Revelation 1
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants
what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein;
for the time is near.
We must go beyond soundbyte answers to understand this.
John was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day (Rev 1.10). The above quote should be considered with that prophetic, future context in mind. When Yeshua says He is about to return, it's in the context of the Lord's Day, when the events described therein are transpiring, specifically the temple ministry is restored (ie, the fruitless fig tree is sprouting leaves again) and more specifically the abomination of desolation is set up, who is the false messiah installed in the temple as an idol after being 'resurrected' from a deadly head wound by the false prophet imitating Elijah resurrecting the widow's son in the OT (a theme echoed in freemasonry where Solomon's temple is central, coincidentally).
Scriptures show what to expect when specific signs are given to signal Christ's quick return and every eye seeing him come in glory, like the sun shining from the east, with myriads of angels and resurrected glorified believers to rule over earth, and the mount of Olives splitting in two when He returns where He was taken up after He told the apostles they would NOT know the times or season when He would return to establish the kingdom (Act 1.7,11) - in other words they would not be the generation spoken of that will see the signs He gave in the Olivet prophecies whereby they WOULD know the time of His return (Mat 24.33) - when he is right at the door.
While the apostles originally did expect Christ to return in their own time despite Him teaching the opposite, they grew in knowledge and grace and indicated a distant future, even thousands of years:
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2Pe 3.8-9 NAU) and He knew the details of what to expect:
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (2Pe 3.10 NAU)
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1Jo 3.2 NAU)
To be sure, these things have not happened yet.
Yeshua said to learn the parable of the fig tree to know when He was about to return (ie, about to come quickly - like a thief upon those unaware). This is critical.
Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered." Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, "How did the fig tree wither all at once?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Mat 21:19-22 NAU)
Yeshua destroyed the fig tree by cursing it
for not bearing fruit and uses imagery of a nearby mountain also being destroyed, cast into the sea, thus drawing a connection. Immediately following this He is described as entering the temple showing us it was Mt Zion as the mountain that He was pointing to where the temple stood (the temple mount):
When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" (Mat 21.23 NAU)
After giving more parable lessons illustrating the hypocrisy and corruption of the temple ministry and elders, he quotes Ps 118 about the 'builders' (ie, of the temple) rejecting the true capstone who is the Messiah and says the kingdom is taken away from them and given to a fruitful people, contrasted against their fruitlessness, thus linking them to the fruitless fig tree.
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet. (Mat 21.45-46 NAU)
The fig tree is linked to the temple ministry and Sanhedrin (supreme court) who lived in the temple precinct on Mt Zion, which looked good on the outside but was corrupt, spiritually fruitless (like Cain with his offering). This is the same message John the Baptist was preaching from the beginning urging repentance from their wickedness corrupting the kingdom, fruitless, and to be destroyed like the fruitless fig tree:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Mat 3.7-10 NAU)
Yeshua tells the last generation to know what the fig tree is to know when He is soon to return when they see it - that is the restored temple ministry at Mt Zion in Jerusalem, the 'great city' (Rev 11.8) also called the harlot woman who is ruling over an international government and kings (Rev 17.18, 5) is arrayed in the high priestly colors and jewels (Rev 18.4). Rev 13 shows the false prophet restoring the temple and sacrifices, numbering the regathered tribes and making the false messiah into an idol, etc. This has not happened yet either.