Hope and Prophecy

What Does “Lord's Day” Mean in the Bible?

Revelation 1:10 says John was “in the Spirit” on “the Lord's day,” but the verse itself does not explicitly identify which day of the week John meant.

Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-27

Written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team. Read our editorial policy.

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SabbathLaw

Biblical explanation

John writes: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day” (). Some interpret this as Sunday because of later Christian usage. Others understand it as referring to the seventh-day Sabbath or to the eschatological “day of the Lord.” The important point is that does not say: “I was in the Spirit on Sunday.” Nor does it explicitly say: “I was in the Spirit on the seventh-day Sabbath.” The phrase must therefore be interpreted from Scripture as a whole. Jesus specifically called Himself: “Lord also of the sabbath” (). This provides an explicit biblical connection between Jesus and the Sabbath. The Bible uses the expression “Lord's day” only in . It does not explicitly define the phrase as Sunday.

In brief

John writes: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day” ().

Bible references

Go deeper into this topic The Sabbath: A Gift of Rest Start the study

Editorial note

This answer is written and reviewed by the Word Oasis Editorial Team, and is presented with supporting references so you can examine each passage in context. If you notice an error or unclear statement, please suggest a correction.