I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
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Bede
AD 735
the Lord's day: He indicates also a fit time for a spiritual vision, for Scripture is wont to express the reason of things in terms, as, frequently, of the place, or the body, or the air, and in like manner, the time. The Angels, namely, visit Abraham at noon, Sodom in the evening; Adam after midday was afraid at the voice of the Lord, walking up and down; and Solomon received at night the wisdom which it was not to be his to retain.
On the Lord's day. Not on the Jewish sabbath, which is our Saturday, but on the Christian sabbath, our Sunday, called the Lord's day. The Church, in the apostle's time, changed the day of rest, on which the Jews were commanded to rest and sanctify that day, from Saturday to Sunday, from the last day of the week to the first. They judged this only to be an indispensable precept, that some day or some time should be appointed, in a special manner, for God's service and worship, on which Christians should also abstain from servile works, that were not of necessity: as to the determination of such a day of the week, they judged that the Church had power to change the day. The late pretended reformers have all agreed with us in this change. And if they would have all that is expressed in this commandment, to be of an indispensable and unchangeable obligation, according to the letter of the law, they ought certainly to observe, to sanctify, and to abstain from all servile works on Saturdays,...
There are more cities in Asia than these, but he is commanded to write to those taught by him and who had received the faith of Christ. For those who did not believe and turned away from the saving word, how could anybody even advise them?
I was in the spirit: These words mean that that he saw a vision that was not understandable by the senses nor seen with physical ears or eyes, but with a prophetic sense. Isaiah spoke concerning this spiritual hearing when he told “me a learned tongue, that I should know how to uphold by word him that is weary: he wakened in the morning, in the morning he wakened my ear, that I may hear him as a master. 5 The Lord God has opened my ear.(Is. 50:4-5)”
There is the selfsame difference in respect of the soul's corporeality, which is (perhaps) invisible to the flesh, but perfectly visible to the spirit. Thus John, being "in the Spirit "of God,
Behold, He who was crucified reigns as God over all things, and all created objects offer prayer to their Creator. Hail, festive day, to be reverenced throughout the world,
