Revelation Part 18

In Revelation 1:9–10 John sets the stage for everything that follows: 

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

This passage is often overlooked, but it is in fact the keynote verse of the book. John was not simply describing what day of the week it was. He was declaring the theme of the entire book of Revelation, the Day of the Lord. 

Here is where many misunderstand the book. For centuries, some have insisted that “the Lord’s Day” means Sunday, supposedly because it was the day of Christ’s resurrection. But this interpretation does not hold. Scripture shows Jesus rose before sundown on the Sabbath, fulfilling the prophecy of three days and three nights in the grave. Others have assumed John meant the weekly Sabbath itself, but again, nowhere else in Scripture is the Sabbath called “the Lord’s Day” in this sense. If John had meant merely a day of the week, why would he emphasize it to his readers? The most consistent and biblically supported understanding is that “the Lord’s Day” refers to the prophetic Day of the Lord, the climactic time of divine judgment described throughout Scripture. 

Being “in the Spirit” means John was carried beyond the limitations of his exile on Patmos into a vision granted by God’s Spirit. This happens repeatedly in Revelation (4:2; 17:3; 21:10), much like Ezekiel, who was lifted “between earth and heaven” in visions of God (Ezekiel 8:3). John was transported forward in time to see the Day of the Lord, not just as a single 24-hour period but as an extended season of reckoning, cleansing and judgment. 
 
The Day of the Lord is not an obscure idea. It appears at least 19 times throughout the Old and five times in the New Testament. The prophets describe it as a day of wrath, vengeance and darkness. Isaiah 2 and 13 call it a time of judgment when the proud are humbled and sinners destroyed. Jeremiah 46:10 describes it as, “a day of vengeance...The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood.” This gives us quite the graphic imagery of what this time will be like. Ezekiel 13 and 30 call it a day of clouds and battle. Joel 2 and 3 declare to “Blow the trumpet...and sound an alarm,” because of the destruction the Day of the Lord brings from the Almighty, with the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood. 

“For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11). 

Amos 5 warns that it will be darkness and no light. Zephaniah 1:14 even says that “the noise of the day of the Lord is bitter...mighty men shall cry out.” In the New Testament, Peter declares, 

“The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10). 

Paul warns the Thessalonians that it will come suddenly and unexpectedly (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Why must such a great and terrible time as this happen? We will look at this in tomorrow’s lesson and finish our discussion on the Day of the Lord. 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.