things which must shortly come to pass (Revelation 1:1c)
We’re finishing up with the 21st century:
“…The content of the revelation is the imminent events of the end of history (‘what must soon take place’). This stems from Daniel 2:28-29, where Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about ‘things to come.’ It is found at other key points in this book regarding God’s absolute control over future events.
28However, there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed. 29As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts turned to what would take place in the future; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will take place. (Daniel 2:28,29; NASB)
“The adverb in the phrase ‘what must soon take place’ can refer to imminence (‘soon’) or the swiftness with which God will act (‘suddenly, without delay’). While ‘I come quickly’ in 2:16; 3:11; 11:14 refers to God’s swift actions, the phrase here more likely refers to time.
Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will wage war against them with the sword of My mouth. (Revelation 2:16; NASB)
I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11; NASB)
The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming quickly. (Revelation 11:14; NASB)
“Yet this is also problematic, for it has been nearly 2000 years since these prophecies and little has happened.”
I still don’t agree that it is a word used for “time” in this passage of Revelation. This quote was written in 2016, yet the author still thinks “little has happened.” While many of us thought that things were happening at that time, we could not yet see where they were leading ultimately, so our realizations did not help us much. There were a few who saw clearly where we were being led, but it sounded so over the top that most didn’t believe it. With hind sight, it’s getting easier to see that what is happening today started 2000 years ago…so saying “little has happened”is a lot harder to agree with.
“It is important that ‘soon’ in the New Testament seldom means there is nothing yet to occur. It is eschatological (= end times) language intended to draw the reader into a sense of expectation and responsibility in order to recognize God’s hand in the events of history. It means that God has initiated the events of the last days, and we must ready ourselves for the end. Remember the twofold clarification in 2 Peter 3:8-9: ‘With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day…He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ We all must be grateful to the Lord for his patience — if we have been Christians for 20 years, we thank God that Christ did not return 21 years ago! Revelation 6:11 recognizes that a period of time will ensure before the Parousia (the second coming), so ‘soon’ does not mean ‘in the next moment.’ Rather, it means the climactic events have already started, and in God’s own time the end will be soon. [from REVELATION VERSE BY VERSE (Osborne New Testament Commentaries), by Grant R. Osborne, 2016]
I completely agree with Osborne that our “sense of expectation and responsibility in order to recognize God’s hand in the events of history” is intended, and that “it means that God has initiated the events of the last days, and we must ready ourselves for the end.” As our days approach the days of Noah and the days of Lot more and more closely (indeed, perhaps surpassing them), we begin to see signs that God is losing patience with this world. And, it’s beginning to be rapid.
And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. (Revelation 6:11; NASB)
“In verse 1, John says this book will reveal the events that ‘must soon take place.’ This phrase describes an event that will occur suddenly, but not necessarily in the near future. In other words, the events of Revelation may not occur today or tomorrow — but once they do begin to unfold, they will progress in rapid succession.” [from WHEN CHRIST APPEARS: AN INSPIRATIONAL EXPERIENCE THROUGH REVELATION, by Dr. David Jeremiah, 2017]
Even in 2017 we could fool ourselves into not seeing what was imminent. But I agree with what Dr. Jeremiah is saying here.
“‘things which must shortly come to pass’ (Re. 1:1) These things must come to pass. No one can speak like this except God. To make such declarations, one must be immortal and omniscient and omnipotent. These things MUST come to pass because Jesus Christ says so. What confidence and certainty and assurance! What a solid foundation for living! The individual that builds his life upon Jesus Christ and His infallible Word will never be ashamed.”
What a glorious beginning! A solid foundation indeed!
“These things must shortly come to pass (Re. 1:1)
—“This is repeated in various ways seven times in Revelation. ‘Shortly come to pass’ is stated twice (Re. 1:1, 22:6). ‘The time is at hand’ is stated twice (Re. 1:3; 22:10). ‘Behold, I come quickly’ is stated four times (Re. 3:11; 22:7,12,20).
6And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. 7And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book… 10And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near…12”Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves…20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:6,7,10,12,20; NASB)
Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3; NASB)
I am coming quickly; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11; NASB)
—“These statements refer to the imminency of Christ’s coming. The time is always at hand. The imminency of Christ’s return is emphasized throughout the New Testament. See Mt. 24:42,44; 25:13; Ro 13:11-12; Php. 4:5; Jas. 5:8-9; 1 Pe. 4:7.
42”Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming…44For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. (Matthew 24:42,44; NASB)
Be on the alert then, because you do not know the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:13; NASB)
11Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. 12The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Romans 13:11,12; NASB)
Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. (Philippians 4:5; NASB)
8You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. (James 5:8,9; NASB)
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. (1 Peter 4:7; NASB)
“This means that Christ’s return for the church-age believer is not preceded by specific signs and could happen at any time (1 Th. 4:13-18).
15For we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15,16; NASB)
“The church-age believer is not looking for the Antichrist but for the Christ. The events described in Revelation 6-18 pertain to ‘the day of the Lord,’ which will come ‘as a thief in the night’ and as ‘sudden destruction’ (1 Th. 5:2-3), but the New Testament believer is ‘not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief’ (1 Th. 5:4). God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Th. 5:9).
2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord is coming just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, so that the day would overtake you like a thief…9For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4,9; NASB)
“A major purpose of the book of Revelation is to set the minds of God’s people on the future and to cause them to live in preparation to meet the Lord. When Christ says these things ‘must shortly come to pass,’ He means to tell us that the judgments described in Revelation are always on the verge of happening. They can occur at any time, therefore we should be ‘like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately’ (Lu. 12:36). “
I am loath to interrupt because this author is so on target, but I feel I must. I’m excited that he has made this claim about the purpose of Revelation; too many authors have made Revelation sound like it’s a waste of time, or just not understandable. This author has not only referred to the doctrine of imminence, but here he describes it and provides a Bible reference!
You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:36; NASB)
“‘“Shortly” surely indicates imminence. We have the same Greek expression in Romans 16:20, “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” He is not yet bruised, but we are expecting it’ (Newell). ‘Prophecy annihilates time, and all intervening and even opposing circumstances, and sets one down on the threshold of accomplishment’ (Walter Scott).
—“These statements refer to God’s clock rather than ours…Though He has forsaken Israel for at least 2,000 years it is because He desires that men be saved (2 Pe. 3:8-9), and He will wait as long as necessary for this.
8But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8,9; NASB)
“We can understand this by comparing the way man sees things and the way an insect sees things. Man lives an average of more than 70 years, so he can look upon something as happening ‘shortly’ when it is even as much as a year or more away. Some insects, though, live only one brief day, their entire lifespan being encompassed within the span of a few hours. If that insect could understand human language and if I told it that I was shortly going to do something, meaning that I was going to do it in a year or so, it would not be able to comprehend how that 360 insect life spans could be described as ‘short’ for the simple reason that it’s perspective is so small
—“These statements refer to rapidity of execution. Once the judgments described in Revelation begin, all of the events of chapters 6-19 will occur in a brief seven year period.” [from WAY OF LIFE COMMENTARY SERIES: REVELATION, by David Cloud, 2019]
Cloud is totally on the money here, in my humble opinion. I love the Scott quote “Prophecy annihilates time…”; Cloud and Scott were saying that by reading prophecy one can jump ahead to the time of the prophecy in one’s mind, see the outcome, and be comforted. Another meaning also came to my mind…once the prophecy is finished, or even underway, the intervening time before it happened no longer seems unbearably long (the time is “annihilated”). For example, think about the birth of Christ: the centuries leading up to that event seemed unending to those Jews who studied and pondered on it. For us, it’s in the past, and we attach no thoughts of “waiting” to Christ’s First Coming; rather we are focused on the waiting for His Second Coming with great, seemingly unending eagerness.
“When will these events happen? We can’t set an exact date for Christ’s return. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, ‘Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, not the Son, but the Father alone.’ But notice Revelation 1:1 says these things ‘must soon take place.’ The Greek phrase is en tachei, which indicates these events are imminent; they could happen at any moment. Once these events are set in motion, they will quickly transpire over a seven-year period. It will be the rapid, unalterable fall of God’s prophetic dominoes.” [from FINAL CONQUEST: A VERSE-BY-VERSE STUDY OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION, from the Ministry of Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2020]
Dr. Jefress’ interpretation of this passage is, like Cloud’s, the one that makes the most sense at this point in time. This is my opinion, but obviously I’m backed up by a large number of well-informed people. There is also the fact that Dr. Jefress was standing in 2020, right on the precipice of the rapid downward spiral not only of this country, but of the world. The future, which is still not entirely clear here in 2024, was just starting to be seen in its bare outline in 2020. The Greek phrase “en tachei” has described the last four years very well.
“…we note that the content of this revelation is about ‘what must soon happen’ (v. 1). The language emphasizes the guaranteed fulfillment (‘must’; Greek, dei genesthai, emphasizing its necessity) and its imminence (‘soon’; Greek en tachei, meaning ‘speedily, quickly, without delay’). The audience must have expected that the events to be predicted would be imminent to them, not just to readers centuries later. This somewhat undermines a Futurist reading of Revelation.” [from A PENTECOSTAL COMMENTARY ON REVELATION (Pentecostal Old Testament and New Testament), by Jon K. Newton, 2021)
Here we have a little bit of a preterist comment; not totally committed to it, but more like a hint. Newton seems to miss the concept of imminence a bit: it’s imminent to all equally throughout the last 2000 years, not more to one time and less to another. Even now, as we see events unfolding that seem to lead directly to the Tribulation, we are no more imminent here than they were in Apostolic times. The imminence is a moment by moment thing, a shimmering of anticipation, part of the relationship one has with Christ. It is not about how the future is more imminent than the past because ‘nothing has happened yet.’
I did acquire Paul Benware’s 2022 book UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION, so I will end the study of this passage with a quote from it. This is a very short book (96 pages), but also very ‘no nonsense.’
“…the text says that they ‘shortly’ must take place. (‘Shortly’ and ‘soon’ are used in several places in Revelation…). Now, some 1900 years have passed since this was written, which seems to suggest that ‘shortly’ is hardly a good choice of words. And, in fact, there are those who say that these are ‘timing words’ that conclusively prove that a first century fulfillment of Revelation is required. but that is not really the case. These words are not chronological indicators (‘timing words’), but rather they are ‘qualitative’ indicators; which simply means they are communicating HOW the Lord is going to return, and HOW He will bring the various events to fulfillment. They are not saying WHEN, but HOW, He is going to return. The essential idea (as validated by the leading Greek lexicons) is that He will return SUDDENLY or QUICKLY. These are, in Greek grammar, adverbs of manner, which tell us the manner, or way, in which the events will occur. They will take place ‘quickly’ or ‘suddenly’. So, for example, Jesus says in 22:12, ‘behold, I am coming suddenly and my reward is with Me.’” [from UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION, by Paul Benware, 2022]
That’s all for today. Next time we will start a new phrase.
A very good article. Thanks for sharing.