A reminder for
today
"I am the LORD, I change not."
(Malachi 3:6)
I love my Bible and love to read from it. I am a King James
reader and I also stand by the point that it is the only Bible you can trust
that holds the true word of God. I love to use the amplified, but I always
read it together with the King James. Why am I writing about this, well it is
simply because satan has gone as far as changing the Bible in the newer translations.
Believe it or not, he is behind the apparent simpler translations and many of
the text is either changed or even left out. My dear friend, do not be misled
by him because he is cunning and devious in so many ways. Let’s look at this in
a little more detail.
God is unchangeable. God's word is unchangeable too. In
Matthew 24:35, the Lord Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
my words shall not pass away."
Why then are we so ready to accept changes to God's word in
the form of different Bible versions? The Authorized King James text has
faithfully served the body of Christ for almost 400 years [this article was
written in 1996]. During this time, and during its translation, Satan has
viciously and relentlessly attacked it. I now hear Christians attacking it too!
I've heard preachers and lay people say things like, "it's too hard to
read" or "it doesn't properly reflect the true meaning of the
original Greek". The issue about the original Greek sets my teeth on
edge--which Greek? There are Greek manuscripts galore, including the corrupted
manuscripts that the Roman Catholic religion uses. The snide remarks and
attacks against this utterly reliable text are unfounded.
We must remember that the Bible is a spiritual book and is
understandable to those who are led by God's Spirit. It is not possible for the
natural man to understand it (I Corinthians 2:14), hence paraphrasing or
simplifying it will do no good. The Bible is not supposed to read like a fairy
tale--Peter said, "for we have not followed cunningly devised fables"
(II Peter 1:16). The words of the Authorized King James are not laborious to
me, they are beautiful and full of God's power. Even the world knows it--the
Authorized King James has been listed on Norton Anthology's list of "the
world's best literature" for decades.
The new versions have come up with some dangerous changes to
the scriptures. The Lord God gives us stern warnings about changing His Word--
Revelation 22:18-19, If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
Proverbs 30:5-6, Every word of God is pure: he is a shield
unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he
reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Look at this change in the NIV:
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave his one
and only Son...
The Authorized King James says,
John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave his only
begotten Son.
In this instance, the NIV changes the scriptures by saying
that Jesus is God's "one and only" Son instead of His only begotten
Son. This change causes a contradiction in the word of God because God has more
than one son according to both the King James (Genesis 6:2, Job 1:6, John 1:12)
and NIV (Genesis 6:2).
I do not buy the line that the inerrant word of God is found
only in the originals-- which nobody has. I know that God has the power to
preserve His word and that he wouldn't leave us out in the dark with an
"imperfect" translation. In the authorized King James Version God
assembled, and moved with His Spirit, a team of some of the world's best
scholars to translate His word into the world's most popular language, English.
The complete translator's notes of the Authorized King James
scholars are not included in today's publishings. This is unfortunate because
these notes say a lot about these men-- they were humble, loved the word of
God, loved the King, were berated by the Catholic religion, and they desired a
translation for the common man who was kept in darkness. This book was forged
in blood, sweat, and tears.
I've heard folks make a big to-do about the italics in the Authorized
KJV. Well, unlike many of today's translators, the authorized KJV translators
let us know which words they had to add in translating in order to give the
full meaning of the original text (these are the words in italics in the KJV).
Other translators have added words too--but they don't tell you what they've
added. These men went
through the extra trouble of identifying which words they added. That's real
scholarship and integrity.
Let's fall in love with the Authorized KJV again and stand
on it. Let's get down to business and read the Word and stop spending so much
time reading what others have to say about the Word in commentaries, Greek
lexicons, study bibles, etc. We want the Holy Ghost to talk to us.
How many classes have you been in where every student has a
different textbook? None. It just doesn't make good sense on a very practical
level. We all need to be on the same sheet of music so that we are in harmony.
Let's not confuse our children by teaching/preaching from the NKJV, NIV, NASV,
LB, the Message, Phillips, GN, etc.
Let's not accept the premise that the tried and true
Authorized King James is somehow outdated and is to be replaced by dozens of
new translations. A standard test determined the Authorized KJV reading level
to be 5th grade because it contains mostly one and two-syllablic words making
it one of the easiest to read. People have been getting saved by reading it for
a long, long time. We know that it contains the Word of life whereby we live
and grow.
Satan knows that in a generation we won't uniformly quote
the scriptures. Imagine ten people with ten different translations trying to
recite a psalm together. Confusion. Satan knows that many newborn babes in
Christ will not have the real milk that they need in order to grow because
they'll have a watered-down version of the truth. He figures that if he can't
kill the babes, he'll do the next best thing-stunt their growth. At the same
time the world will point to "Christianity" and say, "They don't
even have a definitive word of God. Anybody can write a Bible." They
already say that the Bible was "just written by men".
Being able to talk to a child of God and have our spirits
commune on the parts of God's word that we've memorized is great. I now find
people who are quoting scriptures that I know, but they are worded so
differently that I have to ask the reference. This is confusion, and we know
who authors confusion, the enemy of our souls, the Devil. I believe that the
emergence of these many different "Bible" versions is Satan's most
successful attempt to attack God's word. The Bible says that in the last days
there's going to be a falling away of the church and I believe that these other
versions are helping to usher it along.
So, consider this when you buy your next Bible and remember Revelation
22:18-19.
Lord, guide us through your word and open it to us so that
we can share the treasures of your word with a world that is corrupted by the
enemy. In Jesus name.
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers