Bible Versions

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Part Two

INTRODUCTION
In Part Two we will consider some 80+ texts in the King James Bible (KJV) which have been corrupted in the Revised Version of 1881, upon which most modern 'Bibles' are based. You are now invited to check the particular translation you are using against these texts; bearing in mind as you do so that this comparison, unless otherwise stated, is with the Revised Version of 1881.
See separate articles in which the KJV is compared with the New American Standard Version   and the New International Version.

To appreciate the value of all these comparisons, carefully note the words printed in bold text.
They will highlight the:

Following some of the texts is a brief Comment. You should, however, also pause at texts which are not commented on and think about the effect of the error being pointed out.

THE PROOF


Messiah's Ascension to Heaven

Many translations (we can hardly call them versions for they are merely revisions of the Revised Version) reflect disbelief in the resurrection and bodily ascension to heaven of Jesus Christ; or even that he came from heaven in the first place. Consider the next few verses.

The Divinity of Jesus Christ

Missing Name or Title

Many texts in the modern translations omit the Saviour's name Jesus or Christ, which means the Anointed One - the Messiah. Is it important? Very important; because by omitting such information the specific person being referred to and his mission are not identified. Scores of men in the Saviour's day were called Jesus. It was a common name. By omitting the word 'Christ' the one specific Jesus being referred to - the Messiah - is missed. By omitting the word 'Lord' his title is ignored. Here are a few examples of where such specific details are missing:

THE APOCRYPHA

The following quotation is taken from the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible page 33, article Apocrypha.
Quote: " The [Greek word apokrypha means hidden or secret things, used by ecclesiastical writers for: 1) matters secret or mysterious. 2) of unknown origin, forged, spurious. 3) unrecognised, uncanonical.] The name generally given to the following 16 books: 1 and 11 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, the Rest of Esther, The Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch with The Epistle of Jeremy, The Song of the Three Holy Children, The History of Susanna, Bel and the dragon, The Prayer of Manasses, 1, 11, 111 and 1V Maccabees being omitted."

"Unlike the books of the Old Testament, which are in Hebrew, with some portions in Aramaic, the apocryphal productions are in Greek…The Jewish Church considered them uninspired, and some of their writers disclaim inspiration, (prologue to Ecclesiasticus; 11 Macc.2:23; 15:38). The Apocrypha and Pseudopigrapha were produced between about 250 BC and somewhere in the early Christian centuries. They are not found in the Hebrew canon: they are never quoted by Jesus; and it cannot with certainty be affirmed that the apostles ever directly allude to them…"

"The Church of England in the 6th of the Thirty-nine Articles published in 1562 calls the apocryphal treatises books which the 'Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners: but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine.' The Westminster Confession of 1643 declares, as a matter of creed, that 'the books, commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, or to be any otherwise approved or made use of than other human writings.'"

"The Council of Trent at its sitting on April 8th, 1546,…pronounced an anathema against anyone who ventured to differ from it in opinion. This has since regulated the belief of the Roman Catholic Church."…

"A controversy on the subject was carried on between the years 1821 and 1826, which resulted in the exclusion of the Apocrypha from all Bibles issued by the British and Foreign Bible Society." (Ref:H3)

We can see from the above that neither the Saviour, the Apostles, the Jewish Nation nor the Protestant Church reckoned that the Apocrypha was inspired. The only major group which currently holds to the Apocrypha is the Roman Church. In view of these facts, Stewarton Bible School's advice is that you look upon the Apocrypha as the writings of uninspired men and certainly of no use whatsoever when deciding doctrine.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV)

This version is gaining in popularity. Strictly speaking it is not a version, but a revision like most of the other modern translations: which can all be traced back to the Revised Version. I, personally, in my ignorance have given away scores of copies of the NIV. May the Almighty pardon me.

As Edward F Hills says in his book The King James Version Defended:
Quote: "Modern versions are rich in omissions. Time and again the reader searches in them for a familiar verse only to find that it has been banished to the footnotes. And one of the most familiar of the verses to be so treated is Matthew 6:13, the doxology with which the Lord's Prayer concludes." (Ref: G2)

Try finding these verses in the NIV

Bear in mind that the earliest versions of the Bible (the Peshitta, Italic and Old Latin Vulgate etc.) have all these verses: but the NIV leaves them out! Isn't that a serious string of omissions? Obviously the translators of the NIV are ignoring the command in Deuteronomy 4:2. and the awesome warning in Revelation 22:18-19

It is vital that you check these verses in the modern version you are using to see if these words, verses or passages are either missing or mistranslated. Once again I invite you to imitate the believers of Berea mentioned in the book of Acts.
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

God knows that after reading this article you can never say 'I didn't know.' See our article on the NIV.

THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION …1984

The title of this version is extremely deceptive and positively dangerous; because the unsuspecting believer will purchase it not knowing that he/she is getting an unholy counterfeit of the real Bible - the King James Version. In his book Final Authority author William P Grady says this concerning the NKJV.
Quote: "From 1611 to 1881, God's foot soldiers wielded KJV swords while defending spiritual barley fields against Jesuits armed with Douay-Rheims Versions. Their grip grew tighter from 1881-1974 as one Alexandrian impostor after another was driven from the field.
Suddenly, a profit-oriented corporation (the same crown who manufactured the enemies swords) would prevail upon the church to believe that the Holy Spirit had abruptly ordered a weapon change - in the very heat of the battle!
Their corrupt rendering of Romans 1:25 says it best. Instead of the KJV's 'changed' we read, who 'exchanged the truth of God for a lie.' A true believer will never exchange his KJV for a NKJV. The reason for this resistance is the same today as it was in Bible days. With his very life at stake, the grip of the ancient warrior was so intense that warm water was often needed at battle's end to literally pry the weapon from his cramped hands. A person with an ounce of spiritual discernment can see that He who 'is not the author of confusion' would never pick such timing to introduce yet another English revision! The outstanding distinction of a spiritual warrior will always be that, 'his hand clave unto the sword'

The truth of the matter is that the New King James Version represents Satan's ultimate deception to oppose God's remnant in the closing days of the New Testament age . Having enlisted the lukewarm materialist with his NIV, the devil sets a trap for the diligent soul winner with the NKJV. Although his worldly counterparts embraced the oldest is best theory of manuscript evidences, the true Bible believer refused to abandon the Majority Text, retaining the Divine commendation of, 'thou has kept my word.' Thus we find Satan attempting to wean him away from his Authorised Version with the deceitful half-step of a generic look-alike, TRANSLATED FROM THE TRUSTWORTHY TEXTUS RECEPTUS! …

Conservative estimates of the total translation changes in the NKJV are generally put at over 100,000! This is an average of 82 changes for each of the 1219 pages in the NKJV…Along this line of abuse, the most shocking revelation about the 'New' King James Version is that it is literally laced with 'old' readings from the Revised Standard and New American Standard Versions. This revival of Alexandrian readings is one of the best-kept secrets of the decade. Whenever there is a marked departure from the text of the KJV, the alternative reading is frequently taken from either the RSV, NASV, or oftentimes, both. For instance, in the first chapter of John's Gospel, there are 51 verses. Of this total, 45 (or 88%) have been altered by the NKJV. Among this number, 34 (75%) exhibit a distinct RSV or NASV reading while 6 show a partial reading. Only 5 (15%) appear unique to the NKJV." (Ref:E2)

No doubt very soon another counterfeit Bible will make its appearance. Perhaps it will be called the New Authorized Version. All I can say to the Christian world is - BEWARE!

Comparisons with the KJV

In his book God Wrote Only One Bible Jasper Ray compares some 162 verses in 46 different Bible translations with the KJV which is based on Textus Receptus, the text used by the early churches and Protestant Reformers. His findings make the purchase of his book an absolute must. Very briefly here are a few of his findings:

VERSION………………………………CHANGES

Notice how each new translation contains more errors than the one that went before. Are you, dear reader, willing to recognise such error; and how Satan is gradually weakening the very foundation of Christian doctrine - the Holy Bible? Bear in mind that every verse, every word, every jot and tittle of Scripture is eternal: it will outlast the present universe!

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

How presumptuous, then, for puny man to attempt to delete, amend and corrupt the sacred Scriptures. I tremble to think of the fate of those who are responsible. Believe it or not, when I learned these facts I was stunned, flabbergasted and ashamed all at the same time. To think that I had been taken in so easily - for so long! But once I saw the light I determined that if God would allow me to live after my heart attack and triple bypass operation - I would tell the world! The Internet is allowing me to do so. I pray that in the course of time millions will find out what I have learned these past months. You too may have a part in exposing the corruption in the modern translations of the Bible. The question is: Do you have the humility and the courage to face up to these facts? Have you the spiritual eyes to see that the real Bible for the English-speaking world is still the Authorised King James Version?

VITAL QUESTIONS

Now that you know these facts, and you ought to examine this issue till you are fully convinced in your own mind, several unavoidable questions will present themselves.

These are vital questions all informed believers have to answer for themselves. We cannot ignore them. Should we continue to daily study corrupt "bibles" and risk the wrath of the Almighty God? Eating infected meat, by comparison, is of minor importance when we consider the awesome spiritual issue before us. Would you knowingly eat infected or unclean meat once it has been brought to your notice? Surely no one would knowingly eat polluted food, however attractive, appetising or nourishing it may otherwise be. The recent CJD and E-Coli outbreaks in Britain caused by eating infected food are simply low-level illustrations of how easily infection can spread and cause death. How much more serious do you suppose is this matter of eating unholy spiritual meat - polluted Bibles!

The Bible tells us that God overlooks people's ignorance; but once they know the truth, they are held accountable.

The times of this ignorance God winked at;
but now commandeth all men every where to repent
:

(Acts 17:30)

Yes, as far as this Bible Version issue is concerned, you now know the Truth. You are no longer ignorant of it. What then are you going to do about it? For my part I will no longer study any "Bible" based on corrupt manuscripts and translated by unbelievers.
Moreover, ALL future Bible quotations at the SBS Internet site will only be from the Authorised King James Bible. SBS articles placed on the Internet before March 1997 will, in the course of time, be purged of quotations taken from modern Bible translations: simply because readers may think that I accept those translations as the inspired Word of God - which I no longer do. Existing hard copy stocks of SBS Booklets, Sermon Notes and Lessons held in Stewarton are being used up: and future reprinted Bible quotations will only be from the King James Version. Yahweh willing - this will be done.

A final comment by Rev. Gipp:
Quote: "All the translations before and after 1881 which were going to replace the Authorized Version lie silently in the 'grave' right now. Those which do not, shall soon join their ranks in the halls of the 'improved,' 'thoroughly reliable,' 'truly accurate,' and 'starters of a new tradition,' - dead. They have failed to start one revival. They have failed to induce Christians back to reading their Bibles, and have only succeeded in casting doubt on the true Word of God. The question is, can we repair the damage already done and proceed from here? The answer is YES!" (Ref: B8)

My sincere prayer is: That you will be amongst those who help repair the enormous damage already done.

Author:   David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland


Part Three

REFERENCE BOOKS

A) .. STORY OF OUR ENGLISH BIBLE by W Scott

B) .. AN UNDERSTANDABLE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE by Rev. Samuel C Gipp. Bible believers Baptist Bookstore: 1252 East Aurora Road, Macedonia, Ohio 44056 USA

C) .. LET'S WEIGH THE EVIDENCE by Barry Burton. Chick Publications: PO Box 662, Chino, CA 91708-0662 USA

D) .. GOD WROTE ONLY ONE BIBLE by Jasper J Ray, Eye Opener Publications: PO Box 7944, Eugene, Oregon, 974 01 USA

E) .. FINAL AUTHORITY by William P Grady. Grady Publications: PO Box 506, Schererville, Indiana 46375. USA

F) .. WHICH BIBLE by David Otis Fuller, D.D. published by The Institute for Biblical Textual Studies. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. USA

G) .. THE KING JAMES VERSION DEFENDED by Edward F Hills. Christian Research Press PO Box 13023, Des Moines, Iowa 50310-0023 USA

H) .. WESTMINSTER DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE

J)..TRUTH TRIUMPHANT by Bejamin. G. Wilkinson, published by Teach Services, Route 1 Box 182, Brushton, USA

K) .. FOX'S BOOK OF MARTYRS published by Zondervan Publishing House, Grand rapids, Michigan USA

L) .. TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY:

Tyndale House , Dorset Road, London SW19 3NN.     http://biz.ukonline.co.uk/trinitarian.bible.society/

M) .. Answers to Tough Questions by Josh McDowell and Don Stuart. Scripture Press, Amersham-on-the-Hill, Bucks HP6 6JQ, England. (ISBN 0-946515-51-4)

N) .. CREATION SCIENCE MOVEMENT

P) .. REVISION REVISED by Dean Burgon. Published by the Dean Burgon Society, Box 354, Collingswood, New Jersey 08108, USA Tel:609-854-4452

Q)… DEFENDING THE KING JAMES BIBLE by Rev. D.A. Waite Th.D, Ph.D, 900 Park Avenue, Collingswood, New Jersey 08108 USA

Useful Addresses

Send to the following addresses for LISTS of books dealing with this Bible Version issue and study the matter further. You owe it to yourself, your family and your church group.

This article is just an introduction to the vital subject of Bible Versions. Leading believers of whatever church: bishops, priests, ministers, pastors, theological students, elders, deacons, Bible instructors etc. all have a grave responsibility to make sure that they do not sideline this issue as unimportant: because it is critical! Once again I urge all Christian leaders to write to one or more of the addresses above for lists of books dealing with this matter of Bible Versions: for great will be the wrath of Almighty God on those who knowingly and wilfully remain in darkness or keep their flocks in blissful ignorance.

Booklet Index     Ref. Books on Bible Versions   King James Version Sites


June 1999
Elder: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/vital/kjv/part2.html