1. Revelation 19:9 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does the angel add, “These are the true words of God”?

Revelation 19:9 (ESV)

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

With these words the angel does not suggest that the rest of this passage is somehow less than true words of God. Instead, the Holy Spirit (through the angel) hereby acknowledges that the concept of an invitation to sinners to attend a divine marriage feast is too wonderful to be credible. Hence the insistence: this invitation (these words) actually comes from God himself and so is true, that is, the way it really is (in contrast to the deception of the prostitute rooted in the deceiver, Revelation 12:9). Note the effect of the piling up of phrases in Revelation 19:9 to drive home the genuineness of the invitation: write this; he said (2x); and true words of God.