Q. Revelation 4:2 says John was “in the Spirit.” Does it mean that the Spirit descended on him, or was he taken up into heaven to witness the vision?
That is an excellent question, but we don’t really know the answer to it. John’s experience seems very similar to one that the apostle Paul had. Speaking of himself as “a man in Christ,” here is what Paul said about his experience:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
So it seems that even people who have such experiences aren’t sure whether they were physically brought up into heaven or whether they saw into heaven in a vision. John’s experience seems similar, in that he reports seeing things in heaven firsthand and even being told not to relate some of them. (“When the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’”) Here is how John relates the beginning of his own heavenly vision:
After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
So should we place the emphasis on “Come up here,” and understand that John was brought into heaven? Or should we place the emphasis on “I will show you” and “behold,” and understand that John saw these things in a vision? Personally I think we don’t have a clear answer, any more than we do in the case of Paul (or that even Paul himself did). So I conclude that perhaps this isn’t the most important thing for us to understand. What we should understand is that, “whether in the body or out of the body,” John was shown the spiritual workings behind the events of his day so that he could give a clear warning to the believers of his time not to compromise with the emerging cult of emperor worship. In ways that interpreters work hard to understand, John’s warnings also speak to believers throughout history and at the end of history.
It is true that John introduces his heavenly vision by saying that he was “in the Spirit,” but this is not the only place in the book where he says that. To introduce his very first vision, of Jesus exalted in power and glory, he tells his readers that he was “on the island called Patmos” and that he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” So “in the Spirit” does not seems to be a phrase that indicates being caught up into heaven. Rather, it seems to describe, as you suggest, the Holy Spirit’s special presence with John in order to convey spiritual visions and understanding.
As I discuss in my study guide to Revelation, John uses the phrase “in the Spirit” twice more, and the phrase seems to mark off the major sections of the book of Revelation. This too suggests that we should not understand the phrase to mean “carried off by the Spirit,” but rather something like “inspired by the Spirit.” I hope these thoughts are helpful to you.
Good Question 