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Two scriptures came to mind when I saw this recently. The first is from the Old Testament : " What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?" (Ecclesiastes 1:3). The second is from the New Testament :  "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The first states the problem which we dare not ignore. The second provides the answer. Life is indeed pointless and purposeless without Jesus Christ.  Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2013

ISLAND OF PATMOS The Island of Patmos is arguably one of the most important places in the Bible. It is the location of St John's confinement when he received his Revelation. According to a tradition preserved by Irenaeus, Eusebius, Jerome and others, St John was exiled here in AD95 during 14th year of the reign of Domitian. A year later he returned to Ephesus. Patmos is an arid Aegean island to which Rome exiled political criminals. It is approximately 24 square miles (62 sq. km) in area and roughly 40 miles (64 km) from the mainland of Asia Minor. Since antiquity, it has possessed a working protected harbor near its centre (modern Skala) and other places for small boats to anchor. Inscriptions and archaeological remains indicate the existence of a fortress before St John's arrival, and the clear presence of the Artemis cult afterward. The limited population of the island during St John's day was probably largely pagan. St John may have been granted some freedom of mov...