Revelation 1:9 – 11 “I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance that are in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus. On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
Stuck on a bare rocky island in the middle of the sea! Not exactly the retirement plan most of us would consider! Sitting outside that cave half – way up the mountain on Patmos, all John could see was the sea, the rocks, and the blinding sunlight. The Emperor Domitian exiled John to this remote prison island because John was preaching Jesus Christ while Domitian wanted everyone to worship him. As the Roman Empire continued to crumble from the inside, the emperors became increasingly insistent on total submission to their every whim. Given those circumstances, it’s quite likely that John had plenty of Christian company on Patmos. But isolation also has advantages. For one thing, if John wanted to preach to his fellow prisoners and even to the guards, it’s likely that people were happy to listen just to break up the monotony. John truly had a captive audience. We will never know this side of heaven how many guards and prisoners on Patmos became believers through John’s witness.
As a faithful believer, John continued to worship regularly by himself. It was while John was worshiping that God sent him the vision that became the Book of Revelation.
“On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit…” When we worship the Lord, great things happen! That morning, John began praying as he usually did, possibly by praying, “Blessed art Thou, O King of the Universe…” and suddenly, the Holy Spirit empowered John and he realized that he was truly in the Presence of the King of the Universe!
“I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” How do we know the Voice of God? Many times, the Holy Spirit speaks very softly, so softly that we must strain to hear. But God had instituted the use of trumpets in the temple as far back as the time of Moses. In Numbers 10:2 God commanded Moses to make two trumpets of hammered silver. These trumpets were used for worship, for alarms, and for giving instructions when the Israelites were traveling. Now God is making a whole series of critically important announcements, so it makes sense that He would use a voice like a trumpet.
Why was John commanded to write what he was about to see? God wanted to make sure that John knew he was to share this vision with the churches. Visions are sacred and not to be shared indiscriminately. Sharing something at the wrong time or to the wrong audience may bring all kinds of confusion and misunderstanding.
What is the significance of the churches listed? All those churches were in the Roman province of Asia and they were located roughly in a circle. In addition, each of these cities was also a Roman postal district, making widespread distribution of these writings relatively easy. Some other Bible teachers also feel that the number of seven churches has spiritual significance. In many parts of the Bible, the number seven is regarded as the number of perfection or completeness. These seven churches might have been chosen to represent churches in every place and in every age. Personally, I think all of these theories are accurate. God is the Ultimate Multitasker and He is always doing far more than we can possibly imagine or think.
Very few of us may ever have the kind of experience that John had. Many of us might not WANT that kind of experience; after all, if God asks you to write something down, what if you make a mistake??? But we can praise God that John was faithful and carried out instructions.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are always speaking to your people. Thank you that you don’t play favorites and that you will reveal your Will to anyone who sincerely asks. Help all who read this devotional to learn how to hear your voice, even when you are speaking softly. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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