: by the word of God.

The Son of Man is portrayed as walking (2:1) among seven lampstands, which represent the seven churches of Asia (1:20). In Revelation 1:11, he says, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches". Chapters 2 and 3 report the content of the letters written to the angels of the seven churches. Throughout the letters he is identified in terms of the vision, such as "him who has the sharp, double-edged sword" (Revelation 2:12).

There is a striking resemblance between John's and Daniel's visions of a son of man. In John's vision the Son of Man has white hair like wool , a sword, and lampstands. In Daniel's vision the Son of Man has a body resembling tarshish, which Rabbi Rashi explains – quoting Tractate Hullin 9lb – as the man being as large as the Tarshish Sea in Africa.

John tells us in Revelation 1:20 that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20)

In the New Testament, the Greek word for angels (aggelos) is not only used for heavenly angels, but also used for human messengers , such as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27).

Merrill Unger is of the opinion that human messengers is the meaning of the stars . In commenting on this verse, C. I. Scofield states: "The natural explanation of the "messengers" [angels] is that they were men sent by the seven churches to ascertain the state of the aged apostle ... but they figure any who bear God's messages to a church."

Several New Testament scholars believe that the angels are not human messengers. Isbon Beckwith says they represent the churches "ideal conception of its immanent spirit". Henry Barclay Swete refers to the angels as the "prevailing spirit" of the church.

One aspect of the vision is the portrayal of Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand. Such a motif is also found on coins of the Emperor Domitian. Sometime between 77 and 81, Domitian's infant son died . He was subsequently deified, and is portrayed on coins of Domitian, with seven stars. Ernest Janzen argues that the globe on which the infant stands represents world dominion and power, while the stars indicate his divine nature; he is depicted as "the son of (a) god" and "conqueror of the world."

Although Domitian's son cannot be said to be holding the stars, some scholars have drawn parallels between the numismatic and biblical evidences. Frederick Murphy notes that "Revelation's image of Jesus with seven stars in his hand may be an allusion to that coin and an implicit critique of it .

It is not the Roman imperial family that has cosmic significance, but Jesus."

Austin Farrer, on the other hand, takes them to be the seven classical planets, and interprets the vision as representing Christ's lordship over time.

The Plan of the Book (Revelation 1:19).

The key to a correct understanding of the Book of Revelation lies in verse 19 of chapter one. It tells us that there’s a past and a present and a future all described in this Book.

Verse 19 speaks of things past—”the things which thou hast seen.” This is a reference to what we have just seen (the vision of Jesus Christ as given in chapter one of the Revelation).

Verse 19 speaks also of things present—”the things which are.” This, we believe, is a reference to the condition of the seven churches as we have them described in chapters two and three of the Revelation. We have in these churches a set of conditions which depict the course of the church during the present age.

Verse 19 also speaks of things future—”the things which shall be hereafter.” This is a reference to the things which will take place at the close of the age. It includes the coming of Christ, the Great Tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal state.

The Revelation is a Book for a troubled age. When the darkness deepens and the powers of evil seem to have the upper hand, the Revelation assures us that God will ultimately triumph, that the saints are going to be blessed, and that sin is going to be judged.

We don’t understand all that the Revelation teaches, but we can be sure of several things that it definitely does teach. It teaches that God is in control of history. It teaches that the end of the age is going to be preceded by a time of unusual suffering and of much evil.

It teaches that a glorious kingdom awaits the saints. For the children of God, the best is yet to be! Surely all believing Christians can agree to the above statements. May the Holy Spirit be our teacher as we seek to learn more in the days that may be ahead.