Bible Versions

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Summary of Part One

PART ONE has brought many vital facts to your attention; the most important of which is that unbelieving copyists and unbelieving translators have laid the ground for the production of millions of modern English Bibles which are nothing more than counterfeits of the Real Word of God - the Authorised King James Version. Let me now summarise Part One.
  1. Two great deceptions have now overtaken mankind. The first is the unproved Theory of Evolution and the second is the counterfeit evolving bibles that are currently flooding the market. Both cast doubt on the accuracy of the Real Word of God, the King James Bible. Unbelievers and believers alike are in grave danger of being taken in by one or the other of these deceptions. But the Almighty is faithful. He who inspired the Bible in the first place is well able to preserve His Word. Indeed He has preserved it down through the ages as promised: "The Word of the Lord abideth forever!"
  2. The original inspired autographs (Masters) which were penned by the prophets and apostles of old, have long since disappeared. They literally fell apart through constant use and are no more. There are none in existence today.
  3. Before the Old Testament Masters were buried, they were copied by faithful scribes. The Old Testament scribes were the Aaronic priests and later the Masorites. They took the utmost care to insure that every copy was as perfect as humanly possible; and even a single error was enough to have an entire manuscript rejected.
  4. Sad to say the New Testament copyists were not nearly as meticulous as their Old Testament counterparts. Nevertheless this deficiency was amply compensated by the vast number of copies made; many thousands of which are still in existence. So the truth can easily be detected in the majority of texts.
  5. There are currently in excess of 5250 Greek manuscripts in existence. They are held in various museums and libraries of the world.
  6. If we add the 1800+ copies of the versions and the 86,000 scriptural citations of the Church Fathers, we have a sizeable body of documentary evidence to prove the accuracy of the Scriptures. These ensure that small errors are soon detected. Bear in mind that the Almighty promised to preserve His Word forever! He is doing just that and is fulfilling His promise which says: "The Word of the Lord abideth forever!"
  7. A version is a translation made directly from the original masters; not to be confused with a translation, or a translation of a translation. There are many foreign language versions of the Scriptures. To name a few: the Peshitta, Old Latin Vulgate, Italic, Gothic, Old Syriac, Armenian, Waldensian, Luther's German Bible and the Authorised King James Version.
  8. Textus Receptus, the text received from the Majority Text, is the most reliable Greek text in existence. Being in agreement with the vast majority of extant Greek manuscripts, Textus Receptus is often called the Majority Text. This text does not add to, omit or mutilate the Scriptures as does the Minority Text. All the versions mentioned at point 7 above are in line with Textus Receptus. Because of its purity, the Majority Text was used by all the 15th, 16th and 17th century Protestant Reformers of Europe to make their translations. Their choice of the Majority Text attracted the wrath of the Roman Church and tens of thousands of true believers who studied and published the real Bible were martyred as a result.
  9. The Minority Text, by comparison, is dangerously corrupt! The two most prominent codices in this group are Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. These two manuscripts are beautiful to look at and are in excellent condition simply because they are written on vellum and were seldom used, even by their custodians. But they are dangerously corrupt! They are covered with hundreds of amendments made over a long period; amendments which prove that even their owners knew they were hopelessly inaccurate. They omit scores of words, verses and passages of Scripture. They are totally unreliable and for this reason were rejected by discerning believers down though the centuries. These two manuscripts outlasted the earliest papyrus copies of the Scriptures. But to suggest that they are accurate is absurd. Remember that early versions of the Scriptures, such as the Peshitta and Italic, are some 200 years older than these two codices. So the 'oldest is best' argument doesn't apply here. The Greek scholar John Burgon personally examined these early codices and exposed their deficiencies in no uncertain terms. The Christian church would do well to read what Burgon has written. The Misleading Footnotes that appear in most modern translations ALL cast doubt on the accuracy of the King James Version. But these footnotes are themselves dangerously misleading.
  10. The Authorised King James Version is based on the Ben Chayyim Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus. It is a version in the true sense of the term, being based on the original languages. Its style is biblical rather than contemporary. It is infinitely more accurate than any modern translation on the market today. Also remember that the translators of the King James Version were men of faith, piety and learning. They firmly believed that the text they were translating was the very Word of God! Their like has seldom - if ever - been equalled, let alone surpassed. The Almighty brought together this team of faithful, holy and capable linguists to produce the greatest classic in the annals of English literature - the King James Bible. It is the version that God has endorsed and blessed for well nigh 400 years. It should be kept. It is, in fact, the Real Word of God - the HOLY BIBLE!
  11. By comparison Modern Versions of the Bible cannot be trusted. They are dangerously corrupt! Their renderings are influenced by the distorted codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, which were the product of unbelieving scribes. Moreover, many of the most prominent RV and RSV translators, Westcott and Hort in particular, were professed unbelievers - evolutionists! They rejected the creation account in Genesis, the Exodus story, the crossing of the Red sea account, the miracles of Elijah, the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, his resurrection and his promised second advent. Their colossal unbelief was only matched by that of the unbelieving Egyptian scribes who, in the first place, produced codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. These two facts: the unbelief of the scribes and the unbelief of the modern translators are warning signals! Heed them.
  12. Spiritual Infection & Famine: The RV committee's choice of corrupt manuscripts, and the unbelief of its most prominent members (Westcott and Hort), infected their work and has resulted in scores of Unholy Bibles flooding the market and the churches. I honestly believe that Christians who knowingly continue to study these 'counterfeit bibles' are condoning the errors they contain. By doing so they not only place themselves in grave moral danger, but also encourage spiritual deception! The Bible says: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
  13. The twin moral onslaught of the theory of evolution and the counterfeit bibles have made havoc of billions of souls. Together they have resulted in outright atheism on the one hand and an enfeebled Christianity on the other. Be warned by these revelations! They are placed on the Internet to reach millions. Do not be slow to take the warning! Currently the world is in the grip of a mighty spiritual famine; a famine of the real WORD OF GOD!
  14. History tells us that countless thousands of true believers in centuries past were martyred for their love and loyalty to the WORD OF GOD. Prophecy tells us that another end-time persecution is due to occur and for the selfsame reason - the WORD OF GOD! We all have a responsibility to ourselves and others to believe, study and live by the teachings found in the real WORD OF GOD, the AUTHORISED KING JAMES VERSION.
    My sincere prayer is that "The Almighty will grant you the understanding, the humility, the courage and the power to escape the deceptions of the Devil and to stand up for the Truth!"
    Amen.

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Elder: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
June 1999
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/vital/sbs777/summary.html