Introduction

† Revelation 1:19 is one of the most important time markers in the whole book. John wasn't told to write about events thousands of years away. He was told to write about things that were already happening right in front of him, things that were about to take place, and things that had just happened. This is why we can say with confidence that a lot of what he's writing about was already in the past by the time he picked up the pen. John was standing in the transition of the ages, seeing the end of the Old Covenant world and the bringing in of the New.

The Text

Revelation 1:19
Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

The Things John Had Seen

† John had just seen the risen Christ standing in the midst of the lampstands. That vision wasn't future. That was already done right at the start. He had already seen the glory of the Son of Man, already seen Him walking among the churches, already seen the symbols of covenant judgment and covenant restoration. Revelation didn't begin with predictions. It began with a revelation of who Jesus is and what He was doing at that time.

The Things Which Are

† This refers to the things going on in John's own generation. This includes the seven churches, their struggles, their compromises, their persecutions, and their faithfulness. These were not distant prophecies. These were real Christians in the first century. John wasn't giving them a book about events 2000 years away. He was dealing with the spiritual condition of the church in his own day. These things which are were already in motion. Rome was tightening its grip. Jerusalem was nearing its collapse. The beast system was rising. Persecution was growing. These were the things that were happening while John wrote.

The Things Which Will Take Place After These Things

† These weren't events thousands of years away. They were the next steps in a sequence that was already unfolding. Jesus had already said these events would come upon that generation. Matthew 16:27-28 says the Son of Man would come in the glory of His Father before some standing there tasted death. Matthew 24:34 says that generation would not pass away until all was fulfilled. John was not contradicting Jesus. He was confirming Him. The things that would take place after these things were the final judgments on Jerusalem, the fall of the temple, the end of the Old Covenant age, and the full revealing of the New Covenant kingdom.

The Past, The Present, And The Near Future In John's Day

† Revelation 1:19 is a summary of redemptive history as it reached its climax. John had seen Christ raised and glorified. That was past. John was watching the church stand in the last days. That was present. And the coming judgment was right at the door. That was near future. Nothing in the structure or the language of Revelation 1:19 even hints at a 2000 year delay. Everything in the verse matches the time statements throughout the New Testament.

† Matthew 24:1-3 also fits this perfectly, because Jesus said the temple's destruction was about to happen in their future, not ours, and John's generation was standing in the shadow of that prophecy.

† Revelation 22:6 and 22:10 confirm the same thing, that the visions were about things that must soon take place, and John was told not to seal the book because the time was near. That matches exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 24:1-3 and what John was seeing unfold in his own generation.

† This also matches Daniel 12, where Daniel was told to seal his book because the time was far off, but John was told not to seal Revelation because the time was near. That alone proves Revelation 1:19 was first century fulfillment, not a prophecy for our time.

† The disciples never once thought these things were 2000 years away. Their questions in Matthew 24:1-3 show they believed the destruction of the temple, the coming of the Son of Man, and the end of the age were connected events that were about to happen in their lifetime.

† Revelation 1:1 already told us these were the things that must soon take place, which means Revelation 1:19 is not introducing a new timeline, it's confirming the same one. From the very first verse John was dealing with events that were near, not distant.

† Revelation 1:3 adds to this by saying the time was near even in the opening blessing, showing the entire book was directed at first century fulfillment, not a distant future age.

† Luke 21:20-22 also confirms this timing because Jesus said when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, those were the days of vengeance so that all things written would be fulfilled. John was standing at the edge of that moment.

† Revelation 1:9 shows that John was already their companion in the tribulation, proving the tribulation wasn't future for him, it was present. He was living in the very conditions Jesus said would mark the last days of that generation.

† Hebrews 10:37 says in a very little while He who is coming will come and will not delay, which matches every timing marker in Revelation 1 and confirms the nearness of the events John was writing about.

† 1 Corinthians 7:29 also confirms this nearness, saying the time had been shortened, proving Paul agreed completely with Jesus and John about the soon fulfillment of the end of the age events in their generation.

Historical References

† Early writers like Eusebius record the destruction of Jerusalem as the direct fulfillment of what Jesus and the apostles said would happen at the end of the age. Josephus gives a detailed eyewitness account of the horrors of that generation, the signs, the persecution, the revolt, and the final destruction of the temple. These writers confirm the very things John said would take place shortly, because they happened shortly. John's Revelation wasn't projecting into our time. He was testifying about the climax of their time.

† These writers also confirm the disciples' expectation that Matthew 24:1-3 was already unfolding in their own lifetimes, matching the time markers of Revelation 1:19.

How It Applies To Us Today

† We're not waiting for John's visions to start. We're living in the finished results of everything he wrote. We stand in the New Covenant age where Christ reigns, where access to God is open, where life has been given, where judgment has already fallen on the old world, and where the kingdom has no end. Instead of waiting for Revelation to begin, we're living in the blessings that came after it was fulfilled.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index
† Revelation 1:19, Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:3, Revelation 1:9, Matthew 16:27-28, Matthew 24:1-3, Matthew 24:34, Luke 21:20-22, Hebrews 10:37, 1 Corinthians 7:29, Revelation 22:6, Revelation 22:10, Daniel 12
† Josephus, The Wars of the Jews
† Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History