When John begins the book of Revelation, he does not start with beasts or trumpets or visions of glory. He begins with a simple statement that tells us where he was, what he was enduring, and when the risen Christ came to him: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” An interesting detail that signaled to the readers then as now the importance of the First Day of the week in the believer’s weekly rhythm.
John was on Patmos, exiled for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He was cut off from the churches he loved, separated from the fellowship he had shepherded, and living under the pressure of an empire that demanded allegiance he could not give. Yet even in exile, John still observed the Lord’s Day. The first day of the week had been the day when Jesus’ disciples gathered, prayed, broke bread, and remembered the risen Christ for decades at this point. Obviously, John could not gather with them, but he could still worship with them in spirit.

And on that particular Lord’s Day—the risen Christ met him.
How did the first day of the week come to be called “the Lord’s Day”? As we have observed over the last couple of articles, the answer begins at the empty tomb. Jesus rose on the first day. He appeared to His disciples on that day (minus Thomas). A week later, He presented Himself to them again, this time with Thomas present. Fifty days after the resurrection, the Spirit descended on Pentecost, also on the first day. As the church grew, the apostles gathered with believers on that day to break bread (Acts 20:7). Paul instructed the Corinthians to set aside their offerings on that day (1 Corinthians 16:2). The first day of every week became the day the church remembered the Lord’s victory and in so doing encouraged one another to live in the light of His resurrection and in the hope of His return.
By the time John wrote Revelation, the description and practices surrounding it were common: the Lord’s Day—the day that belonged uniquely to the risen Lord. In that period of history every congregation through the Empire would glorify God through their worship and fellowship. Today, every congregation around the globe does the same, for the Kingdom of God has expanded to every corner of our world and God’s Name and glory have spread with it as He has promised. You and I are part of that if we are in Christ! What an astounding thing to ponder. We must remember that everyday belongs to the Lord (we will consider this truth in an upcoming article)
John’s experience on Patmos reminds us that the Lord’s Day is not defined by our circumstances but rather by His presence. John may not have been with God’s family in body, but he had not been abandoned by his Lord. He was cut off from the assembly, yet he was caught up in the Spirit. He would have been reminded daily of Rome’s power over him and even all those under its oppressive governance, yet he saw the glory of the One who walks among the lampstands and holds the churches in His hand and was encouraged by the victory that we have in the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
And so today may we be encouraged to remember that our hope does not rest in governments or circumstances but in the Lamb who was slain and now lives forevermore.