Category: Bible versions debate

Saved, If Ye Keep in Memory? #1

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1,2 KJV).

Although a stumbling block to many, today’s Scripture is not difficult to understand when we consider the context….

Can our soul salvation unto eternal life be lost? Today’s Scripture is often used to deny the “once saved, always saved” position because it reads: “[we] are saved, if [we] keep in memory what [Paul] preached unto [us], unless [we] have believed in vain.” Does that mean we will go to hell if we forget Paul’s Gospel? What does it mean to “believe in vain?”

Interestingly, the (Roman Catholic) New American Bible reads in 1 Corinthians 15:2: “Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain.” The NIV agrees: “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” These perversions do not make the Bible easier to understand; contrariwise, they intensify the confusion surrounding today’s Scripture. Must we “hold firmly/fast,” lest we lose our salvation, as these modern translations suggest?

Verses 12-17 provide some insight into the meaning of today’s Scripture: “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.”

Let us continue scrutinizing the context to understand today’s Scripture….

Consider Your Ways, Saints! #1

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

“I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:59 KJV).

Oftentimes, the Christian is apathetic to JEHOVAH’S desire to build a temple… using him or her….

The Bible makes it very clear in Ephesians 1:9,10 that God the Father’s overall purpose and plan for creation is to make the heaven and the earth operate in unison in bringing praise and glory to His Son, Jesus Christ. How God will accomplish this plan is summarized in 1 Timothy 2:4: “[God our Saviour] who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Jesus Christ suffered, shed His precious and sinless blood, and died on Calvary’s cruel cross to pay for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), He was buried to put away those sins, and He was raised again the third day to give us a right standing before God (Romans 4:25), proving that He conquered Satan and sin (otherwise, death would have held Him; Acts 2:24; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14). When we trust alone in this finished crosswork of Jesus Christ as the fully-satisfying payment (propitiation) for our sins, we are “saved” from those sins, hell, death, the lake of fire, and Satan’s power (Colossians 1:13).

Howbeit, God’s will involves much more than people receiving salvation from their sins and receiving a place in heaven. He also wants those who do get saved—the Christians—to understand why He saved them and what He will do with them in the ages to come. This spiritual edification and maturity is what the Bible calls “coming to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25).

How disturbing and extremely sad it is to see many Christians with very little to no understanding of God’s will for their lives. Using counterfeit modern “bibles,” being completely engulfed by religious tradition and denominational thinking, and neglecting personal Bible study are the three primary reasons for this dire state of affairs within Christendom.

Before we Christians can have the Lord Jesus Christ’s mindset, we must first learn it ourselves through the study of the rightly divided Scriptures….

Where Was God? #6

Thursday, September 19, 2013

“Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1 KJV).

One of the most common questions ever asked….

When God does not react to situations, especially tragedies, the way people expect Him, He is accused of being “negligent.” They consider how He visibly and directly intervened and rescued people from various dangers in Bible times. Since He does not do this today, people erroneously conclude that He must be unconcerned, that He is judging us for un-confessed sin, et cetera.

This outlook results from a rather simple error—a failure to approach the Bible dispensationally. We are not Israel, so by going to the Bible verses written to and about Israel in an attempt to discover what God is doing today with us, is simply a dangerous—and, quite frankly, satanic—method of handling the Scriptures. To ignore the verses written to us, and to “name and claim” the verses not written to us, is dishonest. We cannot make God do something He is not doing: He is not operating Israel’s program today.

God is not using extra-biblical methods (circumstances, angels, feelings, emotions, “visions,” et cetera) to reveal His will to us—we have God’s complete, written, and authoritative Word, the Holy King James Bible (Ephesians 1:9,10; Ephesians 3:4; 2 Timothy 3:15-17). Specifically, Jesus Christ is speaking to us through Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon, for those 13 Bible books are God’s Word written to and about us Gentiles (Romans 11:13; 1 Corinthians 14:37). Today, God is dispensing grace, not law (Romans 6:14,15). God is currently forming the Church the Body of Christ, not the nation Israel (Ephesians 2:13-22). Today, God is forming a heavenly people, not an earthly people (Ephesians 2:6,7).

In this the Dispensation of Grace, members of the Church the Body of Christ endured bodily sickness and other difficult circumstances (Romans 8:18-25; 2 Corinthians 11:22-30; 2 Corinthians 12:7,8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-7; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20). Rather than God removing those troubles, He gave those Christians strength, hope, and grace to bear them (Romans 8:24,25; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9,10; Philippians 4:11-13). In Christ, we are equipped to endure “all things….”

In the Palm of Thy Hand

Sunday, August 25, 2013

“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128 KJV).

Join the psalmist in esteeming the “precepts” of God preserved for thee in a Book that thou canst hold in the palm of thy hand….

The concept of our Creator God, Jesus Christ, is quite overwhelming. He is such a BIG God concerned about us, such tiny creatures who do everything we can to push Him and His will aside in favor of a “more intelligent” plan. To think that He would even bother to give His Word that was first preserved in heaven (Psalm 119:89) and form it into a book of human language that we could hold in our hands and study and read for ourselves, knowing full well the textual critics and denominationalists would immediately butcher it with their vain translational and hermeneutical methods, that they would greatly “wrest” (twist, corrupt) His Word. They have set themselves up for the day when they will stand before Him and be held accountable for their foolishness!

In today’s Scripture, the psalmist confessed: “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” A “precept” is “a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.” In the verse previous, he declared: “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold” (verse 127). Do we “esteem all [God’s] precepts concerning all things to be right,” or just the parts of Scripture that bolster our denominational system? Do we love God’s Word “above gold, above fine gold?”

Dear readers, may we never take our King James Bible for granted. History testifies to the fact that countless souls died to give us those precious and preserved Words of God. They did not die in vain, so let us not relinquish that golden text in favor of the feeble, tarnished hallucinations of seminarians, Bible skeptics, and others who rely on human wisdom to govern their worldview (the “false way” of today’s Scripture). May we “esteem” the Word in the palm of our hand, and value it in our hearts by believing it! 🙂

333’s 800th – Alive with the Living Word of Christ

Thursday, August 8, 2013

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16 KJV).

Dearly beloved, only by God’s grace, we mark yet another ministry milestone!

The many competing voices and opposing views further complicate an already problem-laden world. Exactly whom are we to believe? Jesus Christ, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, told Satan: “That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4; cf. Matthew 4:4). Our King James Bible says, “but by every word of God”—this is the most important part of the verse, so why is it absent from the modern “bible” versions?!

Just as our physical bodies need nourishment to become physically mature, our spiritual bodies must also have food if we are to become spiritually mature adults. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect [mature], throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

All of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us. It is not simply enough to be scriptural; we must also be dispensational. Our daily studies over the last 800 days were designed to teach you how to approach God’s Word, God’s way, so you can be “godly edified,” strengthened for God’s glory, rather than confused by false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3,4). Saints grounded in God’s Word rightly divided will not be “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14,15).

Our King James Bible has served English-speaking people well for over 400 years—it demonstrates itself to be trustworthy, authoritative, and the perfect words of God. We can entrust our earthly lives—and more importantly, our eternal souls!—to it. Yea, its doctrine gives us life, both now and forever.

Thank you for praying for this ministry endeavor. Lord willing, onward to #900! 🙂

Note: Our latest home Bible study video, “Bible Authority & The Four Revelations of Jesus Christ” (80 minutes), has been uploaded to YouTube. You can watch it here.

What’s the Bible Got to Do With Me? #4

Thursday, May 16, 2013

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8 KJV).

One frequent charge the lost world levels against Christians preaching and teaching the Holy Bible is, “That ‘old’ book has nothing to do with me!” Is this a valid objection?

What is the world’s best-selling book? The Holy Bible. What is the world’s most quoted book? The Holy Bible. What book is the inspiration for hundreds upon hundreds of hymns, thousands upon thousands of songs, and millions upon millions of books? The Holy Bible. So much for an “irrelevant” book!

If there were one book in all of the English literature known for its majesty, its wisdom, its timelessness, its truth, it would undoubtedly be the King James Bible. This is not merely this author’s opinion, but that of literary critics as well. In fact, specifically, the King James Bible has had more impact on the English language than any other book in history. (The modern “bibles,” however, have a literary style comparable to today’s newspapers, whose content is usually poorer than the cost of the paper on which they are printed!)

When the lost world utters phrases such as—“The truth shall make you free,” “The apple of my eye,” “You reap what you sow,” “How are the mighty fallen,” “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” “Turned the world upside down,” “The root of the matter,” “Stand in awe,” “Beat their swords into plowshares,” “From time to time,” “Pour out your heart,” and “Get thee behind me”—they are unwittingly quoting the “old” King James Bible! (Obviously, John 8:32, Deuteronomy 32:10, Galatians 6:7, 2 Samuel 1:19, Leviticus 19:18, Acts 17:6, Job 19:28, Psalm 4:4, Isaiah 2:4, Ezekiel 4:10, Psalm 62:8, and Luke 4:8 are not as “irrelevant” as they would have us to believe.)

Once one considers the huge impact the King James Bible has had on the English language, one question in particular should arise, “How can that 402-year-old Book still be so popular that even its critics obliviously quote its alleged ‘archaic’ phrases?” Surely, it is no ordinary book.

A Creature of Darkness Not in Darkness

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God” (Luke 4:33,34 KJV).

Israel may not recognize her Messiah, but this devil does!

You would think that, after almost 2,000 years, the Church the Body of Christ would know its doctrine, duty, walk, and destiny. Alas, darkness prevails—as if Paul’s epistles were never written! The Body of Christ cannot adequately affect the culture around it for God’s glory because, like the lost world, not even most professing “Christians” know sound Bible doctrine.

Sadly, Satan and his cohorts usually know more about what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing, than His own people. Satan knows God is not dealing with Israel as He did before Paul’s salvation (many Christians still do not understand that). The devil knows that Paul is our apostle (many Christians still do not know that). Satan knows about false “bibles” (many Christians are still oblivious to that). The devil is aware that God is currently administering grace and not law (many Christians still do not understand that). The devil knows we the Church the Body of Christ are not “spiritual Israel” (many Christians do not know that either).

Spiritual ignorance also plagued Israel, as the LORD affirmed: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… thou hast forgotten the law of thy God” (Hosea 4:6). Hundreds of years later, we read in today’s Scripture that while Israel does not recognize Jesus as her Messiah, a fallen angelic spirit of Satan says to Jesus, “I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.” That devil was more aware of God’s program than Israel, God’s earthly people, was!

We who have trusted Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour are “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Hence, let us walk in spiritual light: let us walk by faith in sound Pauline Bible doctrine and not be in darkness….

The Spirit of God and the Word of God #8

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13 KJV).

As today’s Scripture demonstrates, the Spirit of God never operates apart from the Word of God.

Acts 2:4 summarizes the Holy Spirit’s relation to God’s Word: “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The Holy Spirit guided the words of God’s holy apostles and prophets. He not only selected the words they spoke (cf. Matthew 10:19,20, which describes believing Jews in the future Tribulation), but that which they wrote (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21).

Not only did the Holy Spirit speak God’s Word before it was written, He also caused it to be written (inspiration). He not only caused it to be written, but He also preserved those very words so we could read them today (preservation). Not only did He preserve them, He translated them into the world’s languages (translation). Not only did He translate them, He also gives us the ability to understand those words of God when we study them (illumination).

To the person who has not trusted Jesus Christ alone as his or her personal Saviour, the Bible is “foolishness” (1 Corinthians 2:14). If we want to understand the Holy Bible, we need its Author, the Holy Spirit, and He is present within us who have trusted Jesus Christ alone as our personal Saviour.

Without the Holy Spirit, we would neither have nor understand the Holy Bible. Before the written, completed Bible, the Holy Ghost worked via believers with spiritual gifts, to proclaim the Word of God. In due time, the Holy Ghost caused God’s apostles and prophets to write the 66 inspired books of the Bible, the completed revelation of God. Throughout the centuries, the Holy Spirit worked through believers to copy, collate, and translate that written Bible so we could have it today, nearly 2,000 years after its canon was completed.

Dear reader, for this cause, may you never take your King James Bible for granted again! 🙂

*These previous eight devotionals are adapted from two large Bible studies, The Pneuma Hagion, and The Holy Spirit – Person or Force? You are encouraged to read them.

Replacement Terminology Theology #7

Monday, February 11, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—“God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

The modern “bible” versions entirely remove “JEHOVAH” from their texts and insert the less specific “LORD.” They extensively utilize the term “the Christ,” which New Agers apply to someone/something other than God’s Son Jesus. Adding insult to injury, they haphazardly eliminate “Christ,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” and “God” from their texts dozens of times! Little by little, these terms of Deity are being excised from books that claim to be “the Bible.” Consequently, they blur the stark contrasts between the true God and the counterfeits of today’s Scripture. Unfortunately, they do it with such craftiness and inconspicuousness that modern “bible” readers usually never discern the omissions!

While there are many “gods” and “lords” in this pagan world, our King James Bible enables us to avoid worshipping them. It is our lifeline to the true and living God of heaven and earth. As today’s Scripture teaches, faith (trust) in that Holy Bible leads us to conclude, “There is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

The judicious eye can see the spiritual warfare reflected by these studies of “replacement terminology theology.” Satan utilizes Bible terms—especially names of Deity—to actually lead people away from the true God and away from His written Word, the Bible. How clever! No wonder religion has fooled billions in the past and will continue to deceive them indefinitely.

Beloved, our salvation from this widespread spiritual deception is to study and believe our King James Bible rightly divided. Let us not be “tossed to and fro” by “replacement terminology theology.”

Replacement Terminology Theology #3

Thursday, February 7, 2013

“For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6 KJV).

Satan deceptively employs terms that the Bible uses—“God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ”—but he does not always apply them to the same individuals the Bible does. What ingenuity!

According to today’s Scripture, many “gods” and “lords” compete for our worship and devotion. Sinful man, cooperating with Satan’s policy of evil, has misled many Christians and all lost people alike in this regard. Modern English “bibles” are problematic because they change expressions and terms that English-speaking Christians have grown accustomed to for centuries, especially concerning references to Deity.

For instance, by completely removing the sacred name of the God of the Bible—“JEHOVAH”—modern versions deny their readers a critical opportunity to distinguish Him from the pagan deities, who are also called “god” and “lord” (today’s Scripture). This is one of many sly methods whereby Satan and sinful men water down the Bible’s profound truths.

Now, consider this. The King James translators, in the New Testament, usually rendered the Greek Christos as “Christ,” although in 17 instances they added the definite article (“the Christ”). However, for reasons unknown, the modern translators added the definite article over two-dozen more times! To wit, “the Christ” appears in the modern versions twice as much as it appears in the King James.

This change seems petty at first, until we learn that the heretical New Age Movement—begun in the 1970s—teaches everyone can find “the christ” in himself or herself. Its adherents purport that some mystical force/energy/power called “christ” possessed Jesus, and that it can occupy us so we can reach a “higher self.” Essentially, it teaches everyone is a “potential christ.” By replacing “Christ” with “the Christ” in over two-dozen instances, the modern versions—NIV, NASB, NKJV, ESV, et cetera—emphasize a term that heretics use!

But, there is much, much more deception in “replacement terminology theology….”