Bible Strands
Revelation 22:10
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel addresses John, who had previously been instructed to seal a prophetic vision. The speaker issues the command at the conclusion of the revealed scroll, marking the immediate transition from disclosure to final moral instruction.
The words — σφραγίσῃς (sphragisēs) translates as “may seal” or “close up,” and λόγους (logous) means “words” or “utterances.” The text explicitly commands μὴ σφραγίσῃς τοὺς λόγους, forbidding the closure of the prophetic record.
The thread — The text contrasts with Daniel 8:26, which orders a vision to be sealed for a distant time. The urgency matches 1 Peter 4:7 and Revelation 1:3, which both declare the end near and associate blessing with reading and obeying the written prophecy.
Why it lands — The text requires immediate engagement with the prophetic record rather than delayed or hidden study. Readers must treat the timeline as active and align their conduct with the final moral boundaries stated in the surrounding verses.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Cross-references
- Daniel 8:26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
- 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
- Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
- Revelation 10:4 When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”
- Matthew 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.
- Ezekiel 12:23 Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.
- Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
- Daniel 12:9 “Go on your way, Daniel,” he replied, “for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
- Romans 13:12 The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples.