7/11/23 REVELATION 1:1c, PART 1

Today we start with the third phrase of Revelation 1:1. Here are the different translations with the phrase in question in italics:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John (King James Version – KJV)

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,  (New King James Version – NKJV)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,  (New American Standard Bible – NASB)

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 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition – NRSVUE)

The revelation from 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,  (New International Version – NIV)

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, (English Standard Version – ESV)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John;  (American Standard Version – ASV)

A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him so that he could tell his servants what is now to take place very soon; he sent his angel to make it known to his servant John,  (New Jerusalem Bible – NJB)

Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him to make open to his servants, which things it behooveth to be made soon. And he signified, sending by his angel to his servant John   (Wycliffe Bible – WYC)

Here’s the first commentary quote:

“‘What must soon take place.’ He signifies that the inner meaning of the times and that which is intelligible to the sense, will be completed by rapid movement.”   [from EXPLANATION OF THE REVELATION BY THE MOST LEARNED MAN, APRINGIUS, BISHOP OF THE CHURCH AT PAX (JULIA), by Apringius of Beja, 531-548; from the modern text ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TEXTS: LATIN COMMENTARIES ON REVELATION, translated and edited by William C. Weinrich, series editors: Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, 2011]

This is interesting. To paraphrase, I think he is saying: “He shows that what will be going on in the world and it’s meaning, regarding the parts we can understand, will come about quickly.”  What an insightful statement. Try meditating on how that relates to today.

“For the present author says in the Gospel, ‘All things were made through him.’ And why does he wish to add ‘what must soon take place,’ although those events which will take place have not yet occurred, even though a considerable span of time has passed, more than five hundred years, since  these words were spoken? Because to the eyes of the eternal and endless God all ages are regarded as nothing, for, as the prophet says, ‘A thousand years in your sight, O Lord, are as yesterday when its past, or as a watch in the night.’ For this reason, therefore, he added ‘soon,’ not to indicate a measure of time which must pass before the fulfillment of what must happen, but to indicate the power and eternality of God. For to him who is, any passage of time, even should it be great and considerable, is something small when compared with that which is unending.”    [from COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE, by Oecumenius, 538; from the modern text ANCIENT CHRISTIAN COMMENTARY ON SCRIPTURE: NEW TESTAMENT XII: REVELATION, Edited by William C. Weinrich, General Editor: Thomas G. Oden, 2005]

This is a well-thought-out quote. Oecumenius understands that God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts, and that God’s time is uniquely His own.

We will see more on this as we move forward in time, but the Greek word translated as “soon” or “shortly” is ‘tachos’. The meanings for this word are: ‘quickness,’ ‘swiftness,’ ’speed,’ ‘hastily,’ or ‘immediately.’ It’s noted that the NASB translates this word as ‘quickly,’ shortly,’ and ‘soon.’  In English, ‘soon’ or ‘immediately’ is a very different concept than ‘swift’ or ‘quick’.

“That events must take place soon indicates that some of these things will happen at once on the reading concerning them and that those things that will be at the consummation are not delayed. For with God a thousand years is reckoned ‘as yesterday when it it past.’”   [from THE INTERPRETATION OF ANDREW, ARCHBISHOP OF CAESAREA OF CAPPADOCIA, OF THE REVELATION OF JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN, by Andrew of Caesarea, early 7th century AD; from the modern text ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TEXTS: GREEK COMMENTARIES ON REVELATION, translated by William C. Weinrich, edited by Thomas C. Oden, series editors Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray, 2011]

This quote is one that is used by preterists to declare that preterism was believed by the Church Fathers. It’s rather vague, so hopefully Andrew will say something more definitive later on. 

“the things which must happen, that is, what is contained in this revelation, shortly, before the death of each person, or the Day of Judgment, comes.”      [from HANDBOOK ON THE APOCALYPSE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN, by Pseudo-Jerome, early 7th century AD; from the modern text EARLY LATIN COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE, edited by Francis X. Gumerlock, 2016]

This quote is clearly a set-up for a preterist point of view. Pseudo-Jerome is saying flat out that all of Revelation will take place “before the death of each person,” which seems to mean the people who first read Revelation. This is the first time, in the 7th century, that we are seeing this said definitively and out loud.

“to make plain, that is, to show simply without a parable, what things must happen shortly, that is, the necessary things which are quickly running to the end of time; for whatever regards the end, is completed quickly.”   [from REFERENCE BIBLE: ON THE MYSTERIES OF THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN, by an anonymous Hiberno-Latin author, early to mid-8th century AD; from the modern text EARLY LATIN COMMENTARIES ON THE APOCALYPSE, edited by Francis X. Gumerlock, 2016]

This Irish/Latin Reference Bible is torn between the two choices. First, by saying “the necessary things which are quickly running to the end of time,” it’s implying that either the end of time already happened, or that it’s dragging out to, perhaps, the end of the first millennium. Or, secondly, by saying: “for whatever regards the end, is completed quickly,” it’s implying that ‘tachos’ could mean ‘quickly’ rather than ‘soon’ and so maybe we aren’t at the end of time.

“Those things that are to happen quickly.  That is, those things that are going to happen to the church in the present age.”   [from THE TRACTATE OF THE ELDER BEDE ON THE APOCALYPSE, THE FIRST BOOK, by Bede the Venerable, 710-716; from the modern text ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TEXTS: LATIN COMMENTARIES ON REVELATION, translated and edited by William C. Weinrich, series editors Thomas C. Oden and Gerald L. Bray]

The Venerable Bede probably thought, with most of his time, that the end of the first millennium would bring the return of Christ, so, of course, Revelation had to take place pretty soon from his stand point. And, people of his age saw the church as the only thing on God’s mind.

“the things which must shortly come to pass, although one could understand countless things by it, his particular intention was nonetheless to speak of the Church’s temporal afflictions and everlasting joys to come, and of the wicked’s present happiness and future eternal torments. These things all come to pass shortly, because this present time is forced to fly by until the end without a moment’s interruption; whence the same John says 

elsewhere, little children, it is the last hour.”   [from COMMENTARY ON REVELATION, by Alcuin of York, late 8th century AD; from the modern text PATRISTIC BIBLE COMMENTARY: ALCUIN OF YORK COMMENTARY ON REVELATION, translated by Sarah Van Der Pas, https://sites.google.com/site/aquinasstudybible/home/revelation/alcuin-of-york-commentary-on-revelation ]

This is another interesting take on the phrase. I disagree that Revelation is speaking “of the Church’s temporal afflictions and everlasting joys to come,” though we certainly do get some peeks at the everlasting joys to come for all Christians.  Beyond that one criticism, I find the remainder to be a totally new twist from today’s point of view.  Of course, Alcuin was thinking that the Millennium would start at the turn of the 2nd millennium  so that’s why he thought that “this present time is forced to fly by until the end without a moment’s interruption.” But, in our present, I’m caught by the idea that the last 2000+ years has been one continuous hour in God’s timing…that this period has been without interruption! The implication is that God used to speak with and intervene with His people frequently, yet for the last 2000+ years He has chosen not to interrupt us. I can’t think of a non-ominous reason for God to do that. 

“When some people hear ‘immediately,’ they suppose its prophecy to occur literally; but ‘a thousand years in the eyes of the Lord are reckoned as an evening that passed.’ [footnote: Psalm 89:4]    [from COMMENTARY ON THE REVELATION OF SAINT JOHN, by Nerses of Lambron, 1179; modern printing published by Hebrew University Armenian Studies, Vol 9, translation and notes by Robert W. Thomson, 2007]

Kind of a wimpy quote after the others, but ‘tachos’ was translated ‘immediately’ here, which is the first we’ve seen that choice, so I thought it was worth including. Nerses is writing after the turn of the new millennium, so he cannot use the idea of the millennium ending being the ‘end of time’ like some of the earlier writers have. He is referencing the idea that Pseudo-Jerome wrote about in the 7th century (early preterism), but he doesn’t seem to be  buying it.

“He gave…not only so that he could know the revelation but also to make public, that is, in order to make manifest, to his servants those things that soon must come to pass (Rev 1:1). In this, he touches also on the material cause because it is of future things that must come to pass not out of absolute need but in regard to the infallibility of divine foreknowledge, in regard as well to the usefulness — and need — of the church, in regard to the retributive justice of God, and in regard to the evil of the reprobate. He says soon, moreover, in the sense that the starting points are not far off, and they will continue and be finished without interruption. ‘Soon,’ further in the sense that the whole of time, when compared to eternity, is but a moment. And ‘soon’ also in the sense that the whole time of the New Law in regard to the former ages can be computed as a single eschatological hour, according to that text in John’s First Epistle, chapter two: It is the last hour.”   [from COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE, by Peter of John Olivi, early 13th century AD; from the modern printing, translation and notes by Warren Lewis, published by Franciscan Institute Publications of Bonaventure University, 2017]

An interesting conglomeration of all the previous ideas, except for preterism. Peter of John Olivi must have been well-read.

“Things which must shortly] That is, sooner or later in their proper season.God’s time seems long, because we are short. Nulium tempos occurrit regi, saith the lawyer [“no time runs against the king,” a common law doctrine meaning that the crown is not subject to statutes of limitation]. The Ancient of days is not to be limited.”   [from A  COMMENTARY ON THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, VOL 5, by John Trapp, 1647]

John Trapp’s writing is just chock full of clever sayings. They are usually awesome, and this is no exception: “The Ancient of days is not to be limited.”

“Which must shortly come to pass] therefore this book doth not treat of things then past (as some would persuade) but things to come.”   [from EPITOME OF THE MOST CHOICE COMMENTARIES UPON THE REVELATION OF SAINT JOHN, by Hezekiah Holland, 1650]

Holland’s thought processes have not seemed terribly deep.  This quote is like the comic relief part of the post. Many of the commentators try to prove their prowess by arguing back and forth about when the Revelation was actually written, and if it was written before the destruction of the  Temple, then it must be fore-telling that event, etc. Holland just comes out and says “It says it’s about the future, so it must be!” As if that solves the whole problem. As if he has no understanding of what his fellow commentators are talking about.

“The subject of this Revelation, things which must shortly come to pass, not things past , nor so much things present, (though in the second & third Chapter, such things be spoken to) as mainly, things to come. And it’s said, That they must shortly come to pass: because, though the full accomplishment of them was not to be till the end of the world, as will be clear from the Prophecy, and therefore those events cannot be confined within some few years; yet, the beginning of the fulfilling of them was instantly upon the back of this Revelation.”    [from A COMMENTARIE UPON THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION, by James M. Durham, 1658]

Here’s a restating of the idea that the fulfillment has started, but not concluded. But, he says: “herefore those events cannot be confined within some few years,” which cannot be true. He’s justifying his belief that the events started, but were not completed, at the writing of Revelation by trying to stretch out Revelation over the centuries. Revelation is very clear about it’s time-frame, and it’s not centuries. When God comes with His wrath to settle with those who have taken the side against Him, it will only take 7 years.

“There come to pass sorrowful things, there come to pass joyful things, great and many. This book represents those things which come to pass, absolutely; that is, the sums and series of events, through so many ages,  to the very coming of Jesus Christ. To that event Daniel, to that John, extends his view, each from his own age (quickly) A regard for Christianity brings with it a regard for the times also.—Paulus Antonius, in the Antithetical College, p. 930. Respecting quickness, I would have you by all means see the note on ch. vi. 11: from which it will be evident, that the interpretation of the celebrated D. Lange, respecting the event of the seals, etc., as being about to be quick, after many ages have intervened [and not until then], is too weak.—Tom. i. Gl. Chr. Part i., or Comm. Apoc. fol. 22. The final time itself is at hand, ver. 3: and that approach gives quickness even to the advent and rise of the things nearer at hand, and not merely to their event and progress. The whole book ought to be taken as one word, pronounced in one moment. With the exception of definite times, which are of sufficient extent, all things are most truly done quickly.”   [from GNOMON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, VOL 5, by Johann Albrecht Bengel, 1742]

I think that Bengel is agreeing with the idea that it’s about ‘quickness’ not ‘immediacy.’ I see why he impressed people, his writing, while avoiding the high-brow, complex words of some others, is still complex and not easy to read quickly. My favorite, and I think the most telling, line of the whole quote is: “The whole book ought to be taken as one word, pronounced in one moment.” There is an insight into his thinking that is revealed in that line…an almost magical way of thinking…reminiscent of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings. And if not exactly ‘magical,’ then highly spiritual. It’s an amazing statement that I wish I could grasp more fully.

“The things which must shortly come to pass – The things contained in this prophecy did begin to be accomplished shortly after it was given; and the whole might be said to come to pass shortly, in the same sense as St. Peter says, “The end of all things is at hand;” and our Lord himself, “Behold, I come quickly.” There is in this book a rich treasure of all the doctrines pertaining to faith and holiness. But these are also delivered in other parts of holy writ; so that the Revelation need not to have been given for the sake of these. The peculiar design of this is, to show the things which must come to pass. And this we are especially to have before our eyes whenever we read or hear it.”   [from NOTES ON THE REVELATION OF JOHN, by John Wesley, 1765]

A very clever and well-written side-step by Wesley. He doesn’t fully take a stand or truly explain anything, but it reads really well.

“‘For the time is at hand.’  Those things are not fulfilled. The thought of the return of Jesus was so present, that the disciples thought John would not die before His coming. John closed revelation.

“Malachi closed the Old Testament by the promise of Elijah. From that time all is apocryphal. There is no new revelation or communications made that would constitute the proof of a recognized relationship. So the Apocalypse, which closes the New Testament revelation, announces the coming of Jesus, and all is apocryphal until the Lord comes to receive the Church.

“God does not, in the interval, give up His people; but He makes no more revelations. Therefore He says: “the time is at hand.” Thus the apostles speak of their time, as being the last days. All the interval, until the return of Jesus, is the long suffering of God towards the world. The Church is to walk by faith, and by the revelation already given.”   [from NOTES ON THE APOCALYPSE, by John Nelson Darby, 1842]

What a fascinating quote ! I think Darby is absolutely right about the stopping of revelation after Malachi and after Revelation; it’s interesting to suggest that it’s this stopping of revelation that means “the time is at hand.” And, of course, God does not give up His people, either the Jews or the Gentile Believers. The crux of it though is the part I don’t fully understand: “All the interval, until the return of Jesus, is the long suffering of God towards the world.” Why does God have an interval of “long suffering”? Is He waiting for something in particular?  I look back at all the destruction God allowed to happen to His Chosen People when they turned their backs on Him. Christianity has brought the Word of God to the whole world (just about), and as the parts of the world that used to follow Him are now turning their backs on Him, the world waits with bated breath to see what He will do.

That’s enough for today. We’ll continue in the 19th century next time.