Category: Bible versions debate

The Virgin Conception of Christ

Friday, December 18, 2015

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14 KJV).

While Christendom speaks of the “virgin birth of Christ,” according to today’s Scripture, a more accurate term would be the “virgin conception of Christ.” There was nothing unusual about Christ’s birth; it was His conception that was unique because there was no human father!

Interestingly, today’s Scripture has been the point of controversy for over a century (to Satan’s delight!). Some modern Bibles (RSV, NRSV, et al.) translate the Hebrew word here translated “virgin” as the vague “young woman,” thereby leaving room for the heretical idea that Joseph was Jesus’ biological father (and denying Christ’s deity)! If someone ever tells you almah (the Hebrew word translated “virgin”) can mean “young woman” or “virgin,” they are right, but point out that the key to choosing the right translation is not up to a translator, but rather the Holy Ghost!

The author of Matthew’s Gospel, filled with the Holy Ghost, knew which translation—“young woman” or “virgin”—was what God had intended in Isaiah 7:14. If we want to know what God meant in Isaiah 7:14, why not ask God?

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Behold a virgin shall be with child…” (Matthew 1:22,23a). The Greek word translated “virgin,” parthenos, can only mean “virgin,” not “young woman.” Isaiah was prophesying a virgin, indicated by the words “firstborn son” (Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:7) and “Joseph knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son” (Matthew 1:25). Isaiah 7:14 meant “virgin,” as indicated by Luke 1:34, for Mary “knew not a man.” Again, the Bible is clear that Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father.

Matthew 1:23 indisputably proves that almah in Isaiah 7:14 did not simply mean a “young woman,” who may or may not be sexually pure, but “a virgin,” a woman who never had any sexual intercourse. The Holy Ghost, not Joseph, was the Father of Jesus’ body (Matthew 1:18-20).

For more information, see our archived Bible Q&A: “What is the real Immaculate Conception?”

While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks #1

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:8-10 KJV).

The first and second verses of the classic Christmas carol paraphrase today’s Scripture.

“While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground,
The angel of the Lord came down,
And glory shone around
And glory shone around.
‘Fear not,’ said he, for mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds;
‘Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind
To you and all mankind.’”

Due to the decree of some pagan Roman emperor, Joseph and pregnant Mary traveled some 70 miles (113 kilometers), from Nazareth to Bethlehem-Judah (Luke 2:1-7)! There, in little Bethlehem—a humble town rather than a magnificent world city—Israel’s King, yea the King of kings and Lord of lords, was born. Micah 5:2, written some 700 years earlier, was perfectly fulfilled: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Note that our King James Bible says Jesus Christ is “from everlasting,” demonstrating His deity. Modern versions water this down, saying “from ancient times/days.” Blasphemy!)

Not far from where Jesus was born and laid in the manger, shepherds were out that night guarding their flocks. (See, contrary to popular belief, Jesus was not born in wintertime. There is additional Scriptural evidence that it was early fall, very late September or very early October.) The angel of the Lord appeared to these shepherds. Angels appearing to Israel was usually some sign of judgment (see 2 Samuel 24:15-17, for example). When the shepherds of today’s Scripture saw the angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, they were very fearful.

The angel reassured them with such wonderful news!

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #3

Saturday, December 5, 2015

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-8 KJV).

The third verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them spiritual birth.
Risen with healing in His wings,
Light and life to all He brings,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!”

Jesus Christ was literally the perfect example of living in fellowship with Father God. He did not make Himself the issue but rather glorified His Father who had sent Him. Yea, He said to His Father, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). What was Father God’s will? Check Hebrews 10:1-10. It was for Jesus to become a human that that human body die on that awful cross for our sins!

As our King James Bible says, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Modern versions so butcher this passage, saying Jesus Christ “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing.” Blasphemy!)

The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). That man may die and live through Him, Jesus Christ died. That man may die and live through Him, Jesus Christ resurrected. There is no greater name than the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:10)! Friends, let us join the angels in praising Him!

The Bible Critic and the Discerning Bible

Sunday, November 1, 2015

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 KJV).

Dost thou dare stand in judgment of the B-I-B-L-E? Be careful, mortal man, for it is the Judge of thee!

The God of the Bible is truly gracious. For nearly 2,000 years, He has let sinful man tamper with His Holy Word, omit His holy words from it, water down His incriminating remarks, and He has still been willing to forgive them for it. The “intellectuals” persistently boast they have found “errors” in it. The “textual critics” constantly reassure us they have “fixed” the Holy Ghost’s mistakes to the best of their (fallible) ability. The Bible “scholars” incessantly produce a more “understandable,” more “scholarly” version. (Ha! Luke 10:21 is brutal, Greek or English!)

Today’s Scripture says that God’s Word is no ordinary Book. It is “quick” (Greek, zao, “living and life-giving”) and “powerful” (Greek, energos). It is also “sharper than any twoedged sword.” Bypassing (superficial) flesh and blood, it penetrates the very soul (heart) and spirit (mind) of every person who reads or hears it. As a dear friend says, “The Bible is the only Book in the world that will read you when you read it!”

We also learn in today’s Scripture that the Holy Bible is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” That word “discerner” is kritikos (“critical”), from the word kritos translated “judge” (see Matthew 5:25; Matthew 12:27; Luke 11:19; Luke 12:58; Luke 18:2; Luke 18:6; Acts 10:42; Acts 13:20; Acts 18:15; Acts 24:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:23; James 2:4; James 4:11; James 5:9). The Bible is the “critic” of us all. How dare we think that God’s eternal Word is subject to we who have assorted letters following our names and pieces of paper hanging on our walls!

Beware the Lord Jesus Christ’s words: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What about those ‘strange distractions’ when we witness to others?”

Satan and Dispensationalism #25

Friday, October 30, 2015

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” (Colossians 1:25,26 KJV).

Dispensational Bible Study enables us to see and appreciate the final revelation from God. Satan is thus utterly embarrassed!

It is written down forever in the eternal Word of God. Looks were indeed deceiving at Calvary. Satan, appearing victorious, actually participated in his own defeat! Beloved, the preaching of the cross is that God outsmarted Satan. Jesus Christ’s shed blood can deliver sinners—even wretched, uncircumcised Gentiles such as ourselves—from Satan’s domain!

“[12] Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: [13] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: [14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

That God would take Jews and Gentiles who would simply trust His Son’s finished crosswork, and form one new man, the Church the Body of Christ—completely unheard of in the Old Testament! Even Satan could not and did not figure it out. It was not revealed to Satan, his fallen angels, God’s elect angels, and man until God saved miserable Saul of Tarsus and commissioned him as the Apostle Paul. As God’s apostle of the Gentiles, Paul had a special role. He was given the privilege to finish God’s Word (today’s Scripture).

Through the Pauline epistles, Romans through Philemon, God has made known unto us “the mystery of his will” (Ephesians 1:9). God had a secret will, friends. Now that God has revealed His secret through Paul’s writings, Satan has an active campaign to keep it hidden. Dispensational Bible Study is watered down, slandered, and ignored by the religious crowd and the modern English versions, that Satan not be exposed as foolish. Let us not be foolish. Lest we miss God’s latest (and final) revelation, may we recognize and hold fast to by faith the Dispensation of Grace given to us by Jesus Christ through the Apostle Paul.

-FINIS!- 🙂

Thy Eternal Word of Truth

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160 KJV).

The Bible critics can whine and complain, “Never!,” but today’s Scripture says God’s Word will last forever.

Recently, National Geographic published the book, “100 Events That Changed the World.” Listed in chronological order, they started with “man discovers the use of fire” and ended with “the Nobel Peace Prize awarded for youth advocacy.” (Should not number 1 have been how the world and man came to be?!) The list included: the birth of agriculture, construction of the pyramids of Egypt, establishment of the United Nations, founding of Islam, invention of the telephone, Elvis declared king of rock-and-roll, the two World Wars, the Code of Hammurabi, Moses and the Torah, Watson and Crick’s discovery of the DNA helix, Mao Zedong and communism, United States President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and the Space Race.

Traveling up through history, number 19 on the list was Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry and the foundation of Christianity, the Protestant Reformation was number 38, and number 46 was “the Bible gets a new translation.” There, it was a little article about one King James of England and a book called the Authorized Version. Yes, my friends, believe it! While some “Bible-believing Christians” (?) would object, unsaved people rightly concluded our King James Bible was so important in world history that it belonged on that list. The NIV, the NKJV, the ESV, the NASB, the Voice, the NLT—all popular “bibles” today—did not make one appearance in that book! They do not have God’s blessing. They will never, ever have it. They will never, ever impact the world as much as God’s preserved Word and words in English.

Friends, God’s Word is truth, and it will surely endure forever. We as English-speaking people have it in the form of our King James Bible. In this world of itching ears, we do not consult modern Bible scholarship for spiritual insight. We look to the Book that God Himself has used for over 400 years to impact the entire world. Holding that blessed old Book up high, we uphold the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! 🙂

Cracknels

Thursday, July 30, 2015

“And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child” (1 Kings 14:3 KJV).

Just what in the world are “cracknels?”

As you know, our King James Bible is belittled for its “archaic language.” Modern Bible translators and publishers, greatly endeavoring to recommend and $ell their product, remind us that our “old” King James is “irrelevant,” “obsolete,” and “hard-to-understand.” If we really want to learn what God has to say, they claim we need an “updated” Bible. If we want a “richer” Word of God, we must appeal to them with their “advanced” scholarship and “new” manuscript readings. The rank and file Bible reader (consumer) repeats these “scholarly words of wisdom,” and discourages other Christians from using the “old-fashioned” King James Bible. Yes, Christians launch an attack against the Bible!!!

The English language is a very rich pool of words, but, unfortunately, our vocabulary has become very limited in recent decades. There are countless words today that we English speakers no longer use. Elegant speech and majestic writing is largely “archaic.” People want to “dumb down” the Bible, having it speak the “language of the street.” Such mentality popularizes and $ells “contemporary Bible paraphrases.”

What does “cracknels” mean? We do not need a Hebrew dictionary or Bible commentary, which would probably contain the anti-KJV comment, “‘Cracknels’ is a poor translation!” Firstly, we can use some context clues. “Cracknels” is used in conjunction with “ten loaves [of bread]” and “a cruse of honey.” Perhaps “cracknels” are a grain-related food item? Secondly, we can find a decent English dictionary—for example, The Oxford English Dictionary or Webster’s 1828 English Dictionary—and… horror of horrors!!!!… learn a new word. “Cracknel” is “a light, crisp, savory biscuit.” It can also be “small pieces of crackling.” Incidentally, here in southern Louisiana, we Cajuns are known for “cracklins,” or fried pork skins.

When teaching the King James Bible, one does not need to remove the “archaic” words (that generates doubt concerning the Bible text). He should leave the archaic words in the text and then define the word for his students. Fellow Bible teachers, that is how we expand our vocabulary and generate faith in the Bible!

Our 175th Bible Q&A: “Is Acts 16:31 a sufficient Gospel message?”

Ancient False Witnesses and Modern-Day Doubters

Monday, July 20, 2015

“Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,…” (Matthew 26:59,60 KJV).

As two false witnesses challenged the living Word of God, so two false manuscript witnesses attack the written Word of God!

The following question was asked on “Christian” television: “I’m afraid to believe what the Bible says because of all the changes that people have made to it over the years. Is it really God’s Word? The Bible says, ‘Blessed are those who believe and don’t see,’ but what if that’s not even true? … How can I strengthen my faith to believe in God’s Word?” [How to strengthen your faith in God’s Word? Doubt the “Bible scholars” and believe your King James Bible!]

Unlike most church leaders, the preacher answering the question admitted that there are differences in Bible translations because there are varying readings in Bible manuscripts. Yet, like most church leaders, he encouraged the questioner to use various Bible study tools, to track those translation changes, and then “make her own judgment.” Imagine! He said she could decide what words and verses were inspired of God and which were not. Reminiscent of cults, she could be her own authority. If she did not believe a certain part of the Bible was “really Scripture,” she had the preacher’s permission to omit it!

When lost people—those who lack the indwelling Holy Spirit—dictate to us Christians how to handle Bible manuscripts, and to embrace two error-filled Roman Catholic manuscripts (Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus) as having closer readings to the original autographs, we adopt a lost person’s mindset about the Bible. This poor lady doubted her Bible because people who doubted the Bible taught her. Her questioning the Bible as God’s Word demonstrates that Satan has extensively damaged her soul. The on-air preacher who provided little helpful insight into the matter, many like him lead our churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries the world over. No wonder no one believes the Bible! They are encouraged not to! Beware, dear friends, of “unbelieving Bible scholarship!”

Knowing the Holy Bible

Monday, July 13, 2015

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21 KJV).

Yea, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2:1).

A “grace” Bible teacher once told me that the Holy Spirit had taught him through 26 different Bible versions! (Just like the Holy Spirit uses 4,200 world religions and 43,000 denominations to teach people, no?!) It is insanity, dear friend, utter insanity! Such is the place to which “Bible scholarship” leads! (Matthew 15:14)

Most people spend their whole lives searching for God’s will. They look in their circumstances, they follow scholarship and teaching bodies in religion, they pray, asking for or seeking any divine enlightenment. Yes, they may and often do mean well, but they are looking in all the wrong places. That includes false Bible versions, false Bible teachers, false prophets, et cetera.

Everything that God ever wants us to know, He wrote it down in a Book and preserved it through history so that we could have it today in our language. What was once written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, is now available to much of the world in English. It is the Authorized Version, or the King James Bible. Just as Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, had enemies, so the written Word of God has counterfeits. Many people actively seek to pervert God’s precious Word: “many corrupt the word of God” (2 Corinthians 2:17). Paul mentioned a counterfeit Bible manuscript with his signature forged on it in 2 Thessalonians 2:2. How much more counterfeits 2,000 years later!

Thankfully, God has preserved His written Word through a multiplicity of copies. Most Bible manuscripts support the readings in the King James Bible and do not support modern English versions. It is not about archaic English or contemporary English. What matters are the manuscripts translated—Roman Catholic text (modern versions) or the Protestant text (King James Bible)? In eternity, we shall find out just how serious the Bible versions issue is!

You may click here for more information about Bible versions: https://333wordsofgrace.wordpress.com/bible-timeline-other-study-aids/.

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Were there five crosses on Calvary’s hill?”

If Thou Be

Thursday, June 4, 2015

“Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Matthew 4:5,6 KJV).

If Satan knew Jesus was God, why did Satan question Him, “If thou be the Son of God…?”

The very first words out of Satan’s lips recorded in Scripture are documented forever in Genesis 3:1: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” What did Satan attack first and foremost? It was God’s Word! Satan questioned God’s Word, causing Eve to doubt it. Interestingly, people have been doing that ever since as well, ever trying to “reconstruct” the “original Bible” with all their perverted manuscripts, “‘older’ and ‘better’ variant readings,” and copyrighted modern English versions. After over a century of attempts, they still have not gotten it right. Until the Lord comes and destroys them all, they will fabricate, market, and $ell many new English Bible translations!

In today’s Scripture, we see Satan “up to his old tricks.” The Devil is tempting Jesus Christ, desperately trying to cause Jesus to doubt that He is the Son of God. “If thou be the Son of God….” Days earlier, God the Father from heaven had declared at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Satan, knowing what God the Father said, wanted Jesus to forget those precious divine words (as with poor Eve). The Devil knew he could destroy Jesus Christ once He had divorced His mind from Father God’s Word to Him. Without cognizance of His identity, Jesus was sure to fail, and Satan would win. Praise God that Jesus replied to Satan, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). In other words, “Satan, I am the Lord! I am the Son of God! You do not deceive Me!” (Above all, Jesus Christ triumphed where Eve failed millennia earlier!)