Rev 22:6-21 Sayings of the Prophecy, Sayings of the Lord CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The Sayings of the Prophecy – in this passage we see their:
Accuracy – v.6 “faithful and true” – the sayings of the prophecy are accurate, reliable, you can count on them to be fulfilled precisely [Revelation 19:11, 21:5 because the author is true and faithful]
Authority – v.6 “the Lord God sent his angel” – these sayings came directly from the Lord [Exodus 4:22 “thus saith the Lord” – this phrase occurs 413 times in the Bible] – they are not the Pope’s sayings speaking ex cathedra, they are not the private interpretations of the Watchtower Society, they are not the prophecies of a man who simply said that he saw an angel [Moroni] – all of these “other” sayings are used to subvert the hearers
Advantage – v.7 “blessed is he that keepeth the sayings” – so there is a benefit in keeping what this book says [Revelation 1:3]
Authenticity – v.8 “John saw these things and heard them” [Revelation 1:10, 12; 4:1-2; etc. and John 19:35; 21:24] and they were testified by an angel [v.6, 8-9] [compare Luke 1:11-20] – so he authenticates them
Accessibility – v.10 “Seal not the sayings” – contrast Daniel 12:4 where his words were sealed – these sayings are open for all to read and believe – and some will heed them and some won’t [v.11, comp Ezekiel 3:27, Exodus 9:19-21]
Absoluteness – v. 18-19 – “add … take away” – Proverbs 30:6; Deuteronomy 4:2 – see Genesis 3:2-3 for subtracting from and adding to the word of God – he says adding to his words will result in him adding to them all the plagues written in this book – and subtracting from them will result in him taking away their part from the book of life, the holy city and the things written in his words [the “part” taken out of the book of life is the inheritance of the of the one who subtracts, not his “name”] – keep in mind that the NIV subtracts over 64,000 words from the Bible
The Sayings of the Lord – in this passage we see:
His Coming – v. 7, 12, 20 “I come quickly” – no matter what he is coming and it may not be quick enough for us, but it is quick on his time schedule – Bible believers in every generation believed that the Lord was coming in their lifetime
His Reward – v.12 “my reward is with me” – he will reward [Revelation 11:18, 18:6 he’ll reward the wicked and the just]
His Deity – v. 13 – “Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, first and last” – Isaiah 44:6 the LORD is first and last, and there is no God beside him – therefore, Jesus is that same God manifest in the flesh
His Commandments – v.14 – saints must do these in the millennium [Matthew 5:19]
His Lineage – v.16 “the root and offspring of David” [Matthew 1:1; 22:42] he is the Jewish Messiah
His Superiority – v.16 “bright and morning star” – modern Bibles make Satan the morning star in Isaiah 14:12 – but Jesus is greater than Satan [Philippians 2:9-11] – the morning star typifies the rapture [2 Peter 1:19]