Articles
Do Not Add to or Take Away
Bryan Garlock
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (Revelation 22.18-19, ESV)
What does “do not add to or take away” mean? Simply put, anything which constitutes a change of God’s written word in print or in application is an addition or subtraction.
Much of the religious world is guilty concerning John’s words. Unfortunately, even some within the brotherhood are guilty. In studying the authority of the Scriptures with others, this writer is sometimes confronted with the argument that John’s words only apply contextually to the book of Revelation. While there may be truth to that, the principle that one is not to add to or take away from God’s word is rooted in Scripture. To argue that “do not add to or take away” does not apply to any other part of the Bible is simply denying the truth.
The Old Testament teaches, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you” and “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it” (Deut. 4.2; 12.32, ESV). Elsewhere we read, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar” (Prov. 30.5-6, ESV). Therefore, if “man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8.3, ESV) and if “The entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalm 119.160, NKJV), then one would be foolish to argue against John’s instructions at the end of Revelation.
Additionally, the New Testament teaches us “not to think beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4.6) and “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 9, ESV). The evidence to not change the word of God “in word or deed” is clearly expressed (see Col. 3.17).
Those who do add or subtract do so for several unfortunate reasons. Perhaps God’s word does not agree with their preconceived ideas or they simply do not like what God has to say on a given subject.
It is as if they have taken a knife to the Bible as King Jehoiakim once did to Jeremiah’s scroll. In Jeremiah chapter 36 we read, “As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot” (Jer. 36.23).
The next verse reads, “Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments” (24). Further, King Jehoiakim asked, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” (29). This writer believes there at least two reasons why Jehoiakim was brave enough to do this. It was because he did not fear God nor believe Him as indicated from the text.
One of the purposes of the prophet Jeremiah was to foretell the coming destruction upon those who were disobedient. Since God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 18.23), He told Jeremiah to record what all needed to pay careful attention to: “…hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin” (Jer. 36.3). Sadly, this is exactly what the king was cutting from his “bible”. Since the king did not fear God, neither did he fear God’s word.
Interestingly, God added to His word that day. “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear. Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them” (Jer. 36.30-32).
Unfortunately for King Jehoiakim, the Lord not only plagued him, but took away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in the book of Revelation (cf. Rev. 22.18-19).
Those who want to change God’s word have essentially done the same thing as Jehoiakim. In fact, after polling several preachers, this writer has accumulated several stories where people have actually cut passages like Mark 16.16 and Acts 2.38 out of their Bibles or taken a permanent marker and marked out the inspired words. Why do people do this? It is because these words conflict with their beliefs, but ultimately because they do not fear God. BG
