Why Does Revelation Warn About Tampering with the Book?

At the very close of the Bible in Revelations 22:18–19, we find this striking warning:

"For I say to every man to whose ears have come the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man puts anything to them, God will put on him the punishments which are in this book:

And if any man takes away from the words of this book of the prophecy, God will take away from him his part in the tree of life, and in the holy town, which are written in this book.”
— Revelation 22:18–19 (BBE)

Traditionally, these verses are viewed as a stern caution against editing Scripture. But what if the message is not about ink and parchment, but about the imagination?

Neville Goddard taught that the Bible is a psychological revelation. Every character, every event, every prophecy points to states of consciousness within you. “God” is not an external authority, but your own wonderful I AM. And so this passage takes on an entirely different tone when read through the Law of Assumption.

The Inner Book of Prophecy

The “book” here symbolises the truth of your being—the living awareness that your assumptions create your reality. This is the central prophecy that runs throughout Scripture. The promise is this: if you dwell in the assumption of the wish fulfilled, it will harden into fact. This is the real gospel.

To “Add” Is to Distort the Law

To add to this book is to overlay it with fear, superstition, or external control. It is to say, “Yes, imagination creates reality—but only if you follow these rituals,” or “only if you’re worthy.” When you add the weight of dogma to the freedom of imagination, the result is not clarity—it’s confusion and internal conflict. In the language of Revelation, “plagues” are simply the painful miscreations that arise from distorted assumptions.

To “Take Away” Is to Forget the Power Within

Likewise, to take away from the book is to dismiss or deny the core truth of your creative power. To say, “That can’t be true,” or “My imagination is just fantasy,” is to strip yourself of authorship. This is what it means to be “taken out of the book of life.” It is to forfeit conscious participation in your own becoming.

The Holy City and the Book of Life

In Neville’s teachings, the “Holy City” and the “Book of Life” represent awakened consciousness—knowing who you are and how creation works. To live in the holy city is to walk in full awareness that I AM is God. It is to see the world not as something happening to you, but as something flowing from you.

A Loving Caution, Not a Threat

This passage, then, is not a divine threat. It is a loving caution: guard the purity of the law. Don’t complicate it, and don’t water it down. You are the operant power. Assume wisely.