“If anyone adds to them… and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy…” (Revelation 22:16-21, NASB)

God’s Word is perfect. You cannot add to it nor take it away from it. This is not just a promise, but also a warning to anyone who seeks to preach and teach God’s words. Here is what it says in today’s reading:

“‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.’ And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” John warned his readers by saying, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

Yes, God’s Word is perfect and complete. There is no need to add or take away from it. Although this warning pertains to the book of Revelation, it also applies to the rest of the Scriptures. This was the reason why Adam and Eve fell into sin in the first place in the book of Genesis, as the serpent made them believe his words rather than God’s words. Read through their dialogue, and you will find that they questioned God’s Word, added to it, took away from it, and eventually denied it (Gen. 3:1-5). God gave His Law to sons of Israel and commanded them, “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it” (Deut.4:2, 12:32). Furthermore, the writer of the book of Proverbs warned, “Do not add to His words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar” (Prov.30:6). The warning at the end the book of Revelation is not new. You can find warnings about adding to or taking away from the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.

Remember, Satan, our enemy, is a deceiver, and his primary weapon is deception. Jesus described him as “a liar and the father of lies” (Jn.8:44). Paul warned the church about Satan coming “disguising himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor.11:14). In the book of Revelation, John called him out saying that he is “the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev.12:9). Jesus also warned his followers about being misled in the last days as he said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Mt.24:24). We need to heed this warning even more carefully today! God’s Word is being mishandled so much today that it’s scary.

Obviously, no one can interpret the Scriptures perfectly and error-free. If this warning is about interpreting the Bible perfectly, then no one can read or teach it. There are clear things and unclear things in the Bible. When we are clear about things, we must be bold. When we are dealing with unclear things, we must be humble. It is important to preserve the integrity of the Word of God without adding to or omitting anything. When interpreting unclear things, we must humbly acknowledge that our understanding has limitations and is not absolute. Apostle Paul states that the true mark of a faithful servant of God is “a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim.2:15). Every time you hear people adding something or taking away something from the Bible, you can bet that Satan is standing right behind them, lying and deceiving. So the best way to safeguard yourself is to read the Bible and know God’s Word for yourself, and you will be able to detect false teachings right away. May I suggest you repeat these words to yourself: “If God said it, then that settles it.”

• Why do you think John ended with the warning not to add or take away from the words of the prophecy?
• How can Christians, especially leaders who are teachers, guard against adding or taking away from God’s words?