What Does It Mean That John Was “in the Spirit?” (Revelation 1:10)

Revelation 1:9-10

I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. ¹⁰ It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast.

In Revelation 1:9, John informs his readers that he had been exiled to the island of Patmos at the order of Emperor Domitian. Patmos is a barren, volcanic island in the Aegean Sea. The island is only around 10 miles long and between 5 and 6 miles wide. As an exiled enemy of the Rome, John would have found long days of labor under the watchful eye of a Roman taskmaster with a ready whip. After a long day of work, he would have found little relief for his 90-year-old body from sleeping on the ground with insufficient food and clothing.

Yet, in the following verse (1:10), he describes another significant change—his spiritual relocation. John states that he was “in the Spirit” when he received and recorded the visions in the book of Revelation (see also 4:2). But what does “in the Spirit” mean?

The phrase likely suggests that John entered a state of heightened spiritual awareness under the Holy Spirit’s control, something like a trance. In this state, God transported him into the future to witness and document the visions of the end times. In this extraordinary state, John MacArthur says that John the disciple was “transported to a plane of experience and perception beyond that of the human senses.” John is not the only one in the Bible to receive supernatural revelation in this way. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:2; 3:12, 14), Peter (Acts 10:9), and Paul (Acts 22:17-21; 2 Corinthians 12:1) also experienced similar instances.

The unique way that John saw, heard, and recorded the revelation of Jesus he received is the result of divine, supernatural revelation.

Do you have any questions about the Book of Revelation or the End Times you’d like >SM to answer? If so, leave them in the comments below. I am learning and following Jesus like anyone else, so I welcome your biblical insight. Your questions and insights help me grow in my faith as I search the Scriptures for God’s answers.