Revelation 1:1

In the opening clause we are told what the book is, A Revelation. It is not derived from natural sources, from history, from nature, from intuition, from the ratiocination of man, from any human or natural spring. But it is a revelation from God through Christ. The words "of Jesus Christ" refer to the source rather than to the object of the revelation. Those who make the purpose of the book to be a prophecy of the premillennial coming construe this genitive in accordance with their theory. But the plain and obvious sense is well expressed by Marvin R. Vincent; "Not the manifestation or disclosure of Jesus Christ, but the revelation given by him."

Connecting the clause with the verb "to show" confirms the idea of source. "Which God gave unto him" this is a divine book, and a part of the Holy Scripture. The revelation given to Jesus Christ shows the office of Christ as revealer of the Godhead. "Christ executeth the office of a prophet by revealing to us by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation." "To show things which must shortly come to pass." Some endeavor to limit this expression to Chapter s two and three. But since the same expression occurs in the last chapter of the book it is evident that it must refer to the bulk of the message. "Shortly" can mean nothing else but close at hand or very soon. With all allowance for linguistic flexibility and comparative lengths of periods, it would be stretching language to the breaking point to make shortly mean several thousands of years. Such interpretations are only trifling with words, and the word of God. The force of these words is decisive. The things that were to be shown in the visions were close at hand; they were to begin with the people to whom the book was written and not thousands of years in the future. God is his own interpreter and must be allowed to say what He means, and what God says in explanation of his own prophecies must be taken in its obvious meaning and regarded as authoritative.

Origen introduced into the church an allegorical method of interpretation which is somewhat in vogue today. He taught that the Scriptures admit of a threefold interpretation, the literal, the ethical or spiritual, and the allegorical or mystical. The danger of allegorizing the Scriptures is evident. They are made to mean anything on the slightest pretext. This is the great danger today. Men read into the Scripture what is not there; and the imagery of Revelation affords them scope. Sound principles of interpretation were never more needed than now, and especially in the Apocalypse.