Untitled Sermon (17)

Revelation 22:10–11 KJV (WS)

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Revelations 22 6-13

6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

6. These sayings are true—thrice repeated (Rev 19:9; 21:5). For we are slow to believe that God is as good as He is. The news seems to us, habituated as we are to the misery of this fallen world, too good to be true [Nangle]. They are no dreams of a visionary, but the realities of God’s sure word.

holy—so Andreas. But A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read, “(the Lord God of the) spirits (of the prophets).” The Lord God who with His Spirit inspired their spirits so as to be able to prophesy. There is but one Spirit, but individual prophets, according to the measure given them (1 Co 12:4–11), had their own spirits [Bengel] (1 Pe 1:11; 2 Pe 1:21).

be done—Greek, “come to pass.”1

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Rev 1:3 Both here and in Rev 19:9, 10, the apostle’s falling at the feet of the angel is preceded by a glorious promise to the Church, accompanied with the assurance, that “These are the true sayings of God,” and that those are “blessed” who keep them. Rapturous emotion, gratitude, and adoration, at the prospect of the Church’s future glory transport him out of himself, so as all but to fall into an unjustifiable act; contrast his opposite feeling at the prospect of the Church’s deep fall [Auberlen], see on Rev 17:6; Rev 19:9, 10.1

8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

9. Literally, “See not”; the abruptness of the phrase marking the angel’s abhorrence of the thought of his being worshipped however indirectly. Contrast the fallen angel’s temptation to Jesus, “Fall down and worship me” (Mt 4:9).

for—A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, Andreas, and Cyprian omit “for”; which accords with the abrupt earnestness of the angel’s prohibition of an act derogatory to God.

and of—“and (the fellow servant) of thy brethren.”1

10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

0. Seal not—But in Da 12:4, 9 (compare Da 8:26), the command is, “Seal the book,” for the vision shall be “for many days.” The fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy was distant, that of John’s prophecy is near. The New Testament is the time of the end and fulfilment. The Gentile Church, for which John wrote his Revelation, needs more to be impressed with the shortness of the period, as it is inclined, owing to its Gentile origin, to conform to the world and forget the coming of the Lord. The Revelation points, on the one hand, to Christ’s coming as distant, for it shows the succession of the seven seals, trumpets, and vials; on the other hand, it proclaims1

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be1I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last1

“Behold, I come quickly.” So Christ marked many events as about to intervene before His coming, and yet He also says “Behold, I come quickly,” because our right attitude is that of continual prayerful watching for His coming (Mt 25:6, 13, 19; Mk 13:32–37 [Auberlen]; compare Rev 1:3).

11. unjust—“unrighteous”; in relation to one’s fellow men; opposed to “righteous,” or “just” (as the Greek may be translated) below. More literally, “he that doeth unjustly, let him do unjustly still.”

filthy—in relation to one’s own soul as unclean before God; opposed to holy,” consecrated to God as pure. A omits the clause, “He which is filthy let him be filthy still.” But B supports it. In the letter of the Vienne and Lyons Martyrs (in Eusebius) in the second century, the reading is, “He that is lawless (Greek, ‘anomos’) let him be lawless; and he that is righteous let him be righteous (literally, ‘be justified’) still.” No manuscript is so old. A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, Andreas, and Cyprian read, “let him do righteousness” (1 Jn 2:29; 3:7). The punishment of sin is sin, the reward of holiness is holiness. Eternal punishment is not so much an arbitrary law, as a result necessarily following in the very nature of things, as the fruit results from the bud. No worse punishment can God lay on ungodly men than to give them up to themselves. The solemn lesson derivable from this verse is, Be converted now in the short time left (Rev 22:10, end) before “I come” (Rev 22:7, 12), or else you must remain unconverted for ever; sin in the eternal world will be left to its own natural consequences; holiness in germ will there develop itself into perfect holiness, which is happiness.1

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