Question:
Explain Revelation 22:19.

Answer:
Revelation 22:19 says: “And if any one take from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.”

This verse is an example of the importance of taking the Word as it is. The verse does not say that a person’s “name” is taken out, but that his “part” will be taken out if he takes away from God’s Word.
The correct translation of this verse according to most of the manuscripts is that his part is taken out of the “tree of life” (JND, NAS, ESV, NRSV) rather than the book of life (as in the KJV and NKJV). The tree of life is represented by the tree our first parents were forbidden to eat of when they were driven from the garden after they sinned. It is a serious thing to add or take away from God’s Word (Proverbs 30:6).