Revelation 22:18 (LSB)

Passage

I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.

Nearby Context

Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, sent My angel to bear witness to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes receive the water of life without cost.

Revelation 22:18 I bear witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.

Revelation 22:19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

Revelation 22:20 He who bears witness to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bear", "witness", "everyone", "hears", "words", "prophecy", "book", and "anyone". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bear" and "witness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And the Spirit and the bride say..." into verse 19's "And if anyone takes away from the...", so "bear" and "witness" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "bear" and "witness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.