Patmos is mentioned in Revelation 1:9, where the Apostle John writes, “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Patmos is a small island in the Aegean Sea, part of modern-day Greece. It was used by the Romans as a place of exile. John was likely banished there during a period of persecution, most likely under Emperor Domitian around AD 95.
While on Patmos, John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, a prophetic vision which he was commanded to write and send to the seven churches in Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 1:11). John states that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” when he heard a loud voice like a trumpet (Revelation 1:10), marking the beginning of the vision.
The book of Revelation, given on Patmos, contains messages to the churches, scenes of heavenly worship, prophetic judgments, the final defeat of evil, and the coming of the new heaven and new earth. It is the final book of the Bible and concludes God’s written revelation.
Patmos, though a place of exile and isolation, became a place of divine revelation. It reminds believers that God’s presence is not bound by earthly circumstances and that He can reveal His purposes even in places of suffering and trial.
