Recently Jerusalem journalist Jimmy DeYoung and I visited the Island of Patmos where John received his vision of the Revelation. Planning to produce 10 programs for Day of Discovery TV, we hoped to provide an up-close view of “The Land of the Seven Churches.” I thought you might like to take a look at a couple of journal entries I sent to RBC staff and families back home.

THURSDAY

Leaving the Turkish mainland

After breakfast on the Turkish mainland, we loaded up our equipment for a 56-mile boat ride. Our destination today was the Greek Island of Patmos where John heard the last words of Christ.

As we drove toward the dock, the morning air was cool and clear. The grass and flowers were lush after the storms and rain of the last few days. After just a few minutes our bus pulled into the Aegean Harbor of Kusadasi (pronounced Kushadasi). The marina was a National Geographic picture. Two large white cruise ships named the Asur and Aegean 1 came into port dwarfing our 90-foot charter.

We left port flying a red Turkish flag. The temperature was mild and the ocean was calm. Since our missed flight out of Chicago delayed this leg of our trip by 24 hours, it looks like the holdup gave us a better day for making the 56-mile boat ride to Patmos. In fact, we learned that earlier in the week it had stormed with strong winds and high seas that would have made the trip to Patmos impossible.

Riding waters of the Bible

After leaving Kusadasi, we sailed waters linked by the Bible to several New Testament apostles. We taped a program segment as we passed the island of Samos, which according to the 20th chapter of Acts is where Paul overnighted on one of his last return visits to Jerusalem.

After passing Samos, we plowed on through the beautiful and calm Aegean waters toward Patmos—where the exiled friend of Christ received the Revelation.

Arriving at Patmos

After almost 4 1/2 hours we reached the rocky, volcanic shores of Patmos, pulled into a quiet harbor, and docked among fishing boats. Met our guide who had been waiting for 4 hours for us, and loaded our cases into a bus that seemed too large for the small island. The harbor and village marina were a picture. High up on top of a hill we saw the fortress-like structure of the Monastery of Saint John.

FRIDAY

Woke up to bright sunlight. Mild air temperatures. And no hot water. Gave us some good laughs at breakfast. Everybody seems to be in good spirits.

A visit to St. John’s cave

After a breakfast of toast, cold cereal, yogurt, salty ripe olives, hard-boiled eggs, and coffee, we loaded our bus and headed for the cave about halfway up the mountain, where according to tradition John received the Revelation.

Our guide explained that there are only two significant caves on Patmos. Island tradition says the exiled apostle John lived at the harbor but had a practice of coming up to the cave to pray. A small Greek Orthodox church is now built over the cave.

We were allowed to tape the inside of the cave chapel and interviewed the site guide, a theological student from Athens named Nichos. He did a good job explaining the difference between the biblical account and island tradition. Nichos also had a warm, friendly personality that should make a good contribution to the two programs we’ve done here.

As for the cave itself, you enter it by descending a European-style stucco stairway that suddenly makes a right turn into a dimly lit cave. Inside the doorway a candle burns surrounded by religious icons representing John and his vision. On the far wall is a large 16th-century painting of Christ among the “lampstands” as described in the first chapter of Revelation.

Getting around the island

We decided to put Jimmy and me on motorbikes to see the island up close. One of our producers, Fred, rode in a jeep with a camera to be ready in case we provided any entertaining moments—like wiping out or going over the side of the road. The bikes turned out to be a good way to see Patmos up close.

We’re making an effort this time to capture the experience of traveling from place to place and discovering whatever we can of the local culture. Todd, another member of our crew, has a second camera and is like our shadow. We have hopes that this will provide additional interest by capturing more of the sites and people we meet along the way.

The family churches of Patmos

Part of our story today was about the family-owned churches of Patmos. This island of about 2,000 population boasts 380 churches, most of which are small white chapels about the size of a garage. These churches of Patmos, which reflect Christ’s messages to the seven churches, are not like anything we have in the States. They are usually built in honor of a father or mother and are used for special family occasions. For instance, the islanders do not celebrate birthdays. Instead, a day is chosen to honor the name of each new child. The small chapel would be used for that celebration as well as family marriages.

Because these chapels serve a family interest, a case might be made that these churches are in contrast to the real church (people) that John wrote to. Here the people are proud of their ability to build and maintain their own church. They even talk of having the keys to open or close the door of their church. The tradition contrasts with the true church, which doesn’t belong to us and doesn’t exist merely for our interests.

Sundown on the Aegean

We finished as the sun was about to set (7:30 p.m.) and headed back to town just as a local shepherd led his sheep across the road in front of us. We were thankful for the many rich experiences and clear provisions for the day. —Mart De Haan