By Dan Maines

Revelation IT WAS TO THEM, NOT TO US
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which MUST SOON TAKE PLACE; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for THE TIME IS NEAR.

When were these things to take place? SOON!

Revelation 1:4 John to THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT ARE IN ASIA: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,

Whom was the book of Revelation written to? TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES THAT ARE IN ASIA.

Then why do most Christians think it was written to them? Because they were taught that every word in the bible applies directly to them. They act like its a newspaper that just arrived today. When in fact it was written to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Keep in mind the bible was not written to us. It was written for us. The bible is to teach us what they went through and how to apply it to our lives. The events that took place in the first century are not events we go through.

Revelation 2:25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

Jesus told the church in Thyatira to "hold fast what you have until I come." This was an actual church in the first century. This was not said to the churches in the future generations. If Jesus' words mean anything to THEM, it would mean that he would come in their lifetime. Don't dismiss what this is saying. This letter was not written to America it was written to the seven churches in Asia Minor in the first century.

Going back to Revelation 1:1 John told us that the prophecies of Revelation would begin to take place in a very short time.

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Remember audience relevance? What would the original readers have thought when they read this? John told the seven churches to expect these things at any moment.

The time statements soon near etc. are why the first century knew Jesus would come just like He said. In fact Jesus had John write this twice to make sure there was no misunderstanding. That's why the book of Revelation ends with the same time statements that it began with. Let's not miss the importance of this.

Revelation 22:6-7 And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must SOON TAKE PLACE. 7 "And behold, I AM COMING QUICKLY. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."

Revelation 22:10 The Final Message (to the first century)
10 And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I AM COMING QUICKLY, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I AM COMING QUICKLY." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The above verses are intended for those John is writing to in the first century. It is not intended to happen for the 2nd, 3rd or the 21st centuries. What this means to the 21 century is it's history, its behind us its over with, it already happened in 70 AD, just like Jesus said it would.

In every verse listed above Jesus has John tell the seven churches in Asia Minor, that he is going to come very soon to them. To THEM. Does "Behold I AM COMING QUICKLY" sound like it means 2,000 years!? No! Jesus' Second Coming was just like the Fathers when He came in the Old Testament and every time it was spiritual, never bodily.

So, what does the following two verses mean?

Matthew 16:27-28 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. 28 "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Answer: It means exactly what it says. That Jesus came back in the first century just like he told His disciples that he would.