Podcast: Revelation Questions 1: Is Jesus Coming Soon? Who are the Angels?

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Did the early church think Jesus was coming back in the first century?

Revelation 1:1 says, “The things that must soon take place.” Verse 3 says, “For the time is near.” Does the Greek word for “soon” and “the time is near” mean “soon in time” or something else?

First-century hearers would naturally have thought that Jesus was coming soon – maybe in their lifetime. But the fact that it didn’t happen doesn’t mean Scripture is wrong; it means that the people were wrong.

The coming of Christ is inevitable – it will happen. As for when, we do not know. We just know it will happen.

Who are the angels of the seven churches?

Jesus says that “The stars are the angels of the seven churches.”

“To the angel at the church in _________” Jesus addresses the church as singular – clearly talking about the whole church. Jesus is speaking to one person but talking about the deeds of the whole church.

Christ thinks of a body of believers as an entity – a family.

What resources/research are you doing for this series?

Steve Gregg’s commentary on Revelation “Four Views on The Book of Revelation.”

Peter Lighthart Commentary on Revelation.

The symbolic and predorist view (see Revelation podcast link to define these terms) are gaining in prominence, so Terry focuses most of his research on these two views in order to talk them through.

Brittany Proffitt lives in Dallas and is a writer and content manager for So We Speak.