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Read Introduction to Revelation

 

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet…“

 

I was in the Spirit

The word “was” means to come to be. John entered a state where the Holy Spirit could reveal Scripture to Him. He was in a state characterized by the Holy Spirit’s control over him.

“In the Spirit” means that John was in an attitude of worship, not in a state of ecstasy. He was in a state of honoring God by thinking about Him, His majesty and power. This phrase may mean that he was filled with the Spirit. He may have been out of fellowship with the Lord and came into fellowship on this Sunday. We should never go to church without being filled with the Spirit. Otherwise, we will not benefit from the service.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

John was in a condition where God could give him the visions of Revelation. As an apostle, he had the authority to write Scripture.

on the Lord’s Day,

The only occurrence of the “Lord’s Day” in the Bible is found here. The word “Lord’s” means belonging to the Lord, as in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20).

The “Lord’s Day” here is Sunday, not the Sabbath. Sabbath means seven and that is Saturday, the seventh day. The Jews worshipped on Saturday. That never changed. The Sabbath was a commemoration of creation.

Sunday is not a day of rest. Sunday is a day we set aside for the Lord Himself. Christians worship on Sunday, and that has never changed. The work of salvation is different from the work of creation. As we do not bring lambs to slaughter in church, neither do we worship on Saturday. Saturday is passé to the New Testament Christian.

The day Jesus rose from the dead is referred to as the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1,19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2). The Lord’s Supper was normally observed on the first day of the week. The only time the New Testament uses the term “Lord’s” is for the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20).

Some people make the Sabbath the day of worship; by this, they mean Sunday is a holy day. These same people support blue laws. This obscures the work of grace in Christ.

and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet

John heard a voice behind him like a blaring military trumpet. This is the voice of the Lord Jesus.

Principle:

The Christian worships on Sunday because of the work of grace in Christ.

Application:

The mature believer regards every day alike (Romans 14). There is no difference between Sunday and any other day (Colossians 3). Some people feel it is a sin to go to a professional baseball game on Sunday. Sunday is different in one sense only — that is the day for assembly worship.

We need to be careful about how we handle the idea of Sunday. We should not make rules about what we do on Sunday. Some people love to make Sunday a miserable day. They drive young people away from the Lord by their legalism.

Some people legalistically worship on Sunday but act differently all week long. Sunday is not a day “to make it up to God.” Sunday is just another day except for worship.

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