Revelation 22:10
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

This is a direct command from heaven. Do not seal the book. Do not shut it. Do not set it aside as though it were too difficult, too mysterious, or too controversial to be understood. Yet that is exactly what many people do. There are preachers, professors, commentators, authors, and sincere believers who say, “Do not bother with Revelation. It is too complicated. There are too many interpretations. Better to leave it alone.”

But heaven says the opposite.

“Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”

The Lord did not give Revelation to be closed. He gave it to be opened. He did not give it to confuse His people, but to bless them, steady them, warn them, and fill them with hope. People often think Revelation is impossible to understand, but if you follow the divine outline given in Revelation 1:19, the book opens up beautifully.

Chapter 1
Jesus resurrected

Chapters 2 and 3
Church history

Chapters 4 and 5
The Rapture

Chapters 6 through 19
The Tribulation

Chapter 20
The Millennium

Chapters 21 and 22
The new heaven and new earth

That is not chaos. That is a clear unfolding. The book moves somewhere. It has structure. It has direction. It shows us Jesus in glory, the church in history, judgment in the Tribulation, Christ reigning in the Millennium, and then eternity in the new heaven and new earth.

So this book is to be kept open.

And the same holds true for us personally. We should not finish reading Revelation and then say, “Well, that wraps up the Book of Revelation for the next fourteen years.” No, this is a book with a blessing attached to it. Revelation 1:3 says:

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.

There is blessing in reading it. There is blessing in hearing it. There is blessing in keeping it. But if we seal it up, put it away, or neglect it, we will be poorer for it.

This book loosens our grip on the world. It reminds us that Jesus wins. It shows us that evil will not have the last word. It lifts our eyes to eternity. It calls us to purity, courage, worship, and hope.

So do not shut the book.

Keep it open.