Did John really write Revelation while on Patmos? Maybe not.

[DJT_47]

Read closely Rev 1:9

9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Note the word highlighted, "was", that it's past tense. Why past tense and not present tense? If John were writing while yet on Patmos, "was" would not have been used, but rather 'am'. This leads me to believe it was written sometime after his exile had ended, consistent with Rev 10:11 wherein he's told he must again prophesy (below).

Rev 10:11

11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

He’s just giving a description of what happened when he began seeing and hearing the visions

“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,( location ) for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.( reason ) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, ( more detail ) and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:9-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

it’s like he’s telling a story and setting up the scene I was standing at the front door , on Monday evening I was wearing a blue jacket …..and I heard a voice

hes describing the scene before his vision started

 

[DJT_47]

He’s just giving a description of what happened when he began seeing and hearing the visions

“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,( location ) for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.( reason ) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, ( more detail ) and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:9-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

it’s like he’s telling a story and setting up the scene I was standing at the front door , on Monday evening I was wearing a blue jacket …..and I heard a voice

hes describing the scene before his vision started

I'm simply following the words and their meaning relative to where he is abd what the common thought is on this, which doesn't add up in my view. Looks straight forward to me.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Note the word highlighted, "was", that it's past tense.

Had John said "I was residing in Patmos at the time " it would have been present tense. So you are mistaken.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

I'm simply following the words and their meaning relative to where he is abd what the common thought is on this, which doesn't add up in my view. Looks straight forward to me.

If you wanted to tell me where you were when something important happened to you …..how else could you say it but “ I was at this location …when this happened ?”

i can’t think of any other way to say it but I had just responded to your post with what I think about it

 

[rrcn]

I believe the message would be the same regardless of his geographic location.

 

[PaulThomson]

Read closely Rev 1:9

9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Note the word highlighted, "was", that it's past tense. Why past tense and not present tense? If John were writing while yet on Patmos, "was" would not have been used, but rather 'am'. This leads me to believe it was written sometime after his exile had ended, consistent with Rev 10:11 wherein he's told he must again prophesy (below).

Rev 10:11

11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Do you think John was writing as he was watching the visions (I John am in the Spirit in exile on Patmos, on the Lord's day) ; or after he had watched the visions (I John was in the Spirit in exile on the isle of Patmos on the Lord's day)?

 

[DJT_47]

Had John said "I was residing in Patmos at the time " it would have been present tense. So you are mistaken.

If John was in/on the isle of Patmos at the very time he was writing Revelation it makes no sense that he would refer to the very time he was writing the document, in past tense. That makes no sense. If you are doing something, regardless of what it is, at that very time you're doing it, it is the present and would be referred to accordingly: am, not was. Was infers it has already happened and is in the past.

 

[Burn1986]

Read closely Rev 1:9

9I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Note the word highlighted, "was", that it's past tense. Why past tense and not present tense? If John were writing while yet on Patmos, "was" would not have been used, but rather 'am'. This leads me to believe it was written sometime after his exile had ended, consistent with Rev 10:11 wherein he's told he must again prophesy (below).

Rev 10:11

11And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Hmm, maybe so

 

[Pilgrimshope]

I believe the message would be the same regardless of his geographic location.

Sure but he chose to explain and describe where he was and when it was and then what happened

 

[DJT_47]

Sure but he chose to explain and describe where he was and when it was and then what happened

You can't say 'was' doing something when you're actually doing it in real time; you're actually doing it. That makes no sense. If he was writing a letter in real time, in that letter he can't refer to the real time event as was doing it. He IS not WAS; so in the case of Rev, John, when writing it referred to it as WAS, meaning it wasn't real time, but that it had already happened and was in the past. Otherwise he would have used a different term other than "was" i.e. AM. I am on Patmos, not I was on Patmos.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

You can't say 'was' doing something when you're actually doing it in real time; you're actually doing it. That makes no sense. If he was writing a letter in real time, in that letter he can't refer to the real time event as was doing it. He IS not WAS; so in the case of Rev, John, when writing it referred to it as WAS, meaning it wasn't real time, but that it had already happened and was in the past. Otherwise he would have used a different term other than "was" i.e. AM. I am on Patmos, not I was on Patmos.

…. It wasnt a live stream lol but an eye witness account of what happened and where it happened and why it happened

the bi ke doesn’t say where John was when he actually wrote down what he saw it’s really a question that has no answer the bi me never says John was at this place when he took his pen out

at he book of revelation is clearly setting the scene in the stert “ I was on Patmos , on the lords day in the spirit , and I heard a voice ….I turned and saw ….

its basic reading . The question of where John ms feet were standing when he put pen to parchment has no answer that can be verified or proven

 

[ResidentAlien]

There are a couple of problems I can see with this theory: 1) He wrote down the visions as he saw them; and 2) It seems clear he was on Patmos when he received the visions. Otherwise, why would he even mention Patmos at all?

 

[DJT_47]

There are a couple of problems I can see with this theory: 1) He wrote down the visions as he saw them; and 2) It seems clear he was on Patmos when he received the visions. Otherwise, why would he even mention Patmos at all?

Yes, he WAS on Patmos and recorded the VISIONS as he saw them and as was told to do, but the complete Revelation scripture is not just the visions.

 

[ResidentAlien]

Yes, he WAS on Patmos and recorded the VISIONS as he saw them and as was told to do, but the complete Revelation scripture is not just the visions.

Okay, I guess I'm not seeing you're point then, or its relevance. What other parts besides the visions are you saying weren't recorded on Patmos, and why is it important?

 

[FollowerofShiloh]

I believe the message would be the same regardless of his geographic location.

Being alone allowed John to avoid the distractions of normal daily life and brought him to a closer trust and walk in God. The entire Book of Revelation, all 22 chapters, is a revelation and vision. So I think maybe had he been elsewhere this might not have happened.

 

[DJT_47]

Okay, I guess I'm not seeing you're point then, or its relevance. What other parts besides the visions are you saying weren't recorded on Patmos, and why is it important?

The whole point is, contrary to popular belief, that maybe Revelation wasn't written while John was in exile on Patmos, that it might have been written after his exile ended there, and a couple clues are those that I mentioned, namely, the wording of Rev 1:9, and Rev 10:11.

 

[ResidentAlien]

The whole point is, contrary to popular belief, that maybe Revelation wasn't written while John was in exile on Patmos, that it might have been written after his exile ended there, and a couple clues are those that I mentioned, namely, the wording of Rev 1:9, and Rev 10:11.

If I understand, you seem to be saying all the visions happened on Patmos and he recorded them there; but at some later point after leaving Patmos he compiled them into the book we now know as Revelation. You may be right, but to me it doesn't matter. It doesn't effect the meaning of the message one way or the other.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

The whole point is, contrary to popular belief, that maybe Revelation wasn't written while John was in exile on Patmos, that it might have been written after his exile ended there, and a couple clues are those that I mentioned, namely, the wording of Rev 1:9, and Rev 10:11.

Has anyone ever really thought it mattered though? How is it popular belief I’m in my 70s never wondered where he was when he wrote the book until I saw your post lol

 

[DJT_47]

That's pretty much it. Does it matter? No, but it's simply a point of view contrary to popular belief, and predicated upon a careful look at the words used which most people tend to gloss over here and likewise elsewhere. The simplest of words could have significant implications.

There are far greater issues in Revelation that have a much greater impact on Christianity than this minor thing that I've highlighted.