Background Information:  The book of Revelation was written by Apostle John, who authored the Gospel of John, and John I, II, and III.  He was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and known as the disciple whom Jesus loved.  During the time of the Apostles’ ministry, the early Christians were gravely persecuted by the Roman government.  As the last surviving Apostle, John strove to abolish paganism and fortify the faith of the seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Anatolia, Turkey):  Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicean.

Towards the end of his ministry, Roman Emperor Domitian (81AD – 96AD), successor of Nero, came to power.  Domitian was the splitting image of Nero in his extreme, diabolical persecution of the Christians. In 95AD John was summoned to Rome and was found guilty of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Domitian viewed John as a rebel of Roman ordinance, and ordered him to be thrust into boiling water.  Miraculously, John walked away unscathed because of the Lord’s protection. When Domitian saw that John had suffered not one burn, he ordered him to be exiled to a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, called the Isle of Patmos.

To the Romans, the Isle of Patmos was a place of banishment for criminals; but for Christians this small island represents a banner of faith and hope, inasmuch as it is the place where the Apostle John received and wrote the Apocalypse, called The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Continue reading