In John's open to Revelation, he tells us that who reads this book they will be bless because these things are at hand, soon to take place..
1 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, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 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.
What a dis-service to the first century Christians reading this, for according to you it was a waist of time for them (if it was meant for us, then why would John deceive his early Christians readers? is saying the time is near, these things will shortly take place?). For if John wasn't talking to them (1st century Christians) directly, but 21st century Christians or beyond, Why would they need to know this? They are dead and gone. If it wasn't for them, he should have made it clear it was for us 2000+ years later.
The word translated shortly also means quickly, with speed. It would be presumptuous to think he meant shortly, since most of the stuff prophesied could not happen in that period.
It is like matt 24. Birth pangs, Start in short bursts, then exponentially get faster and shorter and extreme.
This would make more sense. to say speedily, take place. not shortly as in then.
τάχος, -ους, τό, fr. Hom. down,
quickness, speed: ἐν τάχει (often in Grk. writ. fr. Aeschyl. and Pind. down),
quickly, shortly, Acts 12:7; 22:18; [25:4]; Ro. 16:20;
speedily, soon, (Germ. in Bälde), Lk. 18:8; 1 Tim. 3:14 L Tr WH; Rev. 1:1; 22:6.*
Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 616). New York: Harper & Brothers.
τάχος, εος, τό, (τᾰχύς)
swiftness, speed, fleetness,
velocity, Il., Plat.
2. τ. φρενῶν quickness of temper,
hastiness, Eur.
II. τάχος is often used in Adverbial phrases for ταχέως, absol. in acc., Aesch., etc.:—with Preps., ἀπὸ τάχους Xen.; διὰ τάχους Soph., etc.; ἐν τάχει Aesch., etc.; εἰς τάχος Xen., etc.; κατὰ τάχος Hdt., Thuc.; μετὰ τάχους Plat.; σὺν τάχει Soph.:—also with relatives, ὡς τάχος, like ὡς τάχιστα, Hdt., Aesch.; so, ὅ τι τάχος Hdt., Soph.; ὅσον τάχος Soph.:—also, ὡς τάχεος εἶχεν ἕκαστος as each was off for speed, i.e.
as quickly as they could, Hdt.; ὡς εἶχον τάχους Thuc.
Liddell, H. G. (1996). A lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English lexicon (p. 794). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.