The Signs of the Times
March 22, 1905
John the Beloved—No. 2
Out of a heart overflowing with love and gratitude, John bore witness of Christ as a risen Saviour, and no power could stay his words. To please the Jews, the Romans had crucified Christ, and now, to please them still further, they sought to place John where his voice could not be heard by Jew or Gentile. Thinking to silence him forever, they cast him into a caldron of boiling oil. But his voice was not silenced. As the words were spoken, “So perish all who believe in Jesus of Nazareth,” John declared, “My Master patiently submitted to all that Satan and his angels could devise to humiliate and torture Him. He gave His life to save the world. He died that we might live. I am honored in being permitted to suffer for His sake. I am a weak, sinful man. Christ was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. He had no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” The faithful servant was preserved as were the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace. John was removed from the caldron by the very ones who had cast him in. ST March 22, 1905, par. 1
Again the enemies of truth sought to silence the voice of the faithful witness. John was banished to the Isle of Patmos. Here, they thought, he could no longer trouble Israel, and he must finally die of hardship and distress. ST March 22, 1905, par. 2
To outward appearances the enemies of truth were triumphing; but God's hand was moving unseen in the darkness. The Lord permitted His servant to be placed where Christ could give him a more wonderful revelation of Himself than He had ever yet received; where he could receive most precious enlightenment of the churches. He permitted him to be placed in solitude, that his ear and heart might be more fully prepared to hear and receive the revelations that he was to be given. The man who exiled John was not released from responsibility in the matter. But he became an instrument in the hands of God to carry out His eternal purpose; and the very effort to extinguish light placed the truth in bold relief. ST March 22, 1905, par. 3
John was deprived of the companionship of his brethren, but no man could deprive him of the companionship of Christ. A great light was to shine from Christ to His servant. The Lord watched over His banished disciple, and gave him a wonderful revelation of Himself. Richly favored was this beloved disciple. With the other disciples he had walked and talked with Jesus, learning of Him and feasting on His words. His head had often rested on his Saviour's bosom. But he must see Him also in Patmos. God and Christ and the heavenly host were John's companions on the lonely island, and from them he received instruction of infinite importance. There he wrote out the visions and revelations he received of God, telling of the things that would take place in the closing scenes of this earth's history. When his voice could no longer witness to the truth, the messages given him in Patmos were to go forth as a lamp that burneth. From them men and women were to learn the purposes of God, not concerning the Jewish nation merely, but concerning every nation upon the earth. ST March 22, 1905, par. 4
Of Christ's appearance to him, John writes: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, 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.” ST March 22, 1905, par. 5
“And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword; and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. ST March 22, 1905, par. 6
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. ST March 22, 1905, par. 7
The appearance of Christ to John should be to us an evidence that we have a risen Christ. It should give living power to the church. At times dark clouds surround God's people. It seems as if oppression and persecution would destroy them. But it is at such times they are given the most precious lessons. Christ often enters prisons, and reveals Himself to His chosen ones. He is with them at the stake. As in the darkest night the stars shine brightest, so the most brilliant beams of God's glory are revealed in the deepest gloom. The darker the sky, the clearer and more impressive are the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. ST March 22, 1905, par. 8