Category: inspiration of the Bible

The Word of the LORD is Right

Sunday, November 3, 2013

“For the word of the LORD is right, and all his works are done in truth” (Psalm 33:4 KJV).

How honest is God’s Word. How upright are all His works!

Some argue that young children should not read the Bible because of its graphic language. Indeed, the Scriptures provide many detailed accounts of murder, conspiracy, fornication, violence, theft, wrath, adultery, death, lying, war, homosexual behavior, blasphemy, betrayal, and torture. Nevertheless, we cannot and should not blame God for speaking the truth about the human race. Sinful man is at fault: these atrocities and abominations are not part of God’s will for man!

Interestingly, in this day and age, the so-called “graphic language” in the Bible is rated “G” when compared to the graphic language on “highly-acclaimed” television and radio programs, in “bestselling” books, and on the “most popular” websites! Are the people who dislike Bible reading for children decrying these worldly media from polluting those same minds?

Why do people criticize the Bible for using “graphic language” when there are plenty of non-biblical sources of information that portray these activities as something as worthy of acceptance and praise? Dear readers, the fact is, the truth is, the Bible is not pro-man, and man knows it. God’s Word tells the truth about man, but man refuses to hear its testimony against him in order to avoid accountability. Our King James Bible tells it like it is, and it is quite offensive to many (no wonder the modern “bible” [per]versions are so popular!).

The psalmist in today’s Scripture testified that everything that God does is completely fair. Every judgment He pours out is justified, and every decree He issues is right. The Bible, “given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), is equally upright.

God is very honest in His Word, even regarding His servants’ failures. If His Word were a “feel-good” book, then He would be dishonest about us. By documenting man’s failures in His Word, God demonstrates man’s complete inability to save himself, and his need for soul salvation only found in and through Jesus Christ. That too is “right” and “done in truth.” 🙂

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.

Judge Not? #2

Sunday, August 4, 2013

“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1 KJV).

Today’s Scripture, often used against the Bible believer who exposes sin for what it is, is not teaching what it is often assumed to assert.

We will not understand what Jesus Christ meant in today’s Scripture unless we read the context: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. [Because/Explanation/Reason] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast oute the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-5).

By simply reading the verse with its context, the clarity is astonishing! When any dear soul attempts to argue, “Judge not, that ye be not judged,” politely remind them that there are four succeeding verses to quote too. If you happen to have your King James Bible in hand, let him or her read those verses. To what type of “judging” is Jesus referring? According to Jesus, He is talking about a “hypocrite” (verse 5). Certainly, Jesus knew what He meant, did He not?

Before we proceed any further, let us define “judge.” To “judge” means “to form an opinion or conclusion about.” God’s Word, the Holy Bible, enables us Christians to form sound conclusions about various life issues, doctrines, beliefs, practices, and so on. “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Surely, God intended us to “judge,” for His Holy Spirit inspired the words “prove [test, discern, examine] all things” and “hold fast [seize, take, grip] that which is good.” Unless we “judge,” how will we determine what is “good?”

What Jesus Christ was discussing in today’s Scripture is that we should not judge hypocritically….

For All the World to See

Sunday, June 9, 2013

“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves” (Revelation 11:9 KJV).

A century ago, today’s Scripture was enigmatic to Christians. With today’s technology, its meaning is obvious….

At the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation, God will appoint “two witnesses” whose ministry will last “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (verse 3)—that is, 1,260 days, or the first three-and-one-half years of the Tribulation.

Halfway through the Tribulation, the antichrist will kill these two witnesses in Jerusalem (verses 7 and 8). Today’s Scripture and its context elaborate: “And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (verses 10-12).

Instant communication has become increasingly popular in recent years. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, et cetera), cellular phone usage, satellite television, blogs (such as this one!), instant messaging, email, and other “high-tech” innovations have made any place in the world literally just a “click” away. Photos and videos can be shared worldwide in mere seconds… and that applies to “private” information too! Just about anything can be found on the World Wide Web. We have a good idea how the people of the world will see the bodies of the witnesses lie in Jerusalem, and then watch them ascend into heaven.

While today’s Scripture will be fulfilled after our Dispensation of Grace has ended, today’s technology will doubtless play a role. Only God’s Book could be that amazing….

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.

The Spirit of God and the Word of God #6

Sunday, March 24, 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.

Without the Holy Spirit, we would not have the completed Holy Bible.

The doctrine of Bible inspiration is best described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 4:4: “It is written [Deuteronomy 8:3], Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (cf. Luke 4:4).

In Acts 1:16, the Apostle Peter says about the Old Testament Scripture he is quoting, “which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake….” The Apostle Paul, also quoting the Old Testament, says in Acts 28:25, “Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers….” Jesus Christ Himself, when He quoted the Old Testament, commented: “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost…” (Mark 12:36). Our Lord Jesus asked, “Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God…?” (Matthew 22:31).

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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 1:20,21).

Thus, the Bible says of itself in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” Interestingly enough, the root spir in inspiration means “breath, air.” The Greek word translated “inspiration of God” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is theopneustos. The root pneu forms the Greek word pneuma, meaning “spirit, air.” Pneuma is paired with hagion (“holy”), thus becoming pneuma hagion, translated as “Holy Spirit” or “Holy Ghost.” When we say the Holy Bible is “inspired of God,” did you know we are actually emphasizing the Person (the Holy Ghost) who gave it to us? Wow!

But, the Holy Spirit also plays a role in preserving those inspired words of God, so we could have them and understand them today….

Bethlehem of Judaea

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

“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” (Micah 5:2 KJV).

Today’s Scripture, written about 700 B.C., prophesies the exact birthplace of Israel’s Messiah.

Notice the Bible is very specific: “Bethlehem Ephratah” pinpoints the Bethlehem in southern Israel (there was another Bethlehem, in Galilee, northern Israel). Bethlehem of Judaea, as today’s Scripture teaches, is “little among the thousands of Judah” (a little-known village).

The Bible tells us that Bethlehem Ephratah was the birthplace of King David (1 Samuel 16:1-18). John 7:42 reads: “Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” Jesus Christ will inherit His father David’s throne, and David is a type/preview/shadow of Christ (Isaiah 9:6,7; Luke 1:31-33). Thus, they share Bethlehem Ephratah as their birthplace (cf. Luke 2:4).

“Bethlehem” is an interesting term. Jesus Christ likened Himself to the manna of the Old Testament. He claimed, “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…. I am that bread of life: I am the bread which came down from heaven…. I am that bread of life” (John 6:33,35,41,48). Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1,5,6): “Bethlehem” is Hebrew for “house of bread.” Thus, the “Bread of Life,” Jesus Christ, was born in the “House of Bread,” Bethlehem. Fascinating!

Furthermore, Joseph (Jesus’ legal father) lived in Nazareth. When Roman emperor Caesar Augustus sent out a decree for taxing the people of the empire (conducting a census), Joseph had to leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem of Judaea, taking pregnant Mary with him (Luke 2:1-5). Christ was born there in Bethlehem. Some 700 years beforehand, the Bible knew Joseph and Mary would not be in Nazareth for Christ’s birth, but in Bethlehem, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of today’s Scripture. Amazing!

These are evidences that the Bible is a supernatural Book—indeed, it is God’s Book.

Inexpensive Yet Priceless

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

“I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil” (Psalm 119:162 KJV).

For little to no cost, we can obtain the priceless Word of God.

Recently, I was browsing through a store, and I found King James Bibles (Old and New Testaments) for only US$1! In fact, I have seen them sold for a fraction of even that meager price! I could not help but tell myself, “Millions of dollars are wasted each year on worthless books. Imagine how many of these King James Bibles that revenue could buy!” (King James Bibles are even distributed for free.)

There are many books in the world, but only one is truly priceless, of immeasurable value. God’s Word, the Holy Bible, is the Creator’s mind on the printed page: “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Why is the Bible priceless? “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8,9).

The Holy Bible is truly priceless because it alone contains the precious words of God. All other books are written by men, whose minds are finite and whose hearts are flawed (with sin). Contrariwise, the prophet Isaiah reminded Israel that our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, thinks on an entirely different plane than we do—a plane that exceeds ours! Just as we struggle to comprehend the height of “the heavens” (outer space) above earth, we attempt to fathom the methods and manners (“ways”) of God and the “thoughts” of God.

In today’s Scripture, the psalmist confessed that he “rejoiced at [God’s] word, as one that findeth great spoil [treasure].” The psalmist understood, as we (hopefully) do, that God’s Word is to be rejoiced over, that it should be delighted in, and the object of our joy. When we consider Who inspired and wrote it, and how He preserved it through time so we could study it today in this devotional, we join the psalmist in declaring, “I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.” 🙂

God Has Already Spoken to Us

Sunday, August 5, 2012

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 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 1:19-21 KJV).

Does God communicate with us through hunches, feelings, emotions, visions, dreams, and “soft, still” voices in our heads? These are subjective: they are tentative because they vary amongst individuals. We need an objective standard, something trustworthy and unchanging—God’s written Word, the Holy Bible.

God did communicate with man via theophanies (God appeared in a physical body and spoke to people; Genesis 3:8,9; Genesis 18:1; et al.). Through angels, visions/dreams, supernatural spiritual gifts, and prophets, He relayed His messages to people (Daniel 9:22,23; Matthew 1:20-24; Acts 10:3; 2 Corinthians 12:1; et al.). But, according to 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, these temporary things—partial wisdom and partial knowledge—were done away when complete wisdom and complete knowledge were brought in.

When was complete wisdom and complete knowledge brought in? As soon as God’s written Word was completed (nearly 2000 years ago), God’s will was fully revealed to man. In the King James Bible’s 66 books we know everything that God wants us to know. Visions, apparitions, “prophetic words” from a preacher’s lips, and angelic appearances are not God’s methods of communication with us.

In the context of today’s Scripture (verses 16-18) the Apostle Peter recounts the time on the Mount of Transfiguration when he, James, and John saw Jesus Christ in His glorified form (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). But Peter says we have “a more sure word of prophecy.” The Bible is more reliable than experiences we can see with our physical eyes.

We have God’s revealed and written Word preserved in English in the King James Bible. The Bible is the Final Authority, not religious tradition or a preacher’s hunches.

The Mind That Ought Not Be Wasted

Monday, July 23, 2012

“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV).

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially if it is the mind of the Lord!

Mankind is inherently spiritually dead, unable to communicate with God and completely oblivious to God’s Word. Our world wallows in deep ignorance regarding the things of God, and all too often this (unfortunately) applies even to Christians. What makes this most pitiful? It does not have to be that way!! God has already intervened in human history and He has revealed Himself and His plan for the heaven and earth by means of a Book, His Book, the Holy Bible, a Book that He preserved down through the ages. Today, we can hold in our hands and study for ourselves the preserved Word of God, the Authorized King James Bible.

In the context of today’s Scripture, the poor Corinthian believers had ignored the doctrine God gave them through the Apostle Paul, preferring rather to piddle about in spiritual ignorance with vain human philosophy (as documented in 1 Corinthians chapters 1-3). Oh, what a pity!! What a pity indeed, but again, this happens all too often in Christendom today! Most discard God’s mind—God’s wisdom, the Holy Bible—and substitute it with religious tradition, their own beliefs, and everything else but sound Bible doctrine. They too literally waste the mind of God.

How does God “instruct [us]?” Today’s Scripture declares that if we want to know God’s instructions regarding life and how to handle its issues, we MUST consult God’s Word (especially Paul’s epistles Romans through Philemon, which God wrote specifically to us Gentiles in the Dispensation of Grace). “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, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Beloved, let us not waste the mind of God. Study and believe it rightly divided, and it will work mightily in you for God’s glory (1 Thessalonians 2:13).