1. He was a Bondservant of Jesus: We read in Revelation 1:1 - The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bondservants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated (signified) it by His angel to His bondservant John. This revelation was given to Christ’s bondservants. It is not meant for everyone. It is only for the willing bondservants of the Lord. There is a difference between a paid servant and a bondservant. A servant works for wages. But a bondservant is a slave who belongs to his master and has no rights of his own, whatsoever. Who then are the bondservants of the Lord? Those who have joyfully given up all their own plans and ambitions, and all their rights, and who now desire to do the will of God alone in every area of their lives. Only such believers are true bondservants. The Lord has many servants, but very few willing bondservants. God’s Word can be understood accurately only by His bondservants. Others may be able to study it intellectually, as one studies a textbook. But they will never be able to grasp the spiritual realities that are hidden in it. Jesus made it clear in John 7:17 that it was only through obedience to God’s will that one could know the truth.

2. He remained as a Brother till the end: In Rev.1:9 we read: “I, John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”. Here we read John calling himself “your brother”. John was at that time the only living apostle of the twelve whom Jesus had chosen. He was about 95 years old when the Lord gave him this revelation on the island of Patmos. He had walked with God for over 65 years by then. But he was still a brother. He wasn’t Pope John or Reverend John. He was not even Pastor John! He was just an ordinary brother. Jesus had taught His disciples to avoid all titles and to refer to themselves always as only brothers (Matt.23:8-11). And the apostles obeyed Him literally, unlike many today. We have only one Head and one Leader - even Christ. All the rest of us are brothers, whatever our ministry or our experience in the church may be.

3. He was in the Spirit: In Rev.1:9,10 we notice that John was “in the Spirit” and that was why he heard the voice of the Lord. We can hear that voice too - if we are in the Spirit. It all depends on where our mind is set. If our mind is set on the things of earth, then the voices that we hear will be concerning earthly things.

4. He was a Humble Brother: In Revelation 1:17 we find that John who leaned on Jesus’ breast at the last supper now falls at His feet as a dead man. John had walked with God for 65 years. He was undoubtedly the saintliest man on earth at that time. Yet he could not stand erect in the Lord’s presence. Those who know the Lord the most, reverence Him the most. Those who know Him the least, pretend to have a cheap familiarity with Him. The seraphs of heaven cover their faces before the Lord (Isa.6:2,3). Job and Isaiah saw their sinfulness and mourned when they saw the glory of God (Job 42:5,6; Isa.6:5). But “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”!! Such is the folly of the carnal believer. The more we know the Lord, the more we will fall at His feet in adoring wonder, with our mouth in the dust. Only as we see the glory of the Lord constantly, will we see our own un-Christlikeness. Only then will we stop judging others and start judging ourselves. And only then will we experience His touch of power like John experienced at Patmos.

5. He went through tribulation: In Rev.1:9 John also refers to himself as a “fellow-partaker in the tribulation which is in Jesus”. Every wholehearted disciple of Jesus should be prepared to partake in the “tribulation which is in Jesus”, as long as he is in this world. John did not get this unveiling while living in comfort. He received it, while experiencing tribulation at Patmos, because he had been faithful to “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev.1:9). He had to experience tribulation himself in order to be able to write about the saints experiencing the great tribulation from the Antichrist in the last days. God takes us through trials and tribulations first before giving us a ministry to others who are facing tribulation.

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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon