From Eliyahu
Consider this:
Revelation is full of
mysteries, beginning in the very first verse. Further, some of those
mysteries are such even to Bible translators, and through them, influencing
English Bible readers. This is not at all unusual, starting in the very
first verse of Revelation. Here is a translation example of that verse as it
appears in the New American Standard Bible:
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must
soon take place.." Revelation 1:1 NASB
Most English
translations agree with the translation of the word soon here. Bible
critics sometimes point to this verse to discredit the Bible, saying
'Revelation includes the end of the world in its message, that it says must
happen soon - that was almost 2,000 years ago! That's not soon! The
Bible is wrong.'
No, the Bible is not wrong!
Bible
translators were wrong in using the word soon in this verse!
The Greek word here in the ancient manuscripts is the word tachos [G5034]. The
New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance
gives us this definition of the Greek word tachos:
Tachos; from G5036; speed: - quickly (3), shortly (1), soon (3).
The word
fundamentally defines moving with speed. Speed is a scalar quantity
that refers to "how fast an object is moving." Quickly (fast)
is the normal meaning of the Greek word. Only secondarily can it mean shortly or soon. There is a big
difference between quickly and soon in these two translations. If the Revelation must "soon"
happen then it would be reasonable to expect it to be fulfilled "soon" after
it was written, two millennia ago! Clearly, 'soon' is the wrong translation!
If Revelation 1:1
translates into English with the normal meaning of the Greek word, then it
should use the word quickly. Lets use that word in the translation,
and while we are at it, we will also restore the name and titles of Yeshua
and His Father to the verse. With those corrections, the verse says this:
"The Revelation of Yeshua Messiah, which
Elohim gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must
happen quickly.." Rev 1:1
This verse, rightly
translated, does not comment on when the events of Revelation must
happen. Rather, when those events do happen they must unfold rapidly,
quickly, faster than people expect, possibly catching many unprepared and
unaware.
This matches up with the
warnings of Yeshua in the Olivet Sermon, to be watchful and aware, because
the end-time events will unfold suddenly upon the world, as in the "days of
Noah." (Matt 24:37-39)
Lately, a lot of
believers have been commenting on how rapidly the world is changing in
conformity with Bible prophecy. Today we are seeing a lot that is foretold
in Revelation and other Bible prophecy unfolding quickly upon the
world! No longer is Revelation just a book of interesting symbols and
mysteries. Now, it has risen to a whole new importance for the end-time
bond-servants of Yeshua, for whom this amazing book was written!
