He Twice Said, 'Shortly!'

Curiously, The Book of Revelation opens and closes with the phrase, ‘…things which must shortly take place.’ That was written circa AD 95. Since then, over 22 centuries, the world has been waiting…or not, for some evidence of the veracity of the prophecies in that book, possibly thinking 'shortly' meant QUICKLY. Most people may have thought, ‘bah humbug’, and have moved on with their lives—those prophecies totally out of mind!   

 

God gave the contents of those prophecies, to Jesus, The Lord God, for Him to show them to us, His servants. (Revelation 1:1) Jesus concluded John’s visionary presentation with the words, ‘I am coming quickly…’. Again, ‘bah humbug’, the likely reaction, not only from the world at large, but I imagine perhaps by many, if not most Christians over the past 22 centuries!

 

Since neither God nor Jesus is capable of lying, then the onus is upon us, to whom these prophecies were sent, to decode their words, shortly and quickly. What if most of us may have just dismissed these words altogether, and thus may not benefit from insights they intended us to perceive? 

Shun Minimalist Definitions

When Jews and Muslims insist, ‘God is ONE, so Jesus, who was a man, cannot be God’, I encourage them to read, Is Jesus God (Series), and look up the definition of the word, one, in a quality dictionary. There they will see several higher level meanings of that word. For some strange reason, rather than considering the HIGHEST, qualitative connotations of that word, they choose to relegate The Almighty to the least connotation—the lowest, positive numerical digit! How utterly insulting that must be to what The Bible reveals is The Triune Godhead.

 

Similarly, the word, quickly, has several qualitative definitions. Yet we might limit its use in Revelation 22:12, to speedily, as related to our own narrow concept of timing. Of course, ‘at the appointed time’, The Lord won’t ‘drag His feet’ in returning to Earth. Consider these alternative definitions of quickly:

 

immediately and intensely aroused, shift moving, fiery, glowing, apace, deliberately, directly, forthwith--without delay (e.g., after the start signal is given). 

 

An Old Testament law required critical matters to be determined by the word of 2 or 3 witnesses or authorities. I intuit The Lord applied this law in making His point that only Father God knows (or knew at that particular time in history) the day or hour of His return to Earth. It is referenced twice—in Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32. (NB: Note the specific focus on day and hour, which omits the age, decade, year, month, week.)

 

What About ‘Shortly’?!

 

Some Christians might presume the apocalypse will comprise: 

 

  ◊  Unsealing the 7 seals on The Lord’s ancient scroll (Rev. 6-to-8),

  ◊  Blowing the 7 trumpets of judgments, and 

  ◊  Pouring the 7 bowls of judgments.

 

But … when we consider the events associated with the 7 seals, the above perspective might not fit into the indicated timeline of a 42-month long apocalypse. That perspective also conflicts with Paul’s prediction of peace in Thessalonians 5:3, presumably prior to the apocalypse. Ergo, it appears the peace that Paul mentions might occur during all or part of the first half (42 months) of the tribulation age—the 4th age of history. If so, then opening of the seals must necessarily predate the 4th age. In the post, Revelation - Between the 4th and 6th Seals (Poem, Part 4), I intuited opening of the seals began long ago, and that the world is currently transiting the period between the 4th and 6th seals. Heaven’s response to the earlier martyrs, after opening the 5th seal, is about  the tribulation age martyrs, many of whom will be beheaded by the anti-Christ regime. They are spiritually depicted in Revelation 7:9-14 as the fruits of the sealed 144,000 Jewish witnesses who will preach the Gospel during the tribulation age, following the resurrection/rapture of all bona fide 3rd age saints.

 

While early versions of the Roman Empire began to conquer lands during the closing years of the BC era, the final version of the Empire was consolidated and reached its territorial peak under Agustus’ Pax Romana in 117 AD.

 

That was a mere 22 years after

John’s vision on Patmos Island!

Ponder that…

 

History indicates the first 4 seals on the Lord’s scroll were likely opened during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, during the brutal expansion and turmoil of the Roman Empire across Europe, North Africa, and parts of the Middle East and Asia. If so, The Lord truly 'kept His word' to Apostle John about what would 'shortly' begin after he received the Revelation vision. The historical record also reveals the effects of opening these seals—especially the 4th, have continued and intensified throughout this entire third age.

 

Conclusion

This often missed insight seems to prove The Lord’s twice use of the term, shortly, in Revelation 1:1 and 22:12, was spot on! He cannot lie to, or deceive us. But we most certainly can and do misinterpret, misconstrue, and misrepresent what He has declared.

 

Ponder that…