Daily Devotional For January 5, 2025
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him, to show to His servants what must soon take place . . . .Rev 1:1.
The text says that the events described in Revelation will “soon” take place. Where did the Revelator come up with that? Would anyone in his right mind say 1900 years is soon? What can he possibly mean by soon?
Some interpreters suggest that this “soon” must be understood from God’s perspective rather than ours. After all, a day with the Lord is like a 1,000 years (2 Peter 3:8)! In that sense the coming of Jesus has always been soon. To God the passage of a thousand years is only a single grain in the infinite sands of time.
But that is not answer enough for most of us. After all, the Book of Revelation was not written for God’s benefit, it is “to show his servants what must soon take place.” When the angel came to Peter in prison (Acts 12:7, NIV) and said, “Quick, get up!” (same Greek word as “soon” in Rev 1:1), the angel certainly wasn’t suggesting that Peter should snooze for another 1900 years! What would the first readers of Revelation have made of this comment? Was Jesus (or John) mistaken here? How are we to make sense of this?
For one thing, this seems to be a pattern with God. Even in Old Testament times, you often get the impression that God’s great final act is just around the corner. When you get to the gospels, the sayings of Jesus don’t seem to suggest more than a few years or decades either. Throughout Scripture the time until the End has been portrayed as short.
It is as if God knows that there is something in the human psyche that goes wrong every time the future seems to lengthen. We may know in our heads that every moment could be our last, yet we live as though our personal history will continue for decades at the least. Portraying time as short meets a human need. It helps us to focus on the things that matter the most. It helps us to set the right priorities for whatever remains of our lives.
Time is portrayed as short in the Bible because we need it that way. Perhaps it is like the student who once approached a rabbi and asked, “When should I get right with God?”
The rabbi replied, “The day before you die.”
The student retorted, “But when am I going to die?”
The rabbi replied, “No one knows, therefore the Scriptures say, ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.’” One way or the other, things will take place soon. What counts is how we respond to that reality.
Lord, help me to live this day with the perspective of eternity. May I live each moment and treat each person as if I am about to give a final accounting of my life.