After more than half a century the enemies of the gospel succeeded in enlisting the power of the Roman emperor against the Christians. In the terrible persecution that followed, the apostle John did much to help his brethren meet with courage the trials that came upon them. The old, tried servant of Jesus repeated with power and eloquence the story of the crucified and risen Saviour. From his lips came the same glad message: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ... that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” 1 John 1:1-3.
(TT 298.1)
John lived to be very old. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The last survivor of the disciples who had been intimately connected with the Saviour, his message had great influence. Through his teachings many were led to turn from unbelief.
(TT 298.2)
The Jews were filled with bitter hatred against him. They declared that their efforts would avail nothing so long as John’s testimony kept ringing in the ears of the people. In order that the miracles and teachings of Jesus might be forgotten, the voice of the bold witness must be silenced. Accordingly John was summoned to Rome. His enemies hoped to bring about his death by accusations of teaching seditious heresies.
(TT 298.3)
John answered for himself in a clear, convincing manner. But the more convincing his testimony, the deeper was the hatred of his opposers. The emperor Domitian was filled with rage. He could not dispute the reasoning of Christ’s faithful advocate, yet he determined to silence his voice.
(TT 298.4)
John was cast into a caldron of boiling oil; but the Lord preserved His faithful servant as He preserved the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace. As the words were spoken, Thus perish all who believe in that deceiver, Jesus Christ, John declared, My Master gave His life to save the world. I am honored to suffer for His sake. I am a weak, sinful man. Christ was holy, harmless, undefiled.
(TT 299.1)
These words had their influence, and John was removed from the caldron by the very men who had cast him in.
(TT 299.2)
Again by the emperor’s decree, John was banished to the Isle of Patmos “for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 1:9. Here, his enemies thought, he must die of hardship and distress. Patmos, a barren island in the Aegean Sea, was a place of banishment for criminals; but to the servant of God this gloomy abode became the gate of heaven. Shut away from the active labors of former years, he had the companionship of God and heavenly angels. The events that would take place in the closing scenes of earth’s history were outlined before him; and there he wrote out the visions he received from God. The messages given him on that barren coast were to declare the sure purpose of the Lord concerning every nation on earth.
(TT 299.3)
Among the cliffs and rocks of Patmos, John held communion with his Maker. Peace filled his heart. He could say in faith, “We know that we have passed from death unto life.” 1 John 3:14.
(TT 299.4)
In his isolated home John was able to study more closely the book of nature. He was surrounded by scenes that to many would appear gloomy and uninteresting. But to John it was otherwise. While his surroundings might be desolate, the blue heavens above were as beautiful as the skies above his beloved Jerusalem. In the wild, rugged rocks, in the mysteries of the deep, in the glories of the firmament, he read important lessons of God’s power and glory.
(TT 299.5)
Around him the apostle beheld witnesses to the Flood that had deluged the earth—rocks thrown up from the great deep and from the earth by the breaking forth of the waters. The mighty waves in commotion, restrained by an invisible hand, spoke of the control of an infinite Power. And in contrast he realized the weakness and folly of mortals who glory in their supposed wisdom and strength, and set their hearts against the Ruler of the universe. From the exiled apostle there went up the most ardent longing of soul after God, the most fervent prayers.
(TT 300.1)
The history of John illustrates the way God can use aged workers. Many thought him to be past service, an old and broken reed, ready to fall at any time. But the Lord saw fit to use him still. In Patmos he made friends and converts. His was a message of joy, proclaiming a risen Saviour interceding for His people until He should return to take them to Himself. After John had grown old in the service of his Lord, he received more communications from heaven than during all the former years of his life.
(TT 300.2)
Aged workers whose life interest has been bound up with the work of God may have infirmities, but they still possess talents that qualify them to stand in their place in God’s cause. From their failures they have learned to avoid errors and dangers, and therefore are competent to give wise counsel. Though they have lost some of their vigor, the Lord does not lay them aside. He gives them special grace and wisdom.
(TT 300.3)
Those who endured poverty and remained faithful when there were few to stand for truth are to be honored and respected. The Lord desires younger laborers to gain wisdom and maturity by association with these faithful men. Let the younger men give them an honored place in their councils. God desires the old and tried laborers to do their part to save men and women from being swept downward by the mighty current of evil. He desires them to keep the armor on till He bids them lay it down.
(TT 300.4)
In the experience of the apostle John there is a lesson of wonderful strength and comfort. God causes the plottings of wicked men to work for good to those who maintain their faith and loyalty amid storms of persecution, bitter opposition, and unjust reproach. God brings His children near to Him that He may teach them to lean on Him. Thus He prepares them to fill positions of trust and to accomplish the great purpose for which their powers were given them.
(TT 301.1)
In all ages God’s witnesses have exposed themselves to reproach and persecution. Joseph was maligned and persecuted because he preserved his virtue and integrity. David was hunted like a beast of prey by his enemies. Daniel was cast into a den of lions. Job was so afflicted in body that he was abhorred by his relatives and friends. Jeremiah’s testimony so enraged the king and princes that he was cast into a loathsome pit. Stephen was stoned. Paul was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, and finally put to death. And John was banished to Patmos.
(TT 301.2)
These examples of human steadfastness bear witness to God’s abiding presence and sustaining grace. They testify to the power of faith to withstand the powers of the world. In the darkest hour our Father is at the helm.
(TT 301.3)
Jesus calls on His people to follow Him in the path of self-denial and reproach. He was opposed by evil men and evil angels in an unpitying confederacy. His unlikeness to the world provoked the bitterest hostility. So it will be with all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of the persecution changes with the times, but the spirit that underlies it is the same that has slain the chosen of the Lord ever since the days of Abel.
(TT 301.4)
Satan has tortured and put to death the people of God, but in dying they bore witness to the power of One mightier than Satan. Wicked men cannot touch the life that is hid with Christ in God. Prison walls cannot bind the spirit.
(TT 302.1)
Believers in Christ, persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined in the school of Christ. On earth they follow Christ through sore conflicts; they endure self-denial and bitter disappointments; but thus they learn the woe of sin, and they look on it with abhorrence. Being partakers of Christ’s sufferings, they look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18, RSV.
(TT 302.2)