Bible Tuesday - Revelation Part 2

I, John, with you all the way in the trial and the Kingdom and the passion of patience in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of God’s Word, the witness of Jesus.
Revelation 1:9

The book of Revelation was probably written around the year 95AD.  I have no intention of arguing this date with anyone because I honestly don't care.  I'm only using a date at all to talk a bit about John.  John was the youngest disciple of Jesus.  I really believe John was in his late teens or early twenties when Jesus called him.  Assuming all these dates are anywhere near accurate, that gives us the book of Revelation written by John when he is in his eighties. 

Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”
John 21:20-23

'The disciple Jesus loved' in this passage is John.  This passage is also written by John so you can really see he has all the humbleness you might expect from a young man.  I'm highlighting these verses because I wonder how often John thought about this conversation throughout his life.  You see John's life wasn't exactly easy after Jesus' death and resurrection.  John watched all of the other disciples (including his brother) be martyred for the cause of Christ.  Maybe his faith was so strong that he never experienced fear but that seems almost impossible, doesn't it?  Toward the end of his life, John was sentenced by the emperor Domitian to be boiled to death.  They brought John out into the arena, dunked him into boiling oil and guess what?  HE DIDN'T DIE!!!  Don't you think John, at that point, thought that perhaps he was going to live until Jesus returned? 

Try to remember these things as we read on.  John is exiled on the island of Patmos.  This is not a tiki bar, sapphire blue water, coconut cream pie kind of island either.  Patmos is little more than a giant. craggy rock in the Aegean Sea at the time of John's exile.  John is on this island alone.  He is old. He has been boiled alive.  All his friends and family are dead.  Lots of them John watched as they were martyred.  Honestly, if anyone was deserving of a pity party, it was our boy John.   

But John is not sitting on this lonely island feeling sorry for himself. 

John is planning a worship service.