I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet
What does it mean to live a life that you can say with John, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day ...?” The entire book of The Revelation is filled with the work of the Spirit of God. Notice what John MacArthur says about this phrase:
(MacArthur New Testament Commentary Set (33 Vols.)) John received his vision while he was in the Spirit; his experience transcended the bounds of normal human apprehension. Under the Holy Spirit’s control, John was transported to a plane of experience and perception beyond that of the human senses. In that state, God supernaturally revealed things to him. Ezekiel (Ezek. 2:2; 3:12, 14), Peter (Acts 10:9ff.), and Paul (Acts 22:17-21; 2 Cor. 12:1ff.) had similar experiences.
MacArthur puts this experience of “being in the Spirit” beyond anything any believer would probably have today. It is certainly true that what we see as the “result” of John being in the Spirit, God did something beyond human apprehension. However, it should be noted that John was “in the Spirit” BEFORE all this happened. This is a picture of John’s typical “Lord’s Day” pattern. He was ALWAYS in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day. It was in this moment that God choose to reveal to him this revelation that ends the entire cannon of God’s Word. The key to understand this thought is to know that the Spirit of God is not just present in the life of the believer (see John 14), but also active and moving in our lives. When the people of God lean into the moving of the Spirit of God in their lives, great things happen in their lives. God is moving. He does so by the Spirit of God. John was submissive and was in tune to the Spirit. That is the walk of the believer. It is not a walk of the flesh, it is a walk in and with and by the Spirit of God.
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