Revelation 1:9b I, John…was on the island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Patmos is a small island in the Aegean Sea, located 37 miles southwest of Miletus. The island was a political prison, a place of exile that Roman emperors used to put away dissidents. John was apparently such a one for the testimony he preached regarding the unique and supreme nature of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 1:9a I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,
Verse 8 appears to be the conclusion of John’s greeting, with verse 9 beginning the purpose of Christ’s revelation to him. Verse 4 solidified that this letter was (initially) to the seven churches of Asia. John states that he was both a brother and companion to these churches.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Verses 5 through 7 have John focusing his readership on Jesus Christ. From being the faithful witness, to the tribes of earth mourning because of Him at His triumphant return. Skipping ahead briefly to verse 9, we also find John speaking about the kingdom of Christ and his subsequent exile because of his witness regarding Jesus.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Scripture speaks of a bodily, glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ when the Second Coming occurs. Now the Second Coming should not be confused with the Rapture, which is an event that precedes it. The Rapture, which Paul refers to in 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3, is the event in which the Lord summons the living saints and the bodies of the dead saints to Him in the air for a glorious meeting.
