¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. ¹⁹ And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Whenever I read this scripture, it always makes me stop and think. What does this scripture mean to you?

I’m thinking, the Lord is telling us that we shouldn’t change or add words to His book, The Holy Bible. However, there are several versions of the Bible out there in several different languages. When I think about this scripture, it just blows my mind. Why? Well, because of the different translations out there – which translation is the most accurate? Has anyone taken liberties when interpreting the Bible?

When I was growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, I was always taught that their version (the JW version – The New World Translation), was the Bible that was the closest to the original Bible. I’d believed that their Bible was the clearest, most concise Bible that delivered Jehovah’s word to His followers.

I’m a Christian now, and I’m no longer a part of the JW faith for several reasons. Decades ago, I did discover while I was questioning the JW beliefs that their Bible had some scriptures that appeared to be totally different than other versions of the Bible. It was like, the meaning of some scriptures were changed in the NWT and this bothered me, a lot! I felt like I’d been lied to, plus, I felt like the translators were going against the Lord’s request about NOT changing his Holy Word.

So, when I read through the book of Revelations, and see this scripture near the end of the last chapter, it always makes me stop and pause and think, recalling my experiences from my younger days as I sought the true meaning of being a Christian.

So, which Bible do you use most frequently? Do you use several versions? If so, which is your favorite? Do any of you read the King James version of the Bible? Are there any versions of the Bible out there that you don’t particularly like for some reason?

Be sure to leave a comment!!

~Cecelia Dowdy~