Verses 6–21 of this chapter form the epilogue to the book of Revelation. Having taken the reader through the amazing sweep of future history all the way into the eternal state, all that is left for John to record is this divine postscript. Verses 6–12 describe the responses expected of every believer to John’s revelation. Verses 12–21 target unbelievers, warning them to change now while the opportunity is still available.
THE RESPONSES OF EVERY BELIEVER (Rev. 22:6–12)
In a series of rapid-fire, staccato statements that move breathlessly from theme to theme, verses 6–12 outline the responses every believer should have to the imminent coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality of our Lord’s imminent return calls for four responses on the part of every believer:
1. Immediate Obedience
"And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:6–7)
As the epilogue opens, John records that the angel who had shown him the New Jerusalem (21:9; 22:1) said, “These words are faithful and true.” The words of the Apocalypse are as faithful and true as the One who revealed them to John. John affirmed the angel’s emphatic testimony to the truthfulness of what he had seen and heard, writing that “the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.” The God who moved the spirits of His spokesmen the prophets to inspire both the Old and New Testaments is the same God who sent His angel to show to His bond-servants “the things which must soon take place.” That is nothing short of a claim by John for the full and complete inspiration of Revelation. The prophecies recorded by those earlier biblical prophets were literally fulfilled, and those in Revelation will be as well.
“And” beginning verse 7 marks a change in speakers. The speaker is no longer the angel who spoke in verse 6, but Jesus Christ, the One who is coming quickly. He pronounces the sixth of seven beatitudes in Revelation (the seven are shown in “The Seven Beatitudes of Revelation,” chapter 1); “Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” Three other times the words of Revelation are called prophecy (verses 10, 18, 19). Believers are called to guard or protect the book of Revelation. It must be defended against those who deny its relevance, against critics who deny its authority, and against interpreters who obscure its meaning. In fact, all of Scripture is to be so guarded. Paul commanded Timothy, “Guard what has been entrusted to you.… Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you” (1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 1:13–14).
What does it mean, then, to “heed” the book of Revelation? It is a general command to long for Christ’s return and our eternal fellowship with Him. After reading Revelation, Christians should love Christ more, seek to be more like Christ, hope for their resurrection bodies, and anticipate their eternal rewards. They should also understand the fearful judgment that awaits non-Christians, and call them to repentance and saving faith in the Lord Jesus.
2. Immediate Worship
"I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” (Rev. 22:8–9)
Though not expressed in this translation, a form of “and” begins verse 8. As it did in verse 7, it marks a change of speakers. The speaker is no longer Christ, but John, who names himself for the first time since 1:9. The inspired apostle adds his testimony of the truthfulness of Revelation to that of the angel (verse 6), declaring “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things.” Then, overcome by what he heard and saw, John “fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed [him] these things.” He had the proper response, worship, but inadvertently directed it to the wrong object. John simply collapsed in wonder and worship.
Because God alone is to be worshiped (Exodus 34:14; Matthew 4:10), the angel said to John, “Do not do that.” He reminded the apostle that he, too, was a created being, declaring himself a fellow servant rather than an object of worship.
3. Immediate Proclamation
"And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” (Rev. 22:10–11)
The message of the Apocalypse is not to be hidden. It is a message to be proclaimed to produce obedience and worship. John was instructed not to seal up the words of Revelation. Immediate proclamation of this book is called for because the end is near. Indeed, the coming of Christ has been imminent for every generation from John’s day until the present.
That the specific words of Revelation are not to be sealed up stresses again that there is no hidden, secret meaning apart from the normal sense of the text. If the truth is not clear in those words, then this command is nonsense. If the plain, normal understanding of the words of Revelation does not convey the meaning God intended its readers to grasp, then those words are sealed.
The angel’s next statement seems strangely out of place in this context: “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” The truth it dramatically conveys is that a person’s response to the proclamation of the truth will fix their eternal destinies. Those who hear the truth but continue to do wrong and be filthy will by that hardened response fix their eternal destiny in hell. On the other hand, the ones who continue to practice righteousness and keep themselves holy give evidence of genuine saving faith.
4. Immediate Service
"Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” (22:12)
The speaker is no longer the angel, but Christ, who repeats His declaration of verse 7, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” Jesus’ statement means that His coming is imminent. When He comes, Jesus will “bring His reward … with Him, to render to every man according to what he has done.” Believers’ eternal rewards will be based on their faithfulness in serving Christ in this life. The rewards believers enjoy in heaven will be capacities for serving God. The greater their faithfulness in this life, the greater will be their opportunity to serve in heaven (Matthew 25:14–30).
The knowledge that Jesus could return at any moment should not lead Christians to a life of idle waiting for His coming, but it should produce diligent, obedient, worshipful service to God and urgent proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers.
