Author: Don Walton

Text: And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.^ Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.^ And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.^ Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.^ The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.^ But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.^ They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.^ The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.^ But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.^ The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.^ And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.^ For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 2:1-12)

Tweet: Divine dreams cannot be interpreted by the psychic network. There’s not a shrink, stargazer, nor soothsayer who can shed light on them or make sense of them.

Text: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)

Tweet: According to verse 1 of the book of Revelation, it was given to John by Christ “to show” Christ’s “servants things which must shortly come to pass.” Two words should be employed to understand these important words in Revelation’s opening verse.
The first word is inevitable. Notice, the things predicted in the book of Revelation “must… come to pass.” There are no “ifs,” “ands” or “buts” about it. All that Revelation predicts has been preordained and predestined by God. It will come to pass and be fulfilled. No angel in heaven, no man or power on earth, nor any devil in hell can keep God’s predetermined and predicted plans and purposes from being carried out and completed. As Jesus taught in John 10:35, “…the scripture cannot be broken.”
The second word is expeditious. In modern-day eschatology, which is simply the study of last things or the last days, there is a growing school of eschatology that teaches all the prophecies of the book Revelation were fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus the Roman in 70 AD. This school, known as Preterism, is predicated on these words in Revelation 1:1. According to the Preterist, the words “must shortly come to pass,” found here and in Revelation 22:6, necessitate a soon fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies shortly after the Apostle John penned them, which is believed by the Preterist to have been in the year 68 AD.
A close examination of the Greek word translated “shortly” in this verse by the King James translators will reveal to the reader that this Greek word can also be translated “swiftly” or “suddenly.” For instance, the same Greek word is found in Luke 18:8, where our Lord teaches that His elect will be “speedily” avenged at the time of His return.
The Apostle Peter teaches us that in the eyes of our eternal God “one day” is like “a thousand years” and “a thousand years” is like “one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Therefore, what is to “shortly” or soon come to pass in the eyes of an infinite and immortal God is not necessarily something that will be seen as “shortly” or soon coming to pass in the eyes of finite and mortal men.
In light of all of this, we may safely conclude that the best translation of these important words in Revelation 1:1, as well as in Revelation 22:6, is “things which must swiftly come to pass.” The idea being relayed to us here is that once these sure and certain prophecies begin to come to pass, they will happen and be fulfilled expeditiously!

Text: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)

Tweet: The end-time events predicted in the Book of Revelation are not only inevitable, but will be carried out expeditiously once they commence, as is proven by these words in Revelation’s first verse of its first chapter—”things which MUST shortly [SWIFTLY] come to pass.”

Text: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)

Tweet: In the very first verse of the very first chapter of the book of Revelation, we are told that the Bible’s most famous prophetic book was “signified” by an angel to Christ’s servant John. To signify something means to communicate it in signs and symbols. The book of Revelation is therefore a book of signs and symbols.

As a self-proclaimed book of sign and symbols, the book of Revelation necessitates a figurative rather than literal interpretation. Now, this is not to say that nothing in the book is to be taken literally, but that the book itself can only be properly interpreted figuratively. In this book, candles are not necessarily candles, stars are not necessarily stars, beasts are not necessarily beasts, and cities are not necessarily cities. Instead, these things are symbols of other things. Thus, to properly understand the book of Revelation one must first understand what its signs and symbols symbolize.

Text: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)

Tweet: The book of Revelation was “signified”— communicated in signs and symbols—to John. Therefore, it is symbolic and necessitates a figurative rather than literal interpretation. Furthermore, it’s symbols symbolize “things which must shortly come to pass.”

Text: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: (Revelation 1:1)

Tweet: The purpose of the book of Revelation is the same as every other book of the Bible. It is to reveal Jesus Christ to us. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not to reveal to us what the future holds, but to reveal to us the One who holds the future.

Text: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)

Tweet: Don’t let the world around you SQUEEZE you into it’s own mold!

Text: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.^ And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.^ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;^ Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.^ And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.^ Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:^ Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.^ But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.^ Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.^ And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.^ Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,^ Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.^ Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.^ So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.^ And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.^ Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.^ As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.^ Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.^ And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.^ And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.^ And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus. (Daniel 1: 1-21)

Tweet: As Daniel refused to be squeezed into Babylon’s mold, so also the Christian is to refuse to be squeezed into the world’s mold. As Daniel was God’s fair-haired and favored child, so is the unworldly and uncompromising Christian.

Text: And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: ^ And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.^ And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.^ And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. (Revelation 15:5-8)

Tweet: When God’s final judgment comes upon this sinful and Christ-rejecting
world, God’s heavenly sanctuary will be shut up and all earthly sinners shut out.

Text: And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. (Revelation 15:1)

Tweet: There is soon to come a day when God will have His fill with this fallen world. His full wrath will be mercilessly poured out upon it, because of its rejection of all His Son has mercifully done for it.