Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 22:6-9”
Categories: Revelation“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.’ 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.’”
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“Jesus was designated as the ‘faithful and true witness’ (3:140, and ‘Faithful and True’ as He judged and made war (19:11). Now, through the angel, the Father endorses both Christ and the message as He says, ‘These words,’ the words of the entire revelation, ‘are faithful and true.’” (Hailey) The Lord God is the Father of all spirits (Hebrews 12:9), but, through His Holy Spirit He has empowered certain men to speak and teach His mind and will, and we do well to pay heed (2 Peter 1:21). The same inspired author of Revelation insists that we “believe not every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
But “blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of THIS book” (verse 7) for he will not have a part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, but will dwell eternally in the glorious, gilded citadel of God. This pronouncement is the sixth of seven “beatitudes,” and bears the tenor of the first (1:3) and last beatitudes (22:14). John encouraged the immediate readers to take good comfort and cheer in the fact that the Lord was “coming quickly” to fly to the need of His beleaguered spiritual soldiers who keep His commands and heed His warnings. These words would not have provided much “blessing” to the first century Christians had He not promised them relief and reward, and reprisal for their persecutors that would “soon take place.”
The Apostle John endorsed “the prophecy of this book” to be “faithful and true” as “the one who heard and saw these things” (verse 8). He was so overwhelmed by awe and emotion that, for the second time, he “fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed” him “these things” (verse 9). Homer Hailey wrote: “It is surprising that so shortly after John had been reproved for worshiping an angel that he would again commit the same error… Possibly John was overcome because the angel stood so near to God in revealing His testimony; however no one knows why re responded as he did. But let us not be too critical of John; for when a person brings to one of us the glorious gospel, points us to the Lamb and makes life and heaven real to us, we are prone to give him reverence beyond his due, though he is merely a man and nothing more than a servant (1 Cor. 3:5). Even angels are just fellow servants with God’s faithful prophets and servants who keep or hold sacred His word. The divine command is, Worship God; for all adoration, praise, and devotion belong to Him.”
Please read Revelation 22:10-15 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
