957. [verse 18] 'For I call to witness all those hearing the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God shall add upon him the plagues written in this book' signifies that those who read and know the truths of the doctrine of this book now opened by the Lord, and go on acknowledging a God other than the Lord and a faith other than one directed to Him by adding something by means of which these two may be destroyed, cannot do otherwise than perish on account of the untruths and evils that are signified by the plagues described in this book. By 'to hear the words of the prophecy of this book' is signified to read and know the truths of the doctrine of this book now opened by the Lord, as may be seen above (n. 944). By 'to add to these things' is signified by adding something by means of which those truths may be destroyed, as it follows on. By 'the plagues written in this book' are signified the evils and untruths that are signified by the plagues described in this book (treated of in chap. xv and xvi). That 'the plagues' signify the untruths and evils that those have who adore the dragon's beast and the false prophet may be seen (n. 456, 657, 673, 676, 677, 683, 690, 691, 699, 708, 718). 'The dragons beast' and 'the false prophet' are those who make faith alone saving without good works. [2] There are two things in this prophetical book to which all the things thereof have relation. The first is that no other God is to be acknowledged but the Lord, and the second that no other faith is to be acknowledged but one directed to the Lord. He who knows these, and yet adds something with the intention of destroying them, cannot be otherwise than in untruths and evils, and perish on account of them, since the good that is of love, and the truth that is of faith, and consequently the happiness of eternal life, is not given by derivation from any other God than the Lord nor by means of any other faith than one directed to the Lord, as the Lord Himself teaches in many places in the Evangelists as may be seen above (n. 553). [3] That this is signified, and not that God is going to add the plagues described (chaps. xv and xvi) upon him who adds anything to the words of the prophecy of this book, anyone can see from his own judgment. For an innocent person can do this, and also many can do so from a good end, as also on account of not knowing what is signified. For up to this time the Apocalypse has been a closed or mystic book; and therefore anyone can see that it is understood that not a thing is to be added or taken away which destroys the truths of the doctrine in this book now opened by the Lord; which truths all have relation to those two things. For this reason also these words in the series follow after these:-
Jesus sent His angel to testify unto you these things in the Churches, I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright and the morning Star: and the spirit and the bride are saying, Come, and let the one hearing say, Come, and let the thirsting one come, and let the willing one take the water of life freely (vers. 16, 17);
by which is signified that the Lord in His Own Divine Human is going to come, and is going to give eternal life to those who acknowledge Him; and therefore also in the series these words follow:-
The One testifying these things says, Indeed I am coming quickly, Amen. Come indeed, Lord Jesus (verse 20);
from which it is plain that no other things are understood. Also 'to add' is a prophetical word signifying to destroy, as in Ps. cxx 3, and elsewhere. From these considerations it can now be seen what is signified by the things that are in this verse, and by the things in the one following.
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