Revelation 1:1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.

The first verse in the Book of Revelation includes a descriptive title, called The Revelation of Jesus Christ.¹ The word revelation comes from the Greek word apokálypsis (apocalypse),² which means to uncover or unveil something hidden.³ Jesus Christ is the hidden object revealed or unveiled in the Book of Revelation.⁴ The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible⁵ amplifies this meaning. In the JST, the Prophet revised this verse to say, "The Revelation of John, a servant of God, which was given unto him of Jesus Christ."⁶

John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ from Jesus Christ⁷ for the benefit of God's servants.⁸ The servants referred to here are faithful exaltation-worthy members of Christ's church⁹ both ancient and modern.¹⁰ John refers to them several times as the 144,000 Servants.¹¹ The visions in Revelation are a roadmap that guides the 144,000 Servants¹² to exaltation in the celestial kingdom.¹³

The Revelation showed God's servants by signs and symbols¹⁴ the things which must shortly come to pass after the Revelation was given in 96 AD.¹⁵ Some scholars interpret this phrase to mean that the things in John's vision were to happen quickly and be of short duration.¹⁶ Others believe this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.¹⁷ Based on that logic, some people have incorrectly concluded that John received the Revelation during the reign of Emperor Nero, who reigned from54-68 AD, and who ordered the Roman attack on Jerusalem during the First Jewish War.¹⁸

John's visions are not limited to events that encompass just a few years in the time of Nero or even in the first century AD.¹⁹ John's visionary unveiling of Jesus Christ²⁰ extends from the time of Christ's elevation to Godhood in the premortal existence (Revelation 12),²¹ to his glorification on the celestialized earth after the millennium (Revelation 21).²² Given this very long duration, gospel scholars frequently explain the things which must shortly come to pass in light of those scriptures which say that a thousand years on earth are as one day with the Lord.²³ However, there is a more compelling and pragmatic explanation for things which must shortly come to pass. Shortly after the Revelation was given, the Great Apostasy (falling away)²⁴ came to pass among the seven churches in Asia and for Christ's ancient church as a whole.²⁵ This apostasy continued for more than a thousand years.²⁶ The timing and duration of the Great Apostasy leads to the conclusion that the Revelation describes things of great spiritual import whose beginnings must shortly come to pass.²⁷

The word must is emphatic. The same word appears in Revelation 4:1, which describes things which must be hereafter.²⁸ Revelation 1:1 and 4:1 both confirm that all things predicted in the Revelation will be fulfilled with absolute certainty.²⁹

In the Revelation, Christ is signified (revealed)³⁰ by an angel³¹ to the apostle John.³² The angel was a translated or resurrected person sent from the presence of God who was numbered among John's fellow servants.³³ The word signified refers to signs and symbols,³⁴ which some interpret to mean that the angel gave John a specific sign or token that validated the Revelation.³⁵ The world now has the benefit of historical hindsight to recognize the fulfillment of many signs and tokens that validate John's visionary prophecies.

On some occasions in the Book of Revelation, John sees and hears Christ as the revelator or the person who reveals to John the visions that John recorded and published to the ancient church and to the world.³⁶ The personal appearance of the Savior is highly appropriate since Christ is the chief executive for the Father and is the word of God.³⁷ Most of the Revelation, however, is given to John by one or more other angels³⁸ sent from the throne of God.³⁹ John twice mistook these angels for Jesus Christ⁴⁰ because they spoke with divine investiture of authority from Jesus Christ⁴¹ as though they were Christ himself.⁴²

Revelation 1:2: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

After the angel signified or validated the Revelation, John bare record of Jesus Christ as the word of God.⁴³ John also bare record of the testimony of Jesus Christ, ⁴⁴ which means that John repeated precisely the testimony that Christ gave of himself.⁴⁵ This is true of all things that [John] saw.⁴⁶ In other words, John recorded his faithful witness⁴⁷ of things in the Revelation exactly as they were made known to him.⁴⁸

Revelation 1:3: 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 verse pronounces the first of seven beatitudes,⁴⁹ or statements of blessedness,⁵⁰ found in the Book of Revelation.⁵¹ Blessedness will come to those that read the Revelation⁵² and hear the words of this prophecy.⁵³ In ancient Jewish synagogues the scriptures could be read whenever ten persons were present to form a congregation.⁵⁴ Individuals and congregations that read or hear John's prophecy⁵⁵ must also keep those things which are written therein.⁵⁶ The blessedness promised in the Revelation comes only to those who are obedient to the sayings therein.⁵⁷

The Joseph Smith Translation adds that the readers and hearers must also "understand the words of this prophecy."⁵⁸ The point is self-obvious that a person must understand the Revelation in order to keep those things which are written therein.⁵⁹ It should also be self-obvious that in these latter-days the Revelation can be understood. This is the essence of Moroni's prophecy received from Christ about the last days in Ether 4:16, saying: "then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people." Thus, in these last days, all people throughout the world are responsible to both hear and heed the visionary contents found in the Book of Revelation.

John expresses an urgency for all the people to read and hearken to the words of the Revelation⁶⁰ by saying the time is at hand.⁶¹ This statement refers to the coming or unveiling of Jesus Christ, which is also expressed in the words: I come quickly.⁶² This phrase is repeated four times (the world number) in the Revelation⁶³ and it has a dual meaning. It means that Christ can and will come quickly to faithful and obedient saints during their lifetimes,⁶⁴ and also when they die.⁶⁵ The time was at hand anciently when obedient saints suffered and prematurely died as martyrs. Christ came to them quickly in both their infirmities and death.⁶⁶ For saints in these last days, the time is at hand for Christ's Second Coming.⁶⁷ At that appointed time and hour in the future, Christ will come quickly especially for those who are unprepared.⁶⁸ The time is always at hand for the coming of Christ because judgments come swiftly in life, in death, and at the Second Coming.⁶⁹

In apocalyptic literature such as the Revelation, time ceases to be a material part of the prophetic message.⁷⁰ The urgency and importance of the prophecy remains the same regardless of whether time is viewed from the Lord's perspective where "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."⁷¹ The apostle Peter used this specific measure of time to describe the timing for Christ's Second Coming.⁷² By this standard, less than two days with the Lord have passed since Christ first told John that the time is at hand and I come quickly.⁷³ Today, this reckoning of time should be a sober reminder of just how much closer the world is to Christ's Second Coming. The pronouncement just two days ago has turned into hours‒if not minutes‒remaining for the time to be at hand.