From the Bible teaching of Pastor Chuck Smith:

Revelation 1:3 (NLT) God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.

“Blessing for reading, hearing and for then keeping the things that are written herein. As you read, you’ll be blessed. As you hear, you’ll be blessed. But more importantly, as you obey, you will be blessed. The time is at hand, as we have mentioned before, the early church believed that Jesus was going to return in their time, in their generation. John is writing this in about the year 96. And there were rumors in the church that Jesus would come back again before John dies. Notice “the things must shortly come to pass” in verse one. Here in verse three, “the time is at hand.”

In reality, as Peter talks to us about the second coming of Jesus, he said, “In the last days there will be scoffers who will come and they will say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since our fathers have fallen asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning.” But Peter said, “God is not slack concerning His promises, as some men count slackness; but He’s faithful to us,” and the reason why He’s waiting, “He’s not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” And Peter explains that “with God a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day unto the Lord” (2 Peter 3:3,4,8,9).

So God being in the eternal realm, things are always at hand. And eternity is at hand. And so when God says, Well, you know, time is short, and the apostles were saying, Time is short; we say, It’s been two thousand years. God says, Couple of days. Time is short. Day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. And Peter explains that to us as he says, The reason why God is waiting, He’s not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Pastor Chuck Smith teaching through the book of Revelation.