1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants
a the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
2who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3Blessed 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.
The start of any letter in the Bible states clearly who the writing is intended to reach. This is clear…..except when many read Revelation.
But if we read the words we see the writer and Jesus INTENDED his servants UNDERSTAND what they were about to read. It was NOT intended to be a mystery to those who received these writings. Now which servants?
Obviously the ones receiving the writings living when John was writing. How do we know? It says he wanted to show his servants what would soon take place. Soon doesn’t mean 2000+ years.
Now before you tell me God doesn’t understand what “soon”means to us but only what it means to Him which is essentially nothing (1000 years = 1 day to Him,) the intention was that they, those readers, understand. The book was not supposed to be sealed but open. If a mother tells her hungry children dinner is “soon” she is using “soon” as they understand it, not according to her ability to endure hungry several hours. God isn’t less of a communicator. He used “soon” as we understand it…and soon it was.
Lastly, it needs to be said that the Jewish expression “coming in the clouds” is used elsewhere in scripture to denote God’s judgement on a nation totally destroying it. That is what that metaphor means in the OT. It’s serious judgement accompanied by unspeakable suffering. This judgement happened in 70AD as Jesus said it would.
So Revelation was a book written to those believers in those churches and elsewhere who would suffer as described. It is for us to be amazed at the fulfillment as well as anticipate the final chapters when Jesus comes as when left, not on a horse with an armed entourage, but by Himself. Not angry or wrathful.
Maranatha!