John was a follower of Jesus. He travelled around the world telling the good news of Jesus Christ.

John went far away to the city of Ephesus to help people believe that Jesus was the Christ, and to show them the way of the kingdom of God.

The people began to love God and each other so much that they met together in groups, called churches, to worship God.

But some people didn’t like what John was saying. They arrested him.

They took John by boat to the island of Patmos. He couldn’t go home. John was in exile.

John wrote to his friends while he was in exile. He wrote to them his special vision of the kingdom of God.

This is part of John’s vision of the kingdom of God that he wrote to the churches:

“I looked and saw a throne in Heaven and someone sitting on it… as brilliant as gemstones… and around the throne were 24 elders and four living beings who worshiped day and night, saying ‘You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things.’

Then I saw a scroll in the hand of the one who was sitting on the throne, and it was sealed with seven seals. An angel shouted, ‘Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?’ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open it.

I began to weep, because no one was worthy. But one of the 24 elders said to me, ‘Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, he has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.’

And I saw a Lamb standing between the throne and the beings, as if it had been slain. He took the scroll, and all the elders and beings sang, ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open it, for you were slain, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.’

And millions of angels sang together, ‘Worthy is the lamb who was slain–to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’

And every creature everywhere sang, ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. Amen.’