Revelation 22:6 – “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.”
While this chapter closes the book of Revelation, our text underscores the story is far from over as the messenger makes eleven critical, key points. What are they? Are they significant? Why are they significant? To determine the Biblical answer, we look to:
- Grammatical Usage: “Sayings” or in the Greek, “Logos” means, “word, discourse, message”; “faithful” or “reliable”; “must” or “Dei” meaning, “necessary” as in a necessity established by the counsel and decree of God.
- Literal Application: “And he said to me, ‘These messages are reliable and true; and the Lord God of the spirits of the prophet sent His messenger to show to His servants those things which must (given they are established by God) happen soon.’”
- Contextual & Comparison: John’s exile, designed to shut him up, demonstrates the futility of man’s effort when God disagrees. In fact, isolation was an element in God’s plan for John, securing his undivided attention (Gen. 50:20).
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6: The message is faithful and true.
Notice how 22:6 correlates to Revelation 1:1: “The revelation of
Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must
soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John”.
- Hundreds of prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus, a fact John knew just based upon the crucifixion itself (John 20:31; see ‘Prophecies Related to Christ’s Crucifixion’ supplement);
- Biblical prophecy plays two roles: 1) it foretells the future, and 2) it explains what the positive or negative results of future events will be;
- Prophecy may announce events that bring joy and pleasure or fear and foreboding;
- Biblical prophecy is always dependable and worthy of our complete trust;
- We can allow prophecy to help shape our lives, giving us direction and guidance in serving our Lord. It should be a source of strength and instruction for us.
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7: The message brings blessing to those who study and obey. Studying Revelation provides four blessings:
- Knowledge of the end times prepares one to cope and minister Christ;
- Recognize ungodly evil AND the fact that it shall be conquered;
- Understand everlasting life better, stirring a longing for righteousness;
- Drawn by the Spirit into deeper fellowship, preparing for redemption;
- Vv 8-9: The message stirs worship. According to Hebrews 4:12, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” John is so overwhelmed that his reaction is correct (worship) but his action is incorrect (worshipping the messenger). The Holy Spirit uses the Word to convict, convince and convert the sinner unto salvation and the believer unto righteous decisions.
- Vv10-11: The message is to be proclaimed, read and studied by all. Daniel’s book containing information about “the times of the Gentiles” (Daniel 12:9; Luke 21:24) was sealed until the time of the end. It was unsealed in Rev. 5 and now John is instructed to commend this message to all. The reasoning is two-fold: 1) believers understand the times in order to act and react appropriately while, 2) comfort one another while living and witnessing even in the midst of the evil culture. John’s reaction proved inappropriate, the critical aspect for the believer is not to lose sight of God’s centrality and guiding hand (Ps. 95:6) in order to avoid confusion leading to wrong actions.
- Vv12-13: The message focuses upon the Lord’s return and judgment to come. This admonition applies to saints and sinners alike. For the saints it is in keeping with Mt. 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15 and Rev. 11:18. Critical to these verses is Galatians 6:8: for the unsaved it is a statement that the wages of sin is death and that he that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption (Galatians 6:8a) while saints, who sow to the Spirit shall reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8b). Remember Jeremiah 17:10: “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Conclusion: V 13 is yet another reminder in whom we have life: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” There is no escaping the person of Jesus Christ. As creator and finisher of the universe, Jesus answers the four critical questions of life: origin, meaning, morality and destiny. He has given us His Word, providing the only valid explanation of creation from beginning to what John unveils as the end…the unsealed revelation. And He does so as a warning to the unsaved as well as a comfort to those who know Jesus as Savior. You have now heard – you are now responsible for your very destiny. Choose this day whom you will serve!