Category: King James Bible Authority

A Whale of a Tale? #3

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

To fathom Jonah’s supernatural adventure, we must start in Jonah chapter 1: “[1] Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, [2] Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. [3] But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish [Spain?] from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

“[4] But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. [5] Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares [cargo] that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. [6] So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. [7] And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.”

Jonah was a real character, a literal man, who lived around 900 B.C. He is also in 2 Kings 14:25—another historical context. Jonah was a prophet, talking as the LORD God gave him utterance. Yet, when God commissioned him to speak His words to distant Nineveh (a Gentile capital city), Jewish Jonah boarded a ship and went the opposite direction! The LORD responded with a sea storm, and Jonah’s shipmates have now exposed him as a wrongdoer….

A Whale of a Tale? #2

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

Today’s Scripture in context: “[38] Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. [39] But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: [40] For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” (Note: “Jonas” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Jonah.”)

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:4). “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation…. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here” (Luke 11:29,30,32).

The Lord Jesus Christ clearly believed Jonah was an historical character who actually spent time in a whale’s belly before subsequently preaching in the historical Assyrian capital of Nineveh. He affirmed Jonah’s experience was literal—just as factual as what occurred when Jesus Himself was dead three days and three nights. If the Book of Jonah is doubtful, we have no reason to trust Jesus either! Indeed, Jonah is not make-believe, legend, myth, or parable….

A Whale of a Tale? #1

Monday, November 6, 2023

“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40 KJV).

Let us consider one of the most misunderstood and most ridiculed accounts presented in the Holy Bible….

From time immemorial, the Prophet Jonah has been a favorite target of Bible critics. This mockery comes in a variety of forms, but the two chief complaints can be summarized as follows. Firstly, “A man living in a whale’s belly is preposterous!” Secondly, “The Bible calls it both a ‘fish’ and a ‘whale’ but we all know they are two biologically distinct animals!” These are weighty and thought-provoking comments indeed, but should we believers in Christ fear such criticisms? Does the Bible offer meaningful answers that we can then provide to those who are sincerely interested in acquiring understanding?

Since we, the professing church, have spent more time dawdling in trivial matters, we neither know what we believe nor why we believe it. Is it any wonder those “outside the church” cannot help but scoff at the idea of ever becoming a Christian and/or actually trusting anything the Holy Scriptures teach? If they who profess to “believe the Bible” have failed to master its doctrines, if they who proclaim to be “Bible believers” are usually among the ranks of its detractors, if they who assert they “love the Bible” really think so poorly of it, who without the Bible would dare to care for it, love it, and uphold it?

Dear saints, in order to drive the Bible ignorance far hence (and ensure it stays there!), we must endeavor to become skillful in the Good Book we allegedly follow. We will have to either do some Bible study to get a clear picture of what is going on, or just throw out the Scriptures entirely and never consult them again (proving we never actually believed them anyway!). Let us do the former—take today’s Scripture as well as the Book of Jonah—and see if we can piece together a coherent narrative as to what happened to Jonah all those centuries ago….

Saints, please remember this work of the ministry requires monthly financial support to operate (Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Those who prefer electronic giving can donate securely here: https://www.paypal.me/ShawnBrasseaux. Anyone who wishes to donate by regular mail can visit https://333wordsofgrace.org/contact-us-mailing-address-for-donations/ for details. Thanks to all who give to and pray for us! Unfortunately, since our ministry audience is so large and our ministry staff is so small, I can no longer personally respond to everyone. Thanks so much for understanding in this regard. 🙂

Arrayed in Hypocrisy

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:27,28 KJV).

“Looks can be deceiving” is not only true during Halloweentime, but confirmed year-round within Christendom.

Today is Halloween, when children dress up and feign themselves to be creatures they are not. Likewise, many church leaders today wear “Christian” garbs, but their ministries do not bring the Lord Jesus Christ glory and honor. They promote their denomination, and seek to perpetuate it, rather than serve and exalt the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The Bible manifests these who appear to be good, as “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

In today’s Scripture, Jesus Christ exposed Israel’s corrupt religious leaders who misled the nation in His day. In His Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30,37-43, Christ explained how just as He had sown good seed (wheat, believing Jews) in Israel, Satan had also sown tares/weeds (unbelieving Jews). Tares resemble wheat; unbelieving Jews resemble believing Jews. The unbelieving Pharisees and scribes, for instance, looked like God’s people (believing Israel). Judas Iscariot was another example of Satan’s tares—the apostles never realized who Judas really was until it was too late!

But Satan’s counterfeit believers are not confined to Israel’s program. Today, within local assemblies of the Body of Christ, there are people feigning themselves to be Christians: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Beloved, beware of the church leaders who are arrayed in hypocrisy, “and avoid them” (Romans 16:17b). If their teaching does not agree with the rightly divided King James Bible, you have no business as a child of God to be listening to them.

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

You may also see our special study, “Should Christians celebrate Halloween?” In addition, “What does the Bible say about ghosts?”

Stick to God’s Testimonies!

Sunday, October 22, 2023

“I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame” (Psalm 119:31 KJV).

Stick to God’s testimonies, dear friend, and you shall not be ashamed!

The people of our world have engaged themselves with an endless quest for truth and meaning. Inquiries are posed but few answers are found. Advice columns, how-to books, and motivational speakers are in vogue—yet the search goes on because man’s solutions to his problems are actually the cause of his problems. Dissatisfaction and discouragement can be avoided if we turn away from our “wisdom” and look to the God of creation for insight.

Long ago, Moses advised Israel in Deuteronomy 11:22: “For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;….” Observe that “cleave unto [the LORD].” This is another way of saying stick to the LORD, attach yourself to Him, fasten yourself to Him like glue. As wallpaper bonds with a wall, so we should affix ourselves to the Giver of Life!

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5,6). Unfortunately, Proverbs chapter 18 tells us: “[1] Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. [2] A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” The fool here is someone looking for proof to support his erroneous views. He is searching only for that which will defend what he wants to believe and do. How much better it would have been had he wanted true wisdom—the LORD’S wisdom! Instead, what he is left with an endless maze of confusion.

As English-speaking people, we should be thankful for God’s preserved words in the King James Bible. We need to “stick” to them, and not drift around to purchase the latest trendy “updated translation.” Let the textual critics have their doubts and infinite speculations; ultimately, they will fail them, devastate them, ruin them, embarrass them. We are Bible believers, so should we not believe the Bible more than we believe man? The LORD will not put us to shame!

Attention Saints: Concerning our New Testament Survey Project, we have now concluded our verse-by-verse video studies of Acts and are moving into Paul’s epistles verse-by-verse. Click here for the introduction video to the Pauline epistles from a grace/dispensational perspective. Our next study is an intro to Romans, and the next video begins Romans verse-by-verse. Join us!

For All the Wrong Reasons

Friday, October 13, 2023

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:14,15 KJV).

Do we behave in “the house of God?”

Once, while driving past a local church building, I noticed their sign: “Hallelujah Night—food, fun, friends.” It was a clever arrangement because it used alliteration and consonance (each item beginning with an “f”), but we wonder if the Holy Spirit’s wisdom is in it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Christians eating delicious food, having fun, or meeting with friends. However, are potluck suppers, entertainment, and social networking the main reasons we go to church?

If we think about the very word “Hallelujah,” we know it means “Praise the LORD” (for so is the Hebrew translated in the Old Testament of our English Bible). Therefore, “Hallelujah Night” should mean “Praise the LORD Night.” Yet, it might also be a misnomer. How can we praise the LORD—admire, pay respect to, worship Him—unless we first know something about Him and what He is doing? We cannot! Someone once rightly observed, “The Christian life does not operate on the basis of ignorance because it cannot operate on the basis of ignorance.” If there is no Bible reading… and no Bible study… and no right division, it is automatic ignorance.

In today’s Scripture, “the house of God” refers to the group or assembly of believers in Christ, not the physical building where they meet. Certain conduct is appropriate in the local church, and Paul’s purpose in writing 1 Timothy was to outline those activities so Timothy and the rest of the Body of Christ (us) could understand how the Spirit of God worked in a grace church. Chapter 4, verse 13 adds: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” This is a direct reference to Bible reading, godly encouragement, and sound Bible teaching worthy of our trust. Unless these elements are at the heart of our ministry, it is the energy of our flesh and we are wasting our time!

Know Right Division

Saturday, September 30, 2023

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV).

Dear friend, would you like to know right division?

It truly is a sad state of affairs when most people who possess a Bible have no idea how to use it. They appeal to “scholars” and manmade systems for light, but often receive nothing but further darkness because the blind lead the blind (see Matthew 15:12-14). If we have even the slightest hope of extracting the spiritual profit God the Holy Spirit placed in His inspired and preserved words, we must pay attention to His words instead of the words of man’s “wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).

The key to understanding and enjoying the Bible is 2 Timothy 2:15. We are not told to merely study Scripture, but rightly divide it. The Apostle Paul explains how he rightly divided the Word of Truth in Ephesians chapter 2. “Time past” (verses 11,12) is the period on the Bible timeline when God dealt with mankind on the basis of circumcision (Israel, Jews) and uncircumcision (nations, Gentiles). This is Genesis all the way into early Acts. “But now (verses 13-18) is Paul’s ministry (Acts chapter 9 onward, including Romans through Philemon), when God does not distinguish between Jew and Gentile because He has broken down this “middle wall of partition.” In “the ages to come” (verses 6,7), we the Church the Body of Christ will rule and reign in the heavenly places.

It is not enough to divide truth from error, or Old Testament from New Testament, or Israel from “the church,” or Judaism from Christianity. We must rightly divide Israel from the Church the Body of Christ, Peter from Paul, law from grace, Earth from Heaven, prophecy from mystery. Prophecy, what God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21) cannot be the same as mystery, what God kept secret since the world began but has now revealed through Paul’s ministry (Romans 16:25,26). If we do not recognize these dispensational distinctions, then we will stumble over Bible “contradictions” and have no idea where we are on the Bible timeline or what God’s will for us even is. Right division will grow us up!

Know the Right Bible

Friday, September 29, 2023

“And when he [Barnabas] had found him [Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul], he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26 KJV).

Dear friend, would you like to know the right Bible?

Human nature rebels at authority. This spirit of autonomy—“I will be my own god!”—has created our fallen, broken world. Concerning Bible manuscripts, there is a preserved text (God’s Word) and there is a counterfeit text (Satan’s word). For thousands of years, “scholars” have used human “wisdom” to adjust the Bible text to say what they feel constitutes the closest approximation to its original wording. The general public knows practically nothing about this, so they assume the plethora of modern English versions are noble attempts to update the Bible. Alas, they have not done research—and people who know the truth generally do not care to admit that God’s Scriptures have been mutilated in the name of “scholarship.” Strangely, there are people who actually believe Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, commentaries, and theology textbooks long before they believe Bible verses!

As English-speaking people, we use the King James Bible. Every verse that should be in the Bible, is in the King James Bible—and these competent men following the text of the Protestant Reformation rendered God’s Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words into our language. We need to be thankful for our English Bible, and not let today’s “scholars” employ their supposed “wisdom” to convince us their worthless textual speculations are superior to the eternal words of the eternal God.

The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch, Syria (see today’s Scripture), which is the origin of our King James Bible’s underlying manuscripts. On the other hand, modern scholars blindly worship the manuscripts from Alexandria, Egypt—advertising the fact they are ignorant of the Bible’s negative view of Alexandria (see Acts 18:24-26). According to Scripture, no local church was ever founded in Alexandria. Egypt is a type of the world, Satan, and sin. God rescued Israel from Egypt (the “house of bondage”) and even told Israel not so much as to buy horses from Egypt (Deuteronomy 17:16). Scholars would have us buy Bibles from Egypt—and it is their right to be wrong.

333’s 4500th – To Eat Bread, Not Hold Pebbles

Monday, September 25, 2023

“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 KJV).

Dear friends, only by God’s grace we present our 4500th daily devotional!

Once, a “Christian philosopher” (whatever that means!) confronted another preacher. The preacher had endorsed heretical beliefs, so, attempting to reform him, the “Christian philosopher” asked precisely what had happened to him. This heretical preacher explained his spiritual dilemma.

After he as a young man had forsaken agnosticism (“I do not know if God exists”), he went on to “become a Christian” (whatever that means!) and attend seminary. He had hoped for “bread,” spiritual nutrition, at that institute. However, upon graduation, he had nothing but “a handful of pebbles.” He was so resentful to learn his professors cheated him of Bible truth. All he received was words of men—not words of God. Moreover, he had since passed on that bad education to his congregation. As it turned out, both men (the philosopher and the preacher) had been robbed of the truth. Neither was grounded in Scripture rightly divided, and though they departed this world long ago, each man’s ministry still misleads the Body of Christ.

What Moses wrote 3,500 years ago; what Christ quoted 2,000 years ago; is just as applicable to us. There is absolutely no substitute for “every word of God” (see today’s Scripture). People can talk about “God,” “Jesus,” the Bible, church history, philosophy, creeds and doctrinal statements, Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic or Latin, or various religious topics, but if there is no sound Bible doctrine being studied, there is no Holy Spirit building anything in the inner man. It is just man using his limited intellect to reason about life, the creature usurping the Creator, a task doomed to fail. The aforementioned example is but one of millions.

Dear brethren, we trust and pray we have left you each of these last 4,500 days—over 12 years (!)—with bread not pebbles, spiritual nourishment that will truly sustain your soul and those to whom you minister. Perhaps the good Lord will grant us another 4,500 days of bread not pebbles! 🙂

NOTE: All 4500 devotionals of “333 Words of Grace” are archived here for your convenience: https://333wordsofgrace.org/master-list-of-devotionals-chronological/.

Clean Thy Room!

Sunday, September 24, 2023

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV).

If we want God’s Word to effectually work in us, we must know and believe it.

For over 15 years now, I have played a role in raising my nephew. One chore I frequently give him is to clean his room, and he offers various excuses in attempts to avoid responsibility. Recently, when I issued the instruction, he protested, “I cleaned it the other day.” Indeed, as I explained to him, he did clean his room before, but since then it had become disorganized again. Trash on the floor needed to be picked up, dirty clothes should be put into the laundry basket, and so on. Cleaning is not just a one-time activity; it must be done frequently before disorder sets in and develops into a condition nearly impossible to reverse.

Bible study is a cleansing process too. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). To “renew” means “renovate, give fresh life or strength to, restore, or make a change for the better.”

Following the course (path) of Satan (see Ephesians 2:2), the lost world around us continuously influences us to drift from sound Bible doctrine. Thus, it is not enough to occasionally read a Bible verse, or hear a Bible passage at church. It must be daily, personal Bible study. If we are not mindful of sound Bible doctrine, the world’s nonsensical teaching will accumulate in us and pollute us. As we must clean our bedroom and house regularly, there must be a steady diet of Bible study. Again, it is not just one time, but over and over again—for, do we not tend to forget what we have learned?