Mar. 06, 2024

Dear Friends,

If you have not been able to join us lately (maybe more than "lately"), I would like to invite you back to Bible study, in person or online. I think you will find that God will bless you with the excitement of His word and that you will be helped in living for Him.

Tonight we continue our study of the last chapter in the Bible, Revelation 22. I hope you can join us. Notes are attached.

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LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

HILLTOP LAKES CHAPEL

MARCH 6, 2024

Revelation 22:6-21

Pt 1

6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the

prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”

7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to

worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I

am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this

book. Worship God.”

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let

the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be

holy.”

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has

done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes,a so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that

they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and

murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the

descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is

thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will

add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of

this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in

this book.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.b Amen.

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vv 6-7 – “And he said to me…”

“These words are faithful and true.” Here pertaining to this revelation, but also a good summary

of Scripture.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful

and True…”—Revelation 19:11, see 19-16

Here, the returning, victorious Christ is described with the very same appellation.

“And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets…”

A further reference to Scripture and its inspiration

“has sent his angel”

which He sometimes does

“to show his servants”

That’s us! We are both God’s children and his servants.

a Some manuscripts do his commandments

b Some manuscripts all the saints

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“…what must soon take place.”

“And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

v 7 may be the angel delivering Christ’s word using the first person, although it could be that

Jesus was saying these words and the angel showed this to John.

Concept study: “soon”

v 6 - en tachei – in quickness

v 7 - tachy – quickly, Strongs: “without delay, soon, or (by surprise) suddenly…”

tachy often is referring to the quality of the action as experienced, not to the minutes or hours or

days or years involved (per se), but that it will be “when you least expect it” or “here before

you know it,” etc. For this reason, “quickly” is a better translation than “soon” (and often is

the translation).

“Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you quickly and war against them with the

sword of my mouth.”—Revelation 2:16

“I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your

crown.”—Revelation 3:11

This would include the quality of perspective. Added context from Peter: “But do not

overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and

a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count

slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all

should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief …” (2 Peter

3:8-10). So, in this sense, quickly, when you consider the context of eternity.

tachy can also mean “right now this second,” “immediately,” “without delay”

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of

you into Galilee….”—Matthew 28:7

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him….”—

Luke 15:22

It would certainly seem that if tachy is not being used in the second sense (which usages are

fairly obvious) that it must be understood in the first sense.

Jesus: “I am coming”

This can refer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself,

that where I am you may be also.”—John 14:3

It can also, and often does, refer to an action that Christ will take in a person’s life—or a

church’s life—one that can be for judgment or for reward (see references above).

“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake…”—Revelation 16:15

When Jesus says “I am coming quickly” or something similar:

“I am coming” might be in either sense

“quickly” is in the first sense

“Blessed is the one…”

As at the beginning (1:3)

more lit. “Blessed is the one keeping [pp] the words of the prophecies of this book”

An ongoing emphasis

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“keeping” does mean to observe or obey, but it also means more, to guard, to take care of

“and I, John…”

more lit. “and I, John, the [one] hearing and seeing these things!”

Adding his personal, living witness

This might best be read as the last statement of the preceding verses

“And when I heard and saw them…”

And this would be the beginning of a new “paragraph”

more lit. “and when I heard and I saw,” there is no “them” in the Gk

more lit. “I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel showing me these. And he says to me…”

John tells much of his story in the “historical present.” We still do this, of course, especially

when we are excited about the story we are sharing – “And then I get in the car, and the next

thing I know, I hear this loud bang and the steering is pulling to the left…”

“You must not do that!”

more lit. “See that you don’t!” – Hora mē!

“I am a fellow servant…”

A reinforcement: we are only to worship God! And that we are to do.

more lit. “and with those keeping [pp] the words of this book.”

“Worship God”

The angel’s admonition is difficult to put accurately but succinctly in English.

The verb “worship” is in the imperative mood, which means it is a command, but it is in the

aorist tense, which refers to completed action! (Much like our past tense.) This is a command

to do something that is completed.

So, this command is referring to an active but settled condition of life, not to a future activity.

This should greatly inform our understanding of worship.