Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book: “Do not seal this book of prophetic messages” (see the opposite of this in Dan 12.4, 9). For the sense of the verb “to seal,” see 10.4. The angel commands John not to stamp “Top Secret,” as it were, on the book, but to leave it open and make its message available to all readers. If the verb “to seal” is difficult or impossible to represent, the translation can be “Do not keep the prophetic messages of this book a secret,” or “Don’t hide from people the prophetic messages of this book,” or “Don’t prevent people from knowing the….” For prophecy of this book see Rev. 22.7 and 1.3.

The time is near: everything that has been announced in the book will happen soon (see 1.3).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .