Who is the “angel” through whom Jesus signifies His apocalypse? We get a clue from the unusual phrase “His angel” (1:1). This is one of two places in Revelation that use the phrase “His angel” (cf. 22:6). Here His is specifically Jesus’. In 22:6, the antecedent is harder to determine. Who is the “Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets”? Maybe Jesus, but also maybe the Father. In either case, though, the angel is the angel of God,... Read more

The Greek doulos is used twice in the first verse of Revelation, first of the recipients of the apocalypse and then of John himself. The translation “bond-servant” is one of the leftovers of KJV, which tended to assimilate the social structure of the Bible to the social structure of seventeenth-century England. It’s better translated as “slave,” and it is one of the common designations for the members of the community of Christ throughout the book. Revelation speaks a few times... Read more

Gregory Beale and other scholars have noted that John’s phrase “things that must shortly take place” echoes the LXX of Daniel 2:28: “GOd has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what must take place in the last days.” The crucial difference, of course, is the change of time reference. These things that are happening are not in the “latter days” but “soon.” What was sealed for Daniel is being unsealed. And what was it that would take place in the “latter days”? God... Read more

In a 2000 article in JBL , Leonard Thompson points out how frequently Jesus is connected with death in the book of Revelation. He is the “firstborn of the dead” (1:5, 18; 2:8) and the slain Lamb (5:6). His blood is highlighted throughout the book (1:5; 5:9, 12; 7:14; 12:11; 19:13), and Christians are also called to remain faithful to death, willing to shed their blood for Jesus who shed His blood for them. For Thompson, this is part and... Read more

John receives a revelation from Jesus about things that “must” ( dei ) shortly take place. As Shylock would say, “Why must they? Tell me that!” In the gospels, the divine “must” has two main connections: It is the necessity that the Christ should suffer and enter His glory (Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:22; 17:25; John 12:34; 20:9); and it is a necessity that arises from what is written (Matthew 26:54; Luke 22:337; 24:7, 44, 46). Of course, these two are... Read more

Revelation begins and ends with the promise that the things written in the book will “shortly” ( en tachei ) take place (1:1; 22:6). It’s seems a fairly colorless time indicator, but the phrase comes with some baggage from the LXX. There, it is used only a handful of times, three of which are relevant to Revelation. Deuteronomy 11:17 and 28:20 both warn Israel that they will “perish quickly” ( en tachei ) from the land if they turn from... Read more