And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Seal not. But in Daniel 12:4; Daniel 12:9 (cf. Daniel 8:26), "seal the book," for the vision shall be 'for many days.' The fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy was distant, that of John's is near. The New Testament is the time of the fulfillment. The Gentile church, for which John wrote, needs more to be impressed with the shortness of the period, as it is inclined to conform to the world, and forget the Lord's coming. The Revelation pointed to Christ's coming as distant, for it foretold the succession of seven seals, trumpets, and vials; on the other hand, it proclaims, "Behold, I come quickly." So Christ marked many events to intervene before His coming, yet saith, "Behold, I come quickly," because our right attitude is continual prayerful watching for His coming (Matthew 25:6; Matthew 25:13; Matthew 25:19; Mark 13:32-37 (Auberlen): cf. Revelation 1:3).