“John had a message for the people in his day. But they became tired of hearing of Jesus, and of the character which, in order to be saved, they must perfect through Him, so they tried to kill the faithful messenger. This plan being thwarted, they banished him to the lonely, rocky island of Patmos. They thought that by separating him from his fellow men, they would silence his testimony, and that he would live out the remainder of his life in mournful solitude. But God was with the lonely exile, and opened to his view the glories of heaven, and the things that ‘must shortly come to pass’ (Revelation 1:1).” The Review and Herald, January 19, 1905.
“Patmos was made resplendent with the glory of a risen Saviour.” The Youth’s Instructor, April 5, 1900.
“It was the Source of all mercy and pardon, peace and grace, the self-existent, eternal, unchangeable One, who visited His exiled servant on the isle that is called Patmos.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 955.
“And on that lonely isle he received more communications from heaven than he had received during the rest of his lifetime.” The Review and Herald, July 26, 1906.
When we study John’s prophecy in the book of Revelation, we find that we are living in the time of the judging of the people—in the time of the last church (“Laodicea” means judging of the people).
We are warned that the entire world will be given over to lawlessness and false worship, except for a small remnant of the world’s population. This remnant will be keeping the commandments of God and will have the same faith or religion that Jesus had. Then Revelation tells us that, as the end of the world draws near, the entire world will be enraged and at war with this small remnant and attempt to blot them from existence. We are assured that God will respond to this universal persecution of His people by sending on this world seven final plagues which will culminate in the end the world as we know it and the second coming of Jesus which will bring everlasting life to the righteous and everlasting death to the lawless.
We will all at the end be found on one side or the other. The wicked will claim to be righteous and God’s children, but the question is, does your life, does my life prove that my profession is true or false?