Revelation 22:18

I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

The sacred prohibition against either adding to or taking from the word of God may not be restricted to the book of Revelation. We have already noted that John was conscious of this book's being the last of the sacred canon (see under 5:11); and it should be observed here that John tailored his words to include both his prophecy and the canon. "Prophecy of this book" (Revelation 22:18), means the book of Revelation; "book of this prophecy" (Revelation 22:19) means the entire Bible. There is the additional fact that the prohibition against adding to or taking from, is here identical with the warning in the Old Testament to the same effect (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32). John was not conscious merely of writing Scripture, but of writing the final Scripture.

The solemn prohibitions here are not directed solely against copyists, but against all perverters of sacred truth.[82] We view these two verses as the words of Jesus." Swete says, "The speaker is surely Jesus."[83] Why should John have appended this here when he did not do so in the case of his gospel? This action here, signaling the end of the New Testament, was not taken by John, but by Jesus.

The prophecy of this book ... "The Apocalypse is a book of prophecy; four times it is called that in Revelation (Revelation 1:3; 22:10,18,19 and here)."[84]

If any man shall add unto them ... "Those who allow this book to form a basis of unbridled fancy, or a ground of bitter dispute and controversy cannot be excused from serious blame and fault."[85] Certainly the importing of whole systems of theological speculations must be seen as forbidden. Wesley understood the prohibitions "as applicable to the whole New Testament."[86] "God's word is neither a human discovery, nor a human invention."[87] We should recognize such truth in all our studies of the word of God.

If any man shall take away from the words ...

Inasmuch as this portion of the word of God is rooted in, interwoven with, and is the completion of, all the word of God, it becomes impossible to tamper with this final book without maltreating what had been given by God before.[88]

"These words are a solemn protest against the spirit which handles rashly or deceitfully God's word."[89] Any violation of God's word, whether by adding to it, or taking from it, or by making one's wishes the parent of his interpretation, is strictly prohibited. The tendency of people to violate the word of God evidently underlies the efforts of some to make these verses not the words of the apostle, but of "some later scribe, anxious that none should alter the book in the days to come."[90] Alford noted that, "This is an awful warning to those who add to it by irreverent and trifling interpretations."[91]

It is the humble prayer of this student of the Scriptures that none of the interpretations presented either add to or subtract from what is written. Any view, or any interpretation that violates what the text says should be rejected.

[82] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 779.

[83] H. B. Swete, op. cit., p. 311.

[84] W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962). IV. p. 166.

[85] Charles R. Erdman, The Revelation of John (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1966), p. 180.

[86] John Wesley, op. cit., in loco.

[87] George Eldon Ladd. op. cit., p. 296.

[88] G. H. Lang, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (London: Portsmouth Press, 1945), p. 385.

[89] W. Boyd Carpenter, Ellicott's Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1959), p. 636.

[90] William Barclay, op. cit., p. 232.

[91] Alford as quoted by Lenski, op. cit., p. 673.