Revelation 22:16; I Jesus Have Sent Mine Angel to Testify Unto You

Posted on Posted in Devotions Tagged with , ,

Revelation 22:16 (KJV)  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Using a combination of “I Jesus” – found nowhere else in the New Testament, Jesus changes the subject to speak of His role in producing this book – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star. The emphatic self-designation “I Jesus” serves to put special attention to this, the last and most solemn attestation to His part in revealing the contents of the Apocalypse (cf. v7, 12). The speaker is the historic Jesus – known only to a few persons remaining alive since His earthly ministry – who is also the Christ of theology, the risen Christ, and the Lamb of God.

This, the only time in the book when the Lord calls Himself by this personal name, is to demonstrate that the book is not the product of an individual fancy (cf. 1 Peter 1:21) (Moffatt). Such a personal word from the Lord bolsters John’s case in the face of the strongly competitive atmosphere among prophets and professing prophets that prevailed in the churches of Asia at that time (eg. Revelation 2:2, 20-21).

Revelation 2:2 (KJV)  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

Revelation 2:20-21 (KJV)  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

The verb “sent” is the same word as is used in John 20:21 for Jesus’ sending of the apostles to represent Him. In that verse it appears alongside “I send” which carries the added idea of being sent with a special commission, in that case the accomplished mission of Christ. Here the “sent” is a continuation of the sending of Revelation 1:1 (cf. 22:6).

Revelation 1:1 (KJV)  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 

Revelation 22:6 (KJV)  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. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 508-509]