There is evidence that Patmos was not the desolate rock we are led to believe. According to archaeology, it was a place that was home to several 4th century BC towns and villages. It appears Rome had settled there and built an acropolis, a hippodrome, a gymnasium, a considerable administration center, and temples to Apollo, Aphrodite, and Artemis. And from 2nd century AD inscriptions found on the island, the cult of Artemis and their practices were prevalent on Patmos. Their incumbent priestess, Vera, was the tenth in line — which shows the lineage of these practices on the island. But no evidence of Jewish settlements or synagogues has been found. This does not mean they were not present, since Rome would have destroyed them when they drove out the Jews. During this time the Jews spread across the known world, and most likely settled on Patmos also.
Patmos and the Present Day Church
Today we do not think of the church being in Patmos. What I mean by this: during the 1st century, the phrase “being on Patmos” or “being in Patmos” meant you were “in tribulation.” And many of us do not believe that we are — or even that the church today is — in tribulation. But many churches are just that. If we look at the church today, I believe we are in what many call the age of Laodicea — the “lukewarm” church. Now, I will be straight with you: the idea that the seven churches of Revelation 2–3 map onto seven successive ages of church history is an interpretation, a dispensationalist framework — it is disputed, not something Revelation states outright. But whatever you call this age, look at it honestly. Yes, I said lukewarm. We believe we are so righteous, and that the church as a whole is doing what the Word of God says we should be doing. Are we? Many denominations and churches are adopting more and more of the world’s beliefs. We think we have the right to — we are led to believe it — well, the devil is a liar, and the reward for sin is death. We accept the things God calls sin and believe, because some preacher said so, that everything will be okay. All we need to do is say we are sorry…
The greatest tribulation the church puts itself into is the final tribulation. We are pushing Jesus out of our lives, out of our schools, and even out of the church as a whole. Just like Laodicea, we locked the door on Jesus and He is knocking. Do we hear Him, or are we too busy with our lives? There is a reason the parable of the 10 virgins ends with only 5 at the wedding supper. I do think that with everything in the world today, we just cannot remember the basics. We don’t have faith like a child, and neither does the church. Oh yes, we say we believe — in God, that Jesus walked the earth, died on the cross, ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. Oh yes, we believe…
According to James 2:19: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” So — do we have the same faith as the devils, or do we? Look at the last two words of that verse: “and tremble.” How many churches fear God? How many believers? Jesus did not ask the apostles to believe — He asked them to “follow Him.” That is where we enter into Patmos. We do not FOLLOW; we just believe. We have lost the fear of God. We believe that all men are good and that we all go to heaven in the end. All lies from the enemy. And the final great tribulation will be the total separation from God for eternity. It’s one thing to believe — but if we don’t follow Him, it’s all pointless.
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