Reminder

Our series of lessons on Revelation has ended, but you can find each lesson at www.ThyWordIsTruth.com in both written and audio format.

Lesson 1 on Isaiah

LESSON ONE - ISAIAH

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHECY OF ISAIAH

1. ISAIAH THE MAN

In John Oswalt’s introduction to Isaiah in The NIV Application Commentary, he writes:

Across the years Isaiah has come to be known as “the prince of the prophets.” A part of the reason for this title is the possibility that the prophet was a member of the royal family.*1* While there is no indisputable evidence of this, the easy access to the kings that he seemed to enjoy may point in this direction. But the real basis of the claim is the nature of the book known by Isaiah’s name. There is a majesty in the book that sets it off from almost any other in the Bible. It contains an unparalleled sweep of theology, all the way from creation to the new heavens and new earth and from utter destruction to glorious redemption.

Isaiah’s name suited a prophet; it means “The Lord is salvation.” Beyond the meaning of his name little is known. He labored mainly in and around Jerusalem where, as noted above, he had ready access to the kings. Among the Jews Isaiah was considered to be as great a prophet as Moses. Some suggest that this means that the Jews did not understand Moses’ role in God’s scheme of redemption; however, it could also be that that statement was not meant to demean Moses but to compliment Isaiah. Moses aside, Isaiah was considered to be special among the prophets because he received his prophecy from the mouth of God while others received the spirit of prophecy from their masters in the manner that Elijah’s spirit fell upon Elisha. While this, too, seems to be overstatement, it does demonstrate the high esteem in which Isaiah was held.

Isaiah was married. His wife is unnamed, but is called a prophetess (8:3). They had two sons, Shear-jashub (a remnant shall return) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (the spoil speeds, the prey hastens). Their names were both prophetic and were used by Isaiah in his prophecy.

Isaiah had a long life. He lived through the prosperous years of Uzziah and Jotham when the country was militarily strong. He lived through the declining years of Ahaz and the alliance with Assyria and its accompanying financial burden. He continued through the ups and downs of Hezekiah’s reign. Isaiah 1:1 speaks of Isaiah’s seeing visions in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. While Manasseh is not mentioned, 37:38 mentions the death of Sennacherib and the accession of Esarhaddon in 681. There is weak Jewish tradition*2* that Isaiah was sawn asunder under Manasseh, son of Hezekiah. (The author of Hebrews may have had this in mind in Heb. 11:37.) There is another legend that he was swallowed up by a tree that had to be sawed in pieces before he could be killed. His hiding place in the tree was discovered because the tree had failed to swallow up the hem of his garment. Some scholars contend that Manasseh reigned as co-regent with his father Hezekiah for some ten years. This may account for Isaiah’s failure to mention Manasseh while some of Isaiah’s strong language perfectly describes the evil of Manasseh’s day.

We learn from Isaiah’s writings that he was a statesman with extensive knowledge of the political situation of his day. He was an advisor to kings and with God he stood on equal ground with them. He did not hesitate to tell them what was good; neither did he fear to tell them was evil. He had to deal with the increasing threat of Assyria as well as with Egypt, the great crocodile to the southwest. While Egypt’s star was fading, it was not going to give up its glory without a fight. Clearly there were three political parties – the Egyptian party (let’s make a deal” with Egypt against Assyria), the Assyrian party (“let’s make a deal” with Assyria to save ourselves), and the Jehovah party (a nationalist party led by Isaiah who stressed that loyalty to the Lord as the only hope of salvation).

Isaiah was a reformer who constantly called the people from the errors of their way and pointed them to Jehovah who was the only source of salvation. The corruption, oppression, and immorality of the people must cease. If Judah was to avoid destruction it must turn learn to “wait for Jehovah” (8:17; 40:31) and follow his ways rather than the evil ways of their priests and kings.

Isaiah was a theologian without equal. His vision of God must surely account in part if not in whole for his dedication and unreserved commitment to the service of Jehovah. He saw God as king. He saw him exalted above all creation, absolute in holiness and righteousness, and controller of nations and their destiny. Righteousness (50) and justice (29), the two principles that always characterize God’s actions, are found often in his prophecy. He spoke of the coming Messiah’s birth (7:14) and declared that the One who was to come would be “Immanuel” (God with us) and reveal to us the true nature of God. Many of the prophets spoke of the coming Messiah, but no other expressed the concept of and the insight into the Redeemer with the depth of Isaiah. This does not mean that the other prophets should be neglected; it means only that one of the prophets, Isaiah, was chosen by God to declare the Messiah’s coming and nature in a special way.

Isaiah had other writings than the letter bearing his name. 2 Chronicles speaks of an account of the acts of Uzziah (26:22) as well as a “vision that detailed “the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds” (32:32).

Jan Veleton the Younger said of Isaiah:

Never perhaps has there been another prophet like Isaiah, who stood with his head in the clouds and his feet on the solid earth, with his heart in the things of eternity, and his mouth and hands in the things of time, with his spirit in the eternal counsel of God and his body in the very definite moment of history.”

Homer Hailey wrote, “Truly Isaiah may be called the dean of all the prophets.

2. ISAIAH THE BOOK

A. WHO WROTE ISAIAH?

What difference does it make who wrote the book of Isaiah? We have the book. We have the prophecy. What need we more? This reasoning may satisfy those who are afraid that Isaiah may not have written the entire book, and, as a result, are afraid to investigate its authorship. However, surrendering its authorship has serious negative results. The prophecy claims Isaiah as its author. The New Testament, as we shall see, affirms Isaiah’s authorship; it quotes more from Isaiah than it does from all of the other prophecies combined. While this may be accounted for in part by Isaiah’s 66 chapters, that is not the entire answer since all of the other prophetic books together contain more than 66 chapters. In its use of Isaiah, the New Testament affirms that Isaiah is its author. Thus, the issue of Isaiah’s authorship involves another issue – the trustworthiness of the Bible.

Isaiah’s authorship was not questioned for centuries. The first serious question was raised in 1780. In 1789 a more comprehensive denial was published (Doederlein) that contended that Isaiah did not write chapters 40-66. This position began to gain support from other “higher critics” and is still espoused by some modern commentators (perhaps a majority). As others joined in the fray, other questions were raised. For example, it soon dawned on some that if Isaiah could not have written chapters 40-66 because of what was said about Babylon, then neither could he have written those portions of chapters 1-39 that mention Babylon nor could they be attributed to him. That raised still other questions. If Isaiah did not write these chapters, who did?

By the beginning of the 19th century there were two basic views of authorship. There was the traditional view that considered the N.T.’s affirmation of Isaiah’s authorship to be authoritative and thus contended that Isaiah was the author of the entire book. The “higher critics” took a different course, denying Isaiah’s authorship but differing on who and how many wrote the book. Some contended that one man wrote the entire book but denied that that man was Isaiah. Some contended that chapters 40-66 were a unified whole, but that a “Second-Isaiah” was the author. Others contended that chapters 40-66 were not a unified whole and, depending on the critic, were written by both a Second and a Third-Isaiah. Some even added a Fourth-Isaiah. Thus, confusion reigned among the higher critics.

There were early defenses of the unity of Isaiah such as Charles Cutler Torrey. He defended Isaiah’s authorship except for chapters 36-39. Unfortunately, his work contained some rather excessive positions that prevented wide acceptance of his work. In 1943 Edward J. Kissane published a defense of Isaiah’s authorship of 40-66 that responded logically and forcefully to some of the later denials, especially as they pertained to a Third-Isaiah. Other works followed this, such as Oswald T. Allis’s Thy Word Is Truth (1950) and his two commentaries (three volumes) on Isaiah that cogently defend the unity of Isaiah.

B. WHY IS THE UNITY OF ISAIAH DENIED?

The reason is simple – if Isaiah was written when and by whom it claims to have been written it is clear that Isaiah spoke clearly and accurately of events that were hundreds of years in the future, even to the small details of naming a man (Cyrus) who had not been born. More importantly, he clearly identified the coming and ancestry of the Messiah, accurately describing the nature of his birth and the circumstances of his death. This means that something or someone supernatural had to be involved. The only way that prophecy can be fulfilled is that it comes from someone who knows what is going to happen and who has the power to make it happen. The God whom Isaiah served and of whom he spoke is such a Person. Thus, to admit the authorship of Isaiah is to admit the existence of a supernatural God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, and who can and did intervene miraculously upon the earth. This the higher critics deny. Thus they must deny Isaiah’s authorship and find (or create out of thin air) an author who lived within or after the events of which Isaiah writes.

1. WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THE UNITY OF ISAIAH?

a. THE WITNESS OF TRADITION

1) The apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus. The writer speaks of the work of Isaiah in a manner that at least implies that he had a copy of Isaiah before him having much the same form that it presently exists. It dates from the second century B.C. He speaks of things that came from chapters 40, 49, and 61 and ascribes them to Isaiah. Thus by the time Ecclesiasticus was written Isaiah’s authorship was well established.

2) The Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah. This scroll is a part of a discovery of manuscripts discovered near the northwestern end of the Dead Sea in Palestine. They are sometimes referred to as the Qumran manuscripts because they were found in caves near the Wady Qumran. The discovery was made known in 1948. Most acknowledge that they date from the late second century B.C.*3* Chapter 39 concludes just one line from the bottom of a page, leaving space for about eight letters. Chapter 40 begins on the last line of the page with no special indention, leaving no break (much less an unusual break) between the chapters. There can be no doubt that the book existed as a whole in the second century B.C. This makes it exceedingly difficult to defend the theory that the second portion of the book was not Isaiah’s. Bernard Duhm is one of the strongest modern deniers of Isaiah’s authorship of chapters 40-66. One can but wonder how he now feels about his theory since one of his prime contentions has been that the book of Isaiah did not exist in its present form until the first century B.C.

3) The Strength of Tradition. Some critics contend that whoever wrote chapters 40-66 was the real originator of monotheism. If you (falsely) assume that that is true, this unknown was truly one of Israel’s greatest prophets. He was certainly greater that Isaiah the son of Amoz. Surely we should find his name somewhere. Surely his name was known in the second century B.C., but there is not a suggestion of hint in Ecclesiasticus as to his identity while, as noted above, he does mention Isaiah. Moreover, he says of him that “he was great and faithful in his vision . . . who saw by an excellent spirit” (original Hebrew, “by the spirit of might”), which Isaiah said was to rest only on the Messiah (11:2). Without question the author of Ecclesiasticus is attributing the highest of praise to Isaiah. What could possibly have caused the 8th century Isaiah who, according to critics, is by no means the greatest of prophets, to receive such praise? On the other hand, what could possibly have caused the reputation of the Second (or Third or Fourth) Isaiah whom the critics contend wrote chapters 40-66 and who portrayed the most exalted doctrine of God the world had ever heard to that point, to fade so rapidly that by the time of Ecclesiastics both his reputation and his name were unknown? The critics have largely ignored this question and those who have attempted to respond have presented no reasonable or unanswerable arguments.

*1* Magillah, 10:2. Some contend that he was the nephew of King Uzziah (or Azariah) who ruled Judah from 792 – 740 B.C.

*2* The account is found in the pseudepigraphic work, The Ascension of Isaiah, 5:1-16, (The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, James H. Charlesworth, ed.. Doubleday, 1985, p. 156-176,) Justin Martyr in Dialogue with Trypho, C. 120, censured the Jews of Isaiah that they “sawed [him] asunder with a wooden saw.”

*3* As far as dating, it appears that pieces of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1Qls-a) have been carbon-14 dated at least four times, including a study at the University of Arizona in 1995 and a study at ETH-zurich in 1990-91. The four studies produced calibrated date ranges between 335-324 BC and 202-107 BC. There have also been numerous paleographic and scribal dating studies conducted that place 1Qls-a at a date range of approximately 150-100 BC. (See Price, Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 1996; Eisenman & Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, 1994; Golb, Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls?, 1995; Wise, Abegg & Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, 1999.)

ThyWordIsTruth.com Redesigned!

Our companion web site, ThyWordIsTruth.com, has just been completely redesigned from the ground up to be easier to navigate and use.  We have thousands of pages of Bible class notes and handouts and hundreds of hours of audio lessons and sermons, plus much, much more.  Please drop by and take a look!

Conclusion

This lesson is the final lesson in our series. (If you would like to begin with the first lesson, here it is: What is Revelation? )

During our introductory classes I pointed to Revelation 6:10 and said that it is a key verse in this book. In Revelation 6:9-10, we read:

I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

The cry from the martyrs in verse 10 is what prompted these judgments, and God’s repeated answer to their question “How long?” was “Soon!”

The martyrs in verses 9-10 play a central role in this book. Who were they? Most of them are unknown to us by name — but not all of them.

We know the names of some of those martyrs, and there are two in particular I think of when I read those verses. Tradition tells us that the Apostle Paul was beheaded by the emperor Nero in A.D. 64 or 65. Tradition also tells us that Peter was crucified in Rome around that same time. Paul was most likely saved from that fate by his Roman citizenship.

Revelation 17:6 — “I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” That is Paul’s blood. That is Peter’s blood. Revelation 6:9 — “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” Peter and Paul were under that altar. Peter and Paul were asking the question “How long?” in verse 10. Revelation 18:20 — “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!” That’s addressed to the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter. Revelation 21:14 — “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” That’s Paul’s name and Peter’s name.

This vivid book becomes even more vivid when we put a face on those martyrs. Yes, Jesus loves his church more than we can ever know or understand, and we can read this book as Jesus’ response to Rome’s attack against the church. But this was also Jesus’ response to Rome’s murder of Paul. This was Jesus’ response to Rome’s murder of Peter.

What was Paul thinking about as he was led to the executioner’s block? I am certain it included what he told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 —

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

But I am also certain it included something he wrote to the very Christians who would suffer with him at the hands of Nero. Something that other Christian martyrs no doubt also recalled as they were being put to death by Rome. Something that is a beautiful summary of the entire book of Revelation. Something that we will use to end our class. Romans 8:31-39 —

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For thy sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In those 9 verses is the entire book of Revelation. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us! That is the theme of Revelation.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 20-21

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

The book ends with encouragement for those suffering persecution. They had nothing to fear. Jesus was coming soon to bring vindication and judgment and nothing would stand in his way be it the mighty Roman empire or the modern commentator who believes the rescue has yet to occur! Jesus said he was coming soon, and he did come soon. The Roman empire is no more — swept away long ago by the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ! What a beautiful ending to a beautiful book! Amen!

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 18-19

18 I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Tampering with the word of God is serious business. Those who add to the words in this book by teaching things in Christ’s name that Christ never taught will find themselves sharing in the horrible plagues described in this book. And those who take away from the words in this book the parts they disagree with or the parts that don’t fit with their theories will lose their share in the tree of life and in the holy city.

What? You mean the right to the tree of life can be taken away? Yes, and we have already seen that one’s name can be blotted out of the book of life. What does that tell us about the doctrine of “once saved, always saved”?

Whenever I read these verses I think of the Reader’s Digest condensed Bible that was released in 1982. The Old Testament was cut by 55% and the New Testament by 25%. Except for Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude, every book in the Bible was condensed to some degree. (Apparently those four were short enough already. I guess Obadiah had some fluff!) I have always wondered if verse 19 made it into the condensed Bible but I have never taken the time to find out.

But with all humor aside, let me ask a serious question — do we effectively use an abridged Bible? Are there parts of the Bible we never study either because of neglect, or worse just because we don’t much like what they say? Do we neglect some books just because they are too long to fit into our carefully tailored curriculum? When was the last time we had a class on Isaiah?

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 16-17

16 “I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.” 17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.

Jesus is the root and the offspring of David. He is the promised Redeemer. He is the fulfillment of prophecy.

The Spirit and the church invite those outside to come and drink the water of life. When is this invitation extended? Now. It is extended every time a gospel sermon is preached from this pulpit (which we would hope is every time a sermon is preached from this pulpit!). No invitation will be extended after the end of the world.

The water of life is a blessing that men enjoy on earth when they come to Christ and are added to his church. It is without price — it is the free gift of God’s grace. Romans 5:18 — “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 10-15

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.

In verse 10, John is told not to seal up the book. Why? Because the time for its fulfillment is near. In Daniel 8:26, Daniel received the opposite command regarding a vision that he had just seen — “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.” God tells John not to seal up his vision for the time of its fulfillment is near, but he tells Daniel to seal up his vision because its fulfillment pertains to many days hence. When was Daniel’s vision fulfilled? 400 years later. Could this be any more clear? How can we expect to ever understand this book if we ignore these flashing neon time frames?

In verse 11, Jesus tells the wicked to continue in their wickedness. Why? Because their time is short. Verse 12 says the Jesus is coming quickly! The Romans were so entrenched in their evil that Jesus knew they would never change. He tells them that if they want to do more wickedness then they had better hurry. The time is short! Again, this verse is difficult to apply to the end of the world. Does Jesus want all sinners to continue sinning?

And how does one enter into this city? Verse 14 tells us — “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” One obtains the right to enter the city by washing. That, too, has been true since the day the church was established. Acts 2:38 — “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 22:16 — “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

The beatitude in verse 14 is the seventh and final beatitude in Revelation. (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7; 22:14) As we have mentioned before, this book has a beautiful structure and organization that is built around the number 7. If you are reading the KJV, then verse 14 reads “Blessed are they that do his commandments” rather than “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” The latter (I am told) has better support in the manuscripts.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 8-9

8 I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

John has been told before not to worship this angel and yet here he is doing it again. We have already discussed this issue and concluded that John was likely just overcome by all that he was seeing. But once again God uses the event to teach a vital lesson — Worship God!

This book of Revelation has been filled with false gods and false worship. Christians were facing death because of their refusal to worship the Roman emperors. No created being is worthy of our worship — not even this wondrous angelic being.

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.

Revelation Chapter 22 Verses 6-7

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. 7 And behold, I am coming soon.” Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.

Verse 6 begins the epilogue of the book, and as we saw in the prologue, the epilogue begins with the all-important time frame for the vision. Revelation 1:1 says that the events in the book must soon take place. Revelation 1:3 says that the time for fulfillment is near. Here in 22:6 we see that what John had seen must soon take place, and in verse 10 we will be told that the time is near.

What can be said for any interpretation of this book that ignores these clear declarations? One must certainly work hard to misunderstand them!

In verse 7, the speaker says “I am coming soon.” Who is the speaker in verses 6-7, and is there a different speaker in verse 7 than in verse 6? Some argue that the angel is speaking in verse 6 due to the third person reference to God. Others argue God or Jesus is speaking in verse 7 due to the first person reference to “I”. Others respond that in verse 7 an angel may simply be speaking on God’s behalf. Hailey concludes that it most likely is God “declaring that in Christ He will come speedily to His needy saints.”

In short, verses 6 and 7 in the original Greek are ambiguous with regard to the speaker’s identity, giving us only the pronoun translated “he.” People sometimes ask me why I don’t like the New International Version of the Bible. My answer is that I don’t trust it, and verse 6 is a prime example (repeated many, many times elsewhere in the NIV). Who is the speaker in verse 6? The KJV says “he.” The ESV says “he.” The ASV says “he.” The RSV says “he.” The NRSV says “he.” The NKJV says “he.” The HCSB says “he.” The NAS says “he.” The REB says “he.” The original Greek is ambiguous, and those translations properly carry that ambiguity over into the English. But the NIV does not. The NIV in verse 6 reads “The angel said to me.” And so a reader of the NIV would have no idea that the Greek permitted any other understanding of that verse. The Greek is ambiguous, but the NIV is not. The goal of a translation is not to remove ambiguity from the original text. The goal of a translation is to carry any ambiguities in the original text over into English so that the English reader gets an understanding as close as possible to the meaning conveyed by the original text. A good translation acts a sheet of glass between you and the original text. The NIV utterly fails in that goal, and that is why I never use it.

The Greek word translated “soon” in verses 6 and 7 is the same word we find in the letters to the seven churches in 2:16 (“Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly.”) and in 3:11 (“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”). If we try to stretch the word “quickly” to encompass Jesus’ return at the end of the world, then what do we do with those promises to the seven churches? Those seven churches aren’t around anymore! Either Jesus came quickly while they were still around, or he didn’t come to them at all.

The word “soon” (translated “speedily” or “quickly” in the KJV) occurs four times in this chapter! (Verses 6, 7, 12, and 20.) The same Greek word appears in 1:1 and 3:11. The Greek lexicons tell us it means “pertaining to a point of time subsequent to another point of time (either an event in the discourse or the time of the discourse itself), with emphasis upon the relatively brief interval between the two points of time” or simply “a very brief period of time.” The same Greek word occurs twice in Matthew 28:7-8 —

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

Any doubt what the word means in that context? It also appears in John 11:28-29 —

And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.

Any doubt what it means in that context? The same author wrote verses 6 and 7! What basis is there for us to interpret those verses in such a way that they mean the very opposite? Jesus said he was coming quickly. If that doesn’t match our understanding of the book, then let’s change our understanding rather than changing the text!

For those who believe these chapters apply to the end of time, let me ask a question — what could God have written here to convince you otherwise? If using the word “quickly” four times in a single chapter doesn’t do it, then what would it take? (See the handout.)

But some will ask, to what does this word “soon” refer in verse 7? In what way did Jesus come soon or come quickly after the book was written? We already know the answer to that one — Jesus came in judgment against Rome.

But verse 7 must be referring to the second coming? Right? No. For starters, the phrase “second coming of Christ” appears nowhere in the Bible. The closest we get is Hebrews 9:28 — “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Will Jesus appear again to judge the world? Absolutely. Will that be his second appearance? Yes. Will that be his second literal coming? Yes. Will that be his second coming? No, there have already been at least two other figurative comings of Christ. There was the figurative coming of Christ against Jerusalem mentioned in Matthew 24:30, and there was the figurative coming of Christ against Rome mentioned here in verse 7. The coming against Jerusalem happened in the first century (Matthew 24:34), and the coming against Rome happened soon after this book was written (22:6-7).

For those keeping track, verse 7 is the sixth of the seven beatitudes in Revelation. “Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Please visit ThyWordIsTruth.com for free audio lessons on Revelation, for a unique daily Bible reading calendar, to read about God's plan of salvation, to read the answers to hundreds of questions submitted by our readers, and for much, much more.