Revelations 22:18-19 Thou Shalt Not Add to or Take Away.

Add to or Take Away from the Bible? What does this mean? Does this Invalidate other Scripture?

Revelation 22:18-19 reads:
“18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

John is referring to changing or adding his own prophecy of the Book of Revelation. Anyone must first understand the nature of the Bible. A Bible is literally a Collection of Books. A Holy Bible is a collection of Holy Books. The King James version of the bible has a total of 66 books. Of which the book of Revelation is the last. Chronologically, however, the Book Revelations was written before other epistles contained in the New Testament. Revelations was written in A.D. 95 while exiled on the Island of Patmos. The First, Second and Third Epistles of John as well as the Gospel According to John were written in A.D. 96 or after Johns words in Revelations 22:18-19.

In fact, the words written by John about adding or subtracting from the word of God doesn’t originate in the Book of Revelation. The same thing was written during the time of Moses in Deuteronomy 4:2:
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it...."

If the same principle were to be literally applied to Deuteronomy as many Protestants place in Revelations 22:18-19, Then nothing since Moses is applicable.

Moses and John were absolutely correct: no man has authority to add or subtract from the word of God. But Deut. 4:2 did not keep Moses from writing additional chapters, nor did it prohibit Isaiah, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and even John from writing later scripture as directed by God. It did not mean that God could give no more revelation or scripture, but that the inspired words of God given to his apostles and prophets should not be altered by men. [1]
As one simple illustration, consider the writings of Jeremiah as recorded by Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch. See Jeremiah 36, where we learn that Baruch wrote all the words from Jeremiah that were recorded in a book (vss. 4, 17, 18) Unfortunately, King Jehoiakim of Judah burned the book that contained the words of Jeremiah (vss. 21-25). The Lord commanded Jeremiah to prepare his document again, writing "all the former words that were in the first roll" (vs. 28). In verse 32, Jeremiah then commanded his scribe, Baruch, to write on another roll the words of Jeremiah, "and there were added besides unto them many like words." Many like words added? This doesn't sound like original dictation straight from the mouth of God, perfectly preserved and unchangeable. Prophets speak or dictate by inspiration, but there can be later changes and additions. [2]
Jeremiah 36:32 is not the only example of prophets revising their prior revelations. Moses revised the Decalogue (Ten Commandments), as seen when one examines Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. In addition, Isaiah 36-39 is a revision of 2 Kings 18:13 - 20:19, and Jeremiah 52 is a revision of 2 Kings 24-25. [3]
Additional Bible references that support this truth:
Deuteronomy 12:32 “What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not aadd thereto, nor bdiminish from it.”

Proverbs 30: 5-6 “ 5 Every word of God is apure: he is a bshield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Mathew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall abreak one of these least commandments, band shall cteach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and dteach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 42:9 “Behold, the aformer things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell byou of them.”

2 Timothy 3:16 “aAll bscripture is given by cinspiration of God, and is dprofitable for edoctrine, for freproof, for correction, for ginstruction in hrighteousness:”

Ecclesiastes 12:12 “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end;”

Jeremiah 36:27-32. “27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28 Take thee again another roll, and awrite in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

Certainly Jeremiah was following the commandments and inspiration of God when he wrote the words he was commanded, as have other prophets since then. Christ is always the same, he is consistent and unchanging, Hebrews 13:8 “ Jesus Christ the asame yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” He has always called prophets since Adam, and continues to today. Why would he stop? No evidence, and certainly no Scripture gives evidence of this.

Consider the following Scriptures:

Amos 3:7 “ 7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, abut he brevealeth his csecret unto his servants the dprophets.”

Mathew 23: 34 “ Wherefore, behold, I send unto you aprophets, and wise men, and bscribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Numbers 12:6 “And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a aprophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a bvision, and will speak unto him in a cdream.”
Re-read the text carefully of Revelation 22:18-19 and truly ponder what John is talking about. At the time this was written, there was no Bible as we know it. The new Christians had the Septuagint (which included the Apocrypha) and scattered writings of some of the apostles, but there had not yet been any known attempt to establish a New Testament canon or to bring the Gospels and epistles into a single volume. John, who was in exile on the Isle of Patmos, is obviously referring to the newly written text before him when he speaks of "this book," the Book of Revelation. He refers to the unique contents of his book: its prophecies, its descriptions of plagues, its discussion of the holy city, and urges that no one change what he has written. Even though the Book of Revelation has been placed last in our Bible, it was not necessarily the last book written, but may have preceded other writings of John himself by a couple of years. In fact, many Christian canons over the centuries did not include the Book of Revelation at all, and even Martin Luther questioned its status. The first church council that listed most of the canonical books in our present Old and New Testaments, the Council of Laodicea that met in A.D. 363, still did not include the Apocalypse of Saint John [Bernstein, p.5]. The common idea that this was the last book added to an existing canon of New Testament scripture by John is erroneous, as is the idea that John meant that there could never be any more scripture.[4]
Followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints fully agree with John: no man should change what God has spoken. However, God has the authority to speak what and when He wants. God spoke to other prophets after Adam, God spoke to prophets after Moses and many of their divinely commissioned writings have been preserved in the Bible. God also speaks today to living apostles and prophets in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we should be willing to accept those whom God has sent and hear their inspired words or you are like the same people at the time of Jesus who didn’t even accept Him.[5]
When God speaks to prophets, they write words that become scripture. Moses, Isaiah, Matthew, Luke, John, and many others all added scripture. One of the surest signs that the Church of Jesus Christ has really been restored is that new scripture has been added! The Jews at the time of Christ claimed to revere dead prophets but rejected living ones and rejected newly added scripture. They were in apostasy. Those who reject new prophets and new scripture from God in our day are likewise in apostasy and need to repent and come unto Christ more fully.
To the evangelical ministers who rail against us for "adding to the word," I am tempted ask - with tongue in cheek - by what authority they use a Bible from which many books of scripture accepted by the early Christians have been subtracted? Where is the Book of Enoch, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Apocryphal writings of the Septuagint, Psalm 151 of the Septuagint, or other missing scriptures? They may insist that their Bible is complete and perfect, but where is the missing scripture from which Paul quotes the words of Christ in Acts 20:35, "It is more blessed to give than to receive"? Where is the scripture that contains the prophecy that Christ would be a Nazarene, which is cited as fulfilled in Matt. 2:23? If God restored those missing writings, would our critics accept the new scripture with gratitude, or reject it because it offends their sensibilities? Ask this question and you may be surprised, as I have been, at the answer. One devout man told me that he would have to reject any new writing, no matter how authentic, even if it had been written by an ancient apostle under inspiration from God, was perfectly preserved and unmistakably contained directly quoted words of Christ, because to admit the possibility of additional scripture would mean that we could not accept the existing Bible as the perfect, complete, and infallible final authority. (I almost wonder if some people worship the Bible rather than God.) On the other hand, Latter-day Saints are taught to anxiously accept every word that comes from God, and to look forward to many future revelations and the discovery of other ancient volumes of sacred scripture. The word of God is not finished yet!
By the way, some modern Christians seem to think that the Apocrypha was never seriously accepted by Christians of the past, in spite of being included in their canons. However, "the conciliar decree De canonicis scriptures, issued on 8 April 1546 by Session IV of the Catholic Council of Trent, declares all who do not accept the Apocrypha as Christian scripture - in other words, the Protestants - to be anathema or accursed" [Peterson and Ricks, p. 118]. If Latter-day Saints are to be condemned for adding to scripture, can the Protestants justify themselves in subtracting from scripture? But clearly there is not yet a single, universal, indisputable standard for what the Christian canon should be, so I suggest we stop the condemnation and allow different groups to use different canons. The ideal, of course, is that we would "all come to a unity of the faith" - a process which requires receiving and following revelation from God (Eph. 4:11-14) and accepting His inspired additions to scripture. [6]
Remember, the Bible says nothing about itself to imply that the canon is complete. As one of many passages implying incompleteness, consider John 21:25, which states:
"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."
John understood that there could have been many other books written to describe all the words and deeds of Christ. What he and others offered was limited to a minute fraction of what could have been written. It is a purely human assumption that all of the truly important material has been recorded and preserved, and an even more ridiculous assumption that we have no need for anything more. We must live by every word of God (Matt. 4:4), and as long as He lives, He will have words to speak, if only we are willing to listen. As we read in Acts 11:26,27, one of the only places in the Bible that uses the word "Christian," the people that were first called Christians had the benefit of having prophets among them. Doesn't it make sense that modern Christians ought to accept every word of God, including those of modern revealed scripture and those provided through God's living prophets and apostles?[7]
In Conclusion. The ninth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is:
“We believe all that God has arevealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet breveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”

As long as we have a God that loves us. As long as we have a God that answers our prayers, and reveals his will upon us. A God that blesses us and heals us, all of which are methods that he reveals his power and existence to us, we have a God that is keenly aware of our need for doctrine, for teaching, for prophets and leaders.

The commentary above is a compilation and arrangement of work by Gregory V. Nielsen including an arraignment based on the writings of Jeff Lindsay. Every effort has been made to cite works of others. Any omissions are purely un-intentional.
[1] Jeff Lindsay from commentary.
[2] Jeff Lindsay from commentary.
[3] Robert Boylan, in JeffLindsay.com
[4] Jeff Lindsay
[5] Portions modified from Jeff Lindsay
[6] Jeff Lindsay
[7] Jeff Lindsay