1:10. Day of the Lord: "I was in the Spirit on
the Lord's Day."
The Book of
Revelation is divided into four great visions, each of which is introduced by
the phrase in the Spirit. Here we are
introduced to the second of the four visions.
The term the Lord's Day does not necessarily mean
the Sabbath. The Lord's Day is equivalent to "the Day of the Lord." The "Day of the Lord"
was a time that had been appointed from many centuries before. Several of the
prophets had foretold it, both in the Old and New Testament.[i] It is the day of the Lord's vengeance; a day of judgment.
What John saw and experienced was the
events of the Day of the Lord, as foretold by the prophets. We may understand that it was literally the Day of the Lord and that he saw what
was happening in Jerusalem at that particular time in the Spirit, although he was
physically in the isle of Patmos. Or, we may understand that he was in
the Spirit and saw the events of The
Lord's Day as something about to happen immediately.[ii] The
latter case seems to fit the writing more precisely. He wrote as one who is
recording something seen while in an altered state of consciousness, such as a
dream, but in his case, a vision. He is saying: "In my vision, (while in
the Spirit), it was that Day of the Lord which was foreseen by the holy prophets."
It is possible
that John saw, through this spiritual
vision, the events that were taking place in Judea and Jerusalem at the time of, or very near the
time of, their occurrence. The precedent for this experience is found in
Ezekiel. As Ezekiel was with the captives in Babylon, about 500 miles away, the Word of the Lord came to him
and he saw and told the people that Jerusalem was being destroyed, (chapter
24). He was stricken dumb and remained so until a fugitive from Jerusalem
arrived, about three years later, to report the news of the fall of the city,
(Ezek. 24:27; 33:21-2). John, too, although a captive on the isle of Patmos, may have seen the destruction through the Spirit. There is an
immediacy to his message that suggests an eyewitness account, as in Ezekiel.
Like Ezekiel, too, there is a great personal, emotional involvement with the events
witnessed. There is probably no more traumatic experience than seeing the institutions,
ceremonies and sacraments that represent the outward expression of one's faith
fall into perversion and disgrace. Ezekiel suffered this trauma in his personal
life as a symbol for the people. As a sign of the death of God's beloved wife,
Israel, Ezekiel's wife died. She had been "the delight of his eyes," but God commanded him not to grieve
openly, for it was, as the symbol of Israel, the certain result of sin.
Like Ezekiel's, John's message was not directed to the literal Jerusalem, for it was too late for her to repent. John's message of warning as
well as of hope was to the faithful remnant, the universal Church. They were not to boast in themselves, for even though they were the
golden lampstands in the very presence of Christ in the heavens, (Revelation 1:20), they too could fall and
their light be removed, as was happening to the literal Jerusalem. In context,
the message to the Churches has the force of pointing to what happened to the
literal Jerusalem as an example of what will happen to them also if they fail
to repent. The natural Israel, the wife of God, the delight of His eyes, had
fallen into an adulterous relationship with the fleshly, (beastly), nations and
was suffering the consequences of her sins.
A referent for the
phrase "in the Spirit" is
found in John 16:13:
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.
John was seeing things that were about to happen.
Jesus had foretold that the Spirit
would lead into "all truth"
which is equivalent to "revelation."
So here is John's guide, his Paraclete, “one
who walks alongside,” his melits, an
interpreter. Jesus had also said that the Spirit would speak, (i.e. interpret),
what He heard, as one who hears one language and interprets into another
language. Throughout the Book of Revelation we see the Spirit, in the person
of the Angel, interpreting the symbols and walking alongside John.
In the passage
John 16:7-15 Jesus had foretold that the Spirit
would reprove the world, that is, convince or convict, of sin and also of
righteousness, i.e. what is right, and of God's judgment. He would convince
them through the revelation and glorification of Christ: failure to believe on Him is the essence of sin, and God's righteous
judgment is upon sin. It is this work of the Spirit that we see in the Book of
Revelation.
In John 16:14-15 Jesus says that the
Spirit was to "receive of mine"
and "all things are mine,"
therefore, "he shall take of mine
and shall show it unto you." In the book of Revelation we see the Spirit taking the
things, the words, attributes and deeds of Christ and showing them. Each of the
messages to the seven churches closes with the admonition to "hear" what the Spirit, the
interpreter, is saying to them.
In Revelation 1:10 and 4:2 it is expressly
stated that John was "in the Spirit." In 17:3
the Spirit carries him away to show him the harlot Babylon. In 21:10 he shows him the New Jerusalem the Bride of the Lamb. The Spirit guides and interprets throughout the Book.
Some of the
referents for the term the Lord's Day,
or Day of the Lord, are to be found in the Old Testament Psalms which celebrate the pageantry
and feasts of the enthronement of the King. Jesus announced that it was "the acceptable year of the Lord,"
that is, the year of jubilee. In the oriental cultures the enthronement of the
king was re-enacted each new year celebration. There was a recitation of the
mighty deeds of the king according to the days of the year past, which is the
his-story of the year. In this sense, the chronicles of the days verified the
accuracy of the calendar and served as a verification of the heavens' "amen."
The great Day of
the Lord was the day when the books were
opened and recompense for deeds was meted out. It was a day of rewards for the
faithful but a day of vengeance and wrath for the enemies of the King. Jesus had foretold that the day of His
coming would be joyous for believers, but a day of vengeance for His enemies,
Luke 21:22. Isaiah had also foretold that the day
of the Lord would be a comfort to the righteous but a day of vengeance for the
wicked, Isaiah 13:9; 34:8; 61:2; 63:4.
Jeremiah had prophesied of the day of wrath and
vengeance, Jeremiah 46:10; 50:15, 28.
Zephaniah had also seen the Great Day, Zephaniah 1:14-16. Paul had fully understood the nature of the Great
Day as foretold by the prophets, Rom. 2:5-10.
[i] The following Scripture references will serve to set the
stage for the idea of the "Day of the Lord:"
Isaiah 2:12, 17; 13:6, 9,
13; 28:5; 34:8; 61:2; 63:4; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezek. 7:19;
13:5; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 2, 11.
31; Amos 5:18, 20; Obad.
15; Zeph. 1:7-16; Mal. 4:5. Romans 2:5, 16; 1Thess..
5:2-4; 1 Pet. 2:12; 1John 4:17; Jude 6.
The Book
of Enoch 92.2 also says:
"Let not your spirit be troubled on account of the times; For the Holy and
Great One has appointed days for all
things." (Charles, Enoch, 129.)
The "Day of the Lord" may be thought of as one of the appointed days.
[ii] ZPBD, page 720 divides the Book of Revelation into four great
visions, each of which is introduced by the phrase “in the Spirit.” These are:
1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10.
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