Busy week? Me too. LDS Living is here to catch you up and get you ready for discussions on Sunday. Here’s a nugget of wisdom from this week’s Come, Follow Me study of Revelation 15-22.
This December we have been treated to some very educated guests on the Sunday on Monday podcast to talk about some of the densest chapters in the New Testament: Revelation. This week is our last Come, Follow Me lesson for the New Testament year, and we could focus our study on Armageddon or plagues or the merchant city.
But my takeaway all month has been that, when trying to get at the heart of scripture, even the most studied Bible scholars can make even these verses simple by looking for Christ. In fact, more than any other week I recommend listening to the whole podcast episode because the insights of our guest, scholar S. Michael Wilcox, can’t be simplified down to a short online article. But there was a short conversation in this week’s episode about one of the most recognizable verses in the final chapter of the Bible that I’ll take with me this week.
John famously has strong parting words at the end of his Revelation:
“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.”
It’s not enough to understand that John is talking about adding or taking away from just the book of Revelation and not the whole Bible. John could also be talking about the interpretation of this revelation. We are commanded not to add our own bias to these chapters. And we shouldn’t omit anything that John has made clear.
Followers of Christ have been anxiously awaiting His Second Coming since the days of the New Testament, since the generation following the disciples who knew Him personally. And it’s hard to wait. But we can wait patiently without adding new opinions on how John saw the last days before Christ’s arrival.
So that was my takeaway this week. To hear more takeaways from other Latter-day Saints on this block of scripture, join our study group on Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday on Monday is a Come, Follow Me podcast hosted by Tammy Uzelac Hall that is released every Monday to guide you through the scripture readings for the week. This week covers Revelation 15-22. Our podcast guest this week was Professor S. Michael Wilcox. You can listen to full episodes on Deseret Bookshelf Plus and find out more at ldsliving.com/sundayonmonday.
