Tom Lowe
2/20/18
Book of Revelation Commentary
Topic # C.M.: CONCLUDING MATERIAL (22:6-21)
Lesson: C.M.1: The Time is Near, Do Not Seal Up the Book (22:6-11)
Scripture (Rev. 22:6-11, KJV)
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Commentary
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true.” (6a).
The same angel-interpreter, who had shown John the vision of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-10), said to him, “These sayings are faithful and true.” The visions have come to an end; the angel comes directly to John?indicating that He had come from the Lord with instructions to inform him that (1) there would not be any more visions, and (2), everything he had seen and heard was true?they were really divine disclosures of what would soon and certainly occur; for they come from the God of truth, that cannot lie. Moreover, all things contained in this book of prophecies are certain and infallibly true. The Holy Spirit of God foresaw that this book would be questioned more than other books of Holy Scripture; therefore he confirms the divine authority of it by a holy angel, and the truth of all things in it.
“And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”(6b)
“And the Lord God of the holy prophets” means the same God who inspired the ancient prophets. The "prophets" here are those of both the Old and the New Testaments; God spoke through all of them. Some translations have rendered it, “The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets.” He is the God of the spirits of all flesh, but of the spirits of prophets in a special manner; for those holy men spoke of nothing other than what the Holy Spirit placed in their minds. 2 Peter 1:21 states, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
God “Sent his angel” with this message to all His servants, that is, to all His people, by the ministry of John. The revelation was made to him, and he was to record it for the good of the whole church. It was delivered by an angel so that the authority of this book would be unquestionable.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
“Behold, I come quickly” (7a)
These are not the words of the angel, but of Christ, which is clearly revealed by Revelation 22:12{7.1] and which are to be understood not of Christ's coming in His power to destroy Jerusalem, for this had already occurred at the hands of the Romans?and before John had these visions, and wrote this book?but of the second coming of Christ to judge mankind, which is also clear from Revelation 22:12{7.1]. It will not happen sooner than the time appointed, yet it will occur as soon as that time has arrived and sooner than is generally expected by men [only God knows the time]. The Ethiopic version adds, "as a thief," as in Revelation 16:15: “Look, I come like a thief!? not in the bad sense, to steal and kill, and to destroy, though Christ's coming will lead to the everlasting destruction of the wicked; but the phrase is designed to express the suddenness of His coming, and the surprise of it:
“I come quickly” should not be taken to mean that it will happen soon, but that when he comes it will happen without warning and at once. This is repeated, to confirm the truth of Christ's second coming, and the speediness of it.
“Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (7b)
To "keep" the words of the “prophecy of this book” does not mean to wrap them up and bury them, or simply to guard them against being stolen?but rather to live them with all the heart. The word “keepeth” is a favorite one with the Apostle. It is not enough to hear or to enjoy. The Son “kept” the Father’s commandments, and it is the test of the love of believers, “If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
This book is a prophecy of things to come and therefore cannot refer to the times of Jerusalem's destruction, which is how some interpreters view it, for then it would be a narrative of past things. It is true, that at the time when they were uttered the book had not been written. But the command had been given that it should be written (Revelation 1:19{7.2]), and the task might easily be viewed as already accomplished. The book indeed was but a transcript of those eternal truths which had been written in the counsels of God from before the foundation of the world (Revelation 21:5{7.3]).
[7.1} "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each person according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).
[7.2} “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later” (Revelation 1:19).
[7.3} “He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:5)
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
And I John saw these things and heard them. (8a)
Or rather, And I John am he who hears and sees these things. The declaration reminds us of the opening of the Epistle of St. John: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you” (see 1 John 1:1-3{8.1]). It is no mere dream or ingenious fancy of his own that he has recorded; it is a veritable revelation.
In verse 8, John identifies himself one last time as the one to whom these visions are given. “And I John saw these things, and heard them,” he declares. This harks back to chapter 1, in which the apostle calls himself Christ’s servant, “. . . and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (1:1b-2). John is careful to emphasize the importance of eyewitness testimony concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ; as he was in his Gospel and letters, so was he in Revelation.
And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, which shewed me these things. (8b)
“And when I had heard”—or better, When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. Wonder and amazement took possession of the apostle, and for the second time, he was about to offer unlawful homage to the angel-minister. (Comp. Revelation 19:10, below) This twice offered and twice refused worship is full of teaching. To render to all their due is wise and appropriate and Christ-like; to offer exaggerated homage to any is to turn God’s order upside down, and to degrade by pretending to exalt man, whose true glory is that he is God’s creation.
Even with all his experience as an eyewitness, John seems at times overwhelmed with the glory of these visions. For the second time in Revelation, John falls down to worship at the feet of the angel who has shown him these things. “Then saith he [the angel] unto me, See thou do it not [Don’t do that!”]: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God” (v. 22:9). This is nearly identical to what occurs in Revelation 19, after the announcement of the marriage of the Lamb: “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).
[8.1} “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Near the beginning of the Ten Commandments, God’s people are prohibited from the worship of any being other than God: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Ex. 20:3-6). Nevertheless, in sheer amazement, John fell prostrate to worship the angel. The angel immediately corrected him. Apparently the reader is to understand that worship of angels (who are majestic) is an easy mistake to make, even for a mature Christian like John.”
Equally important, the angel is quick to point out that he has no special status; “as God’s servant, he stands equal with the members of the earthly church”
10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: (10a)
The angel has another command for John: “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book?that is, do not seal the book itself, for it may be considered a prophetic book. Three times Daniel is prohibited from sharing what has been revealed to him because those things are for “many days in the future,” or “the time of the end” (see Dan. 8:26; 12:4, 9). In sharp contrast, and in light of the return of Christ in the last days, John is instructed not to seal these prophetic words because the time of their fulfillment is at hand. At that time, the actual events might be compared with the prophecy, which will show that the prophecy corresponds exactly with the fulfillment. Perhaps in Revelation, we are witnessing the unsealing of the visions Daniel was instructed to hang on to.
For the time is at hand (10b), that is, the fulfillment of the prophecies will soon begin. It is not implied that they would soon be completed. The idea is that since persecution would soon fall upon the church, it was important that the church should have access to these prophecies of the final triumph of religion, to sustain it in its trials. Therefore, he was not to seal them up; that is, not to conceal them, but to record them, to make them known, to publish them to the Churches. If John had sealed it up or failed to lay it before us as it is, he would have forfeited his place and standing as an apostle of Christ
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Here the angel shows us how people on earth will continue to live according to their nature until these visions are fulfilled. Let the unrighteous go on in unrighteousness; let the filthy go on being made filthy, he says. The unregenerate heart knows only how to act according to his sinful and fallen flesh, rejecting the call to repentance and the promise of new life, thus continuing in unrighteousness and filth. In contrast, the believer, whom God has granted new life, is being conformed to the image of Christ, conquering the flesh by the presence and power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is why the angel says, “he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
There also is a sense in which the angel speaks of the hardening of human hearts over time, especially in the days leading up to Christ’s return. We see this hardening in ancient Israel. The Lord tells the prophet, Isaiah, “Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand, keep looking, but do not perceive. Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise, they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed” (Isa. 6:9-10).
Because of Judah’s gross sin, healing only may be accomplished through punishment, and Isaiah’s delivery of this message from God only serves to further harden the people’s hearts. In the Book of Ezekiel, the Lord prevents His prophet from speaking in the intervals between addresses. But God promises, “I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ Let the one who listens, listen, and let the one who refuses, refuse – for they are a rebellious people” (Ezek. 3:27).
We witness the same hard-heartedness in the New Testament. Jesus explains to His disciples the reason He speaks to the people in parables, “because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand” (Matt. 13:13). He then goes on to quote Isa. 6:9-10. Later, Jesus laments over Jerusalem’s rejection of Him, weeping because the people, who could have received peace, now find the good news hidden from their eyes. “They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44).
In Romans 1, the apostle Paul writes of the depravity of ungodly people who refuse to glorify God?even though they know Him through creation and conscience?or show Him gratitude. Instead, their thinking becomes nonsense and their senseless minds are darkened. Claiming to be wise, they become fools. As a result, God delivers them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, degrading passions, and worthless minds that hatch immoral schemes.
“Although they know full well God’s just sentence – that those who practice such things deserve to die – they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them” (Rom. 1:32). Paul later writes to Timothy, exhorting him to proclaim the message with great patience and teaching. “For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
Other passages could be cited, but the message is clear: Those who repeatedly reject the gospel message harden their hearts in small, almost imperceptible increments until they pass a point of no return. Having filled up their measure of sin, and having exhausted God’s grace and mercy, they fall certainly and fully under His wrath. (See Gen. 15:16; Matt. 23:32; 1 Thess. 2:16{11.1]).
One final thought about the angel’s words in Rev. 22:11: The hardening of men’s hearts on earth, beyond the point of no return, continues throughout eternity. Hell is not a reformatory; it is a place of punishment, of banishment from the saving grace of God. Even if those in Hades today or in hell after final judgment could repent, they choose not to, as the rich man in Jesus’ parable makes clear (Luke 16:19-31).
God has given them this life on earth to experience his grace. Having refused that grace, the unbeliever at some point prior to death passes the point of no return and God corroborates the hardening of the lost person’s heart by sealing him or her as forever beyond the bounds of repentance.
Even when God’s judgment falls on this side of eternity and the wicked know it is their Creator pouring out His wrath, rather than repent, they shake their fists toward heaven and blaspheme (Rev. 16:9, 21{11.2]). So perhaps the angel’s repeated use of the word “let” is prophetic as well as descriptive.
[11.1} “Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.”
[11.2} “Men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”. . . “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (Revelation 16:9, 21).
