Subject: 18 Book of Revelation |
Bible Note: Greetings Humpy! I was looking at your comparison of Rev. 1:19 and Rev. 14:13, yet two different phrases are used in these two verses. Rev. 1:19 uses the phrase 'mellei yenesthai' or literally 'they are about to be'. Rev. 14:13 uses the phrase 'ap arti' or 'from now' or 'from this point'. So, one cannot interpret the meaning or range of the phrase found in Rev. 1:19 based upon Rev. 14:13. They are two entirely different phrases and do not have even one word in common. Now, let's look at the view that the phrase in Rev. 1:19 must refer to something which is going to happen soon. The construction in Rev. 1:19 is 'mello' with an Aorist infinitive following. This same construction is used in Ga. 3:23. "Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed." When were people locked up under the Law? When did people come under the supervision of the Law (Gal. 3:25)? These things happened when God gave the Law to Moses. Now, when did the 'faith' come which set us free from the Law? It came thousands of years later! ;-) The phrase in Rev. 1:19 does not refer to things which must happen in a relatively short time frame (from the human perspective), but to things which are certain to happen in the future. It could refer to days, weeks, years, decades, generations, or millenia. There simply isn't any time restriction placed upon this word or phrase. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |