The Bible Says...

"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."

In a preceding phrase God said, "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." I find that interesting, because man started out in trouble with God as a result of Satan, the Devil, that old serpent, adding to the words of God just one word. God had said, "Thou shalt surely die." Satan said, rather, "Thou shalt not surely die." Therefore God added a curse to each of those involved. And the LORD God cursed the serpent above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. He would forever have to crawl upon his belly, and eat dust all the days of his life. The woman he cursed with sorrow in conception and child bearing, and her desire was to be subjected to her husband. The man he cursed to labor and sorrow to wrestle out a living from reluctant and weed infested soil.

When Jesus was in the wilderness fasting, Satan, that old serpent, tempted him to make himself a lunch from the stones there. Unlike Adam, Jesus replied, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4) Jesus made it clear that more is involved in our eating than just the natural man. We must feed the natural man, as God provides food for all living, but "Every word of God" is still our source of life today. And if we walk in righteousness according to the intent of those words, we can be confident that our name is in the "Book of Life." As Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

The words "book of life" are not capitalized in Rev. 22:19, but they are there. The Bible says in Rev. 22:18,19, "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: 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."

If you happen to have a version which was "translated" in the last one hundred years or so, you will see that the word "book" has been taken out and the word tree has been put in its place. It is amazing that anyone would change anything in the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, but especially in these two verses.. The very things which are forbidden in this passage are done to this passage.

We are told in the New International Version that, for the sin of taking away from this book, God will take away the offender’s "share in the tree of life." So we are led to believe that we somehow have part in that tree which has not been accessible to any man for almost six thousand years. The "Book of Life" is mentioned five other times in the Bible. In those places, it has not been taken out and replaced by a "tree", as it has been in this most critical passage. There were varying "plagues" pronounced upon the offenders in the garden in Eden. I suppose that may well be the case with those who were involved in the mistranslation of these new "Bibles" in which not one, but tens of thousands of "words" have been changed. Some will, perhaps, be given more sorrow than others, but "the curse causeless shall not come." (Prov 26:2) As it is written, "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Rom 14:12)

God has books on everything. In Malachi 3, God has a "Book of Remembrance." He has a separate book for every person who has ever lived. Their life is recorded in meticulous detail. In Phil. 4:3, he has "The Book of Life." In Rev. 21:27, he has "The Lamb's Book of Life."

And in Rev. 22:19, he has "The Book of the Holy City." There are some qualifications for having, and/or keeping, your name in all of these books.

Even if this is a prophecy about a particular man, the promise in Rev. 3:5 is worth considering. It is a promise which all of us can meet the requirements for. "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."...