John, Revelation’s writer, tells us that he wrote the letter from the island of Patmos – a Roman penal colony; that he was exiled there because of his witness and proclamation of the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ. He wrote the letter because he was told to do so while in vision. Taken by the Spirit into that vision, he adds that it happened on the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1: 10).

What does that mean – the Lord’s Day? Some scholars and lay people think it refers to Sunday or Easter Sunday because of Jesus’ resurrection. Others say it means Emperor’s day because the Roman emperors claimed the title “Lord.” But one can’t find the term related to any of those reasons in the Bible. If anyone insists that either of these non-biblical assumptions are true, it’s because he or she wants it to be true. That person would rather hold on to a man-made doctrinal tradition instead of considering the Word of God.

Because we know that the book of Revelation’s scenes, imagery, symbols, and terms are mostly borrowed from the rest of the Bible – most notably the Old Testament – we know that it’s within the Bible that we should look for the meaning of “the Lord’s Day.” In this case, when we query the Bible, two definitions present themselves.

The first definition has to do with Jesus’ Second Coming. That event is referred to by Old Testament prophets as “the day of the Lord” (Joel 2: 11, 31; Amos 5: 18-20; Zephaniah 1: 14; Malachi 4: 5). The New Testament references are 1 Thessalonians 5: 2 and 2 Peter 3: 10. Then there are other variables: “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1: 8; 2 Corinthians 1: 14) and “the great day” (Jude 6).

The second definition has to do with the seventh-day Sabbath. That day is referred to as “My holy day” and “the holy day of the Lord” (Isaiah 58: 13). The New Testament says “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12: 8; Mark 2: 28; Luke 6: 5).

“The Day of the Lord” reference to the Second Coming is a strong contender for the meaning because the whole of Revelation leads up to that day as its theme. John was probably taken to the day of the Second Coming and witnessed from that vantage point the events leading up to it.

However, because the seventh-day Sabbath will be a major issue in the end-time scenario, as will be seen; it too merits strong consideration as the meaning.

Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that “the Lord’s Day” has a dual meaning. What I’m saying is that John was in vision on the seventh-day Sabbath (“the Lord’s Day”), closely positioned next to the backdrop of the letter’s overall theme, which is the Second Coming (“the day of the Lord”).