Getting Revelation - 1.1

Rev. 1:1 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,"

The first verse, ironically enough, contains the primary key to the proper interpretation of the whole book, and this key statement is repeated again and again throughout the book (especially in the opening in closing passages). John informs his audience that the vision he is about to share is concerning "Things which must shortly take place." This same restrictive time stamp is repeated in verse three.

1:3 - "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is at hand."

"The time is at hand." The greek words behind these terms cannot be stretched to mean anything else. Shortly is Tachos in Greek (Strongs 5034) and at hand is Eggys (1451). There is no mincing words here. The seer wants to communicate the definite and undisputable eminence of the events he is about to detail.

The book of Revelation was penned in the first century to a first century set of persecuted churches; and, if the writer declares that the book is concerning things which must "shortly" take place, and were then "at hand," then we need not look to the future, but to the distant past to pinpoint the events which mark their fulfillment! The events signified in Revelation had to have taken place in or shortly after the first century to stay true to the plain and consistent time declarations of the prophet (this eminence is repeated again and again throughout the book, especially in the final chapter - 22).

NEXT TIME we will peer closer at other clues in verses 1-10...