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| The time is near (Rev 1:3) |
1The 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, 2who testifies to everything he saw-- that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3Blessed 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)
In Revelation 1:1-3 we find two expressions related to time. The first we find in verse 1 with the expression “what must soon take place” and the second we find in verse 3 with the expression “the time is near.” In just one chapter we find two similar expressions like these, so we can conclude that there is a sense of urgency in what is being conveyed in Revelation.
Given that the two expressions both suggest a short period of time, the question arises: How soon will these things happen? And how close is the time for the things that are revealed in revelation to happen?
We will reflect on these two expressions that suggest a sense of urgency in terms of time by trying to find what they mean and also by trying to find similar references in the Bible. Hopefully, by doing so, we can understand better what Revelation means through these expressions.
The most common mistake in thinking about the message of Revelation
Concerning the time given by the book of Revelation, I have noticed that there are two tendencies or two extreme points in understanding revelation among Christians.
There are certain Christians who go to the extreme of emphasizing that the message of Revelation is about everything that happened in the past, and therefore it seems to have no meaning for us today.
While on the other extreme point, some Christians emphasize that the news of Revelation is about everything that has not happened yet, and will only happen in the future, so that for us now it seems as if the news does not have much relevant meaning.
In my opinion, the news of Revelation refers to events in the past, and in the future and is even relevant to the present.
The news conveyed in Revelation is not always read from the perspective of a story told in chronological order, but rather is more of a parallel picture, complementing each other and strengthening each other between one message and another.
From a Greek cultural perspective, time is not always seen as Chronos, which is where the emphasis is on the relationship between time and the sequence of events that occur in it. In Greek culture, time can also be seen in the sense of Kairos, which is where the emphasis is on the importance of events that are happening at a certain time.
We, in Indonesia, may not be used to understanding time from these two different meanings, kairos and chronos. But to help us understand this, I will try to give a simple example that hopefully can help.
Let's take an example: "studying in elementary school," as an event that we want to associate with Kairos and Chronos. From the perspective of Kairos: studying in elementary school consists of a sequence of events starting from grade 1, then continuing to grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and so on until grade 6. Meanwhile, from the perspective of Chronos, studying in elementary school would be very appropriate if done at a young age, namely between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Why? Because at that age, learning activities in elementary school are very appropriate. It does not mean that someone cannot attend elementary school at the age of 40. However, from the perspective of Kairos, that is very inappropriate to do, because at the age of 40, we have other important things to do and our responsibilities are usually much greater than the basic things we can learn from elementary school.
If I may summarize in simple language, Chronos talks about time from the perspective of its structure, while Kairos talks about time from the perspective of its content or importance.
The Book of Revelation talks more about various events from the perspective of Kairos than Chronos (although that does not mean that Chronos does not exist at all). Therefore, everything conveyed in the book of Revelation can be read in the past, in the present, and in the future. The fulfillment of the prophecies in Revelation occurs in the near and far future. Every age will see how the seal of God is opened, how the warning trumpet is blown, and how the bowl of God's wrath is poured out on the wicked.
Exceptions may be made for some things that have not yet happened, such as the second coming of Jesus, the final judgment, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the descent of the new Jerusalem from God.
The time is near
For the readers of Revelation in John's time, what was written was about to happen, and some of it had already happened. However, everything that happened was quite general and general, not as a single event that only happened in that era, but as an event that happened frequently, becoming a kind of pattern across the ages.
The main point here is that everything that is reported here is expected to make the reader always prepare themselves, the time is near, so do not delay any longer to do whatever God wants us to do. Prepare yourself to experience all forms of life's difficulties whenever they occur in life. Prepare yourself to serve God as described in Revelation itself.
The message of the Bible that the time is near is not exclusively the property of the Book of Revelation. Other books in the New Testament also contain this kind of message as I present below.
Some Bible verses that emphasize the principle of “the time is near”
Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
In this verse, it says “the coming wrath,” when will that wrath come? No one knows for sure when that wrath will come upon those who are called the brood of vipers. The issue is not when that wrath will come because that wrath will certainly come if they do not repent and continue to live like evil vipers. The Pharisees and Sadducees are not reported to have received that wrath immediately after that sentence was mentioned, but we know that in their hardness of heart that did not want to repent, it showed that God was angry with them and did not soften their hearts.
Up until the day Jesus was crucified, we know that many Pharisees still had hardened hearts. Rather than repent, they actually mocked and insulted the crucified Jesus. Their failure to see Jesus as Savior was already a form of God's wrath toward them at that time, and someday after they die, they will find God's wrath even more real.
There are two reasons why God's wrath against the wicked is not immediately seen as a punishment:
- Opportunity to repent
- Waiting for their wickedness to be complete.
Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
The Kingdom of Heaven is a condition or nature where heavenly things reign in the world. This is marked by the presence of Jesus Christ serving the world directly as a human being. Not an ordinary human being, but a perfect human being representing Heaven. Jesus is the King, therefore when Jesus began to serve humans, it can be said that that was when Heaven began to carry out its kingdom function more clearly.
It is said to be near, meaning it has not arrived. Why has it not arrived? Because Jesus has not died and risen from the dead. When Jesus has risen from the dead, then that is the moment when the Kingdom of Heaven has become more real or we say it has arrived.
The church is a real manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on this sinful earth. We can say so because Jesus Christ himself is the head of the church.
Matthew 24:33-34
33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know
that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
This sentence clearly refers to the time when the disciples and the people who lived in that time were still around. They would be eyewitnesses that what Jesus said would come true. In history, this became real when Emperor Nero (and other emperors who hated the church) came to power and exercised their power tyrannically and killed believers.
Does this mean that this sentence is no longer useful? Of course not, because even now, many people and many world governments act like Nero towards the church. They are hostile to the church; they are hostile to Christ and they persecute the children of God.
With the death of Christ, his resurrection, and his ascension to heaven, Satan directed his anger at the church. This is revealed in the book of Revelation, namely about the Dragon, the woman, and her child.
Conclusion:
The phrase about the time being near is a message for us to see the importance of time. The time we have will not always be ours. Therefore, it is important to see how we fill our time, namely by paying attention to what our God has done both for our lives and for the whole world.
The readers of Revelation in John’s day would have naturally accepted the meaning of the words “the time is near.” They most likely took it literally and found comfort and strength in it. It is unlikely that the readers of that time would have thought about the times we live in today.
As we can read in Revelation, Christ’s victory is a certainty. The persecuted would have felt comforted and opened their minds to the fact that what they were experiencing was not a situation beyond Christ’s control. Their suffering and even their eventual death were things they had to experience as a consequence of following Jesus. And the bitter consequences they experienced gave them extraordinary hope for life after their lives were taken.
Below, as a closing, I present another message from Jesus to all of us, regarding always being on guard.
Matthew 24:42-51
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know
on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner
of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would
have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So
you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do
not expect him. 45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant,
whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them
their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant
whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the
truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But
suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away
a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and
to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will
come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He
will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew
25:1-13
1"At that time the
kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to
meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The
foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The
wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The
bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell
asleep. 6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom!
Come out to meet him!' 7"Then all the virgins woke up and
trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us
some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9"'No,' they
replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who
sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10"But while they were
on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready
went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11"Later
the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' 12"But
he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 13"Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
