The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:1-8
This is the start of a letter. A letter from God to us. One messenger (an angel) passes on the message to another messenger (John). Neither claims responsibility for anything more than having delivered it and affirming its contents are genuine. There are three authors: the Father, the Spirit(s) and the Son. In this section we get the summary: God the Father, who rules forever, will reveal Jesus to the world and glorify him. This is the second advent of Jesus the messiah, but this time he will not arrive as a baby but as a king over all. In his role as king, he will subdue all enemies, establish his kingdom and dispense justice. It is a train: you can be on the train, you can watch the train pass you by or you can get hit by the train, but the train will come. This is why in the last chapter of Revelation, when Jesus says, 'I am coming soon' the author responds: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. John has chosen to get on the train.
For us, I think this involves us watching for Jesus' arrival and moving when he moves, not when we feel it is convenient.
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