TheoRhēma (Jun 2016)
How Soon Is 'Soon'? Reading the Language of Eschatological Imminence in the Book of Revelation
Abstract
The Book of Revelation is replete with what one could call the language of imminence, from its very beginning to its end. In the light of passing almost two thousand years from the birth of the book, this feature poses a problem and calls for examination. This article identifies and investigates seven expressions of imminence featured in the book and suggests a way of reading them. It argues that Revelation’s language of imminence is to be read keeping in mind three points of fundamental importance, which help to clarify the idea of ‘nearness’. Thus, John’s temporal perspective makes sense if it is viewed (1) against the Jewish apocalyptic background, (2) salvation-historically and (3) in light of the function of the apocalyptic language.
