Carried by the Spirit

Tales of flying carpets have been around for centuries. These legendary carpets, purely the imagination of fantasy writers, could carry riders quickly to distant places, including heaven. One Hebrew legend even describes King Solomon owning such a carpet.

John was not carried away by a carpet but by the Holy Spirit. He also did not literally go anywhere but was transported in vision to future scenes.

This isn’t the first time that John was carried away “in the Spirit” (that is, in vision). When an angel showed him the woman sitting on a scarlet beast (Revelation 17:3), he had been transported in vision. (See also 1:10; 4:2.) Daniel had a similar experience (Daniel 8:2), as did Ezekiel (Ezekiel 8:3), who was taken, like John, in vision to “a very high mountain” in “the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 40:2).

John is taken to a high mountain from which he can watch scenes that were still to take place. From this prime view, the apostle was able to see “the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Because of the numerous contrasts made in Revelation between Babylon and the New Jerusalem, some suggest that this high mountain is made on the ruins of Babylon.

Building on the ruins of a conquered city occurred often in Old Testament times (Joshua 11:13; Jeremiah 30:18). Thus, the symbolism of the kingdom of Babylon being crushed under the victorious kingdom of God is seen.

More specifically, Zechariah predicted Christ’s return: “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:4). John watched this take place while on the mountain.

John shows that the only safe guide to understanding the future is the ?Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, what a comfort You are. You lead us, You guide us, and You live right inside us!

For Further Study: John 16:12–14; Acts 10:10; Revelation 1:10

Key Bible Texts

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:10 KJV)