It is believed that all of the apostles other than John were martyred for Christ. They were given a great responsibility in the early church, and great authority, delegated to them by the Lord. But this made them obvious targets of persecution. While John kept his life, he was exiled to the small island of Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:9), off the western coast of Asia Minor. This is where he wrote the book of Revelation, which is dated either prior to the destruction of Jerusalem (69 AD) or late in the first century during the reign of Domitian (96 AD). If the latter date is accepted, this makes John a very old man at the time of writing.
The book, as indicated by the text, is a record of visions he received while “in the Spirit.” The “Lord’s Day” in the text probably refers to the first day of the week, when Christian worship is offered (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
He was instructed by the Lord (described in verses 12-20), to write and share with the Asian churches the things he saw and heard.
