Thurs’s. Devo - In the Spirit

Read Rev. 1:9-10 John who was described as being the “beloved of Jesus” humbly refers to himself as a brother and companion in tribulation. That would be a mild statement for him. He had been boiled in oil for 24 hours and when that didn’t kill him, the Jewish leaders labeled him a witch and sent him to Patmos. Patmos was a small island off the coast of Asia Minor that was infested with snakes, scorpions and lizards. It was a penal colony for the toughest criminals. It is here, that God chooses to give John the greatest revelation of all time. John was in the spirit when he received these visions that lasted two years. We have to be in the spirit to be able to understand them. It was the Lord’s day. If it happened over the span of two years, does that mean that every Sabbath he had a new vision? I don’t think so. I think it means that he was in the spirit and transported to the Lord’s day, the one that all this would happen. All this is going to happen on a Roshashana, a Yom Kippor, and the Feast of Tabernacles (the Day of Atonement) which is called the Lord’s Day. God gave the children of Israel an appointed day to be their Sabbath - a day of rest. But it was the type. If we have entered into God’s rest, then we live in the Sabbath day. It doesn’t matter what we are doing - it matters what we are allowing God to do. His rest is where we cease from our own work, and allow him to do His work through us, no matter what day of the week it is. (Heb. 4:8-10) While John was in the spirit he heard a voice that was loud and blasting like a trumpet. In the Old Testament, when Moses wanted to rally the people to hear what the Lord had said, he blew a trumpet. The people knew to come and hear. That is what this voice was doing. It was calling the attention to all who were in the spirit to come and hear. Lord, may we be in the spirit all the days of our lives. We pray that you will open this book to us so that we can know you better.