Revelation 1:1 ¹The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to show to his servants what things are necessary to happen in a soon time, and he communicated by sending through his angel to his servant John,

Revelation is a difficult and intimidating book for many people because of the esoteric language and symbols. Many have interpreted it as being fulfilled in their time. We may intuitively join them by raising questions about whether the prophecies in this book are being fulfilled in our own time. We want to know how this part of the Bible is a word of God to us. We begin the study of this great book with caution but also curiosity, as we look for a new word from God to us that will help us live in our time and contexts.

The book begins with the title it has been given: revelation (apokalypsis). This word the revealing or making known of something that has been hidden, such as a secret or mystery. The focus of the revelation is Jesus Christ. The genitive construction used with of Jesus Christ can be interpreted in two ways: as an objective genitive, meaning the revelation is about Jesus Christ, or a subjective genitive, meaning the revelation is from Jesus Christ. Both are possible and fit the context of this book. Jesus mediates this revelation, and the revelation is also about him. He is the focus because he is the primary revelation of God.

The key topic of this book is what will take place in the future. The question that has troubled interpreters since the early church is what the phrase a soon time means. How soon is soon? Was this revelation fulfilled in John’s time? Did it begin in the first century and is being fulfilled throughout church history? Or does it refer to what will take place just before Jesus returns? Could the word soon be relative to eternity, thus leaving us with a sense of urgency? Every generation has asked, could this be the soon time? As readers, we are left with a sense of urgency, leading to the need to make crucial decisions about what to do with what we read, particularly about Jesus as Savior and Lord.

This revelation was given to John through an angel or messenger. In Apocalyptic Literature, like Revelation, it is common to have the revelation mediated or interpreted by an angel. This angel spoke to John, who served as a secondary mediator by writing this book so the readers could participate in and respond to God’s revelation. John is described as a servant (doulō), or bonded slave, someone who faithfully followed his Master, Jesus. This verse gives a significant insight into the contents of this document. What is missing is the purpose, which is given in verse 3.