Revelation 22:18-19 KJV: 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: 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.
I am sure that all of us have either played what I call the “Whispering Game” or have seen others play it. There is even a somewhat recent commercial advertising the Oreo Cakesters, which you have probably seen with children playing this game. We all know what happens when we play. The original sentence or phrase that is supposed to be whispered from ear to ear is eventually changed and when the last person says aloud what they just heard, it couldn’t be further from how it began. Sometimes, we do hear incorrectly and pass along incorrect information, but sometimes we purposely change the information to either create humor or to disadvantage our hearer.
There is a valuable lesson in this game, of course. What this article seeks to address is the idea that the content should remain the same and true to its original “boundaries”. In the legal world, we frequently insert something called a Merger clause into agreements. The purpose of this is to make sure that the parties to the agreement understand and agree that only what is contained in the four corners of the document IS THE actual agreement. There can be no oral agreements added to the agreement. Nothing in the written signed agreement can be taken out. The agreement is ALL contained in that specific document. This provision declares that the agreement contained in the four corners of the document to be the complete and final agreement between the parties. I use a Merger clause in Living Trusts, Last Will and Testaments, and Durable Power of Attorney documents, just to name a few.
Revelation 22:18-19 is a Merger clause of the Bible. There is a stern warning for us to keep the content true. We are not to add ANY thing or take away ANY thing from the words. Those changes are not part of the original agreement and are not valid. The verses give us some very tragic consequences if we do not heed to this particular command.
Instead of becoming frightened by the warning, you can take comfort and have peace. A great benefit of having a Merger clause as part of an agreement is that it is treated as proof that no variations exist to the agreement and that there are no other conditions which exist for each party to perform their respective duties. The only stipulations that exist are IN the agreement. Therefore, as this pertains to the Bible, God’s Word, we can be fully assured that EVERY promise will be available to us and there is NOTHING that He will withhold from us that He has promised. We do not have to be confused or stressed or perplexed that there is missed information that is vital to our success, like the results in the “Whispering Game.” All we have to do is read the agreement, which is God’s Will for us (essentially His Last Will and Testament), and we will know absolutely what He says, what He Wills for us, and what ALL of His promises are to us. BASED ON FAITH.