Vision of the Son of Man
I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
The above portion of Revelation gives us insight into the writer of the book, the reason for the book and the recipients of the book.
1. The writer: John does not refer to himself as an Apostle. He could have. But, instead of appealing to them from a hierarchal manner, he rather relates to them on a person matter. He, as the 90-year old author, was one of them. He, like them, had suffered and had to patiently endure (literally “remain under”) the sufferings his audience had and did suffer. He was banished to Patmos, an island for political foes of Rome. John, as a believer and preacher of Jesus’ kingdom, did not follow the party line of civil obedience to Rome’s rule. Caesar was a god. John was banished to this cold, hard life because he didn’t worship Caesar. Patmos would have been a hard life for anyone, much less someone of John’s age.
2. The purpose of the book. John was worshipping in the Spirit on a Sunday and heard a loud voice speaking to him. Later we will learn this is Jesus. Jesus wants him to write a letter to the seven churches of Asia. John’s purpose is to be the writer. Throughout the book we read of him simply seeing and writing. Unlike the New Testament books, John is literally simply writing what he sees and hears. It is not less inspired, but The Revelation of Jesus Christ, is just that. John’s purpose is to write what Jesus tells Him to write. These are the words of Jesus.
3. The recipients. These seven churches were churches in the main seven cities of Asia. They were actually the main “postal” cities. They were the places information was sent. The order given to us in the book is the order you would go if you started with the first one, Ephesus, and went clockwise around Asia, delivering the mail. Jesus is sending a letter to the churches in these seven cities and it would be distributed to the main information hubs of Asia. Jesus was writing to them as any King would write to his kingdom. John was to write to distribute the later in the most logical manner for the day.
When Jesus communicated to the churches he took one of the most admired men of the church (one of the oldest, if not the oldest) and put him in the worst conditions to write one of the greatest manifestos of God’s plan(s). When Jesus wishes to communicate to us He doesn’t worry about the challenges of the day, but He does fit within them. This book is a marvelous message for the churches. Yet, Jesus uses the methods and strategies of any leader of the day. We should rejoice that Jesus communicates this message to us. We should rejoice that He uses a man and a method that keeps in fitting with the lay of the land. God chooses to communicate to us in a way we understand. John would be the one who saw the vision(s). We would simply get the letter.
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