“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw– that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near (Revelation 1:1-3).
The first verse of the last book of the Bible identifies itself as “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” This (along with the rest of this opening paragraph), tells us that Revelation is a book from Jesus and about Jesus. However, this passage also says, “…which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.” This can be difficult to understand since the book of Revelation was written almost two thousand years ago and many of the events depicted within it have yet to occur. So how is it that these verses speak of things that “must soon take place“?
It’s interesting to note that the word “soon” referenced here in Revelation 1:1 is also translated “speedily” in Luke 18:8. So it is not as if the events in the book of Revelation must take place immediately. Instead, the pace of these events will quicken as they unfold. Much like a snowball rolling downhill, they will accelerate once they begin.
Verse three goes on to say, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (NIV). This passage is important, for the book of Revelation was originally written at a time when much of the population could not read. In addition, it was difficult and costly to produce an adequate number of copies for everyone to have their own edition of this book.
Therefore, Revelation 1:3 offers a blessing that applies to everyone- those who can read the book of Revelation for themselves (like many over the last few hundred years), and those who can listen to it. But whether we listen to the book of Revelation or read it for ourselves, there is a condition attached: we must take to heart what is written here.
This echoes an important reminder from the New Testament book of James: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22).
Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.