Part I
Watering Down The Word Of God: The methods of how the Bibles arrived
The word of God has been magnified above the Lord’s name. See Psalm 138:2.
“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
Ask yourself, if God has magnified His word above His name do you think God would preserve His word?
Defending the word of God is important. I hope that I can show you why it matters. And that there is, indeed, a continue attack on the word of God and it’s authority.
For centuries the KJB was used and some of the greatest revivals were happening. The fruit that is from KJB is undeniable. In fact, if you go back 35 years, most people didn’t even know about other versions to use because the KJB was the one used. It wasn’t an issue. Now, ask yourself if you think the church, as a whole, is in better shape today than 35 years ago?
I would say no, the modern day church is what 2 Timothy 3:5 describes as “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
There are multitudes that “look” to have a “form of godliness.” But it’s not.
What has happened? Why have the revivals that happened in times past not happening now? Has the church started falling away?
Yes. It has. And it’s because the word of God is not honored like it once was.
Having a stance to being KJB only is not just for argument sake. It is to help show how the modern day church is “falling away” and by watering down the word of God is only a portion of what is happening with the modern day churches. The music is the other huge part of this equation. The music “covers” up the version of the bible issue, because we CANNOT be without our music. Everyone can agree on music, right? Which outside of the word of God, music is the MOST powerful thing to man. And music is ALWAYS associated with worshipping in the bible, both to God and to other gods, which I will address in the next post.
Below are two methods of how the bibles we get come from for today. Only one bible is from the first way and ALL the rest are from the other. I’ll let you make your own conclusion on why that is that way.
The first method:
Preserved Lineage/collection of Scriptures (the King James Bible comes from this)
The Masoretic Text
The Old Testament preserved primarily in the Masoretic, or Aramaic
traditional Hebrew text (300 B.C.)
Peter, Paul, James, John, and their New Testament writings. Textus
Receptus AKA Majority Text or Byzantine text from Antioch Christians(30 to 90 AD)
Koine, or papyrus sheets, or original MS
The Syrian MS of Asia Minor (100 to 200 AD)
The old Latin and Old Syriac of the Originals (100 to 200 AD)
The Papyrus readings of the Receptus (150 to 400 AD)
The Uncial readings of the Receptus (Codices) (500 to 1500 AD)
The Gothic Bible of Ulfilas (310 AD)
The Latin Bible of the Waldensians (1100 to 1300 AD)
The Latin Bible of the Albigenses (1300 to 1500 AD)
The Latin Bible of the Lollards (1382 to 1550 AD)
Martin Luther’s German Bible (1522 to 1534 AD)
The Russian, French, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian, Swiss,
Swedish, Czech, Rumanian, and Austrian Bibles that came from Luther’s
Bible (1540 to 1900 AD)
Wycliffe (1382 AD)
Tyndale (1525 AD)
Erasmus (1522 AD)
Coverdale (1535 AD)
Matthews (1537 AD)
The Receptus of (1516 AD)
Beza’s Receptus (1565 AD)
Stephanus’ Receptus (1550 AD)
Colinaeus’ Receptus (1550 AD)
Elzivirs’ Receptus (1624 AD)
The King James Authorized Bible (1611 AD)
The second way:
Lineage/collection of Corruption Scriptures
The Apocrypha (300-400 B.C.)
Philo (20 B.C. TO 50 AD)
Clement of Alexandria (150 to 215 AD)
Origen of Alexandria (184 to 245 AD)
Eusebius of Caesarea (260 to 340 AD)
(Including the mythological Septuagint LXX)
Vaticanus B (331 AD)
Sinaiticus (Codes Aleph) (331 AD)
Jerome (382 AD)
Alexandrinus (450 AD) (Codes A)
Codex Ephraem (450 AD)
Latin Vulgate (1592 AD)
Brian Walton (1657 AD)
John Mill (1707 AD)
Griesbach (1774 AD)
Carl Lachmann (1842 AD)
Tregelles (1857 AD)
Tischendorf (1870 AD)
Alford (1861 and 1872 AD)
Westcott and Hort (1881 AD)
Eberhard Nestle (1898 AD)
This collection is where ALL modern bible versions come from and this approach is called Textual Criticism, which is taught throughout modern day colleges; which in turn, those pastors/teachers/preachers teach their churches this approach. Thus, that is why many many people are confused as why this is even a problem. I can almost guarantee you if you are a any version pastor, you were taught textual criticism approach and sadly you were deceived.
Keep in mind that just because someone finds a diamond in a trash can does not mean that trash can is a jewelry store. The same concept applies to the modern bible versions. One can get saved from them and there are good parts, but it is the subtle twisting here and there that is corrupt and leading down the wrong path. Also, be willing to search this out for yourself. I can almost guarantee that defenders of any version of the bible is ok come from from this method. After reviewing this information, consider if you might have been lead astray. Chances are you have, and you didn’t realize it.
From the two collections of manuscripts above, notice the origins as to where they are from. You have two very DISTINCT places. NT is from Antioch and the other is Alexandria. The correct one is from Antioch. The corrupt one is from Alexandria (which ALL, that’s ALL modern translations come from and this method was promoted by the Catholic church…red alert!). Why is that important, you might be asking. Well, one is where Christians are first called, that is Antioch (Acts 11:26). And the other is Alexandria which is in Egypt. You know what Egypt is in the bible? Egypt is picture, a type, if you will, of the world throughout the word of God. Being a Christian, there is liberty in Christ. Being in the world, there is bondage in Egypt (the world).
Don’t you find that interesting about these origins? Do you think that is just made up? No, it is not and it is not my opinion on this matter. It is how these translations came about. It is fact.
Unfortunately, the Alexandria source teaches what is called scholarship textual criticism, which basically says they are “correcting” the bible over the years as they “find” “older” or “better” manuscripts. You know, the KJB is OLD and should not be used any more, they claim. There are “better” and we will show it. Really? And textual criticism is taught in LOTS of Christian colleges today. Just that phrase, textual criticism, should warn you of it’s danger. They are critical of the text, not translating. They choose what THEY think is best, which in many cases omit words that subtly diminish the word of God’s deity.
But what they are doing is not really correcting, they are confusing the correct methods of the correct translations of the word of God. There is always an opposite of what God intends for good. There is the right way and then there is the wrong way. Sadly, many well meaning, even people with sincere hearts, that have given in to the textual critism method in regards to the word of God. They have attended Christian colleges only to be taught that the KJB is “bad” and these textual critism ways are “good.” Don’t believe me on that? Ask a pastor that teaches any version will do if they were not, indeed, taught, the scholarship movement. Also, while you are at it, ask them if they believe that God has preserved His word for us today? It may surprise you when they say, “no we don’t have the preserved word of God today.” They try to skirt around this by saying, “we have the gist of what God means” or “the idea of what God intends is in the versions we have today” or “we have the Holy Spirit to lead us” or change the subject to say, “…what if all the bibles were burned leaving no word of God, what would you do” or “…the early Church didn’t have the word of God, but they had the Holy Spirit to lead them.” Always thinking of ways to direct the conversation to something else than answer the question whether or not do we have the word of God for us today?
The modern versions of the Bible use dynamic equivalency, also called concept inspiration in their translations. Dynamic Equivalence is not following a word for word translation but changing, adding, or subtracting from the original or copies to make it flow as the translator sees fit. We are warned against this in the Bible (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:19). The following examples which include the NIV, NASV, TEV, Living Bible, RSV, NEB NRSV, NKJV, JB And including the NWT are type of a this version.* This type approach is exactly what 2 Timothy 3:7 describes as, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” They are always trying to perfect the word of God not realizing the word of God is already perfected. They never are able to realize the truth of this fact.
The KJB receives the most back-handed compliments I have any heard. Many pastors say, “the KJB is a good translation…but…” or “…first I want to say the KJB is not a bad translation….but…” or “…I am not attacking the KJB….but…”
It is always “…but….” never this is the word of God.
Don’t you see it? The attack on the word of God is not a full out assault on it. No, it is the subtle methods of casting doubt on what is the true word of God. This is the SAME thing the serpent did in Genesis 3. The serpent just cast doubt on what God said. And this approach has never ceased and will not cease until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back.
Yes. Having the true word of God is important today and it is worth defending.
We either have the word of God. Or we don’t.
Don’t you see that when people say this version is better than this one, they are casting doubt that there is a translation that can be trusted. All the while, they say, “I use the KJB but I prefer [whatever] version…” which only makes them the authority on what is best. When did you become the authority on what is best?
God made the KJB the authority for us today by the methods I posted above.
We don’t live in the early Christian days, we don’t live in the OT, we live in this AGE. And we don’t need any “better” translations or “corrections” about the word of God.
In this AGE we have the word of God in the KJB. There is power in it’s authority. And if you want to use feelings, one can feel the power when someone preaches from the KJB.
Can’t you see this?
If you have 25 minutes and you really want the truth, watch this video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZs9PegP1YA
It will explain what I’m talking about in this post. It may surprise you that new versions of the bible came from manuscripts found in a garbage can. A GARBAGE CAN. That is fact. Watch the video. Not opinion.
Contrary to popular belief, KJB people are not weird. Or cultist. No. We just want the truth of how the word of God came about.
My plead to people, pastors especially, please stop trying to “correct” the KJB or think you find “errors” in the KJB. And just accept that the KJB is the WORD OF GOD. And the way it is presented in the KJB is what God wanted for us TODAY.
This could be life changing for someone reading this. If you change your mind about what I’ve presented, I will not be “I told you so” attitude because it is easy to be deceived. However, I will still proclaim the KJB authenticity.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series. Music. If this topic didn’t anger people, the next will, because music is the most psychological and emotional influencer known to man outside the very word of God.
My questions for you are:
Do we have the word of God preserved for us today?
If we don’t, what makes you think what you believe is truth?
How do you know?
Take care,
-Brent
*used someone else definition to convey my point.
