What Does It Mean For John To Become In The Spirit?

I John, who also am your brother,

 and companion in tribulation, 

and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,

was in the isle that is called Patmos,

 for the word of God, and for the

 testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the 

Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard 

behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,

 saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first 

and the last: and, what thou seest, 

write in a book; and send it unto the 

seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus,

 and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, 

and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, 

and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Revelation 1:9-11

     The word "patience" in the Greek means endurance and we must understand that we too must have endurance to be able to run this race, a race that has enemies that do not want you to not only run this race, but will do all to stop you in your endurance to finish this race. John the apostle knew about tribulation as he now was on the island of Patmos a place where Rome put criminals. John walked and talked and was with Jesus even unto His death and even there when Jesus ascended into heaven. John knew Him, the Savior, and by this knowledge, albeit very personal that at this time we cannot have, we do have what was written about Jesus and we can, if we study His word, come to know Jesus and by this knowledge we can endure unto the finish. We too can know Jesus. 

     Now, here once again many speculative words, books, movies, etc., have made money, fame, and fortune by their speculation that is based on their theology that may or may not have Scriptural foundation. Many do not have this foundation and are leading people to do and think, and believe in something other than the truth. It is this word "Spirit." John says that he became in the Spirit. Some have and do apply this event to teach that we too must become in the Spirit of God and have gone so far as to teach how they must act if they are in the Spirit. The Greek word: πνεύματι does not mean to writhe and shake, and scream and froth at the mouth, and speak in some gibberish tongue, no, this word has a greater meaning and the context will tell us how to know what the meaning is in this verse. First, we must look at the word translated as I became, and once again this Greek word has meaning meanings and applications so we must do our due diligence and study this word. this word in Greek and is aorist, that is, something in the past, time is not important but just to know that this was past tense. Here we find that John had an occurrence, a phenomena, to have come into a condition, to be subject, to come to know, a knowledge that he did not have before this occurrence. This occurrence was spiritual in nature, to be inspired, inspired by God, by His voice that sounded like a trumpet. Notice that when God does something it is often preceded by a trumpet as it will be done when Jesus come for His bride. 

     What did this Spirit say? He said that He was the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last and that John was to write what He was to experience in a vision given by the Alpha and the Omega. In verses 4, and 8 we have established that the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end is Jesus so it was then Jesus giving this vision to John. It was previously established that those seven Churches could be actual Churches, but also that the number seven means complete and also then means that all of Christendom should be reading what John was about to write. 

      To use the words beginning to mean that Jesus had a beginning and is not God, but a god, is wrong translation and only to injecting a theology made by man and not founded upon the truth of Scripture. Yes, there was a beginning and Jesus created so that then He established a beginning but to do so could not have Himself a beginning. Scripture never assigns to Jesus that He was a created being. The Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses do teach that Jesus had a beginning and that the Father has a beginning and that the Father as does Jesus have a body. All of that is evil and is false teaching but many are fallen prey to them and the good that the present and once in their arms of false teaching will teach even greater evil. John came to be inspired by God, by the Alpha and the Omega, the One who was, and is and will come and this occurrence happened on the Lord's Day, the Sabboth. John held the Sabboth to be a day of meditation and a sacred day. We too should follow the example of John and keep the Sabboth holy as commanded by God in the Ten Commandments. 

The wicked have laid a snare for me:

    yet I erred not from they precepts. 

Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage

    for ever: for they are the rejoicing 

of my heart. I have inclined mine heart

    to perform thy statures alway, even

unto the end.

                       Psalm 119: 110-112

Take the law of God as your heritage

Richard L. Crumb