REVELATION 22:6-21 -- PART 3 (SCHOLARLY ISSUES)

Even with the best study Bible to help you, there are numerous additional insights you can gain from the scholarly literature available. But before beginning this third post on these verses, it will be useful to repeat the organization of the section developed in the previous discussions:

                                           Figure 1: Structure of Revelation 22:6-21

A. Introduction (6-7)

    1. true...Lord God

        2. I am coming soon

            3. blessing on those who keep the words of prophecy in this book

                B. John “hears” and worships (8-9)

                    C. Center: Ultimate Fates 

                         1. The Damned and Saved (10-11) 

                              2. Jesus' self-description (13) 

                         1'. The Saved and Damned (14-15)

                              2'. Jesus' self-description (16)

            B'. The Spirit says, Everyone who “hears,” come (17)

A'. Conclusion (18-21):

            3'. warnings for those who hears the words of prophecy of this book

        2'. I am coming soon

    1'. amen (truly)...Lord Jesus

Textual Matters

Of first importance before attempting to go into any deeper interpretation is the establishment of the original Greek text since not all early manuscripts of the New Testament read absolutely the same. For example, Comfort notes, “The divine 'Spirit' is written as a nomen sacrum (sacred name) in one early MS.” This merely goes to confirm that the three words in bold in Figure 1, located at the start, conclusion, and somewhere in the center, were purposely placed there to highlight the work of the Trinity.

Next, Comfort notes that although “amen” in v. 21 was found in one early manuscript as well as a some early translations, it is missing in others. From that, he concludes “It is probably a scribal addition.”

On this same issue, Metzger is not sure which way to go since although the majority of manuscripts include “amen,” a few are missing that final word. He finds it difficult to account for its absence in that handful of other early manuscripts and translations.

I would argue to the contrary since, as discussed in an earlier posting, the presence of “amen” in v. 21 perfectly balances the occurrence of the Greek word for “true” in v. 6 and thus was more likely part of the original text (see Figure 1).

Another issue with the text of v. 21 is discussed by Metzger. He notes that in many later manuscripts, pious scribes added “Christ” to the title of “Lord Jesus.” Although it is by no means a definitive confirmation of that view, I personally believe that the simple phrase “Lord Jesus” forms a more perfect parallel to “Lord God” in v. 6 (see Figure 1).

Some study Bibles will have textual notes at the bottom of the page to indicate important alternative wordings in some manuscripts when they are present. For example, the RSV Oxford Annotated Bible notes that in v. 14 the metaphorical beginning phrase “Blessed are those who wash their robes” is replaced in some early manuscripts with the more literal “Blessed are those who keep his commandments.”

This at least indicates what some early scribes felt was the clear meaning of the phrase. Going back to Figure 1, you can see that 14a is parallel with 11b: “and the righteous still do right.” Thus, the interpretation of 14a by those minority of scribes seems to be right on the money.

Cross-References

Another method of digging out more meaning from a biblical text is to see if you are have an edition of the Bible which has cross-references to pertinent OT and NT passages located outside Revelation 22:6-21. As a typical example, here are just a few of the many such proposed parallels found in my edition of the New American Standard Bible which may be of aid in deciphering certain passages in Revelation 22:

Verse 6 talks about things “which are shortly to take place.” Since the exact interpretation of this statement is a matter of some controversy among prophecy experts, it is of interest to see whether any of the seven cited parallels in my Bible shed any light on the subject. Of the seven, it turns out that only one addresses that issue at all.

Revelation 1:1 happens to have the same phrase “the things which must shortly take place.” This may not help us pin down any particular timeline. However, it does give us another example of an inclusio, previous defined as a pair of bookends bordering a particular passage in the Bible, in this case the whole book of Revelation.

Verse 8 certainly needs some clarification since John uncharacteristically bows down to worship an angel. NASB point us back to Revelation 19:10 where it turns out that John did the exact same thing, and was chastised in both cases for doing so. So rather than having a clarification for John's actions, they seem even more strange that ever. This is obviously an issue regarding which one would have to consult several scholarly commentaries for a possible interpretation.

Verse 15 may upset pet lovers since it excludes “dogs” from the New Jerusalem. However, consulting the cross-references provided in the margin of my Bible leads us to possible parallels. Deuteronomy 23:18 prohibits women from bringing as offerings to the Lord any money gained by prostitution or men offering “the wages of a dog.” “Dog” in that context refers to male prostitutes, as explained by most commentators.

Matthew 7:6 is also listed as a parallel, but it is a very poor one since in that case literal dogs are in view, not symbolic ones. The last citation is to Philippians 3:2, and it is probably a more appropriate one since it also uses “dog” in an metaphorical sense. “Dogs” are warned against as well as evil-workers and those who demand circumcision for new Christian believers. The problem here is that with such a diverse group of sinners, it is hard to find any consistent theme tying all three of these categories together.

Verse 16 will be my final example since it includes a number of strange identifications Jesus gives in describing himself, all coming from the Old Testament:

“The root of David” also appears as a self-identification of Jesus in Revelation 5:5 along with “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” But that is about as far as it goes in explaining what that term actually means.

“The offspring of David” seems to contradict the previous designation so one would need further clarification from other sources. The cross-reference to the first chapter of Matthew is rather obvious here since it demonstrates enough of Jesus' earthly genealogy to show that he was indeed a descendant of King David.

Finally, we come to the phrase “the bright morning star.” In this case we are referred to two verses as possible parallels. Matthew 2:2 is the very familiar passage in which the Wise Men from the East state that they have seen the star of the king of the Jews and have come to worship him. And finally, in Revelation 2:28 Jesus promises to give the one who conquers “the bright morning star.” I am not at all sure either of these proposed parallels helps us in the least to interpret Revelation 22:16. But that is what one is likely to run into if one only has such helps at one's disposal.

This is not to discourage one from trying to dig deeper into Scripture, but it does serve to demonstrate that at some point one who wishes to do so must break down and start accumulating at least a few necessary Bible aids to supplement a good study Bible. The valuable help that such books can provide will be shown in the following posting on this subject.