Revelation 1:9

John now addressed directly the seven churches to which he sent this epistolary prophecy. He described himself to his readers as their brother in Christ and a partaker with them in three things. These were, first, the religious persecution they were presently experiencing as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. This is a reference to the general tribulations that all Christians experience (cf. Matthew 20:22-23; John 16:33; Acts 12:2; Acts 14:22; Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Timothy 3:12), not to the Tribulation yet future (cf. Revelation 2:22; Revelation 7:14). Second, they shared in the present and future kingdom of Jesus Christ (cf. ch. 20; Luke 12:32; Luke 22:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; James 2:5). Third, they were persevering as they remained steadfast in the midst of affliction.

"This illustrates the broad spectrum of other areas, besides afflictions, that are shared by believers, but fellowship in suffering is one of the most frequent, if not the most frequent, among the stock of primitive Christian ideas. This is an indispensable element of Christian discipleship and following the example of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:6; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Peter 4:13; cf. also 2 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 5:1)." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p. 85.]

John was on Patmos as a result of his witness, not primarily to receive this revelation from God (cf. Revelation 6:9). [Note: Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 4:553.] According to the writings of several early church fathers (i.e., Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Victorinus), the Romans sent John as a prisoner from Ephesus, where he pastored, to the island of Patmos in A.D. 95. [Note: See Beckwith, pp. 434-35; Smith, p. 49; Walvoord, p. 41; et al.] There he worked in the mines (quarries). Patmos stood in the Aegean Sea just southwest of Ephesus. It was 10 miles long and six miles wide at its widest (northern) end, and it served as a penal colony for political prisoners of Rome. John remained there until shortly after the Emperor Domitian died in A.D. 96. Domitian’s successor, Nerva, allowed John to return to Ephesus. [Note: Johnson, p. 424. See Appendix 1, "Roman Emperors in New Testament Times," at the end of these notes.]