I am John, a follower together with all of you. We suffer because Jesus is our king, but he gives us the strength to endure. I was sent to Patmos Island, because I had preached God's message and had told about Jesus. On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and behind me I heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet. The voice said, “Write in a book what you see. Then send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. There with the lampstands was someone who seemed to be the Son of Man. He was wearing a robe that reached down to his feet, and a gold cloth was wrapped around his chest. His head and his hair were white as wool or snow, and his eyes looked like flames of fire. His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace, and his voice sounded like the roar of a waterfall. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword was coming from his mouth. His face was shining as bright as the sun at noon.
Revelation 1:9-16
The Apostle John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos because he had preached God's message and told about Jesus. While he was suffering the Spirit took control of him and John saw Jesus and heard the message which is now the Book of Revelation.
If you are a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and you are suffering then look for Jesus and listen for His voice. The greatest revelation of Jesus can come when you are suffering the most. As the early martyr Stephen was dying he saw Heaven open up before him. When the pain is greatest look for the Horizon of Heaven and let your mind and heart be filled with visions of what is beyond.
There is no new Book of Revelation to be written today, but there is much for you to see while you suffer for Jesus. Let the Words of Scripture sound like a trumpet in your ears as you feel the pain allotted to you.
I don't believe John would have had the revelation that became the Book of Revelation if he had been on Patmos for a Summer holiday. It was in and because of his suffering that he was able to see what Jesus wanted to show him.
"Lord, I know that the pain I feel today makes me ready to hear from You and see the Horizon of Heaven as I have never seen it before. Show me what you want me to see and speak Your Words to my heart that I may not waste the sorrow that is heavy on me today. May You be praised forever. Amen."
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