The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. — Revelation 1:1-3
As we open our study of the Book of Revelation, we must always keep in mind the opening words, because they tell us very specific and important things to keep in mind as we interpret the message for application in our lives.
As I discussed in The Sevens of Revelation: Introduction, this revelation or ἀποκάλυψις (ap-ok-al'-oop-sis) is a revealing or disclosure of Truth of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Jesus to show to his servants (us) the things that must soon take place.
The Message
First, we look at the purpose of this message of Truth. The purpose is for “Jesus to show His servants the things that must soon take place.”
What things does Jesus show John to pass to us? The answer can be easily seen, when we look at a Red Letter version of the text, which indicates the actual words spoken by Jesus in the vision. These include all of the verses from Revelation 1:17-3:22. In Revelation 4:1, we move from the spoken message of Jesus to the prophetic vision of which Jesus says, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Because of this, the primary message of the Book of Revelation is found in these passages, which contain the Messages to the Seven Churches.
Now we look at the phrase “must soon take place,” which is “δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τάχει” (dei ginomai en tachā) in the Greek.
Many commentaries wrestle with this opening statement, mostly because they approach this entire Book of Revelation as a literal series of events that are the end of the Earth as we know it and an introduction of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Although aspects of this Book of Revelation include a literal series of events of the Ends of Days, we will look at another, more immediate interpretation that empowers us to apply the message to our lives now, not in some future context, when it is too late.
A closer look at this phrase in the Greek can provide some insight which most, if not all, English translations fail to give justice.
The first half of this phrase is “δεῖ γενέσθαι” (dei ginomai) which means, literally, it is necessary or in the best interest of the one hearing it (dei) to become, be made, or finished (ginomai). So, whatever the message is, it is one that the one receiving it must take action on.
The second half of the phrase is “ἐν τάχει” (en tachā) which means, literally, at a specific time (ἐν) rapidly (τάχει) or taken together into a single word, suddenly. So, again, whatever we are to do with this message, our response is so happen immediately, not in some distant future.
This is what distinguishes our study of the Book of Revelation from other studies. We will be looking at what actions we, as followers of Jesus, can take immediately based on the Truth that the message contains for our lives today.
The Messenger
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John …
An interesting rendering in the English for the next part of verse 1, may lead one to believe that God or Jesus sent a third party Angel to deliver the message.
However, the technical analysis of the Greek shows that the He referred to in this phrase is God and the “ἀγγέλου” (ang'-el-on) or messenger is Jesus. In other words, God, wanting to make sure the message was properly and clearly delivered, sent His Son to deliver it to His servant, John.
The Witness
… who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
So, John is not the messenger, but is a witness, which carries legal significance in both Roman and Hebrew culture. WE also have another indicator that the Massage is God’s and the Messenger is Jesus, because Jesus testifies to the word of God.
John, is not only a witness, but he is a reliable pone, because he bears witness to “all that he saw.”
The Receiver
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Finally, we see that all of this sending, testifying and witnessing was for someone very specific; first to the one who reads the words, second for the one who hears the words, and finally for the one keep or takes to heart what is written.
And the benefit to those three categories of Receivers is a blessing. Not just any vague blessing. Not the general blessing of being God’s servant. Specific blessing which we will learn about as we discuss each of the Seven Churches.
Finally, their is, again, urgency, in response to receiving the message, with he phrase “ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς ἐγγύς” (for the time is near). The Greek phrase “ὁ γὰρ καιρὸς” (ho gar kairos) is used to indicate a milestone or a time of transition from one period to another. The Greek word “ἐγγύς” (eng-goos') indicates immediacy in time. Therefore, we can understand that our response is part of a transition which will begin immediately upon application of the message in our lives.
Summary
As we can see from the opening overview of the Book of Revelation, God gave a Word to Jesus, to pass through His servant, John, to those who read, hear and take to heart the message that Jesus is about to deliver. The urgency of this message being applied by the receiver is found in the use of terms of immediacy.
We can conclude that we, as readers, should take this message, whatever it is, to heart and apply it quickly in our lives. As a result of taking this action, we will receive a blessing in our lives immediately in the areas of our response.