📖 Ufunuo — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 1: Jinsi ya Kusoma Kitabu cha Ufunuo📖 Revelation Intensive — Unit 1: How to Read Revelation

Andiko: Ufunuo wa Yohana 1:1-8Text: Revelation 1:1-8

Ufunuo wa Yesu KristoThe Revelation of Jesus Christ

Kitabu cha mwisho cha Biblia kinajitaja chenyewe katika mstari wake wa kwanza: "Ufunuo wa Yesu Kristo, aliopewa na Mungu awaonyeshe watumwa wake mambo ambayo kwamba hayana budi kuwako upesi; naye akatuma kwa mkono wa malaika wake, akamjulisha mtumwa wake Yohana; aliyeyashuhudia neno la Mungu, na ushuhuda wa Yesu Kristo, mambo yote aliyoyaona" (Ufunuo 1:1-2). Neno linalotafsiriwa "Ufunuo" ni la Kiyunani apokalypsis, lenye maana ya kufunua au kufichua — kama kufungua pazia. Jambo hili linastahili kutafakariwa, kwa sababu watu wengi hukiona kitabu cha Ufunuo kuwa kitabu kilichofichika zaidi na chenye kuchanganya zaidi katika Maandiko. Lakini jina lake lenyewe linasema kinyume chake: ni kitabu kilichokusudiwa kufunua, si kuficha. Na kile kinachofunua hasa ni Mtu. Ni Ufunuo wa Yesu Kristo, maneno yenye maana mbili: ufunuo unaotoka kwake na ufunuo unaomhusu yeye. Mstari wa 1 pia unaonyesha mnyororo ambao kwa huo ufunuo huu ulikuja: kutoka kwa Mungu, aliyempa Yesu Kristo, aliyeutuma kwa malaika wake kwa mtumwa wake Yohana, aliyeyaandika kwa ajili ya makanisa yote aliyoyaona. Kitabu hiki kiwe nini kingine chochote, ni ufunuo wa Kristo uliotolewa na Mungu, uliokabidhiwa kwa watumishi wa Mungu.The last book of the Bible names itself in its opening line: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw" (Revelation 1:1-2). The word translated "Revelation" is the Greek apokalypsis, which means an unveiling or an uncovering—the drawing back of a curtain. This is worth pausing over, because many people think of Revelation as the most hidden and confusing book in Scripture. Yet its very title says the opposite: it is a book meant to reveal, not to conceal. And what it chiefly unveils is a Person. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, a phrase that means both the revelation that comes from Him and the revelation that is about Him. Verse 1 also traces the chain by which it came: from God, who gave it to Jesus Christ, who sent it by His angel to His servant John, who wrote down for the churches all that he saw. Whatever else this book is, it is a God-given unveiling of Christ, handed down to the servants of God.

Kitabu cha Kusomwa kwa Sauti na KushikwaA Book to Be Read Aloud and Kept

"Heri asomaye, na wao wayasikiao maneno ya unabii huu, na kuyashika yaliyoandikwa humo; kwa maana wakati u karibu" (Ufunuo 1:3). Hiki ndicho kitabu pekee katika Biblia kinachoanza kwa kutamka baraka juu ya yule anayekisoma na juu ya wale wanaokisikia. Maneno haya yanaonyesha jinsi kitabu kilivyotumika mwanzoni. Katika kanisa la kwanza waumini wengi hawakuwa na gombo lao binafsi; badala yake, mtu mmoja angesoma unabii kwa sauti na kusanyiko lote lingeusikia pamoja. Kwa hiyo Ufunuo uliandikwa ili usomwe katika ibada, katika kusanyiko la watu wa Mungu. Na baraka si kwa kusoma na kusikia tu bali pia kwa kushika — yaani, kutii na kushikilia kwa uthabiti yaliyoandikwa. Hili linatufundisha jambo muhimu kuhusu kusudi la kitabu. Si fumbo lililokabidhiwa kwa wasomi walifumbue faraghani; ni neno la kichungaji lililotolewa kwa kanisa zima ili kulifariji, kulionya na kulitia nguvu. Na linakuja kwa uharaka, "kwa maana wakati u karibu.""Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near" (Revelation 1:3). This is the only book in the Bible that opens by pronouncing a blessing on the one who reads it and on those who hear it. The wording reflects how the book was first used. In the early church most believers did not own a private scroll; instead, one person would read the prophecy aloud and the gathered congregation would hear it together. So Revelation was written to be read in worship, in the assembly of God's people. And the blessing is not only for reading and hearing but for keeping—that is, obeying and holding fast to what is written. This tells us something important about the book's purpose. It is not a puzzle handed to scholars to decode in private; it is a pastoral word given to the whole church to comfort, warn, and strengthen it. And it comes with urgency, "for the time is near."

Ufunuo ni Kitabu cha Aina Gani?What Kind of Book Is Revelation?

Ili kusoma kitabu chochote vizuri, lazima tujue ni kitabu cha aina gani. Kwa kweli Ufunuo unachanganya aina tatu za maandishi, na kuusoma vizuri kunamaanisha kuzitambua zote tatu. Kwanza, ni maandishi ya kiapokaliptiki: fasihi ya ishara na maono ya wazi, kama sehemu za Danieli, Ezekieli na Zekaria, iliyojaa wanyama, baragumu, vitasa, vinara na hesabu zenye maana. Pili, ni unabii, kwa maana mstari wa 3 unauita "unabii huu"; kama manabii wa Agano la Kale, unatangaza neno la Mungu kwa watu wake na pia unatabiri kile Mungu atakachofanya. Tatu, ni waraka, barua halisi, kwa maana mstari wa 4 unasema, "Yohana, kwa yale makanisa saba yaliyoko Asia." Kwa hiyo msomaji mwaminifu huzichukulia ishara kuwa ishara badala ya kuziona kama picha bapa za kihalisia; huitii wito wa kinabii wa kuwa mwaminifu; na hukumbuka kwamba kitabu kwanza kiliyaandikia makanisa saba halisi katika karne ya kwanza. Hata hesabu — makanisa saba, kabila kumi na mbili, miaka elfu, mia arobaini na nne elfu — ni sehemu ya lugha hii ya ishara na zinapaswa kupimwa kwa uangalifu badala ya kuhesabiwa kama takwimu katika daftari la hesabu.To read any book well, we must know what kind of book it is. Revelation actually blends three kinds of writing, and reading it well means recognizing all three. First, it is apocalyptic: a literature of vivid symbols and visions, much like parts of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, full of beasts, trumpets, bowls, lampstands, and numbers that carry meaning. Second, it is prophecy, for verse 3 calls it "this prophecy"; like the Old Testament prophets, it both forth-tells God's word to His people and fore-tells what God will do. Third, it is an epistle, a real letter, for verse 4 reads, "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia." So the faithful reader treats the symbols as symbols rather than as flat, literal photographs; he heeds the prophetic call to faithfulness; and he remembers that the book first addressed seven actual congregations in the first century. Even the numbers—seven churches, twelve tribes, a thousand years, one hundred forty-four thousand—belong to this symbolic language and should be weighed with care rather than counted like figures in a ledger.

Njia Nne Wakristo Wanazotumia Kusoma UfunuoFour Ways Christians Read Revelation

Katika historia ndefu ya kanisa, waumini wanyofu na wacha Mungu wamesoma Ufunuo kwa njia kuu nne. Mwanafunzi anapaswa kuielewa kila moja, bila kulazimishwa kuchagua. Mtazamo wa kipreteristi (preterist, kutoka neno la Kilatini lenye maana ya "wakati uliopita") unashikilia kwamba sehemu kubwa ya kitabu ilitimizwa katika karne ya kwanza, hasa katika kuanguka kwa Yerusalemu mwaka 70 B.K. au katika mateso chini ya Rumi; kwa usomaji huu mnyama ni Rumi au mmoja wa watawala wake, na kitabu kilizungumza moja kwa moja na shida ya wasomaji wake wa kwanza. Mtazamo wa kihistoria (historicist) unakisoma kitabu kama ramani ya historia ya kanisa inayojitokeza tangu siku za Yohana hadi kuja kwa mara ya pili, mihuri, baragumu na vitasa vikiwakilisha vipindi vinavyofuatana; mtazamo huu ulikuwa wa kawaida kati ya Wanamatengenezo wa Kiprotestanti. Mtazamo wa kifuturisti (futurist, wa wakati ujao) unaona sehemu kubwa ya kitabu, tangu sura ya nne na kuendelea, kuwa inaeleza matukio ambayo bado yatakuja — dhiki ya mwisho, Mpinga Kristo halisi, na kurudi kwa Kristo kunakoonekana; mtazamo huu unashikiliwa na Wakristo wa Kiinjili wengi wa siku hizi. Mtazamo wa kiidealisti (idealist, au wa kiishara) unakichukulia kitabu kuwa kinaonyesha mapambano ya kudumu kati ya Kristo na uovu katika kila zama, kikilihakikishia kanisa la kila kizazi ushindi wa mwisho wa Mungu. Wafasiri wacha Mungu wameshikilia kila mmoja wa mitazamo hii, na wasomaji wengi wenye busara huchanganya vipengele vya zaidi ya mmoja. Mitazamo hii pia inatofautiana kuhusu mfumo ambao yote inaukubali. Katika Ufunuo 1:19 Yohana anaambiwa aandike mambo aliyoyaona, na mambo yaliyopo, na mambo yatakayokuwa baada ya hayo; tofauti hasa ni kuhusu mahali mistari hiyo inapoangukia. Usomaji wa kihistoria zaidi huweka sehemu kubwa ya kitabu katika karne ya kwanza, Wakristo walipokabiliwa na mateso makali, wakati usomaji wa kifuturisti huweka sehemu kubwa yake kuwa bado iko mbele.Across the long history of the church, sincere and godly believers have read Revelation along four main approaches. A student should understand each one, without being pressed to choose. The preterist approach (from a Latin word for "past") holds that most of the book was fulfilled in the first century, especially in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 or in the persecutions under Rome; on this reading the beast is Rome or one of its emperors, and the book spoke directly to its first readers' crisis. The historicist approach reads the book as a map of church history unfolding from John's day to the second coming, with the seals, trumpets, and bowls answering to successive eras; this view was common among the Protestant Reformers. The futurist approach sees most of the book, from chapter four onward, as describing events still future—a final tribulation, a personal antichrist, and the visible return of Christ; this view is widely held among modern evangelicals. The idealist (or symbolic) approach takes the book as portraying the timeless struggle between Christ and evil in every age, assuring the church in every generation of God's final triumph. Godly interpreters have held each of these, and many thoughtful readers combine elements of more than one. These same approaches also differ over a frame they all accept. In Revelation 1:19 John is told to write the things which he had seen, the things which are, and the things which will take place after this; the disagreement is mainly about where those lines fall. A more historical reading places much of the book in the first century, when Christians faced heavy persecution, while a futurist reading places most of it still ahead.

Inasaidia kuona jinsi mitazamo hii minne inavyoshughulikia picha moja, na mnyama wa sura ya kumi na tatu ni mfano mzuri wa kujaribu. Hapo Yohana anasema kwamba hakuna mtu aliyeweza kununua wala kuuza isipokuwa alikuwa na chapa ya mnyama (Ufunuo 13:16-17). Usomaji wa kipreteristi, unaowakilishwa vizuri na mwanazuoni William Barclay, unaliona jambo hili katika mazingira ya ulimwengu wa Kirumi ambao wasomaji wa kwanza wa Yohana waliujua: mnyama ni mamlaka ya kifalme na Kaisari wake, na chapa ni ishara inayoonekana ya kumwabudu mfalme. Katika ulimwengu huo mtu angeweza kutakiwa kukiri kwamba Kaisari ni bwana na kumheshimu kwa uvumba, akipewa kwa malipo hati kwamba amefanya hivyo; kwa hati hiyo angeweza kununua, kuuza na kufanya biashara sokoni, na bila hiyo alifungiwa nje. Wakristo wanyofu wangekiri tu kwamba Yesu ni Bwana, kwa hiyo hawangeweza kupata chapa hiyo, nao walifungiwa nje ya biashara ya kawaida na mara nyingi waliteswa kwa ajili ya hilo. Barclay, kama wafasiri wengi wa kipreteristi, pia anaihusisha hesabu 666 na herufi za jina la Kaisari mmoja. Usomaji wa kifuturisti unaichukulia chapa hiyo hiyo kuwa ishara halisi ambayo bado itakuja, itakayolazimishwa na mtawala wa ulimwengu wa wakati ujao ili mtu yeyote asiweze kufanya biashara bila hiyo. Usomaji wa kihistoria unamwona mnyama kama mamlaka inayofanya kazi katika karne ndefu za historia ya kanisa. Usomaji wa kiidealisti unasikia ndani yake mfano wa kudumu wa kila utawala unaofanya utii wa mwisho kwake kuwa gharama ya mkate wa kila siku. Ishara moja, usomaji minne wa unyofu; kozi hii itaionyesha njiani na kumwachia mwanafunzi kazi ya kupima. Na usomaji wowote utakaothibitika kuwa wa kweli zaidi, wito ambao picha hii inaukaza kwa kila kizazi ni ule ule — kumkiri Yesu peke yake kuwa Bwana, kwa gharama yoyote ile.It helps to see how these four approaches actually handle a single image, and the beast of chapter thirteen is a good test case. There John says that no one could buy or sell unless he bore the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17). A preterist reading, well represented by the scholar William Barclay, sees this against the Roman world that John's first readers knew: the beast is the imperial power and its Caesar, and the mark is the visible token of emperor worship. In that world a person could be required to confess that Caesar is lord and to honor him with incense, receiving in return a certificate that he had done so; with that certificate he could buy, sell, and trade in the markets, and without it he was shut out. Sincere Christians would confess only that Jesus is Lord, so they could not obtain the mark, and they were locked out of ordinary commerce and often made to suffer for it. Barclay, like many preterist interpreters, also connects the number 666 to the letters of a Caesar's name. A futurist reading takes the same mark as a literal token still to come, imposed by a future world ruler so that no one may trade without it. A historicist reading sees the beast as a power working across the long centuries of church history. An idealist reading hears in it the timeless pattern of every regime that makes ultimate allegiance to itself the price of daily bread. One symbol, four honest readings; this course will point them out along the way and leave the weighing to the student. And whichever reading proves truest, the call that the image presses on every generation is the same—to confess Jesus alone as Lord, whatever it may cost.

Mitazamo Mitatu ya Utawala wa Miaka ElfuThree Views of the Millennium

Swali la pili kubwa linakwenda sambamba na mitazamo hiyo minne, nalo linafikia kilele chake katika sura ya ishirini: maana ya "miaka elfu," ambayo mara nyingi huitwa utawala wa miaka elfu (milenia). Wakristo wanaompenda Bwana yule yule na kuiheshimu Biblia ile ile wameyaelewa kwa njia kuu tatu — premilenia, postmilenia na amilenia. Kwa sababu mtazamo wa premilenia unajitokeza katika aina mbili, aina ya kidispensheni inaeleweka vizuri zaidi kama maendeleo ndani ya premilenia kuliko kama msimamo wa nne; kwa hiyo kuna mitazamo mikuu mitatu, na udispensheni ukiwa sehemu ndogo ya ule wa kwanza. Kozi hii itaiweka bega kwa bega itakapofikia sura hiyo, lakini mwanafunzi anapaswa kukutana nayo sasa, kila mmoja ukielezwa wazi, pamoja na neno la haki la kuuunga mkono na neno la haki la kuupinga.A second great question runs alongside the four approaches, and it comes to a head at chapter twenty: the meaning of the "thousand years," often called the millennium. Christians who love the same Lord and honor the same Bible have understood it in three main ways—premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial. Because the premillennial view appears in two forms, the dispensational form is best understood as a development within premillennialism rather than a fourth position; so there are three main views, with dispensationalism as a subset of the first. This course will lay them side by side when it reaches that chapter, but the student should meet them now, each stated plainly, with a fair word for it and a fair word against it.

Mtazamo wa premilenia (premillennial) unashikilia kwamba Kristo anarudi kabla ya utawala halisi wa miaka elfu duniani: zama hizi za sasa zinapisha kuja kwake, kisha ufalme wa miaka elfu, kisha uasi wa mwisho, kisha hukumu ya mwisho na hali ya milele. Hii ndiyo aina ya zamani zaidi, iliyoshikiliwa na mababa kadhaa wa kanisa wa mwanzo kabisa, na katika aina yake ya kihistoria (ya asili) inashikilia watu mmoja wa Mungu na inatarajia kanisa kupita katika dhiki kabla Kristo hajaja. Kwa kuuunga mkono, unasoma sura ya kumi na tisa na ya ishirini kwa mpangilio wake wa wazi — Kristo anarudi, Shetani anafungwa, watakatifu wanatawala — na unazichukulia kwa uzito ahadi za Agano la Kale za ufalme wa duniani unaokuja. Kwa kuupinga, wakosoaji hujibu kwamba sura ya ishirini ndiyo kifungu pekee kinachotaja utawala wa miaka elfu, nacho kiko katika kitabu chenye ishara nyingi kuliko vyote katika Biblia, wakati Agano Jipya lililobaki linaonekana kuweka kurudi kwa Kristo, ufufuo na hukumu pamoja badala ya kutengana kwa miaka elfu.The premillennial view holds that Christ returns before a literal thousand-year reign on the earth: the present age gives way to His coming, then the millennial kingdom, then a final rebellion, then the last judgment and the eternal state. This is the oldest form, held by several of the earliest church fathers, and in its historic (classical) form it keeps one people of God and expects the church to pass through tribulation before Christ comes. In its favor, it reads chapters nineteen and twenty in their plain order—Christ returns, Satan is bound, the saints reign—and it takes seriously the Old Testament promises of a coming earthly kingdom. Against it, critics answer that chapter twenty is the only passage that names a thousand-year reign, and it stands in the most symbolic book in the Bible, while the rest of the New Testament seems to set the return, the resurrection, and the judgment together rather than a thousand years apart.

Aina ya kidispensheni (dispensational), maendeleo ndani ya premilenia, inaongeza alama tatu: usomaji halisi kwa uthabiti wa unabii ambao bado haujatimizwa; tofauti ya kudumu kati ya Israeli na kanisa kama watu wawili wenye mipango miwili; na, katika aina yake ya kawaida, unyakuo wa kanisa kabla ya dhiki ya miaka saba, ili Kristo aje kwanza kwa ajili ya kanisa lake na baadaye pamoja na kanisa hilo kutawala. Kwa kuiunga mkono, inashughulikia maagano ya Agano la Kale kwa uthabiti mkubwa na inauchukulia uaminifu wa Mungu kwa Israeli kwa uzito kamili. Kwa kuipinga, wakosoaji husema kwamba mgawanyiko mkali kati ya Israeli na kanisa ni vigumu kuupatanisha na vifungu vinavyowafanya waumini kuwa watu mmoja katika Kristo, na kwamba unyakuo kabla ya dhiki hautegemei andiko moja lililo wazi na ulielezwa kama mfumo katika nyakati za kisasa tu.The dispensational form, a development within premillennialism, adds three marks: a consistently literal reading of unfulfilled prophecy; a lasting distinction between Israel and the church as two peoples with two programs; and, in its classic form, a rapture of the church before a seven-year tribulation, so that Christ comes first for His church and later with her to reign. In its favor, it handles the Old Testament covenants with great consistency and takes God's faithfulness to Israel with full seriousness. Against it, critics say the sharp Israel-church division is hard to square with passages that make believers one people in Christ, and that the pretribulation rapture rests on no single clear text and was set out as a system only in modern times.

Mtazamo wa postmilenia (postmillennial) unashikilia kwamba injili itafanikiwa sana ulimwenguni, kwa njia ya mahubiri na kazi ya Roho, hata ilete zama ndefu za dhahabu za ushawishi wa Kikristo — yaani "miaka elfu" — na baada ya hapo Kristo anarudi kwa ulimwengu ambao tayari umeshindwa kwa injili, kisha ufufuo na hukumu. Kwa kuuunga mkono, unaichukulia Agizo Kuu na mifano ya kukua kwa ufalme kwa nguvu zake kamili na unachochea tumaini lenye uhakika kwa ajili ya umisheni. Kwa kuupinga, wakosoaji huvitaja vifungu vinavyoonya juu ya ukengeufu, dhiki na uovu unaoongezeka katika siku za mwisho, nao husema kwamba kumbukumbu za historia haziendani kwa urahisi na matarajio mazuri kiasi hicho.The postmillennial view holds that the gospel will so succeed in the world, through preaching and the work of the Spirit, that it brings in a long golden age of Christian influence—the "thousand years"—after which Christ returns to a world already won, followed by the resurrection and the judgment. In its favor, it takes the Great Commission and the kingdom-growth parables at full strength and fuels a confident hope for missions. Against it, critics point to the passages that warn of apostasy, tribulation, and growing evil in the last days, and they say the record of history sits uneasily with so bright an expectation.

Mtazamo wa amilenia (amillennial) unashikilia kwamba "miaka elfu" ni ishara ya zama zote za sasa kati ya kuja kwa Kristo kwa mara ya kwanza na kwa mara ya pili. Kwa usomaji huu Kristo anatawala sasa, kutoka mbinguni na kupitia kanisa lake, na Shetani amefungwa kwa maana kwamba hawezi kuizuia injili isiyafikie mataifa; mwishoni Kristo anarudi mara moja, wenye haki na wasio haki wanafufuliwa pamoja, kisha inafuata hukumu moja na halafu mbingu mpya na nchi mpya. Kwa kuuunga mkono, unalingana na mfumo mpana wa Agano Jipya wa kurudi mara moja, ufufuo mmoja na hukumu moja, na unazisoma hesabu za Ufunuo kama ishara ambazo kitabu kinazitumia kila mahali. Kwa kuupinga, wakosoaji husema kwamba unategemea kupita kiasi usomaji wa kiishara wa sura ya ishirini, ambapo "wakawa hai, wakatawala" kwa kawaida kabisa kunasikika kama ufufuo, na kwamba Shetani aliyefungwa haendani vizuri na yule adui anayezunguka-zunguka ambaye Agano Jipya bado linaonya juu yake.The amillennial view holds that the "thousand years" is symbolic of the whole present age between Christ's first and second comings. On this reading Christ reigns now, from heaven and through His church, and Satan is bound in the sense that he cannot stop the gospel reaching the nations; at the end Christ returns once, the just and the unjust are raised together, and there follows one judgment and then the new heaven and new earth. In its favor, it fits the broad New Testament pattern of one return, one resurrection, and one judgment, and it reads the numbers of Revelation as the symbols the book everywhere uses. Against it, critics say it leans too hard on a symbolic reading of chapter twenty, where "they came to life and reigned" most naturally sounds like resurrection, and that a bound Satan sits awkwardly beside the prowling adversary the New Testament still warns against.

Kila mmoja wa mitazamo hii umeshikiliwa na Wakristo wenye uwezo na waaminifu wanaonyenyekea Maandiko yale yale. Kozi hii inaieleza mitazamo mikuu kwa haki na kumwachia hukumu mwanafunzi na walimu wake, ikilenga kuelewa badala ya kushabikia upande mmoja; ulinganisho kamili zaidi unangoja hadi tutakapojifunza sura ya ishirini, ambapo miaka elfu inaelezwa hasa.Each of these views has been held by able and faithful Christians who bow to the same Scripture. This course presents the major views fairly and leaves the judgment to the student and to his teachers, aiming at understanding rather than partisanship; the fuller comparison waits for the study of chapter twenty, where the thousand years is actually described.

Salamu na Wimbo wa Sifa (Doksolojia)The Greeting and the Doxology

Utangulizi ukiwa umekamilika, Yohana anatuma salamu zake: "Yohana, kwa yale makanisa saba yaliyoko Asia. Neema na iwe kwenu na amani, zitokazo kwake yeye aliyeko, na aliyekuwako, na atakayekuja; na zitokazo kwa wale Roho saba walioko mbele ya kiti chake cha enzi; tena zitokazo kwa Yesu Kristo, aliye shahidi mwaminifu, mzaliwa wa kwanza wa wafu, mfalme wa wafalme wa dunia" (Ufunuo 1:4-5). Neema na amani zinatoka kwa Mungu wa Utatu: Baba wa milele, "aliyeko, na aliyekuwako, na atakayekuja"; wale Roho saba walio mbele ya kiti cha enzi, picha ya ukamilifu wa Roho Mtakatifu; na Yesu Kristo, shahidi mwaminifu, mzaliwa wa kwanza wa wafu, na mtawala wa wafalme wa dunia. Kisha Yohana hawezi kujizuia, naye anaanza wimbo wa sifa (doksolojia): "Yeye atupendaye na kutuosha dhambi zetu kwa damu yake, na kutufanya kuwa wafalme na makuhani kwa Mungu, Baba yake; utukufu na ukuu una yeye milele na milele. Amina" (Ufunuo 1:5-6). Kabla muhuri hata mmoja haujafunguliwa au baragumu hata moja haijapigwa, kitabu kinamtia nanga msomaji katika upendo na ubwana wa Kristo — yeye aliyetupenda, aliyetuweka huru kwa damu yake, na aliyetufanya kuwa ufalme wa makuhani.With the introduction complete, John sends his greeting: "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:4-5). The grace and peace come from the Triune God: the eternal Father, "who is and who was and who is to come"; the seven Spirits before the throne, a picture of the fullness of the Holy Spirit; and Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over earth's kings. Then John cannot contain himself, and he breaks into a doxology: "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5-6). Before a single seal is broken or a single trumpet sounds, the book anchors the reader in the love and lordship of Christ—the One who loved us, freed us by His blood, and made us a kingdom of priests.

Yuaja; Yeye ni Alfa na OmegaHe Is Coming; He Is the Alpha and the Omega

Utangulizi unamalizika kwa kutangaza mada kuu ya kitabu. "Tazama, yuaja na mawingu, na kila jicho litamwona, na wale waliomchoma; na kabila zote za dunia wataomboleza kwa ajili yake. Naam. Amina" (Ufunuo 1:7). Kuja kwa Kristo kutakuwa hadharani na bila shaka yoyote; kila jicho litamwona, hata wale waliomchoma. Kisha Mungu mwenyewe anasema neno la mwisho la utangulizi: "Mimi ni Alfa na Omega, Mwanzo na Mwisho, asema Bwana, aliyeko na aliyekuwako na atakayekuja, Mwenyezi" (Ufunuo 1:8). Alfa na Omega ni herufi ya kwanza na ya mwisho za alfabeti ya Kiyunani; Mungu anajitangaza kuwa mwanzo na mwisho wa vitu vyote, Mwenyezi anayeshika historia yote mkononi mwake. Kuanzia hapa kitabu kitaingia katika maono ya Yohana, na maneno muhimu ya kuangalia ni "katika Roho," yanayoashiria maono makuu yatakayokuja; mandhari itahama kutoka duniani hadi mbinguni, ambako kiti cha enzi cha Mungu ndicho kitovu cha kitabu kizima. Lakini uhakika mkuu tayari umewekwa, na hakuna mtazamo wa kufasiri unaoubadilisha: Mwana-Kondoo aliyechinjwa ndiye Bwana Mwenye Enzi, hakika yuaja, na Mungu atakuwa na neno la mwisho juu ya historia yote.The prologue ends by announcing the book's great theme. "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:7). Christ's coming will be public and unmistakable; every eye will see Him, including those who pierced Him. Then God Himself speaks the final word of the prologue: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'" (Revelation 1:8). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; God is declaring Himself the beginning and end of all things, the Almighty who holds all history in His hand. From this point the book will move into John's visions, and a key phrase to watch is "in the Spirit," which marks the great visions to come; the scene will shift from earth to heaven, where the throne of God is the focal point of the entire book. But the central certainty is already set, and no interpretive approach changes it: the slain Lamb is the sovereign Lord, He is surely coming, and God will have the last word over all history.

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