Revelation Chapter One, God's Blessing

Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

The book of Revelation comes with a special blessing for those who first read, and then hear the words of this prophecy. There are two camps identified here: those who read Revelation, and those who listen. First there is a blessing to the reader of this prophecy. Bible teachers are flatly told that there is a blessing in reading this prophecy to others. Readers are informed that hearing these words–hearing and genuinely listening–is also a blessing.

We know that John is referring to Revelation specifically. This is his benediction, given to those who take Revelation seriously, who take it literally, who consider its contents important and disseminate that information to other Christians, so they too may understand the message Christ gave to John. But who is actually listening? It is difficult to find a commentary that takes Revelation with the gravity its own language suggests. Revelation, along with Genesis, are the bookends of Scripture. Genesis explains the beginning of the created order and mankind, while Revelation explains its ending. Rather, Revelation gathers the narrative threads of a dozen former prophets and arranges the pieces in a manner that is crystal clear. The Old Testament is filled with puzzle pieces, and while some fit nicely and began to form a coherent whole, others did not seem congruent with the image being composed. Revelation provides the box art, fitting it all together seamlessly, while providing the final pieces of the end times, or the Day of the Lord, that had heretofore been missing.

Interestingly, these two books fall under the most intense scrutiny by professing Christendom, who insist that neither says what it actually implies. In order to “rescue” Genesis from the infallible brilliance that is Neo Darwinism there is Gap Theory, or Day/age Theory. Adam was a monkey given a soul millions of years ago; nevermind that death existed eons before God said it entered into the space/time existence man occupies. The foundation of the gospel becomes a joke, and Christ a sham Savior if this “rescue attempt” is accepted in part or in whole. Likewise with Revelation. It is allegory. The God who gifted man with a thinking mind and complex language skills apparently no longer understands what He is trying to convey to us. Or Revelation is esoteric, and only those initiated in reclusive knowledge can actually grasp the nature of what is being said. This is self-evident folly. The book is called Revelation, not obfuscation. Embracing this thinking gives credence to the Gnostic teachings of yore that always had a simple, common meaning for one phrase, with a deeper hidden meaning only the initiated could comprehend. You were one of the “in” people, looking down your nose at those without.

A synonym for Revelation is disclosure, the act of being transparent or relatable. Allegorizing Revelation thrusts it hopelessly beyond the reach of the layman, leaving most Christians dependent upon someone deeply versed in its many symbols to pontificate its truths. But therein is the rub; such deeply embedded symbolism can be “interpreted” a hundred different ways by a hundred different people. This is classical eisegesis: reading one’s own ideas into the narrative instead of permitting the narrative to explain itself through context and logical correlation. Yet we are starkly told that a blessing exists for the reader and recipient of this amazing book; we are to hear (and by extension understand and believe) what is written within. John tells us we are to “keep” the things written within.

The Greek term for keep is, “tereo,” and has an interesting meaning. It can mean to watch, to guard from loss or injury (by keeping an eye upon), preserve. It is elsewhere used in the NT to describe the keeping power of God over His people.

We are to keep these words. Not mutate or mutilate, not obfuscate, dilute or allegorize. In the spirit they are given, we are to receive; when we do so, we are partakers of the blessing John promises to those who truly hear. Why is this so important? Simple. The time is near. The fulfillment of this prophecy and the closure of creation is always imminent. Christ’s return can happen (and will happen) like a thief in the night, catching even believers off guard. When the church is caught away in the Rapture–which needs no prophetic forerunner, the prophecy of this book begins to play out on our world stage, fulfilling every jot and tittle God ordained because He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He knows how it ends because He is already there; He is the great I Am.