An angel guarding God’s word with a sword.

That is a fitting description of what is described to us as a warning at the end of the book of Revelation.

As we were studying the book of Revelation on Wednesday nights we came to the warning at the end of the book that reads like this.  “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Rev. 22:19

That is a somber warning that we should all heed.

In reading commentaries on this passage I came across Matthew Henry’s commentary which reads “ This sanction is like a flaming sword, to guard the Canon of the Scripture from profane hands.  Such a fence as this God said about the law and the whole Old Testament now the most solemn manner about the whole Bible, assuring us that it is a book of the most sacred nature, divine authority and the last importance, and therefore the peculiar care of the great God.” 

This quote immediately put me in mind of the Garden of Eden.  In Eden, God put a guard around the tree of life protecting man from eternal damnation.  A flaming sword turning every way keeping man and Satan away.

Here God warns everyone who reads His book to not tamper with its contents.  That doesn’t mean that every man has listened to the warning or that men might not mess with the text today but God has warned them.

We need to remember to handle God’s word with great care.  We are not to put words in God’s mouth, and quote His word in context because this is not the only place where He warns us about messing with His words.  God means what He says and says what He means.

Take heed.

Art by Brian Sanders