REVELATION 1:1 - Soon?

“The things which must soon take place” Rev. 1:1.

 The Greek text reads: ha dei genesthai en tachei—literally, “the things which it is necessary [must] to happen [occur] with swiftness [shortly].”[1] Two things must be looked at in this passage:

• First is the idea of necessity. The Greek word dei is an impersonal verb indicating necessity, often translated “must.”  It denotes the certainty of fulfillment of the divine purpose (cf. Dan. 2:29, 45; Matt. 24:6; 26:54). It is added with the word genesthai meaning to happen or come to be. Thus, the revelation that is given is assured. Jesus used the same Greek words in Mark 13:7 of the beginning of sorrows. He declared they “must take place.” It is binding! Likewise, God repeats the phrase in Revelation, not once, but for three things (1:1, 4:1, 22:6). The events of this revelation is a divine necessity, they must take place. “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

• Second, the meaning of the Greek phrase en tachei, translated in our text is soon. This has caused much debate among Bible students between two meanings—soon and quickly. There is no question the Greek word is a neuter noun meaning swift, quick, or speed,[2] and should be translated shortly, quickly, or speedily. The English work tachometer comes from this Greek word. The word also refers to a “very brief period of time, with focus on speed of an activity or event, speed, quickness, swiftness, haste.”[3] It can carry the idea of imminence. The question is, should this be taken in this context as immediate future, imminent, or quick succession?

In examining the word in the New Testament, we find it occurs additionally in the following texts:

• Luke 18:8 –“He will bring about justice for them quickly.”
• Acts 12:7 –“Get up quickly.”
• Acts 22:18 –“Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly….”
• Acts 25:4 –“He himself was about to leave shortly.”
• Romans 16:20 –“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
• 1 Timothy 3:14 –“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to your before long [shortly].”
• Revelation 22:6 –“the things which must soon take place.”

Of these texts, there are only two clear passages (Acts 25:4; 1 Tim. 3:14) that can only be understood as closeness in time. Three clearly are to be understood as speed, the things will happen fast, speedily, which may or not be soon in time (Luke 18:8; Acts 12:7; 22:18, Rom. 16:20). The other could go either way (Rev. 22:6). Even if we take the word to mean soon, it does not mean in the immediate future or time. This is evidence by looking at the Greek text of the Old Testament (LXX). The Greek word tachos is found in Isaiah 13:22 speaking of Babylon’s fall to the Medes. Isaiah declares “Her fateful time also will soon come and her days will not be prolonged.” Sounds like this would happen in the immediate future or at least in the next few years after the prediction. However, it was written 700 BC, but the events happened almost 200 years later in 539 BC. Thus, there is prophecy to confirm that the phrase in a prophetic context does not mean the immediate future, but can span a period of time until it reaches fulfillment. Ice notes that the word is “more properly interpreted as qualitative indicators” describing how Christ will return and the events that surround the event, i.e. in quick succession.[4]

The immediate future is the idea that the Preterist insist upon. They hold that John’s events had to happen soon after John wrote the Revelation. They, therefore, see fulfillment either in the events of 70 AD, or in the downfall of Domitian, or the fall of the Roman Empire. If that is true, where was the Abomination of Desolation, the Antichrist, or the Second Coming of Christ? There are no indicators or identifiable history of these events between John and the fall of Rome. The idea of immediate future in Revelation 1:1 does not hold water, for the bucket has two great holes: time and history. Two thousand years has pasted and there is no confirming history to back up the claims of fulfillment of events in this book. If the prophecies of the First Coming were literally fulfilled and identifiable in history, so must the events surrounding the Second Coming. The events of 70 AD do not fill the bill, nor does any other historical time or event up to this time.

The understanding of time in this passage has been taken in three valid major views:

• God’s viewpoint of time. This view holds that God is beyond time, and what is short to Him is not short to us. Supporters appeal to 2 Peter 3:8, where 1000 years is as a day to the Lord. God is not limited to time as man is. It is hard for me to understand this view. While it is true about God, God is giving this prophecy to man and in man’s language. It is difficult to see that the reader would understand it in God’s perspective. There does not seem to be any indication that man should take it to mean anything different from his normal understanding or soon or speedily.

• Imminency. A more popular way of understanding this time issue from the prophetic viewpoint does not necessarily mean in a few years of time. Thomas notes, “The purpose of en tachei is to teach the imminence of the events foretold, not to set a time limit in which they must occur.”[5] They are imminent because they are next on God’s prophetic program. Mounce says “The most satisfying solution is to take the expression ‘must soon take place’ in a straightforward sense, remembering that in the prophetic outlook the end is always imminent. Time as chronological sequence is of secondary concern in prophecy.”[6] Osborne observes, “The language of imminence intends to draw the reader into a sense of expectation and responsibility, a sense meant to characterize every age of the church.”[7] In other words, in prophetic language the future is always viewed as imminent without the necessity of it happening immediately. This view fits within the dispensational framework, for surely the Rapture is imminent, which makes these events of Revelation imminent as well since the Rapture is the event that is the kick-off for these things to start the prophetic clock.

• Speed. While the imminent view has merit, suddenness of the events retains the original meaning of the Greek word. Walvoord holds this writing: “That which Daniel declared would occur ‘in the latter days’ is here described as ‘shortly’ (Gr., en tachei), that is, ‘quickly or suddenly coming to pass,’ indicating rapidity of execution after the beginning takes place. …A similar word, tachys, is translated ‘quickly’ seven times in Revelation (2:5, 16; 3:11; 11:14; 22:7, 12, 20).”[8] The events will be implemented rapidly. These events will both happen speedily and with certainty, once the appointed time arrives. This seems to deal with the word more adequately.
  
  This understanding of the word as referring to speed or swiftness does not deny imminency. Just because something is delayed does not deny imminency. It is my view that the present dispensation delayed the coming of the Messianic Kingdom. The Church, the body of Christ was a mystery that is revealed by the Apostle Paul (Eph. 3:1-10). The Church age will end with the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:13-18). That does not mean the Kingdom has not been imminent for over 2000 years. The Rapture of the Church has always been imminent. If the Rapture is imminent, so are the events that start the swift process revealed in Revelation. Thus, the events that bring in the earthly kingdom have been and are presently imminent as well with the Rapture. The Rapture inaugurates the events leading to the Messianic Kingdom. The Rapture can take place at any time, thus the process of these events could start at anytime. Once the Rapture occurs, the events of the Messianic Kingdom will start and the events of Revelation will take place quickly.

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[1]  THE MAJORITY TEXT: GREEK NEW TESTAMENT INTERLINEAR, 839.

[2]  W.E. Vine, VINE’S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS, 3:241.

[3]  Mark L. Hitchock, “A Critique of the Preterist View of ‘Soon’ and ‘Near’ in Revelation, BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, October 2006, 470.

[4]  Thomas Ice, “Preterist ‘Time Texts,’ THE END TIMES CONTROVERSY, 102.

[5]  Thomas, REVELATION, 1:56.

[6]  Robert Mounce, THE BOOK OF REVELATION: REVISED, 41. Also see Mark L. Hitchcock, “A Critique of the Preterist view of ‘Soon’ and ‘Near’ in Revelation.” BIB-SAC, October 2006. 467-478.

[7]  Grant R. Osborne, REVELATION, 55.

[8]  John F. Walvoord, THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, 35.