Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 22
John was the author of the Book of Revelation, but its message came from Christ, not from John. Christ declares in Revelation 22:16 that he sent his angel (special servant) to give ‘you’ this evidence. That word ‘you’ is plural in the original language (Greek). Only John saw the things in the Book of Revelation, but these things were not only for him. All God’s people need to know these things. God’s message is for them all.
The ‘churches’ in Revelation 22:16 probably meant originally the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. They were the first readers of the book, and the messages in those chapters were especially for them. Soon they would suffer great troubles. So, they needed to understand that there is a constant battle between good and evil forces in this world. They needed to know about God’s plan to defeat every evil power.
They also needed to know that Christ will come again soon. Of course, that did not happen during their lives or during John’s life (John 21:23). However, that fact gave them the confidence that their trust in Christ was not without purpose or in vain. They served the same Christ who will in the future rule all things. All God’s people need to know that.
That explains the reference to King David in Revelation 22:16. A tree gets its strength from its roots. So David received his strength and his power to rule from Christ. However, it is necessary for Israel’s future ruler to come from David’s family (2 Samuel 7:16). So, Christ comes from that family (Matthew 1:1).
The morning star is a light that sometimes appears in the sky just before the dawn. Its light shows that the day is beginning, soon. So, Christ is coming, and the darkness in this world must end. Darkness is a frequent word-picture in the Bible for evil things. The day is a word-picture for God’s perfect rule over all things (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8). That day, God’s rule, will never end.
Next part: The invitation: ‘Come!’ (Revelation 22:17)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.