How do we handle its time statements?

Much of the conflict and confusion over the Revelation stems from a widespread practice of taking part or all of this prophecy out of its divinely determined time context. But disregarding or abusing context is not the prerogative of any sincere reader or honest interpreter. The book of Revelation places direct time statements on itself. Like bookends at the beginning and end (first and last chapters), these parameters establish the historical context for the soon and now past fulfillment of the whole of its prophecy:

“what must soon [shortly] take place” (Rev. 1:1; 22:6 [KJV]).
“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy . . . who hear it and take to heart [obey] what is written in it” (Rev. 1:3; 22:7 [KJV])
“the time is near [at hand]” (Rev. 1:3; 22:10 [KJV]).
“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book” (Rev. 22:10). Note: Daniel was told to “close up and seal the words” of his book “until the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4). In the Revelation, that time was now “near” or “at hand.”
“Behold, I am coming soon [quickly]!” (Rev. 22:7, 12 [KJV]).
“Yes, I am coming soon [quickly].” (Rev 22:20 [KJV]).

These full-content-bracketing, time statements establish the immediate historical context for the fulfillment of the whole of the prophecy. These passages tell us that a very significant event was to occur within a very short time and certainly within the lifetime of the book’s original and primary recipients. These passages are stated in simple terms—so simple, in fact, that people who won’t take “soon,” “shortly,” “at hand,” “near,” and “quickly” literally must read their own non-literal meanings into these declarative statements. Furthermore, these words are used hundreds of times and in a consistent literal manner throughout the New Testament. They mean what they mean in natural, everyday speech. And without a clear warrant to do so (none exists), there is no justification to assume special or unique meanings.

Thus, to look for a distant, future fulfillment (two thousand years removed from its writing) of part or all of this prophecy, as most modern-day prophecy teachers still do, is to ignore this book’s plainest teaching and to engage in pretext. This common trait demands manipulation of Scripture and ensures misconception and misunderstanding. The reader who does not hold fast to the Revelation’s own contextual guidelines will infallibly lose himself in a labyrinth of conjecture and wild speculations.

Hence, Revelation’s prophecy only becomes difficult, if not impossible, to understand when it is lifted out of its self-declared, 1st-century time context. Sad to say, many scholars beholding to their deferment and futuristic interpretative positions, disagree. To justify their system of fulfillment, they are forced to interpret these above simple words and time-restricting phrases figuratively, or to undermine their meaning with unnatural treatments, or to ignore them entirely and jump right into fancy futuristic charts and timelines.

Bottom line is, they are trifling with words and with the Word of God. Their abusive treatments have produced an incredible amount of conflict, anxiety, and confusion. Ironically, however, one fact all nearness-evading and word-manipulating theorists recognize is that the Revelation’s original recipients did not understand these simple words and phrases in the way these theorists are suggesting. 1st-century believers were expecting the occurrence and fulfillment of all these things within their lifetime. And who could blame them?

Sources:

1 The Greater Jesus by John Noe

2 The Scene Behind the Seen (future book – est. 2017 by John Noe

3 “An Exegetical Basis for a Preterist-Idealist Understanding of the Book of Revelation,” article in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Dec. 2006) by John Noe

4 The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul

5 The Days of Vengeance by David Chilton

6 The Book of Revelation by Foy E. Wallace

7 Biblical Hermeneutics by Milton S. Terry

8 Biblical Apocalyptics by Milton S. Terry