3. JOHN'S TO WRITE Revelation 1:9-11 9 I John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus,--This is the third time that John has named himself in this book. The words "your brother" mean that he belonged to the same divine family as those to whom he was to write---God's house or family in the church. (1 Timothy 3:15.) By "partaker" he meant that he was sharing in common with them both the joys and sorrows incident to being a member of God's family. Jesus had taught that persecutions and tribulations would come. (Matthew 13:21.) John's banishment on Patmos was evidence that he was then enduring tribulation. The persecution that sent him there was no doubt felt by the churches in Asia, and the main reason for writing them was to encourage them to faithfulness in spite of their persecutions. And, incidentally, also to encourage the saints of all time to overcome trials. As he was then in tribulation, he was also in the kingdom. The words "tribulation" and "kingdom" are in the same grammatical relation. If in one, then in both. No doubt about his being in the tribulation; then none about being in the kingdom. This again fixes the existence of the kingdom then as beyond question. It was the joy of being in the kingdom that made them endure the tribulation with patience. All these were "in Jesus"--were successful through the means he had provided to meet tribulation. The word kingdom in some passages means the final state or heaven. (Acts 14:22; Ephesians 5:5; 2 Timothy 4:18; 2 Peter 1:11.) But here John means the present kingdom, for in verse 6 he declared that Christ "made us to be a kingdom." was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.--Patmos is a rocky island in the Aegean Sea not far from the west coast of Asia Minor. It is about ten miles long by five or six wide. The only explanation of his being on that island is that it was "for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." The commonly accepted view is that he was there in exile because of his fidelity in preaching Christ. It is also supposed that he was banished to this lonely place by Domitian who reigned A.D. 81-96. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet--"Was in the Spirit" means he came to be in the Spirit; was in a kind of spiritual ecstasy and exalted under the Spirit's influence till he could understand the visions presented and accurately repeat them. The word translated "Lord's" occurs only one other time in the New Testament-1 Corinthians 11:20 --where it describes the supper of the Lord. Evidently it refers to something about Jesus. As he arose on the first day of the week, and the Lord's Supper is observed on that day (Acts 20:7), it is most natural to say John meant the first day of the week by the expression "Lord's day." Several writers in the centuries following the apostolic day say it was the first day of the week. Evidently it was so well understood then that no explanation was needed. The voice he heard is called "a great voice, as of a trumpet." This means that it rang loud and clear like the sounding of a trumpet. Such a voice would command instant attention and impress the necessity of obedience to what it said. 11 saying, What thou seest, write in a book and send it unto the seven churches:--In these words John received his commission to record what he saw. The verb "seest" is present tense, which often means a continuous action. The meaning then would be what you see now and what will con-tinue to be revealed to you. This view is required by the nine-teenth verse; the things to be recorded are extended to the future. In the remainder of verse 11 the churches are named. Any necessary description will he given in the comments on the letters sent to them.