John of Patmos

"When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”"

"The twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:"

"Patmos, that infamous island, place of banishment, place of punishment, place of lonely wanderings, became a place of revelation, of discovery, of empowerment. Instead of teetering on the brink of mad isolation, John finds himself drawn to the heart of God and miraculously, wondrously, into the heartbeat of the church, not only of Asia Minor but of the world, not only of that time but of all times to come."