Revelation 22:10; Seal Not the Sayings of the Prophecy of This Book
Revelation 22:10 (KJV) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
The words “and he saith unto me” indicate another continuation of the angel’s speech – And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
The combination does not indicate a resumption of Christ’s speech (contra Charles). Rather the repetition of the introductory formula from v9 indicates the importance of what the angel has to say, as does a comparable repetition in Revelation 19:9.
Revelation 19:9 (KJV) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
It is vital for the scroll (book) to remain open for all to read and not to be sealed up as John was commanded to do on Revelation 10:4.
Revelation 10:4 (KJV) And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
The commands to Daniel were to seal up his book (Daniel 8:26; 12:4, 9-10), but John ;s Apocalypse is to meet an immediate crisis facing the churches as the seven messengers disseminated its contents to them.
Daniel 8:26 (KJV) And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Daniel 12:4 (KJV) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Daniel 12:9-10 (KJV) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
For John to publish what he had written follows through with the earlier command to send the written work to the seven churches (Revelation 1:11). The availability of the volume to people in the churches would enable them to read and hear its contents (Revelation 1:3; 22:7) and to study its mysteries (Revelation 13:8, 17:9).
Revelation 1:11 (KJV) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation 1:3 (KJV) Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 22:7 (KJV) Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 13:8 (KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:9 (KJV) And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
The angel heartily encourages these steps in communicating “for the time is at hand”.
Lest anyone forget just how urgent the situation is, the angel repeats the exact words from Revelation 1:3 with the addition of the copular – for the time is at hand.
This is the exact opposite situation from that facing Daniel where the fulfilment was to come many days in the future (Daniel 8:26b).
Daniel 8:26 (KJV) And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 501-502]