2.  Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of
    Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

    3.  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of
    this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: 
    for the time is at hand.

This book of the Revelation is frequently styled the Apocalypse, derived from the word by which it is designated in Greek.  Jesus Christ having received it from God, its author, designed it for the future benefit of his church, and communicated it to his servants by the hand of the beloved apostle John.  Its character is described by its title “Revelation,” which signifies something revealed or made known; and its object was to “show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.”  This object of God’s in delivering the Revelation to his church should be a sufficient refutation of the popular theory that this book is unintelligible, and its varied symbols wrapped in such deep mystery that their meaning can not be evolved; for it is not consonant with the supreme power and wisdom of the God-head to suppose that, in making a revelation to man, he would make the fatal mistake of clothing his language with a mystery that defies the intellect of mortals to unveil.  It is said of the things herein revealed that they “must shortly come to pass,” by which is meant not that they were all to be completely fulfilled within a short time, but that the series of special events predicted were soon to begin.  Thus, we speak of a century or eternity as near at hand, by which we mean that the events of the period spoken of are about to commence, although the end of the series may be very far off.

But who are “his servants”?  For whose benefit was the Revelation given?  Surely it was for all those who become children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, from the beginning of the gospel dispensation when it was given, until the end of time; for a benediction is pronounced upon all those who read and hear its prophecies and “keep those things which are written therein.”  It was this promised blessing unto the earnest inquirers into the truths of Revelation that enabled the writer to decide to give these prophecies the consideration that is justly their due, and to recognize their infinite importance to the present church; “for the time is at hand” that will close the series of events herein predicted and usher in eternity.  Every fulfilment of prophecy brings with it new duties, and enjoins fresh responsibilities upon the people of God; yea, “every revolving century, every closing year, adds to the urgency with which attention is challenged to the concluding portion of Holy Writ.”  Daniel prophetically described some of the events contained also in the Apocalypse, but he was told to shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end, when “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”