“I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day” (see Revelation 1:10).        

      Last week, we covered a little about what it meant for John to be “in the Spirit.” This week, we will seek to understand what it meant that he did this on “the Lord’s day.” Because Sunday is now often referred to as “the Lord’s day” as the Christian Sabbath, it is understandable that many would think “the Lord’s day” was a Sunday. As we proceed through Revelation, it seems apparent that John was referring to much more than just one day of the week.

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I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (Revelation 1:10-11 NKJV).

      For John to be “in the Spirit” was for him to be in the spiritual realm. This is also sometimes referred to as the “kingdom of heaven.” This...

“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 1:9).

      John adds his perspective to this narrative by saying he was our brother and companion “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus.” In this age, these are always found together with the true companions of the Lord. As we’re told in 2 Timothy 3:12, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

      Being...

      In a world that is falling into increasing deception, we must be resolved to love the truth and to tell the truth without compromise. What makes something a treasure is that it is rare or hard to get. As integrity becomes increasingly rare, we must resolve that it is a treasure we will protect with the utmost diligence. One of the most important ways that we build our lives on integrity is to obey what Jesus said in Matthew 5:37: “But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.”

      Contrary to...

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8 NKJV).

      As the book of Revelation is of Jesus Christ, we should especially try to absorb everything about Him in it. Here He is called the Alpha and the Omega—which are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. This indicates that Jesus is the beginning of the purpose of God, and He is the conclusion of it.

       As we noted in the first chapter of John,...