Historical KJV Bible Wording Research, Preachers’ Testimonies, and the Missing Word “Quickly”
Many Christians remember the closing prayer in Revelation 22:20 as:
“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Yet when they open their King James Bible today, they find something different.
The present King James Version reads:
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
— Revelation 22:20, KJV
Notice the difference. The word “quickly” appears in the words spoken by Jesus Christ, but it does not appear in John’s response.
The wording many believers remember contains six words:
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
The response printed in the present KJV contains five:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That one-word difference is the subject of this investigation.
Why Does the Word “Quickly” Matter?
Some readers might consider this a minor difference. After all, the meaning remains closely related. Both expressions communicate a desire for the Lord Jesus Christ to return.
But those who have spent their lives reading, memorizing, teaching, and preaching from the King James Bible understand why exact wording matters.
For some of us, the longer expression isn’t merely a familiar saying. It’s the wording we remember reading from the printed page.
I personally remember reading “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus” from my King James Bible while preaching.
A personal recollection is not, by itself, documentary proof. That’s why I’ve spent considerable time searching for independent historical testimony.
The question is simple:
Why have so many Bible teachers, evangelists, and preachers attributed the six-word expression to the closing passage of Revelation?
What Does Revelation 22:20 Say in the Present KJV?
Let’s examine the verse carefully.
Jesus declares:
“Surely I come quickly.”
John responds:
“Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
The present text contains the word “quickly,” but only in the first statement.
This distinction is important because many historical and recorded witnesses don’t simply use the longer phrase in prayer. Some specifically identify it as John’s response, or as words written at the end of Revelation.
That makes those witnesses worth examining.
A College Lecturer Counts Six Words at the End of Revelation
One of the most interesting witnesses uncovered in this investigation comes from a college lecture by Ted Sherman, uploaded April 26, 2023.
While discussing literature, Sherman asks his students how the Book of Revelation ends. He specifically mentions six words and then supplies the longer expression:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
Why is this significant?
Because the speaker doesn’t merely repeat a familiar prayer. He identifies a particular number of words.
Count them:
- Even
- So
- Come
- Quickly
- Lord
- Jesus
The longer expression contains exactly six words.
The present KJV response contains only five.
This doesn’t establish that Sherman was reading from a particular KJV printing. But his word count makes the testimony especially interesting. He appears to be thinking of a definite six-word expression as the ending of Revelation.
That is more specific than an incidental quotation.
A Preacher Directs His Listeners to the Final Two Verses
Another noteworthy recording comes from Wilds Weekend 2022, Session 2, published by Fellowship Bible Church in Methuen, Massachusetts, on August 27, 2022.
The speaker directs listeners to the final two verses of the final chapter of the Bible.
He then gives the longer wording, followed by words from Revelation 22:21:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus … the grace of our Lord be with you all.”
This deserves close examination because the speaker appears to be discussing consecutive verses rather than simply repeating a traditional prayer.
However, the available automated transcript does not establish whether he was reading directly from a printed King James Bible.
That question must be answered by examining the original recording.
A Preacher Identifies Revelation 22:20 by Chapter and Verse
Dr. Robert Smith Jr., preaching in a recording titled An Adversity Theology, uploaded by First Baptist Church in Decatur, Alabama, on April 2, 2020, provides another important witness.
He describes the final prayer of the Bible, identifies Revelation 22:20, and gives the longer wording:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
This is significant because he identifies the specific biblical location.
A speaker who merely prays the expression might be repeating a familiar tradition. But a speaker who names Revelation 22:20 while quoting it provides a more direct testimony concerning the verse’s remembered wording.
Again, we must distinguish between an accurate recollection of printed text and a familiar expression supplied from memory.
Jesus Said “Surely I Come Quickly,” But What Did John Say?
A September 2015 sermon titled The Midnight Catastrophe, published by ConnectionPointe Church of God, presents another particularly interesting example.
The speaker distinguishes Jesus’ declaration from John’s response.
He describes Jesus saying:
“Surely I come quickly.”
Then he attributes the longer wording to John:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
This distinction matters.
The preacher isn’t simply joining two unrelated thoughts. He is identifying the two speakers in Revelation 22:20 and assigning the six-word response to John.
The present KJV, however, prints John’s response without “quickly.”
This is the kind of testimony that deserves careful consideration.
Earlier Baptist Preachers Used the Longer Wording
The investigation also uncovered recordings involving Baptist evangelists and Bible teachers.
One recording titled OLD TIME BAPTIST CHURCH BRO. TONNY HUTSON was uploaded July 8, 2011.
Its automated transcript appears to associate the longer wording with John’s concluding words in Revelation.
Other recordings of Tony Hutson also associate the expression with the Revelator.
The earlier recording requires audio verification because the automatic transcription is unclear.
Michael Hoggard, another Bible teacher associated with the King James Bible, uses the longer wording in recordings uploaded as early as 2012.
These examples demonstrate that the expression was in circulation well before recent discussions about alleged supernatural Bible changes became widespread.
But the existence of an early recording is not the same as proof that a particular Bible edition contained the wording.
Chuck Smith and the Closing Prayer of Revelation
Chuck Smith, the longtime Calvary Chapel pastor who died in 2013, also used the longer expression.
In a recording of his teaching on Revelation 11, uploaded July 28, 2009, he describes Jesus’ declaration that He is coming quickly and then joins John in the response:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
Other recordings of Smith show similar usage.
These are historically useful because they preserve the testimony of a Bible teacher whose ministry began decades before the recordings were uploaded.
However, the original recording dates should be distinguished from their YouTube publication dates.
A Nineteenth-Century Witness: Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Our investigation isn’t limited to modern video recordings.
The nineteenth-century Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon used the longer expression in his sermon Enoch.
In discussing John’s testimony concerning Christ’s return, Spurgeon refers to John’s fervent exclamation:
“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
This is important because Spurgeon’s written sermon provides historical evidence that the longer expression was being attributed to John long before the internet, YouTube, or modern discussions about Bible changes.
The original printed edition, its date, and its page number should be documented before presenting it as a fully verified primary-source exhibit.
Spurgeon’s wording establishes historical usage and attribution. It does not, by itself, establish that the longer phrase appeared in a particular printed KJV edition.
An Even Older Recording May Exist
Another discovery involves a film circulated online under the title The Rapture (1941).
Multiple uploads contain the expression:
“Even so come quickly Lord Jesus.”
Some copies were uploaded as early as 2006 and 2007.
If the film genuinely dates to 1941 and the audio is original, it could provide an unusually early recorded example of the longer wording.
But the film’s date and soundtrack have not yet been independently authenticated.
For that reason, it remains a promising historical lead rather than a confirmed 1941 witness.
An Important Witness Who Recognizes the Difference
Not every preacher using the longer expression believes it appears in the present printed verse.
Bible teacher Randy White provides a useful example.
In a February 2, 2020 recording concerning Revelation, he acknowledges that people commonly include the word “quickly” even though it isn’t actually present in the response he is discussing.
This matters because it demonstrates a possible explanation for some of the other recordings.
A preacher may know the printed wording and still use the longer expression out of habit.
Consequently, we should not assume that every occurrence of “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus” represents a memory of a different printed Bible.
This is why direct reading, exact verse identification, and historical printed evidence carry greater weight than spontaneous prayer.
What Have We Actually Established?
Our search examined 22 pages of Filmot results containing approximately 1,300 clips matching the longer expression.
Those results included duplicate uploads, repeated appearances by individual speakers, sermons, prayers, songs, and recordings of uncertain origin.
They do not represent 1,300 independent witnesses.
Nevertheless, the investigation has established several useful points:
- The longer expression has been used across different Christian denominations and generations.
- Some speakers explicitly attribute it to John or Revelation 22:20.
- At least one lecturer counts the expression as six words.
- Some preachers distinguish Jesus’ declaration from John’s response while giving John the longer wording.
- Historical printed material, including Spurgeon’s sermons, demonstrates that the expression is not a recent invention.
- Some speakers acknowledge that “quickly” is absent from John’s response in the present text.
These findings establish a history of usage and biblical attribution.
They do not yet establish that an authenticated King James Bible printing once contained the longer response.
That distinction is essential to an honest investigation.
Could Revelation 22:20 Have Been Supernaturally Changed?
At Amos8.org, I investigate what I believe are prophesied supernatural changes to the Scriptures.
My understanding of Amos 8:11–12 and Daniel 7:25 provides the prophetic framework for this research.
Amos warned of a famine:
“not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD”
And Daniel described a power that would:
“think to change times and laws”
I believe these prophecies deserve serious consideration in connection with the Bible wording changes reported by believers.
That is my interpretation of these passages. The historical witnesses presented in this article should be examined on their own merits, regardless of whether the reader shares that interpretation.
I do not consider the popular term “Mandela Effect” an adequate explanation of what I believe is happening.
My concern is the Word of God, the testimony of those who have preached it, and the evidence that can be recovered.
What Would Constitute Stronger Evidence?
The most decisive discovery would be an authenticated, dated King James Bible containing the exact longer response:
“Amen. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
A clear historical recording showing a preacher reading those words from an identifiable KJV, with the printed wording visible, would also be exceptionally valuable.
Until such evidence is located, we should continue distinguishing what witnesses remember, what they quote, what they read, and what surviving printed editions actually contain.
The purpose of this investigation isn’t to accuse preachers of carelessness or dishonesty.
It’s to preserve their testimony accurately and determine what that testimony establishes.
Conclusion: Five Words or Six?
The present King James Bible contains John’s five-word response:
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
But a long history of Christian testimony preserves the six-word expression:
“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”
Why?
Is it a traditional expansion influenced by Jesus’ preceding statement? Is it a familiar expression passed down through generations of preaching? Or does it reflect something more concerning the remembered wording of Scripture?
Those questions deserve investigation rather than dismissal.
I’ve personally remembered reading the longer expression from my King James Bible. I also recognize that my recollection, however firmly held, must be distinguished from documentary evidence.
That’s why the search continues.
If you possess an older King James Bible, a dated sermon manuscript, a photograph, or an original recording that directly bears on Revelation 22:20, I welcome the opportunity to examine it.
The goal is not to collect claims. The goal is to recover evidence.
Research presented by Amos8.org, Prophesied Bible Changes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 22:20
Does the King James Bible say “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus”?
The present KJV reads “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” The word “quickly” appears earlier in the same verse, in Jesus’ statement, “Surely I come quickly.”
Where does “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus” come from?
The longer expression appears in historical Christian preaching, sermons, prayers, and modern recordings. Its precise history and relationship to Bible quotations require further investigation.
How many words are in John’s final prayer in Revelation 22:20?
The present KJV response, excluding “Amen,” contains five words: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” The familiar longer expression contains six.
Did Charles Spurgeon say “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus”?
Yes. The longer expression appears in material attributed to Spurgeon’s sermon Enoch, where it is associated with John’s testimony about Christ’s return. The original printed edition should be consulted for full bibliographic documentation.
Is the longer wording proof that the KJV Bible has changed?
No single spoken quotation or remembered expression proves that a printed KJV edition contained different wording. Establishing a historical textual difference requires reliable primary-source evidence.
Why investigate the wording if the meaning is similar?
Because exact wording matters to people who have spent their lives reading, memorizing, and preaching Scripture. Historical claims deserve examination, even when the difference involves only one word.