Commentary - Revelation 22:6-9

Bird's-eye view

As we come to the close of this magnificent book, the angel who has been John's guide steps forward to provide a series of concluding affirmations. This section serves as a final seal upon the prophecy, attesting to its divine origin, its absolute reliability, and its urgent relevance. The core message is threefold: the words of this prophecy are entirely trustworthy because they come from God Himself; the fulfillment of these words is imminent ("must soon take place"); and the proper response to this revelation is not worship of the messenger but obedience to the message and worship of the God who sent it. John, overwhelmed by the glory of the vision and the angelic guide, repeats an earlier mistake of falling down to worship the creature rather than the Creator, and is sharply, but graciously, corrected. This final exchange underscores a central theme of the entire Bible: God alone is to be worshipped, and our worship is demonstrated through our faithful keeping of His Word.

This passage functions as a summary and a final charge. It encapsulates the authority of the book, the nearness of the judgment it describes, and the blessedness that comes from heeding its warnings and promises. The emphasis on speed and imminence ("soon," "quickly") is a crucial interpretive key to the whole of Revelation, anchoring its fulfillment in the historical context of the first-century church, particularly in the cataclysmic events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The scene with John and the angel provides a powerful, practical lesson on the ever-present danger of idolatry, even for the most spiritually mature saints, and redirects our gaze to the only one worthy of adoration: God Himself.

Outline

Context In Revelation

These verses form part of the epilogue of Revelation, which runs from 22:6 to the end of the chapter. The grand visions of judgment upon the great Harlot, Babylon (apostate Jerusalem), and the Beast (Nero's Rome), as well as the glorious vision of the New Jerusalem (the Church), have now concluded. The purpose of this final section is to wrap up the prophecy with a series of testimonies and warnings. An angel, likely one of the seven who administered the bowl judgments, is speaking to John. This section mirrors the prologue in chapter 1, creating a set of literary bookends. Both sections emphasize that the revelation comes from God through Jesus to His angel for His servants (1:1), that the time is near (1:3), and that a blessing is pronounced on those who heed the words (1:3). This concluding section drives home the central point one last time: this is God's Word, it is true, it was about to happen, and you must respond accordingly.

Key Issues

The Time is At Hand

One of the most neglected themes in modern readings of Revelation is the one stated most plainly and repeatedly: the time is at hand. From the very first chapter, John is told to write about "the things which must soon take place" (Rev 1:1), for "the time is near" (Rev 1:3). Here at the very end, the angel repeats it: "the things which must soon take place" (Rev 22:6). Jesus Himself says it: "Behold, I am coming quickly" (Rev 22:7). This is then repeated twice more (Rev 22:12, 20). The insistent repetition of this temporal nearness cannot be brushed aside or spiritualized into meaninglessness. It does not mean "when it happens, it will happen fast." It means that the events prophesied in this book were barreling down upon the first-century audience. This is one of the strongest textual arguments for the preterist understanding of Revelation, which sees the bulk of its prophecies fulfilled in the judgment that fell upon Jerusalem and the old covenant order in A.D. 70. Daniel was told to seal up his prophecy because the fulfillment was a long way off (Dan 12:4). John is explicitly told the opposite: "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand" (Rev 22:10). The message was urgent because the crisis was imminent.

Verse by Verse Commentary

6 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 slaves the things which must soon take place.

The angel begins his conclusion with a solemn oath regarding the contents of the book. These words are faithful and true. This is the language of absolute divine reliability. It echoes what God Himself said from the throne in the previous chapter (Rev 21:5) and what Jesus is called in His introduction to the Laodicean church, "the faithful and true witness" (Rev 3:14). The prophecy is not a collection of cryptic puzzles for future generations to speculate about; it is a trustworthy testimony. The source of this testimony is "the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets." This identifies the God of the New Testament revelation with the Yahweh of the Old Testament. The same God who inspired Moses, Isaiah, and Ezekiel is the one who has now sent this final prophetic word. The spirit of prophecy is one spirit, because it comes from one God. And the purpose of this message is to show His slaves, His bond-servants, what must soon take place. The fulfillment is not optional, and it is not distant.

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

The speaker shifts here, without introduction, from the angel to the Lord Jesus Himself. This is a common feature in Revelation, where the divine message breaks through directly. Jesus's words reinforce the angel's statement about imminence. "Behold, I am coming quickly." As noted above, this refers to His coming in judgment upon the apostate covenant nation, a judgment that would vindicate His persecuted saints. This coming was not the final, bodily return at the end of history, but a historical coming in judgment, just as God "came" in judgment against Egypt or Babylon in the Old Testament. Following the promise of His coming, Jesus pronounces a beatitude, the sixth of seven in this book. "Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." The blessing is not for the one who merely reads, or the one who deciphers every symbol, but for the one who keeps the words. This means to heed, to obey, to persevere in faithfulness in light of what has been revealed. The book was written to fortify the saints for the tribulation that was about to befall them, and the blessing is for those who hold fast through that trial.

8 I, John, am the one who was hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

John now interjects his own personal testimony, authenticating that he is the direct recipient of this vision. He emphasizes that he was both hearing and seeing, engaging his full senses. But the experience was so overwhelming, the glory of the angelic messenger so profound, that for the second time he makes a critical error. The first time was back in chapter 19, after the vision of the fall of Babylon (Rev 19:10). Here again, confronted with the majesty of God's messenger, his immediate reflex is to fall down in worship. This is a very human and understandable reaction, but it is profoundly wrong. It serves as a powerful warning. If the apostle John, after receiving this entire revelation, could still be tempted to misdirect his worship, then none of us are immune. The temptation to worship the glorious creature rather than the infinitely more glorious Creator is always with us.

9 But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

The angel's rebuke is immediate, sharp, and decisive. "Do not do that!" The Greek is emphatic. He refuses the worship instantly. The reason he gives is crucial for our understanding of the kingdom of God. "I am a fellow slave..." The glorious angel, a being of immense power and majesty, identifies himself as a sundoulos, a co-slave, with John. He puts himself on the same level. And not just with John, but with all the prophets and with all believers who "keep the words of this book." In the economy of God, there is one Master and all the rest of us, whether angels in heaven or believers on earth, are His servants. There is no hierarchy that makes any creature worthy of worship. The angel then provides the great, final, positive command that summarizes all true religion: Worship God! This is the point of everything. This is the purpose of creation, the goal of redemption, and the central command of this entire book. All the judgments are poured out so that the idolatry of men will be destroyed and true worship can be established. The angel corrects John not simply by telling him what not to do, but by pointing him to the only one to whom worship is due.

Application

This passage leaves us with three direct and pointed applications. First, we must receive the Bible as God's utterly reliable and trustworthy word. When the angel says these words are "faithful and true," he is speaking of the book of Revelation, but the principle applies to all of Scripture. We do not stand over the Word to judge it; we stand under it to be judged by it. Our feelings, our cultural moment, our personal preferences do not determine truth. God has spoken, and His word is final.

Second, we must learn to read the Bible on its own terms. The repeated emphasis on the nearness of the events in Revelation should teach us humility in our interpretations. For centuries, people have ignored these plain time-texts in order to make the book fit their own end-times charts. But if we are to be those who "keep the words of this book," we must start by believing what it says about its own fulfillment. This historical fulfillment in the first century does not render the book irrelevant; rather, it establishes the pattern of how God acts in history to judge covenant-breakers and vindicate His people, a pattern that continues to this day.

Finally, and most importantly, we must be vigilant to worship God alone. John's mistake is our constant danger. We are tempted to worship many things: powerful personalities, beautiful liturgy, profound theological systems, or even the spiritual experiences that God gives us. The angel's response must be our constant watchword. When tempted to give ultimate allegiance or adoration to anything or anyone other than God, we must hear that sharp rebuke: "Do not do that! ... Worship God!" True Christian living is a constant battle to keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Creator and to refuse all the lesser glories that vie for His rightful place. Our obedience to His word is the truest expression of that worship.