John received this revelation some two thousand years ago. The God who gave this revelation knew millennia ago that Christ would not return for many centuries. Yet he was pleased to cast the reference to his return in the present tense. The point is that his return is an ongoing activity that will eventually culminate in his glorious appearance. By way of analogy, our coming
to a given address is the culmination of planning, packing, and travelling. Christ’s coming
on the last day is equally the culmination of his doing the various details contained in the scroll he had taken from God’s hand (Revelation 5:7).
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”