John wrote down the vision which the Lord Jesus showed him. The initial recipients were seven churches in the western side of what is now Turkey. The apocalyptic (unveiling) writings later in the book are to be taken seriously because, in writing to the seven churches, the Lord Jesus revealed what He saw at that time (Revelation 2:1-3:22).

This little verse is simple in language but packed with immensely powerful cosmic drama. As with all of Revelation, the focus is on the supreme glory and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. The book reveals many other characters but the spotlight is always on Jesus. This verse is, in many ways, a summary of Revelation: Jesus will come back to finish what He has started.

John was on the island of Patmos. It was small, about 45 square km in area, one of the Dodecanese (meaning ‘12 islands’) grouped off what is now the western coast of Turkey, some 50 km west of today's Didim. It was not a holiday for John. He had been sent there as a captive to be punished for preaching the gospel and speaking about Jesus. According to Jerome, John was probably there during the last three years of the Emperor Domitian's rule, and was released when the Emperor was killed in AD96.

Revelation is John's faithful description of the words and visions Jesus gave him. Having been alerted by a trumpet-like voice, John wrote down what he saw, to send to seven churches in what is now western Turkey (Revelation 1:10-11). It sets the scene for the specific prophecies to them. The voice was behind him, so he turned around to see who was speaking.