Revelation 1:10 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 1:10

Comments

‘I was in the Spirit.’ We often borrow that phrase, and we hope we are in the Spirit on the Lord’s day by being devoted to him, composing our minds, being prayerful and worshipping him, but actually here it means something much more exalted than that. Without doubt john means that he had been just taken up and out of all sense and awareness of ordinary human things. We know what he means, because he uses the term again in chapter 4, and that time he explains it. It means God had brought him into a prophetic state. Perhaps it was a trancelike state. God had brought him into a condition where he could receive visions from God and revelation. He was ‘in the Spirit on the Lord’s day,’ the first day of the week. The apostles changed the worship for believers in Christ from the Jewish sabbath day to the first day of the week because that was the day of the resurrection of Christ, and the day of Christ’s successive resurrection appearances to them. And they were evidently moved to move the day of worship to the first day of the week, and that became the practice of the early church. Evidently, John expects the expression to be understood without further explanation, because, by apostolic authority, this had already become the regular day of worship for Christian churches. It was on the Lord’s day that he had this special privilege, when he was already at worship. ‘And heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.’ It did not sound like a trumpet exactly; it was ‘as of a trumpet’. In other words it was clarion, clear and commanding. The trumpet in the Old Testament is always used to summon the people to the temple, to new moon feasts, or to other special occasions. So it was a commanding and inviting voice. It is Christ, of course. John heard clearly discernible words of a voice behind him. It was unexpected, sudden. These are symbols of course. John doesn’t see the real thing. He doesn’t see Christ. He sees a vision of Christ, a representation that communicates to him in an amazing, a very colourful way, the mighty attributes of God and buries an impression deeply in his heart and soul, and overwhelms him.

Application

After we learn in this chapter about what he is like, we read of John’s vision of Christ. It is a revelation of Christ’s person. We have spoken about his work, but now we are going to see his person. You can know in your mind about Christ’s work, and you can believe in him, and you can be truly saved, and you can love him and respond to him, but there is an even higher experience. If only you can be more aware of his person, this will have a further effect on you. You will just fall before him in awe and wonder, and reverence and obedience.

Questions

It is a sad thing that many Christians do not believe in the Lord’s day. They believe the fourth commandment is entirely a Jewish matter, and they don’t think that it is something which is binding for Christians today, but of course it is. It was while he was in the act of worshipping that God gives him this special apostolic series of revelations. Though we are not the recipients of revelation we may expect special and significant blessings when we come to worship God on his day. God meets with us, not in apostolic revelatory way, but to bless our souls and instruct us and lift us up, and draws us into collective communion with himself on the Lord’s day. So far as we can, we organise our lives so that the Lord’s day is for him.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Revelation 1:10 Commentary and Bible Study