The context of Revelation 1:10 shows that “the Lord’s day” is not a particular day of the week. Since it was “by inspiration” that John came to be “in the Lord’s day,” that doesn't mean some particular day of the week. It would not have been necessary for John to have been inspired to come to a specific day of the week. Therefore, “the Lord’s day” is that future time during which events that John saw in vision would occur. This included such things as the war in heaven and Satan cast out, the destruction of Babylon the Great and the kings of the earth and their armies, Satan being bound and abyssed, the resurrection of the dead, and Christ’s Thousand Year Reign.
The context points to Jesus Christ as the Lord whose “day” it is. Immediately after coming to be “in the Lord’s day,” John didn't hear the voice of Almighty God, but that of the resurrected Son of God. (Re 1:10-18) Also, the ‘day of the Lord’ mentioned at 1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5; and 2 Corinthians 1:14 is that of Jesus Christ.
At Revelation 1:10, John says: “By inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day.” This verse is an important key to unlocking the understanding of Revelation. It indicates that it applies primarily to “the Lord’s day,” which began when Jesus began ruling as king in 1914. This understanding is confirmed by Jesus’ messages to the seven congregations. In them we find expressions such as these words to Pergamum: “I am coming to you quickly.” (Revelation 2:16; 3:3, 11) After 96 C.E., Jesus did not ‘come’ in any significant way until he was enthroned as King in 1914. (Acts 1:9-11)
While in exile on the island of Patmos, the aged apostle John is favored with prophetic visions. He beholds thrilling events as “by inspiration” he comes to be in “the Lord’s day.” That day begins with the enthronement of Jesus Christ in 1914 and runs clear down to the end of his Thousand Year Reign. Revelation 1:10
The apostle Paul refers to it as a time of judgment and of fulfillment of divine promises. (1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16) With the arrival of that “day,” Jehovah’s grand purposes move progressively toward their climax. That “day” begins with Jesus ruling as heavenly King. Even after Jesus executes judgment on Satan’s world, the Lord’s day continues, with the restoration of Paradise and the perfecting of mankind, until Jesus finally “hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 6:1, 2.
The fulfillment of other Bible prophecies helps us to see when the Lord’s day begins. For example, Daniel described a chopping down of rulership in the line of King David; after “seven times” it would be known “that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind, and that to the one whom he wants to he gives it.” (Daniel 4:23, 24, 31, 32) The major fulfillment of that prophecy started with the desolating of the kingdom of Judah, which is indicated by Bible evidence to have been completed by October 607 B.C.E. Revelation 12:6, 14 shows that 3 1/2 times amounts to 1,260 days; hence, seven times (twice that number) is 2,520 days. Reckoning “a day for a year,” we arrive at 2,520 years as the duration of the “seven times.” (Ezekiel 4:6) Therefore, Christ Jesus began his heavenly rule in the latter part of 1914. The erupting of the first world war in that year marked “a beginning of pangs of distress” that have continued to plague mankind. Since 1914, how remarkably events in this bloodstained earth have confirmed that year to be the start of the “day” of Jesus’ presence! Matthew 24:3-14
Revelation 1:10 says: "By Inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day.” His words help us to locate the time of the fulfillment of the magnificent visions that he goes on to describe.
Not all, agree with this rendering of Revelation 1:10. For example, the German Bible translator Jörg Zink renders it: “I was filled with holy spirit, it was on Sunday.” Most Bible versions, however, translate the Greek phrase teiʹ ky·ri·a·keiʹ he·meʹrai as “the Lord’s day.” But in a footnote many claim that it refers to Sunday.
The German Herders Bibelkommentar, a Catholic reference work, explains the reasoning behind this thinking when it says: “Reference is made here at Revelation 1:10 not to the Day of Final Judgment, which is likewise known as the ‘Day of the Lord’, but to a specific day of the week. The early Christians began celebrating the first day of the week as the day of their main church services as early as the middle of the first century. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2)” However, the two scriptures cited by that reference work in no way prove that first-century Christians viewed the first day of the week as “the day of their main church services.”
The first text, Acts 20:7, merely records that Paul, his traveling companions, and Christians from Troas gathered together on the first day of the week for a meal. Since Paul was going to leave the next day and he would not see them again for some time, he took advantage of the occasion to speak to them at length.
The second text, 1 Corinthians 16:2, encouraged the Christians at Corinth to set aside money “every first day of the week” in order to have something to contribute to those in need in Judea. Scholar Adolf Deissmann suggests that this day may have been a payday. At any rate, Paul’s suggestion was practical, since money could run out during the week.
Nowhere in the Bible is it said that Christians in the apostolic era viewed the first day of the week, now called Sunday, as a kind of Christian sabbath, a day set aside exclusively for their regular meetings for worship. It was only after the death of the apostles that Sunday came to be viewed in this way and came to be called “the Lord’s day.” This was part of the apostasy foretold by Jesus and the apostles themselves. Matthew 13:36-43; Acts 20:29, 30; 1 John 2:18.
What, then, is “the Lord’s day”? As said earlier the context of Revelation 1:10 points to Jesus as the Lord whose day it is. God’s Word identifies expressions such as “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” with a time of judgment for mankind and the restoration of Paradise. 1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24-26; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16.
Hence, Hans Bruns, in his translation with commentary, Das Neue Testament (The New Testament), is correct when he says: “Some maintain that he [John] is speaking here of Sunday, but it is far more likely that he is referring to the illustrious Day of the Lord, which is after all what all of his subsequent description pertains to.” W. E. Vine says: “‘The Day of the Lord’ . . . is the Day of His manifested judgment on the world.” Fritz Rienecker’s Lexikon zur Bibel (Lexicon of the Bible) says that “the Lord’s day” clearly refers to “judgment day.”
The right understanding of the expression “the Lord’s day” helps us to understand the whole book of Revelation. Moreover, the evidence is that day has already begun. How important it is, then, that we ‘hear the words of the prophecy of Revelation and observe the things written in it’! Revelation 1:3, 19.
There will always be those that will disagree. Individuals must choose what they believe the truth is.
The context points to Jesus Christ as the Lord whose “day” it is. Immediately after coming to be “in the Lord’s day,” John didn't hear the voice of Almighty God, but that of the resurrected Son of God. (Re 1:10-18) Also, the ‘day of the Lord’ mentioned at 1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5; and 2 Corinthians 1:14 is that of Jesus Christ.
At Revelation 1:10, John says: “By inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day.” This verse is an important key to unlocking the understanding of Revelation. It indicates that it applies primarily to “the Lord’s day,” which began when Jesus began ruling as king in 1914. This understanding is confirmed by Jesus’ messages to the seven congregations. In them we find expressions such as these words to Pergamum: “I am coming to you quickly.” (Revelation 2:16; 3:3, 11) After 96 C.E., Jesus did not ‘come’ in any significant way until he was enthroned as King in 1914. (Acts 1:9-11)
While in exile on the island of Patmos, the aged apostle John is favored with prophetic visions. He beholds thrilling events as “by inspiration” he comes to be in “the Lord’s day.” That day begins with the enthronement of Jesus Christ in 1914 and runs clear down to the end of his Thousand Year Reign. Revelation 1:10
The apostle Paul refers to it as a time of judgment and of fulfillment of divine promises. (1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16) With the arrival of that “day,” Jehovah’s grand purposes move progressively toward their climax. That “day” begins with Jesus ruling as heavenly King. Even after Jesus executes judgment on Satan’s world, the Lord’s day continues, with the restoration of Paradise and the perfecting of mankind, until Jesus finally “hands over the kingdom to his God and Father.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-26; Revelation 6:1, 2.
The fulfillment of other Bible prophecies helps us to see when the Lord’s day begins. For example, Daniel described a chopping down of rulership in the line of King David; after “seven times” it would be known “that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind, and that to the one whom he wants to he gives it.” (Daniel 4:23, 24, 31, 32) The major fulfillment of that prophecy started with the desolating of the kingdom of Judah, which is indicated by Bible evidence to have been completed by October 607 B.C.E. Revelation 12:6, 14 shows that 3 1/2 times amounts to 1,260 days; hence, seven times (twice that number) is 2,520 days. Reckoning “a day for a year,” we arrive at 2,520 years as the duration of the “seven times.” (Ezekiel 4:6) Therefore, Christ Jesus began his heavenly rule in the latter part of 1914. The erupting of the first world war in that year marked “a beginning of pangs of distress” that have continued to plague mankind. Since 1914, how remarkably events in this bloodstained earth have confirmed that year to be the start of the “day” of Jesus’ presence! Matthew 24:3-14
Revelation 1:10 says: "By Inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day.” His words help us to locate the time of the fulfillment of the magnificent visions that he goes on to describe.
Not all, agree with this rendering of Revelation 1:10. For example, the German Bible translator Jörg Zink renders it: “I was filled with holy spirit, it was on Sunday.” Most Bible versions, however, translate the Greek phrase teiʹ ky·ri·a·keiʹ he·meʹrai as “the Lord’s day.” But in a footnote many claim that it refers to Sunday.
The German Herders Bibelkommentar, a Catholic reference work, explains the reasoning behind this thinking when it says: “Reference is made here at Revelation 1:10 not to the Day of Final Judgment, which is likewise known as the ‘Day of the Lord’, but to a specific day of the week. The early Christians began celebrating the first day of the week as the day of their main church services as early as the middle of the first century. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2)” However, the two scriptures cited by that reference work in no way prove that first-century Christians viewed the first day of the week as “the day of their main church services.”
The first text, Acts 20:7, merely records that Paul, his traveling companions, and Christians from Troas gathered together on the first day of the week for a meal. Since Paul was going to leave the next day and he would not see them again for some time, he took advantage of the occasion to speak to them at length.
The second text, 1 Corinthians 16:2, encouraged the Christians at Corinth to set aside money “every first day of the week” in order to have something to contribute to those in need in Judea. Scholar Adolf Deissmann suggests that this day may have been a payday. At any rate, Paul’s suggestion was practical, since money could run out during the week.
Nowhere in the Bible is it said that Christians in the apostolic era viewed the first day of the week, now called Sunday, as a kind of Christian sabbath, a day set aside exclusively for their regular meetings for worship. It was only after the death of the apostles that Sunday came to be viewed in this way and came to be called “the Lord’s day.” This was part of the apostasy foretold by Jesus and the apostles themselves. Matthew 13:36-43; Acts 20:29, 30; 1 John 2:18.
What, then, is “the Lord’s day”? As said earlier the context of Revelation 1:10 points to Jesus as the Lord whose day it is. God’s Word identifies expressions such as “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” with a time of judgment for mankind and the restoration of Paradise. 1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24-26; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16.
Hence, Hans Bruns, in his translation with commentary, Das Neue Testament (The New Testament), is correct when he says: “Some maintain that he [John] is speaking here of Sunday, but it is far more likely that he is referring to the illustrious Day of the Lord, which is after all what all of his subsequent description pertains to.” W. E. Vine says: “‘The Day of the Lord’ . . . is the Day of His manifested judgment on the world.” Fritz Rienecker’s Lexikon zur Bibel (Lexicon of the Bible) says that “the Lord’s day” clearly refers to “judgment day.”
The right understanding of the expression “the Lord’s day” helps us to understand the whole book of Revelation. Moreover, the evidence is that day has already begun. How important it is, then, that we ‘hear the words of the prophecy of Revelation and observe the things written in it’! Revelation 1:3, 19.
There will always be those that will disagree. Individuals must choose what they believe the truth is.
