IF ANY MAN SHALL ADD UNTO THESE THINGS

IF ANY MAN SHALL ADD UNTO THESE THINGS . . .

. . . 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 . . . (Rev. 22:18-19)



“Dad, I’ve liked him since 8th grade . . .”

Brad sensed that this was going to be awkward for both of them, and that his daughter had spent quite some time getting her part just right.

“Just who might this lucky guy be?”

“Jeremy. He’s been quite friendly lately. In fact, he wants me to do something with him this week-end.”

“Barbeque at his house with family and friends? Are your mom and I invited?”

“DA-AD! Hike and picnic – Cave Springs.”

“Just the two of you?”

“Jessie and Justin might go too.”

“But . . .”

“I know I’m not quite 16 yet, but I almost am. And I’m a sophomore, and Jessie’s parents say being a sophomore is close enough, so they let her. . . Please Dad, it’s not like I’m trying to date when I’m 13 or something. I’ve been waiting so long for this! And finally! – someone who I like, likes me too! Please, Dad – it would mean a lot to me . . .”

“You know what the prophet says, and it’s only five more weeks. You can wait that long. If Jeremy likes you now he’ll like you in five weeks. He’ll ask you again. No, Krista, we’re going to obey the prophet on this one, Just hold on for another short while – you’ll be glad you did.”

The stare would melt an iceberg. She stomped off, slamming SHUT the door to her room.



The time passed too quickly for Brad, not fast enough for Krista. It was Tuesday; her birthday was Thursday. She did a Kramer entrance into the family room, well into her rant: “I’ve been waiting all my life for this birthday, and now I’m almost there, and nobody’s ever going to ask me out! I’m fat, I’m ugly, I have zits, I’ve probably got spinach on my teeth! Why did I ever think boys were going to line up when I turned 16!”

“What about Jeremy?”

“He’s a jerk!”

“In less than five weeks he’s morphed from a prince to a jerk?”

“He’s hangin’ with that, that . . . MONICA! The sicko!” She stomped off, slamming SHUT the door to her room.

Brad was perplexed. “Hm-m . . . do I detect a pattern developing here?” The phone rang. The girl in the bedroom with the loose door hinges picked it up.

Moments later she re-entered the main part of the house, radiantly flitting about in her best imitation of a ballet dancer. “I’ve got a date! A date, a date, a date date date! You know Kenny, the cross-country guy? Well, a bunch of us ate lunch together at the meet a couple weeks ago, and we happened to be sitting by each other, and we started talking, and I was impressed, but I had no idea! This is so great I can’t believe it! It’s wrestling season now, and Paige and Amanda and Jessie and I are going to watch the guys wrestle, then we’re off to Tiger Lanes. I’ll be home by midnight, Dad, I promise. OH! This is so GREAT!”

“What a difference a phone call makes! Want to help me fix your door hinges sometime Saturday?”

“I know, Dad. Sorry.”

“You know, your mother and I haven’t been bowling in a long time. I’m gonna see if she wants to go. Maybe we’ll see you there.”

“DA-AD!”

“Just kidding.”



Her friend Amanda approached Kenny at lunch the very next Monday. “How’d it go with Krista last Friday?”

“I’m not gonna date her any more.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Found out she’s Mormon.”

“So? What’s wrong with that?”

“Don’t you know? Mormons aren’t really Christian, and I don’t date non-Christians.”

Amanda of course related her conversation with Kenny to Krista, word for word, followed by a scathing verbal editorial concerning the utterly deficient level of intelligence possessed by Kenny. And, at her next opportunity, Amanda approached Krista’s dad and politely summarized her conversation with Kenny, adding that Krista might need a word of encouragement since she was understandably devastated.

Not knowing of Amanda’s conversation with her father, Krista approached him in her best faux casual manner. “Dad, why do some people think that Mormons aren’t Christian?”

Brad didn’t let on that he knew what had transpired. “Probably because of those verses in the book of Revelation.”

“Uh, which verses might those be?”

A Bible was quickly produced and the verses read.

“That’s pretty convincing, Dad. What do we say to that?”

“Well, for one thing, it says the same thing in Deuteronomy:

Ye shall not add unto the work which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it . . . Deut. 4:2

“If that’s what it really meant it would discredit all the rest of the Bible past Deuteronomy.”

“Wow!”

“For another, the New Testament existed as only separate epistles and writings, each in a different location, for centuries. It was almost 300 years before someone came up with the idea to compile those writings into a single volume. So those verses can’t be referring to the New Testament per se; they can only refer to the book of Revelation itself, and we Mormons haven’t added to or taken one iota away from that particular book, have we?

“Besides, that was not even the last book written – for example, the gospel of John was written after Revelation! If those verses really referred to the New Testament as a whole, one of the four Gospels would have to be thrown out.”

There was a long pause as Krista absorbed what she was just then learning. The slow burn was becoming apparent: “OOH! That Kenny is SO in trouble!”