10. I was--Greek, "I came to be"; "I became."
in the Spirit--in a state of ecstasy; the outer world being shut
out, and the inner and higher life or spirit being taken full
possession of by God's Spirit, so that an immediate connection with the
invisible world is established. While the prophet "speaks" in
the Spirit, the apocalyptic seer is in the Spirit in his whole
person. The spirit only (that which connects us with God and the
invisible world) is active, or rather recipient, in the apocalyptic
state. With Christ this being "in the Spirit" was not the exception,
but His continual state.
on the Lord's day--Though forcibly detained from Church
communion with the brethren in the sanctuary on the Lord's day, the
weekly commemoration of the resurrection, John was holding spiritual
communion with them. This is the earliest mention of the term,
"the Lord's day." But the consecration of the day to worship,
almsgiving, and the Lord's Supper, is implied in
Ac 20:7;
1Co 16:2;
compare
Joh 20:19-26.
The name corresponds to "the Lord's Supper,"
1Co 11:20.
IGNATIUS seems to allude to "the Lord's day"
[Epistle to the Magnesians, 9], and IRENÆUS [Quæst ad Orthod., 115] (in
JUSTIN MARTYR).
JUSTIN MARTYR
[Apology, 2.98], &c., "On Sunday we all hold our joint meeting;
for the first day is that on which God, having removed darkness and
chaos, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead.
On the day before Saturday they crucified Him; and on the day after
Saturday, which is Sunday, having appeared to His apostles and
disciples, He taught these things." To the Lord's day PLINY doubtless refers [Epistles, Book X., p. 97],
"The Christians on a fixed day before dawn meet and sing a hymn
to Christ as God," &c. TERTULLIAN [The
Chaplet, 3], "On the Lord's day we deem it wrong to fast." MELITO, bishop of Sardis (second century), wrote a book
on the Lord's day [EUSEBIUS 4.26]. Also,
DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, in
EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 4.23,8].
CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
[Miscellanies, 5. and 7.12]; ORIGEN
[Against Celsus, 8. 22]. The theory that the day of Christ's
second coming is meant, is untenable. "The day of the Lord" is
different in the Greek from "the Lord's (an adjective) day,"
which latter in the ancient Church always designates our Sunday, though
it is not impossible that the two shall coincide (at least in some
parts of the earth), whence a tradition is mentioned in JEROME [Commentary on Matthew, 25], that the
Lord's coming was expected especially on the Paschal Lord's day. The
visions of the Apocalypse, the seals, trumpets, and vials, &c., are
grouped in sevens, and naturally begin on the first day of the
seven, the birthday of the Church, whose future they set forth
[WORDSWORTH].
great voice--summoning solemn attention; Greek order, "I
heard a voice behind me great (loud) as (that) of a trumpet." The
trumpet summoned to religious feasts, and accompanies God's revelations
of Himself.
JFB.
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