kingdomready.org

The apostle John wrote Revelation in approximately 95 A.D., according to most scholars. Thus he wrote this message revealed to him by Jesus Christ about 65 years after having heard Jesus himself speak urgently about his powerful, glorious return. The writing of the Revelation was a full 25 years after the destruction of Herod’s temple in 70 A.D. John wrote this last book of the Bible maybe 10, 20, or 30 years after Luke, Matthew, and Mark had written faithful records of Jesus’ words and deeds. John was undoubtedly knowledgeable of the meaning of Jesus’ call to live a godly life rooted in genuine repentance in light of the coming kingdom of God. He was not ignorant of the concept of “imminence”, nor was he unaware of the context of Jesus’ declarations about his return.

If people today are at a loss for ability to “nail down” Jesus’ meaning of “this generation”, “some of those standing here who will not taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom”, and other similar phrases, these things did not prove to be a stumbling block for John’s adherence to the same hope preached by Jesus. His divinely received message gives an amplified picture of God’s future judgment of the wicked and God’s blessings on the righteous: to reign with Christ for 1,000 years and then to dwell with God eternally. These “end of the age” events are predicated by Jesus’ future coming with the clouds (”and every eye will see him”), and they are culminated by the establishment of new heavens and a new earth. The picture of the earth being harvested with a sickle in Revelation 14: 14-20 corresponds to Jesus’ explanation of a parable in Matthew 13: 36-43. The detailed picture of the future as revealed to John by the Messiah, who still awaits the Father’s appointed time to return, corresponds perfectly with revelation given to Isaiah, Daniel, other prophets, Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, etc.

So then, brothers, you must be patient until the Lord comes. Take the case of the farmer. He waits for the ground’s precious crop in patience, until it has received the autumn and the spring rain. You too must be patient, and you must hold inflexibly to your purpose, for it will not be long now until the Lord comes. …The Judge is here – standing at the door. James 5: 7- 9, part of 10

“Behold I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done.”

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22: 12, 20

II Peter’s reminders are vital (chapter 3, verses 3 –9), teaching us about the attitude of mockers, one day being like 1,000 years and 1,000 years being like a day, and the Lord not being slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. These truths are more than adequate as reasons not to confuse our ideas about “quickness” with God’s ways of communicating to us about simple things to be anticipated with joy. We certainly should never let our lack of definite certainty about a handful of verses, terms, or phrases diminish the anchor of the soul that the hope must be. (Hebrews 6: 19) Our quest to clarify areas of possible misunderstanding must involve a careful avoidance of “wrangling about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.” (II Timothy 2: 14) The example in this context that Paul gave was about how some asserted that the resurrection had already occurred. They had left the path of truth (in their teaching) and had undermined the faith of some. (v. 17, 18) “Rightly dividing the word of truth” is a concept from this context that emphasizes not being caught up in the chatter that corrupts hearers like gangrene. This does not mean that honest questions cannot be addressed in appropriate ways between Bible students. Nevertheless, I don’t believe that private debates about vital, core issues can be helpful when played out in a public website designed to encourage spiritual growth, not to sow seeds of doubt about the certainty of the Lord’s future coming.

By the way, a way in which Jesus’ prophetic words about some present (at his teachings) “not tasting death” …might (a possibility, not a doctrinal certainty) have a fulfillment in the reality that John and others lived to see (by revelation) further magnificent details about the certain future hope. Paul, Peter, and John had no doubts about these future realities at the end of their lives (as obvious in II Timothy, II Peter, and the Revelation.) They exhorted future readers (like us) to persevere in light of Christ’s “imminent” return. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.