Devotional 17 May 2025

May 17, 2025 • Steve Torres

Revelation 22:8-9.jpg

"I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, “You must 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.” And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” (Revelation 22:8-11, ESV)

The closing chapter of Revelation continues its unveiling—not just of Christ’s triumph, but of who we are in light of that triumph.

Overwhelmed again by glory, John falls down to worship the angel, just as he did in chapter 19. But this time, the angel responds with a fuller declaration: “I am a fellow servant with you, and your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book.” This is not a list of different groups, it is a single identity: the servants of God. If you keep the words of this book, you are standing in the same line as John the apostle, the prophets of old, and even the holy angels.

This is a staggering truth. Revelation doesn’t place faithful believers in the audience, it places us in the story. We are called to live as servants, speak as prophets, and worship as witnesses of the risen King.

That’s why John is told not to seal the words of this prophecy. In contrast to Daniel, who was told to seal his prophecy because it concerned the distant future (Dan. 12:4), John is told the exact opposite: “Do not seal it, for the time is near.” Revelation was meant for immediate application. Revelation was meant to be understood, obeyed, and proclaimed. God is not playing esoteric games, He’s equipping His servants for faithful witness in history. It is the Church’s marching orders, a manual of covenant faithfulness in the age of Christ’s reign.

This also explains the striking statement in verse 11: “Let the evildoer still do evil… and the righteous still do right.” Revelation’s truth divides, it is not meant to confuse. Those who reject Christ will be hardened in their rebellion. But those who receive Him are made righteous and holy. As we bear the testimony of Jesus in a rebellious world, our role is not to force the heart to change but to proclaim the Word that reveals and refines.

We live in a generation that is hungry for purpose, aching for identity, and drowning in confusion. Revelation answers with clarity: You are a servant of God. You are a prophet. You are a keeper of the Word. You walk not in fear but in victory. You feast on the Tree of Life and walk the Golden Way. You are part of the revealed people of the Lamb.

So let us speak boldly. Let us worship faithfully. Let us live visibly. We are the witnesses of Christ’s victory. And the world, though it may rage or mock, desperately needs to hear and see that truth through us. Let us not sit idly by, but advance the Kingdom to every corner of the Earth!