The Testimony of John
"And I, John, am he who heard and witnessed these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell prostrate before the feet of the messenger (angel) who showed them to me, to worship him. But he said to me, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] a fellow servant along with yourself and with your brethren the prophets and with those who are mindful of and practice [the truths contained in] the messages of this book. Worship God! And he [further] told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near. He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still." (Revelation 22:8-11 - Amplified Bible)
John adds his own testimony to the truthfulness of what has been written. This book is not fiction, and it is not the telling of some dream. It is a true prophecy.
John is again overcome by the glory of what he has been seeing and he begins to worship the angel. The angel stops him.
The angel says that he, like John, is a servant of God. The prophets were servants of God. All who do what this book encourages are servants of God. The Angels, the Apostles, the prophets, faithful Christians, we are all fellow servants of God. We worship Him as creatures before the Creator.
Jesus is the One speaking in verses 10 to 16. He tells us that the prophecy of this book is not sealed. This indicates that its meaning is not hidden. It is to be understood. Remember this is a revelation, an unveiling. The reason for this book being not sealed is that the time is at hand. It will not be long before the events of Revelation come to pass.
The next statement is rather unclear. It does not mean that God does not want the unjust and filthy to repent and be saved. That is what God wants.
Most commentators believe think that this refers to people at the start of the Tribulation. Things will occur so quickly that few will have time to change their ways. The unjust will remain unjust. The filthy will remain filthy. While those who have faith in God, will have that faith strengthened in persecution. This is a warning to people to turn to God while there is time.
John adds his own testimony to the truthfulness of what has been written. This book is not fiction, and it is not the telling of some dream. It is a true prophecy.
John is again overcome by the glory of what he has been seeing and he begins to worship the angel. The angel stops him.
The angel says that he, like John, is a servant of God. The prophets were servants of God. All who do what this book encourages are servants of God. The Angels, the Apostles, the prophets, faithful Christians, we are all fellow servants of God. We worship Him as creatures before the Creator.
Jesus is the One speaking in verses 10 to 16. He tells us that the prophecy of this book is not sealed. This indicates that its meaning is not hidden. It is to be understood. Remember this is a revelation, an unveiling. The reason for this book being not sealed is that the time is at hand. It will not be long before the events of Revelation come to pass.
The next statement is rather unclear. It does not mean that God does not want the unjust and filthy to repent and be saved. That is what God wants.
Most commentators believe think that this refers to people at the start of the Tribulation. Things will occur so quickly that few will have time to change their ways. The unjust will remain unjust. The filthy will remain filthy. While those who have faith in God, will have that faith strengthened in persecution. This is a warning to people to turn to God while there is time.
posted by David Frank Wilson | 5:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home