I imagine that the silence was the most painful part of John’s exile on the island of Patmos. John had been used to the ­noises of busy cities like Ephesus, Sardis, and Philadelphia. These were thriving communities filled with endless sights and sounds. More than anything else, John would have missed hearing the prayers of fellow believers and the praises of the people raised to the Lord in worship on Sundays and in their everyday working life. Patmos was as silent as death.

It was silent until that Sunday, the Lord’s Day, when John heard a voice as loud as a trumpet blast. It must have made every hair on his neck stand at attention! John later learned that the voice came from none other than the Lord. Jesus broke into Patmos’s silence and commanded John to write a record of what he was about to see. Then later John would send it to the ­seven church communities he had worked with.

That Sunday, Jesus also broke heaven’s silence. From that day forward God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit revealed God’s big salvation story in greater detail. The book of Revelation is not a gift to satisfy our curiosity. It is God’s way of helping us come to faith in him, deepen our faith, and give it staying power even in the toughest of times.