Category: preservation of the Bible

To Know the Holy Bible

Friday, November 25, 2016

“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 KJV).

Friend, may you come to know the Holy Bible as God wants you to know it!

Visiting a “Christian” bookstore or website, looking for a Bible, is a most daunting task. There are many translations from which to choose—NLT, Amplified, ESV, the Message, HCSB, the Voice, “God’s Word,” NRSV, NASB, NKJV, NIV, the Living Bible. Which to buy? Oh, but these are the more recent versions. Actually, during the last 135 years, 100 to 200 modern English translations have been published and marketed! Sadly, “scholars”—employing heathen, non-Christian viewpoints—have used their perversions of the Holy Bible to harass and divide the Christian public.

Satan is the master deceiver. Literally, the best counterfeiter there has ever been and ever will ever be! The Devil’s first words ever uttered in Scripture are found in Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Satan attacked God’s Word by questioning it. Even today, he uses the flesh of men who say, “A better translation is…. This passage is not found in the ‘oldest and best’ manuscripts… That word is wrong…. This verse is not inspired…. We need to publish another version with better readings….” Yet, these are often the “educated” people leading our seminaries, Bible colleges, and churches! They echo Satan’s damnable question, “Yea, hath God said…?”

Concerning the New Testament, there are over 5,500 Greek manuscripts (excluding other languages). About 90 to 95 percent agree with our King James Bible. Only a handful of manuscripts disagree with this majority, and that handful (which even disagree amongst themselves!) has been used in “scholarly” circles to cast doubt on God’s preserved Word in English. If the King James Bible has been used by Anglophone Christians for over 400 years, we should hold fast to it today… especially in this day of rampant false teaching!

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

Paper, Pen, and Ink

Monday, November 14, 2016

“Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect sister greet thee” (2 John 12,13 KJV).

We use today’s Scripture to glimpse into the culture of “New Testament” times!

The Apostle John wrote in his Third Epistle, verses 13 and 14: “I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.”

In John’s day, A.D. first century, “paper” was quite different from our paper. The cheaper—and thus, more common—form was papyrus. Thin strips were cut from the papyrus plant reed, laid side-by-side and overlapped, with an alternating layer glued on top, all pressed together to form a sheet. More expensive (and rarer) writing media were vellum (calf skins—higher quality) and parchment (bull and goat skins—lesser quality). Text written on skins would obviously last longer than that which was written on papyrus. Scrolls were first, with codices (books) arriving in the third and fourth centuries. What they called “ink” was really a mixture of soot and water, with gum added to make the ink more durable. The “pen” they used for writing was either a small dried reed/stick, cut to a point at one end; or a quill (feather); which was filled with the “ink.”

Friends, it is quite difficult for us to imagine just how laborious writing was in those days. Instruments and materials were crude and sometimes hard to obtain. They did not have computers to which they could dictate, or keyboards on which to type fast. Furthermore, if they wanted to copy a text, there was no photocopying machine. Copying had to be done entirely by hand! Surely, it was very time consuming. However, there were prophets in both “Old and New Testaments,” guided by the Spirit of God, to ensure the Holy Bible was accurately copied and collated. Consider what has been written here. Then, look at your physical Bible today, friend. It has come a long, LONG way! 🙂

Not Left to Ourselves

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9,10 KJV).

Hallelujah—God did not leave us to ourselves!

Recently, while taking care of business at a government office, my services took so long to be rendered. While I sat waiting, the clerk helping me struck up light conversation. She complained to me how the procedure was “so complicated”—she had to go through so many steps on her computer before she could access my files and print my necessary papers. The thought immediately occurred to me. Millions of people think bigger government will solve our problems! (*Smacks forehead*)

Friends, as a dear brother in Christ often says, when God wants to judge mankind, He does not have to break out into a sweat. He can simply give mankind over to himself and mankind will ruin himself (see Romans 1:17-32). Mankind is just so naturally corrupt, so he will always eventually find himself before insurmountable obstacles and in inescapable dilemmas. Look at the world religions—the absolute spiritual darkness of people who worship rats, trees, cows, monkeys, bread and wine, and even small children! Look at the world governments—avarice, sex scandals, lies, and wasteful spending. Look at the educational system—empty curriculums, confused young people, comical opinions of men proclaimed as “the truth.” (All because they refused the light of the Word of God.)

Left to ourselves, we would truly be helpless and hopeless! However, praise God for the “but” of today’s Scripture! In His goodness, He did not leave us without revelation. He caused His inspired Word to be written down long ago, to be preserved through the ages in a multiplicity of manuscript copies, and to be translated into our language (English) so we can have it right now. We hold that inspired, inerrant, preserved Word of God when we have a King James Bible. If ever we drift away from the standards found in that King James Bible, we will surely go back the way of darkness!

Bible Q&A #320: “Seethe not a young goat in his mother’s milk?”

Despite All, It Will Carry On!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

“This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15 KJV).

Years ago, one verse impacted my thinking about Christianity in a very mighty way. That verse was today’s Scripture.

Not having a familiarity with the Bible that I should have had at the time, I had assumed that apostasy (people turning from the truth) had only occurred in recent decades. Today’s Scripture radically shifted my view. Nearly all of Paul’s converts in modern Turkey—Ephesians, Galatians, Colossians, Laodiceans, et cetera—had turned away from him… some 20 centuries ago!

We must bear in mind that the Apostle Paul was just as human as we are. There were times of discouragement, no doubt especially concerning today’s Scripture. Here he was, sitting in a Roman dungeon, knowing that he was soon to die for Jesus Christ. He had received some terrible, heartbreaking news. So many of the dear Christians he had known decades previous had now abandoned his ministry and message. Despite the repeated warnings to be vigilant against Satan’s policy of evil, they had not faithfully held on to the grace doctrines the Holy Spirit through him had delivered to them. It was such a mass apostasy that I am sure Paul’s flesh got the advantage at times. His thoughts wondered, “Is this the end of Christianity?” Yet, the Holy Spirit led him to write in 2 Timothy 2:9: “…but the word of God is not bound [confined, limited].” (No, it was not the end of Christianity!)

Dear brethren, when we think about Christianity today, perhaps we conclude this is the “last generation.” With the world so bad, becoming increasingly anti-Christian, how can Christianity continue? If we look at it from the human aspect, it really is hopeless! However, we use the eyes of faith to see something else entirely. We can rest assured, beloved, that if Christianity lasted 2000 years, that it was able to reach us, it will continue even if Jesus Christ was to return 2000 years from now. Religious cults will fade, denominations founded by men will pass away, but we know “the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:25)! 🙂

Thus Saith the LORD

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:6 KJV).

“Thus saith Dr. So-and-So…?” (No.) “Thus saith St. This-and-That…?” (No.) “Thus saith Mother Church…?” (No.) Thus saith Lexicon…?” (No.) “Thus saith Seminary Professor…?” (No.)

The various Bible manuscripts and their resultant 200 modern English translations have caused most to not know what the Lord has said. Satan, in Genesis 3:1, questioned God’s Word: “Yea hath God said…?” Watered-down Bibles equal watered-down Christian lives. Thus, we unapologetically emphasize the King James Bible. It has stood the test of time for over 405 years—it has changed more lives worldwide than any other volume. You cannot say that about modern versions—NIV, NASB, NKJV, ESV, NRSV, HCSB, et cetera.

Some Bible readers will believe footnotes, commentaries, and study notes long before they will believe the Bible text; church members often believe their doctrinal statement long before they believe the Holy Scriptures from which the doctrinal statement supposedly came. Like the unbelieving “scholars” who taught them, they distrust the Bible. When approaching the Bible text, they cannot help saying, “Most scholars believe this verse should be translated as….” “Scholars” have spent so many years allegedly studying the Bible, so why doubt them? The fact is they have been trained to believe there is no perfect Bible on Earth today. In their minds, God has ordained them to reconstruct His Word for Him. What on Earth would God do without educated men? We shudder to think!

If you call yourself a “Bible-believing Christian,” you better have a Bible you actually believe! Friend, if you cannot hold up any book and say with absolute certainty, “Thus saith the Lord in His verbally inspired book preserved without error,” sit down, be quiet, and not utter one word about Jesus Christ or His Book until you find it and hold it!

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.”

Put the Brethren in Remembrance

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained” (1 Timothy 4:6 KJV).

Never forget to remind the brethren!

Father God has much to say. He was so generous to give us a written record of what He wanted to tell us. May we be so thankful to Him that, when we have a King James Bible, we hold His inspired words preserved in English. No need for us to get lost in a maze of Hebrew and Greek, looking for hidden “nuggets” in a mine abounding with fools’ gold. It is unnecessary to enter a “prayer closet” and beg God to reveal His will to us. Rather, we need to get into His Bible and read it for ourselves!

Since the creation of Adam and Eve some 6,000 years ago, human life has become increasingly complicated and busier. In this age of entertainment, it is extremely easy for Christians to become sidetracked. They sit in front of their televisions, computers, and personal devices (including smartphones), and often go hours, days, weeks, months… even years!… without giving God’s Word even the slightest consideration. May they wake up!

Paul the Apostle exhorted young Pastor Timothy to remind his Christian brethren of the instructions laid out in the first epistle that bears his name. He was to especially bring to their attention Satan’s schemes and scams. In the verses preceding today’s Scripture, the Holy Spirit warned of Christians who would abandon sound Bible doctrine. They would embrace religion—“forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats” (verses 1-5).

However, Timothy could reduce Satan’s work by reminding his brethren of sound Bible doctrine (today’s Scripture). Those grace doctrines, constantly affirmed, would encourage the members of the Body of Christ to hold fast to God’s truth. As long as they held on to God’s Word rightly divided, being daily reminded of it, they would survive the apostasy.

Brethren, we trust we have fulfilled today’s Scripture here on a daily basis. Now, to our Lord Jesus Christ’s glory, we close five full years of “333 Words of Grace!” 🙂

I Can Read!

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

“Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)” (Ephesians 3:4 KJV).

How can you understand Paul’s knowledge in the mystery of Christ? Read Romans through Philemon!

I have a dear pastor friend in the ministry who, while teaching the Bible, often asks the rhetorical question, “How do I know this is true? Because I can read!” There are verses in the Bible that lead him to conclusions. He is not guessing, using philosophy, or looking to church tradition for insight into spiritual matters.

There are so many people today in Christendom who are not reading the Bible at all. They go to church and let the pastor or priest speak about a few shallow verses that just about everybody knows. That is their “Bible study” for the week… or maybe even for the month or year! They assume that they have done their “Christian” duty. What mindless activity, beloved! No wonder there is so much parroting and deception in the professing church. The vast majority is just repeating what others have claimed the Bible says, and the Bible, more often than not, never said what they claimed it did. Whenever someone offers you a denominational handbook instead of a Bible, he or she is demonstrating to you exactly where his or her heart is. You will be able to see whether God’s Word is being exalted in that group or being ignored by that group.

The chief goal of our early English Bible translators—beginning with John Wycliffe in the late 1300s and culminating with the King James Bible translators in the early 1600s—was to make God’s Word available to the laypeople. For centuries, the “educated” clergy had interpreted the Bible through the lens of tradition. The common people, having little to no training, simply believed whatever the church leadership taught. How sad to learn this is still ongoing—over 400 years after the Holy Spirit gave us the final English Bible! Saints literally died to give it to us, and we often put it on a shelf to collect dust. We open it only in “difficult” times. What a travesty! (And we wonder why the Body of Christ is so pathetically ignorant!)

Dear friend, read your Bible for yourself! 🙂

A Leap Day to Redeem

Monday, February 29, 2016
Happy Leap Day!

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).

Share God’s Word with a child you know today!

Teaching the rightly-divided Bible to children is very enjoyable. While they do not always pay attention like (some) adults do, they have much less theological garbage cluttering their minds. You share the Gospel with someone who has lived nearly a century in false religion, and, my, how resistant they are! Their hearts and minds are buried deep beneath many layers of church tradition. But, you get God’s truth into those children at an early age, and it is guaranteed to bring results at one point in their lives (today’s Scripture). You may not live to see it, but you just rest assured that God’s Word always prospers wherever He sends it, and it never returns to Him void, empty (Isaiah 55:11).

Recently, while I was talking to an adult about Scripture, my 10-year-old niece, sitting next to me, said, “You taught me that!” Why, yes, some weeks earlier, I had taught her and her brother, my seven-year-old nephew, all about Bible versions, Bible manuscripts, inspiration and preservation. Those little children know more truth about the King James Bible than most preachers and theologians ever will. Why? Religious pride blinds adults to a much greater degree than it does children. Even works-religion children will listen to Bible truth to some extent—but their hearts will be set in error by adulthood, so reach them with God’s truth before they reach adulthood! Parents and grandparents of the grace persuasion must keep that in mind.

The Millennials (born 1980-early 2000s), my generation, are so pitifully ignorant of truth and values. Only the previous generations—their parents, the Baby Boomers (1946-1964) and Generation X (1965-1980)—are negligent. It is not too late to instill into the next generation, those born since the early 2000s, as little as one single verse. How sad that so many parents and grandparents today do not have five minutes to share God’s Word with their children and grandchildren! Frankly, they will have no reason to complain if these children wind up in juvenile hall… or prison… or an early grave… or hell!

A Book That Will Teach

Sunday, January 3, 2016

“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).

Today’s Scripture tells us who alone we can trust to teach us God’s truth!

Once, I heard a minister give his self-proclaimed “prophetic” message about top headlines that would appear in the coming year. While he reassured his audience that he received this information directly from “the Lord” (?), he gave a disclaimer: “I do not know, but at the end of this year, we will see if what I say came to pass.” Unlike the inner impressions and hunches of this “Christian” preacher, the Holy Bible is infallible, and we can trust its information completely.

Long, long ago, God Almighty wrote a Book, and He preserved it through history through a multiplicity of manuscript copies, so that it could eventually be translated into English, so we could read it even today! (Of course, Satan, the master counterfeiter that he is, most certainly had his own manuscripts—they still circulate today as corrupt Bible translations.) God promised to preserve His words forever (Psalm 12:6,7; Isaiah 30:8; Matthew 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25). Consequently, every person will stand before Him one day to give account as to what he or she did with that Bible. Did we reject it in favor of counterfeits? Did we re-translate it to fit our denominational beliefs? Did we apply it to life by faith? Did we even read it at all?

As English-speaking people, we understand—or, at least, we should understand—that we can trust the 400-year-old King James Bible. Sadly, even in many church circles, we are often cautioned not to trust God’s preserved Word. Unfortunately, footnotes, study notes, and seminarians usually attempt to claim that authority by offering “better” readings or “better” manuscripts. Beloved, we can do without unbelieving textual critics and their “scholarship.” God does not need lost people to explain His Word to His children; He never did and He never will (1 Corinthians 2:14). Never forget that!

The Holy Spirit will teach us the King James Bible if we “read” (Ephesians 3:4), “study” (2 Timothy 2:15), and “consider” it (2 Timothy 2:7)!

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!- 🙂