He is told to write what he has seen, what is now and what will take place later. He is also given the interpretation of the seven stars and the seven lampstands. John was a brother and a fellow sufferer with readers of his letter on the island of Patmos who belong to God's kingdom, he is not writing from the comfort of home but as a fellow sufferer, therefore his writing is practical and meaningful. Ladd points out that our sufferings are 'in Jesus' just as Paul uses the expression 'in Christ', the use of the simple name Jesus calls attention to his life in the flesh. Just as he overcame so we must also overcome.
Patient endurance is in contrast to retaliation cf.
This is wrongly translated in most English versions as ' the Lord's Day', a phrase not used until long after the apostles age. This particular Roman emperor conducted a terrible persecution of all Christians who refused to acknowledge his 'divinity'. Here the trumpet means listen. The seven trumpets which happen later can be considered as the voice of God to the world. The message was to be sent to the seven churches of Asia, initially.