Bible Discussion Thread

why was John exiled to the isle of Patmos?

Hello Josephine. All we have on John's exile is what we read in Revelation 1:9: "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, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

So, it seems that for his strong Christian witness & preaching that he suffered exile. According to the Church historian, Eusebius, John was pastoring the Church at Ephesus. During the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96), Christians were heavily persecuted & the Apostle John was banished to Patmos to live out his life there & die. It was noted that undesirables in the Roman Empire were often sent to Patmos to work the mines. John remained here for eighteen months, after which the next emperor, Nerva, released all exiles. Tradition holds that John then returned to the believers at Ephesus, but died soon afterwards at the turn of the century.