Revelation 22:6 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 22:6

Comments

‘Faithful and true.’ This is the fourth time the phrase has been used in the book. It gives the reason why the utmost confidence can be placed in the book. By contrast, how much confidence can we place in human testimony? Man is not in a position to know even if he chooses to speak honestly. But what would we give to hear the words of someone who knows all things, who cannot lie, who speaks of the most serious and vital matters, of the issues of eternity? Such a one has the right to demand trust. Faith is a door which gives us access to all the treasures of heaven. Once we have overcome our suspicion of the Lord, we begin to see the value of his revelation. It warrants unlimited faith. The words are no different before and after we believe, but faith unlocks the door to knowledge. He who believes must try to keep doubt at bay. He must frequently review all the evidence he has for God’s truthfulness. He must jealously guard the access that faith gives him to truth that is not available to the world.Why does God call himself here the Lord God of the holy prophets? To remind us how truthful were their words, and how much of what they said has been perfectly fulfilled. All the details of the coming of Christ can be verified. But the same God who gave Israel these prophecies, now speaks to the church through this book. He who knew the future then, knows the future still. This book is also prophecy. Although much of its content concerns events that take place throughout the present age, many things will be future even to those living at the very end of time. This is especially true of the later chapters. These words begin the final summary and conclusion of the book which embraces all that has gone before. ‘These sayings’ refer to the entire book as does the phrase, ‘the things which must shortly take place.’ It is a phrase repeated from the first verse of the book and its repetition brackets the entire contents of the book. The things contained are to take place shortly. They are therefore relevant for every generation of believers. With the increasing emphasis on the return of Christ and the day of judgment towards the end of the book, the words, ‘which must shortly take place’ also tell us that, on the scale of eternity, the history of the world will be very short and that whatever it seems to us, the time we must wait and the patience required by us are very small compared to the immeasurable blessing that awaits us.

Application

The gospel age had already begun when John was given this revelation. But nevertheless the people are to be taught, the churches are to be written to and told, all the things in these great spans of the gospel age, the persecution of the church, the warnings from God to an unbelieving world; all the things we have thought about are immediately going to be apparent to you, to your generation, and you will be helped to understand the condition of the world and the way it is. You will look around you and see that beast out of the sea: it’s world governments. It’s plain: the sea, internationalism, and how they all tend to be against the faith or replacing it with a state church to their liking, or something of this kind, and they are all opponents and antagonistic. Then the beast out of the dry land: all these philosophies and ideologies and false religions that are arising. Also the woman, the seductress. Here is the devil's pincer movement, using governments to force us away from God and to force us into evolution and everything else, and to brainwash us with these things; and then using the world, Babylon, the woman, the seducer, to entice us into luxury and pleasure and sin. A pincer movement – force, seduction – and we see it happening worldwide and you see these things come to pass immediately, and you understand it's all in hand; it's all moving to the defeat of the world system, and the victory of Christ and of God.

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Revelation 22:6 Commentary and Bible Study