Revelation 22: The Brief Spiritual Meaning of vs. 18-20; AR 957, 959 - Do Not Take Away or Add

AR 957-960 (portions)

For I testify to everyone
who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
If anyone adds to these things,
God will add upon him
the plagues that 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 Book of Life,
from the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book.

He who testifies to these things says
"Surely I am coming quickly."
Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(Revelation 22:18-20)


People who read and know
the doctrinal truths in this book
now laid open by the Lord,
and yet acknowledge some other God than the Lord,
and some other faith than faith in the Lord,
by adding something which destroys these two tenets,
cannot but perish as a result of the falsities and evils
symbolized by the plagues described in this book.

People who read and know
the doctrinal truths in this book
now laid open by the Lord,
and yet acknowledge some other God than the Lord,
and some other faith than faith in the Lord,
by taking away something
in order to destroy these two tenets,
cannot perceive or acquire for themselves
anything from the Word
or be received into the New Jerusalem,
or have their lot with people in the Lord's kingdom.

The Lord,
who presented the visions in the book of Revelation
and has now laid the book open,
testifying to the gospel
that He is coming as a bridegroom and a husband
in His Divine humanity
which He assumed in the world and glorified,
and that the church longs for Him
as His bride and wife.

AR 957 [2,3]

There are two principal points in this prophetic book
to which all the others in it have relation:
The first is that no other God than the Lord
is to be acknowledged;
and the second,
that no other faith than faith in the Lord
is to be acknowledged.
Someone who knows this,
and yet adds something with the intention
of destroying these two points,
cannot help but be caught up in falsities and evils
and perish on account of them,
since from no other God than the Lord,
and through no other faith
than faith in the Lord,
is good possible
that is a matter of love,
and truth that is a matter of faith,
and in consequence of these
the felicity of eternal life,
as the Lord Himself teaches
in many places in the Gospels.

. . . one is not to add or take away something
that destroys the doctrinal truths in this book
now laid open by the Lord,
truths which have relation
to the above two principal points.

AR 959

We relate this in order that people may see
that not adding anything
to the words written in the book of Revelation
and not taking anything away from them
means in heaven
not to add anything to or take away anything
from the doctrinal truths
regarding the Lord and faith in Him.
For it is this sense,
including truths regarding a life
in accordance with the Lord's commandments,
from which, as we said,
the literal sense originated.