Jesus Is Coming
The angel declares that these words are faithful and true and that God has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place. Jesus says He is coming soon and blesses the one who keeps the words of the prophecy. When John falls to worship the angel, he is corrected and told to worship God instead, because the angel is only a fellow servant. The paragraph reaffirms the reliability of the revelation and the proper response of obedience and worship.
T6hen the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.” 7“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book. ” 8And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do 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!”
John is told not to seal up the words of the prophecy because the time is near, and the moral lines of humanity are allowed to stand revealed as the unrighteous continue in unrighteousness and the holy continue in holiness. Jesus again promises that He is coming soon with His reward to repay each person according to his work and identifies Himself as the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. The paragraph emphasizes urgency, moral seriousness, and Christ's sovereign authority over history and judgment.
10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near. 11Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.” 12“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Blessing belongs to those who wash their robes so that they may enter through the gates and have access to the tree of life, while the false and defiled remain outside. Jesus identifies Himself as the Root and Offspring of David and the bright Morning Star, confirming that this testimony is for the churches. In response, the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come,' and all who hear are summoned to echo that cry, while the thirsty are invited to receive the water of life without price. The paragraph combines exclusion and invitation, royal identity and free grace, longing for Christ and welcome for the thirsty.
14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by its gates. 15But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.” 17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.