Scripture Daily

Context No. 2852 of 4322 · Revelation

Context · Reflection

Revelation 22:6-11: in context

6He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord God of the spirits of the prophets sent his angel to show to his bondservants the things which must happen soon.” 7“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8Now I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9He said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10He said to me, “Don’t seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11He who acts unjustly, let him act unjustly still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him do righteousness still. He who is holy, let him be holy still.”

Near the very end of Revelation, the angel assures John that these words are faithful and true, and Christ declares, behold, I am coming soon; blessed is the one who keeps the words of this book. Overwhelmed, John falls down to worship at the angel's feet, and the angel stops him sharply: you must not do that. I am a fellow servant with you. Worship God.

Two things stand out. Even John, who has seen the whole vision, gets it wrong and starts to worship the messenger, and the angel's blunt correction, worship God, guards the one line that must never blur. And the strange word that follows, let the unjust still be unjust and the holy still be holy, is not fatalism but urgency. The time is so near that character is hardening into its final shape. So become now, while there is still time, the kind of person you would want to be found as when he comes.

If Christ is coming soon and my character is setting, am I becoming now the kind of person I want to be found as then?

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