1

i

WHY USE THE KING JAMES

BIBLE

Jerry Smith

Faith Missionary Bible Institute

Gruelti-Laager, Tennessee USA

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Why Use The King James Bible Copyright © 2012 by Jerry F. Smith All rights reserved. Published in the USA by Faith Missionary Bible Institue. Gruetli-Laager, TN, USA

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Table of Contents

1. ORIENTATION ................................................................ 1

2. SIDE-BY-SIDE ................................................................. 6

3. INSPIRATION ............................................................... 32

4. PRESERVATION ........................................................... 42

5. HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE .................... 56

6. HISTORY OF THE MODERN VERSIONS .......... 72

7. HISTORY OF THE KJB ............................................... 97

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1. ORIENTATION

WE SOMETIMES HEAR THAT:

It doesn’t matter which version you use.

I like the NIV because it’s easier to

understand.

We don’t have the original manuscripts so our

present text is unreliable.

The Bible was inspired only in the original

manuscripts.

There are translation errors in the King James

Bible.

We need Greek and Hebrew Bible scholars to

help us understand the Word of God.

Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed,

what can the righteous do?” What God says is

foundational to Christianity. The first thing the Devil did

in the Garden of Eden was attack the Word of God.1

Interestingly, in modern times, the veracity of the Bible,

the written Word of God is having doubt cast upon it.

The King James Bible (KJB) which has been used for

over 300 years, during great revivals, and accepted by

Christians everywhere, is being questioned because

1 See Genesis 3:1-5

2

modern Bible publishers promote their “versions” as

being more accurate and more understandable. As a

result, there seems to be much confusion today over

which "Bible" we should be using as Christians.

Have you ever been to a church service where

different Bible versions were read from and another

altogether preached from? How about those who grew

up in a church that used the KJB, went to a Bible college

where the NIV is used, and or a seminary where the

NKJB is taught from? Which one is the most accurate

representation of God’s words? Which one is the inspired

and preserved written Word of God?2 Be assured they

are not exactly the same in content or wording. As a

result, Christians are not sure where to look for absolute

truth.

This book is designed to explain why we look to the

King James Bible for absolute truth; to advise you to

reconsider your use of any other Bible version (if that be

the case); and or to encourage your continued use of

the KJB. Consequently, you will be provided with enough

knowledge to be able to adequately explain your

decision to hold to the King James Bible as the inspired

and preserved written Word of God – the absolute final

authority in all matters of faith, practice, and knowledge

of God.

THIS BOOK WILL:

Present the background of the English Bible

Discuss the doctrines of Inspiration and

Preservation

2 See 2Timothy 3:15; Psalm 12:6-7

3

Discuss the current trend and issues of “original”

manuscripts and languages

Put modern versions and the KJB side-by-side

Present the histories of the KJB and modern

versions

Assist you to make a more informed decision in

this urgent matter

THIS BOOK IS NOT . . .

An exhaustive coverage of the subject3

Meant to attack other Bible versions

A text on ancient languages, ancient manuscripts,

and or textual criticism

The Lord, in John 11:26 says “And whosoever liveth

and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou

this?” Believing on Christ for salvation; Trusting His

Word, is of the utmost importance. In Mark 10:15, the

Lord calls us to childlike faith in Christ: “Verily I say unto

you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as

a little child, he shall not enter therein.” The idea here

is that God said it, it is true. Little children do not correct

their father’s words. They believe what he says, without

making it any more complicated than that. So, when

God, in Psalm 119:89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word

is settled in heaven,” and in John 17:17 Jesus prays,

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”–

Do you believe with childlike simplicity? If we are, than

why do we need so many versions of what God said?

3 It is designed to provide you with enough information to satisfactorily defend your use of the KJB

4

Again, it must be pointed out, that the versions do NOT

agree in their words across the board. This then begs

the question, which Bible is right? Which Bible is the

“settled” “truth?”

SOME POPULAR MODERN VERSIONS:

Amplified Bible

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

English Standard Version (ESV)

Good News Translation (GNT)

Holman Christian Standard (HCSB)

International Children's Bible (ICB)

Jerusalem Bible

Living Bible

Message Bible

New American Bible (NAB)

New American Standard (NASB update)

New American Standard (NASB)

New Century Version (NCV)

New English Translation (NET)

New International Readers Version (NIRV)

New International Version (NIV)

New King James Version (NKJB)

New Living Translation (NLT)

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Phillips Bible

Reina-Valera (RVR)

Revised English Bible (REB)

Revised Standard Version (RSV)

The Voice Bible

Today's English Version (TEV)

5

Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Version Popular (VP)4

4 A look at a Bible seller on the internet should get you the same results, and perhaps more.

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2. SIDE-BY-SIDE

As we begin a discussion of Bible versions, it is

important that we first agree on certain truths, as put

forth by the Word of God. It is here where we must

begin, internally, inside the Scriptures for matters of

faith and doctrine. External evidences must by order be

subordinate; for it is quite possible we may not have

certain external facts to judge by, whereas the Word of

God “standeth sure.” Thus, a childlike faith in, and a

realization of these important points will anchor us

deeper to the truth from God’s point of view rather than

our own finite viewpoint. God speaks about His Word in

order for us to trust Him at His word.

First God says in His Word, about His Word that it is

MAGNIFIED. Psalm 138:2 says, “thou hast magnified

thy word above all thy name.” God must think His

Word is pretty important to magnify it above His very

name. That's because His name is only as good as His

Word, and it is true of us too. If we are filled with errors,

and we are found liars, how will any one believe us? We

will have a reputation for being unreliable. Therefore,

God takes His Word very seriously because it is a

reflection of Him, and His character, and we know from

Scripture that God is thrice holy (Isaiah 6:3).If then God

is thrice holy, it is thus unthinkable, and even somewhat

ludicrous to think that He would permit His words to be

cared for by corrupt men without His direct interceding

to keep them free from error. As a matter of fact, He

does not like it when people meddle with it, and even

gave grave warnings about it in Revelation 22:18-19.

Clearly, God’s word is very important to Him. Yet, when

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we examine Bible versions the words are not the same.

How then can all of the versions be the “magnified”

Word of God?

God also says that His Word is INSPIRED. Second

Timothy 3:16 states that “All scripture is given by

inspiration of God.” Notice the word “all” in the verse;

this means simply ALL that we possess as Scripture (the

Bible), or “plenary” inspiration. God used holy men5 to

write EXACTLY, every single word, what He wanted

written. We call this "verbal" inspiration (word-for-

word). Now, having written exactly, what He wanted to

say to us (plenary and verbal inspiration), wouldn't it

make sense that God would make sure we got that

exact message? Remember, God does things decently

and orderly.6Yet, when we examine Bible versions the

words are not the same. How then can all of the

versions be the “inspired” Word of God?

Thirdly, God says about His Word that it shall be

PRESERVED. Psalm 12:6-7 tells us that “The words of

the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of

earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O

LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation

for ever.” Notice from these verses that He preserved

His words (plural); meaning that He preserved every

single word, not only the ideas as some would have us

to believe. Just as God inspired men to write His Word,

He can use men to preserve His words through the

centuries and in translation, every “jot” and every

“tittle.”7 Yet, when we examine Bible versions the words

5 See 2Peter 1:21; 2Samuel 23:2; Luke 1:70; Acts 1:16; Acts 3:18 6 Compare with 1Corinthians 14:33 and 40. 7 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.”

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are not the same. How then can all of the versions be

the “preserved” Word of God?

God also says that His Word is SETTLED. Psalm

119:89 says, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in

heaven.” This means His Word is immutable; that is, it's

unchangeable. In other words, He spoke it, and His word

is final, it does not change, “for ever.”When we say

things, so often our words fall to the ground, and

nothing becomes of them. But God has said, “I have

spoken and it shall come to pass.”8Yet, when we

examine Bible versions the words are not the same. How

then can all of the versions be the “settled” Word of

God? How then can we know which words shall come to

pass?

Finally, God says about His Word that it is TRUTH. In

John 17:17, the Lord praying to the Father, says in His

High-Priestly prayer, “thy word is truth.”Now, how many

truths can there be? There can be only ONE truth. There

cannot be many truths. Truth is truth, and anything else

is false. Didn't the Lord say He is THE truth (John 14:6)?

Can there be another Saviour? No, of course not. That is

because the Truth is the Truth –there is none other.9

Truth mixed with any amount of error or falsehood is not

truth. Yet, when we examine Bible versions the words

are not the same. Their words are different between

each other, and in some cases, as we shall see later in

the pages ahead, the ideas are different. How then can

all of the versions be the “truth?” Which Bible is the

magnified, inspired, preserved, settled, truth?

8 Ezekiel 24:14 “I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent...” 9 Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

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VARIOUS SELECTIONS

The following samples were taken from various

modern versions and put “side-by-side” so to speak with

the KJB. We will discuss in later chapters the legacy of

the KJB and the modern versions. At this time, let it be

enough to say that they are from separate “lines.” And

why the KJB is shown as a baseline for comparison of

the modern versions. By simply examining the texts,

without great commentary, you may soon see that there

is a marked difference in message and doctrine between

the KJB and the modern versions (which seem to agree

with each other). Where applicable, the relevant words

or ideas compared are highlighted in bold type.

Abbreviations used in this section:

(ASV) American Standard Version

(BBE) Bible in Basic English

(CEV) Contemporary English Version

(CSB) Contemporary Standard Bible

(ESV) English Standard Version

(GNB) Good News Bible

(GWT) Good Word Translation

(HCSB) Holman Christian Standard Bible

(NAS) New American Standard

(NASB) New American Standard Bible

(NCV) New Century Version

(NEB) New English Bible

(NIRV) New International Revised Version

(NIV) New International Version

(NKJB) New King James Version

(NRSV) New Revised Standard Version

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(RSV) Revised Standard Version

(TNIV) Today’s New International Version

Psalm 12:6-7 The Doctrine of Preservation of Scripture

is intact in the KJB, while weakened in this popular other

version.

(KJB) “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver

tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou

shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them

from this generation for ever.”

(NIV) “And the words of the LORD are flawless: like

silver purified in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such

people forever.”

2Samuel 21:19 Who killed Goliath?

(KJB) “And there was again a battle in Gob with the

Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a

Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite,

the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.”

(NIV) “In another battle with the Philistines at Gob,

Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed

Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a

weaver’s rod.”

Proverbs 18:24 Say what about friends?

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(KJB) “A man that hath friends must shew himself

friendly.”

(NIV) “A man of many companions may come to ruin.”

(NASB) “A man of many friends comes to ruin.”

(HCSB) “A man with many friends may be harmed.”

Proverbs 4:13 Which word is right?10

(KJB) “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:

keep her; for she is thy life.”

(GNB) “Always remember what you have learned. Your

education is your life - guard it well.”

(GWT)“Cling to discipline. Do not relax your grip on it.

Keep it because it is your life.”

(Message Bible) “Hold tight to good advice; don't relax

your grip. Guard it well - your life is at stake.”

1John 5:7-8 The Doctrine of the Trinity is maintained in

the KJB, while diminished from here in other versions.

(KJB) “7 For there are three that bear record in heaven,

the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and

10 Remember: God shall preserve His Word, every “jot” and “tittle” (Matthew 5:18)

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these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear

witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the

blood: and these three agree in one.”

(TNIV) “7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit,

the water and the blood; and the three are in

agreement.”

(NCV) “7 So there are three witnesses that tell us about

Jesus: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these

three witnesses agree. “

(NAS) “7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit

and the water and the blood; and the three are in

agreement.”

(ASV) “7 And it is the Spirit that beareth witness,

because the Spirit is the truth. 8 For there are three who

bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood:

and the three agree in one.”

Psalm 22:16 We know the Lord was crucified, it is a

well-known historical fact, but what did they do to our

Lord in these versions?

(KJB) “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of

the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands

and my feet.”

(NCV) “They have bitten my arms and legs.”

13

(GNT) “An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs

they close in on me; they tear at my hands and

feet.”

(NEB) “... they hacked off my hands and my feet.”

Proverbs 16:6 Salvation in the KJB is by that which is

outside of us; but it appears to be by works here in

other versions.11

(KJB) “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by

the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”

(NIV) “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;

through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.”

(CEV) “If we truly love God, our sins will be forgiven; if

we show him respect, we will keep away from sin.”

(GNT) “Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your

sin. Obey the Lord and nothing evil will happen to you.”

Colossians 1:14 Where is the effectual blood of the

Lord Jesus Christ herein these modern versions? Without

the “blood” we cannot be forgiven or clean.

(KJB) “In whom we have redemption through his

blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”

11 The modern versions use words that indicate some kind of “work” on our part is required to be forgiven. Titus 3:5 speaks very clearly regarding this point: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

14

(NAS) “...in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness

of sins.”

(NCV) “....The Son paid for our sins, and in him we have

forgiveness.”

(NIV) “...in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness

of sins.”

Proverbs 8:22 The KJB maintains the Deity of Jesus

Christ, but it is diminished from here in these modern

versions.12

(KJB) “The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his

way, before his works of old.”

(NLT) “The LORD formed me from the beginning,

before he created anything else.”

(GNB) “The Lord created me first of all, the first of his

works, long ago.”

(NIRV) “The LORD created me as the first of his works,

before his acts of long ago.”

(HCSB) “The Lord made me at the beginning of His

creation, before His works of long ago.”

12 Proverbs 8:22 is speaking of wisdom. First Corinthians 1:30 is clear that Christ is the wisdom of God: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” These modern versions reduce Christ to a creation in the verses above.

15

Luke 2:33 The KJB identifies Joseph by name, to arrest

any doubts that the Father of Christ is God, but who do

they say the father of Christ is in these modern

versions?

(KJB) “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those

things which were spoken of him.”

(NIV) “The child's father and mother marveled at what

was said about him.”

(NASB) “And His father and mother were amazed at

the things which were being said about Him.”

(GNT) “The child's father and mother were amazed at

the things Simeon said about him.”

(ESV) “And his father and his mother marveled at what

was said about him.”

John 6:69 Why is “Christ” removed here in these

modern versions?13

(KJB) “And we believe and are sure that thou art that

Christ, the Son of the living God.”

13 This was Peter’s confession of faith, an example for all who believe – proclaiming Jesus Christ to be the Messiah of Scripture. Yet in these modern versions above, Christ, the very heart of our faith, is missing. The Pope is called “holy” by many. Many “religious” men (leaders, priests, shamans, etc.) are called “holy men” today. Is Christ just another “holy man?”

16

(BBE) “And we have faith and are certain that you are

the Holy One of God.”

(ASV) “And we have believed and know that thou art the

Holy One of God.”

(RSV) “...and we have believed, and have come to

know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

(NIV) “We believe and know that you are the Holy One

of God.”

CHRIST

Meaning: anointed, the Greek translation of the

Hebrew for “Messiah.” It is the official title of our Lord.14

Christ was anointed as our Prophet, Priest, and King. He

is Jesus the Christ,15the Anointed One. To believe that

“Jesus is the Christ” is to believe that:

HE is the Anointed

HE is the prophesied Messiah

HE is the Savior sent of God

HE was, what he claimed to be

This is to believe the gospel. That Jesus is the Christ

is the testimony of God, and the faith of this makes us

Christians.16 Examine the following verses and see how

“Christ” has been removed from modern versions:

14 Christ. Easton’s Bible Dictionary. <http://eastonsbibledictionary.com/> 15Acts 17:3; 18:5; Matthew 22:42 161Corinthians 12:3; 1John 5:1

17

Acts 15:11

(KJB) “But we believe that through the grace of the

Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved , even as they.”

(NAS) “But we believe that we are saved through the

grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also

are.”

(NIV) “No. We believe it is through the grace of our

LORD Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

Acts 16:31

(KJB) “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,

and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

(NAS) “They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you

will be saved, you and your household.”

(NIV) “They replied, "Believe in the LORD Jesus, and

you will be saved--you and your household."

1 Thessalonians 3:11

(KJB) “Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord

Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.”

(NIV) “Now may our God and Father himself and our

LORD Jesus clear the way for us to come to you.”

(NASB) “Now may our God and Father Himself and

Jesus our Lord direct our way to you;”

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2 Thessalonians 1:8

(KJB) “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that

know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord

Jesus Christ:”

(NIV) “He will punish those who do not know God and

do not obey the gospel of our LORD Jesus.”

(GNT) “with a flaming fire, to punish those who reject

God and who do not obey the Good News about our

Lord Jesus.“

Romans 1:3

(KJB) “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,

which was made of the seed of David according to the

flesh;”

(NASB) “concerning His Son, who was born of a

descendant of David according to the flesh,”

(NIV) “regarding his Son, who as to his human nature

was a descendant of David,”

1 Corinthians 5:4

(KJB) “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye

are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of

our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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(NIV) “When you are assembled in the name of our

LORD Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power

of our LORD Jesus is present,”

(NASB) “In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are

assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of

our Lord Jesus.”

Revelation 22:16 Blasphemous connotations can be

seen in this popular modern version, when compared to

the KJB readings.

(KJB) “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you

these things in the churches. I am the root and the

offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

(NIV) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this

testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the

Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

Compare with: Isaiah 14:12

(KJB) “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son

of the morning. how art thou cut down to the ground,

which didst weaken the nations.”

(NIV) “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning

star, son of the dawn. You have been cast down to the

earth, you who once laid low the nations.”17

17 When a Name of God is given to Satan, that is blasphemous.

20

Compare it with2Peter 1:19also:

(KJB) “We have also a more sure word of prophecy;

whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light

that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the

day star arise in your hearts.”

(NIV) “And we have the word of the prophets made

more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it,

as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns

and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

2 Peter 1:21 The doctrine of the “holy” Bible is

maintained in the KJB, while diminished, in these

modern versions.

(KJB) “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will

of man: but holy men of God spake as they were

moved by the Holy Ghost.”

(NIV) “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of

man, but men spoke from God as they were carried

along by the Holy Spirit.”

Also:

Revelation 22:6

(KJB) “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful

and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent

his angel to shew unto his servants the things which

must shortly be done.”

21

(CSB) “Then he said to me, "These words are faithful

and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the

prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what

must quickly take place.”

(NASB) And he said to me, "These words are faithful and

true "; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the

prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants

the things which must soon take place.

(NIV) “The angel said to me, "These words are

trustworthy and true. The LORD, the God of the spirits

of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the

things that must soon take place."

Also:

Revelation 18:20

(KJB) “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy

apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on

her.”

(NIV) “Rejoice over her, O heaven. Rejoice, saints and

apostles and prophets. God has judged her for the

way she treated you.”

(NASB) “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and

apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced

judgment for you against her.”

22

(NRSV) “Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints and

apostles and prophets. For God has given judgment

for you against her.”

There is much more as can be seen in the following

table:18

(KJB) (NIV) (NASB) (NWT)

Matthew

9:13

For I am not

come to call

the

righteous,

but sinners

to

repentance.

For I have

not come to

call the

righteous,

but sinners

For I did not

come to call

the

righteous,

but sinners

For I came

to call, not

righteous

people, but

sinners.

Matthew

18:11

For the Son

of man is

come to

save that

which was

lost.

OMITTED

Footnote

casts doubt

OMITTED

Matthew

19:17

Why callest

thou me

good?

Why do you

ask me

about what

is good?

Why are you

asking me

about what

is good?

Why do you

ask me

about what

is good?

John

10:30

I and my

Father are

one

I and the

Father are

one.

I and the

Father are

one.

I and the

Father are

one.

18 Source: www.avpublications.com

23

Acts 2:30

that of the

fruit of his

loins,

according to

the flesh, he

would raise

up Christ to

sit on his

throne;

he would

place one of

his

descendants

on his throne

to seat one

of his

descendants

upon his

throne

he would

seat one

from the

fruitage of

his loins

upon his

throne

John 6:47

He that

believeth on

me hath

everlasting

life.

He who

believes has

everlasting

life.

He who

believes has

eternal life.

He that

believes

has

everlasting

life.

John

8:9

And when

they heard

it, being

convicted by

their own

conscience,

went out

those who

heard began

to go away.

when they

heard it,

they began

to go out

one by one

OMITTED

Acts

23:9

Let us not

fight against

God.

OMITTED

OMITTED

OMITTED

Romans

13:9

Thou shalt

not bear

false

witness.

OMITTED

OMITTED

OMITTED

1Timothy

3:16

God was

manifest in

the flesh.

He appeared

in a body

He who was

revealed in

the flesh.

He was

made

manifest in

the flesh.

24

1Timothy

6:5

Perverse

disputings of

men of

corrupt

minds, and

destitute of

the truth,

supposing

that gain is

godliness:

from such

withdraw

thyself.

“from such

withdraw

thyself" is

omitted

“from such

withdraw

thyself" is

omitted

“from such

withdraw

thyself" is

omitted

1Peter

1:22

Ye have

purified your

souls in

obeying the

truth

through the

Spirit.

you have

purified

yourselves

by obeying

the truth.

Since you

have in

obedience to

the truth

purified your

souls.

Now that

you have

purified

your souls

by your

obedience

to the

truth.

1John 4:3

And every

spirit that

confesseth

not that

Jesus Christ

is come in

the flesh is

not of God.

But every

spirit that

does not

acknowledge

Jesus is not

from God.

And every

spirit that

does not

confess

Jesus is not

from God.

But every

inspired

expression

that does

not confess

Jesus does

not

originate

with God.

Revelation

5:14

Four and

twenty

elders fell

down and

worshipped

him that

liveth for

ever and

the elders

fell down

and

worshipped.

the elders

fell down

and

worshipped.

the elders

fell down

and

worshipped

25

ever.

Revelation

20:9

Fire came

down from

God out of

heaven.

Fire came

down from

heaven.

Fire came

down from

heaven.

Fire came

down out of

heaven.

The “household of God” is “built upon the foundation”

of “Jesus Christ… the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians

2:20)19 but these modern versions call Him the

“capstone:”

NIV KJB

Capstone Mark 21:42 head of the corner

Capstone Mark 12:10 head of the corner

Capstone Luke 20:17 head of the corner

Capstone Acts 4:11 head of the corner

Capstone 1 Peter 2:7 head of the corner

What is a cornerstone?

It’s the hardest stone that takes the pressure

between two sets of stones. If the cornerstone crumbles,

the whole structure collapses. The cornerstone (or

foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone

set in the construction of a masonry foundation,

important since all other stones will be set in reference

to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire

19 Riplinger, Gail. New Age Bible Versions. c. mid-1990’s. Video Lecture. Prophecy Club. [Open Domain]

Capstone

26

HOW ABOUT THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION?

What about that mysterious mark which represents

the NKJB?

The NKJB logo is the ancient symbol for the pagan

trinity, not the Christian Trinity. Use of number symbols

like this 666 (above) can be traced back to 582 B.C. and

the Egyptian mysteries religions. The symbol was

popularized again by Satanist Aleister Crowley (circa

1900) for the Royal Arch (Lucifer) of the 3rd Degree of

the York Order of Masonry. The symbol’s shape is

duplicated as three initiates join arms and feet, while

repeating the names of the ancient pagan trinity. The

NKJB’s symbol can be seen on satanic rock group

albums like Led Zeppelin, as well as on New Age

bestsellers like The Aquarian Conspiracy.20

The NKJB omits … “Lord” 66 times ● “God” 51

times ● “heaven” 50 times ● “repent” 44 times ● “blood”

23 times ● “hell” 22 times“● JEHOVAH” entirely ● “new

testament” entirely ● “damnation” entirely ● “devils”

entirely ● And ignored the KJB Textus Receptus over

20 New King James Omissions. Tract.A.V. Publications, Ararat, VA 24053 USA. <www.avpublications.com>.

27

1,200 times;21 in the New Testament alone the NKJB

removes 2.289 words from the KJB; makes over

100,000 word changes; and most will match the (NIV),

NASV, RSV, or RSV.22

The NKJB Demotes Jesus Christ23

NKJB KJB

Acts 3:13 His Servant Jesus his Son Jesus

Acts 3:26 His Servant Jesus his Son Jesus

Acts 4:27 holy Servant Jesus holy child Jesus

Acts 4:30 holy Servant Jesus holy child Jesus

Col 1:15 the firstborn the firstborn of

over all creation every creature

Mark 2:15 OMIT Jesus

Heb 4:8 Joshua Jesus

Acts 7:45 Joshua Jesus

2 Thes3:5 patience of Christ patient waiting

for Christ (we are

to be patient

waiting for

Christ)

Demotes the Holy Spirit24

NKJB KJB

John 14:16 Helper Comforter

John 14:26 Helper Comforter

21 See Chapter 7 of this text 22 Counterfeit New King James Version. Dial-the-Truth Ministries. 1995. The King James Bible Page. <http://www.av1611.org/nKJB.html> 23 Riplinger, Gail. New Age Bible Versions. c. mid-1990’s. Video Lecture. Prophecy Club. [Open Domain] 24 Riplinger, Gail. New Age Bible Versions. c. mid-1990’s. Video Lecture. Prophecy Club. [Open Domain]

28

John 15:26 Helper Comforter

John 16:7 Helper25 Comforter

Works/Progressive Salvation26

NKJB KJB

Matt 7:14 difficult is the way narrow is the way

Rom 3:3 faithfulness faith

Rev 19:8 righteous righteousness

1Cor1:18 are being saved are saved

2Cor 2:15 are being saved are saved

Eph 2:8 have been saved ye are saved

LANGUAGE OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE: THE BEAUTY OF

"THEE"

How often has this author heard the same comments

about the KJB being so hard to understand because of

the “thee’s and thou’s.” However, the truth of the

matter is that those “thee’s and thou’s” actually make

the KJB clearer and precise, removing room for

questions. Because the translators of the 1611 King

James Bible desired an accurate, word-for-word

translation of the Hebrew and Greek text, they could not

use the one-word "you" throughout. If it begins with "t"

(thou, thy, thine) it's SINGULAR, but if it begins with "y"

(ye) it's PLURAL. See for yourself:

25 Anyone can be a “helper,” but it is only the Spirit of God which can bring comfort. They carry two different meanings - Riplinger 26 Riplinger, Gail. New Age Bible Versions. c. mid-1990’s. Video Lecture. Prophecy Club. [Open Domain]

29

“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”

(John 3:7).

Modern versions seek to remove those “archaic”

words with the more ambiguous word “you.” You can be

singular or plural, and can often be misunderstood, as in

the case: “Marvel not that I said that to you, you must

be born again.” From this sentence, we can only

ascertain that Nicodemus is the only one who needs to

be born again.

But the KJB rendering is specific: “I’m telling you

that everyone needs to be born again.” One of those

newer Bibles which claims to be more “readable,” is the

New King James Version (NKJB). Ads for the NKJB call it

"the Accurate One," but the King James, by using

"thee," "thou," "ye" is actually much more accurate. Not

to mention the fact that the KJB is actually more

readable:

Which Version Has a Lower Reading Level?27

Grade

Level

Grade

Level

Grade

Level

Grade

Level

Grade

Level

Grade

Level

KJB NIV NASB TEV NKJB

Gen 1 4.4 5.1 4.7 5.1 5.2

Mal 1 4.6 4.8 5.1 5.4 4.6

Matt 1 6.7 16.4 6.8 11.8 10.3

Rev 1 7.5 7.1 7.7 6.4 7.7

Grade

Level

Average

5.8 8.4 6.1 7.2 6.9

27 Riplinger, Gail. New Age Bible Versions. c. mid-1990’s. Video Lecture. Prophecy Club. [Open Domain]

30

THE BIBLE IS A SPIRITUAL BOOK THAT ONLY GOD CAN

OPEN

The Bible (KJB) is not difficult to understand, it is

impossible unless God opens it up to us. Scripture is

clear on this point:

John 10:6 “The people…the Pharisees…they understood

not what things they were which he spake unto them”

Luke 18:34 “And they understood none of these things:

and this saying was hid from them”

Luke 24:45“Then opened he their understanding, that

they might understand the scriptures”

1John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come,

and hath given us an understanding…”

1Chronicles 28:19 “The LORD made me understand"

John 3:6-7 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and

that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I

said unto thee, Ye must be born again”

1Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the

things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto

him: neither can he know them, because they are

spiritually discerned”

We can read it, glean some good moral lessons, and

perhaps even get some religious “pointers,” but at the

31

end of the day, only God in His grace can reveal His

Word to us in such a way that it becomes real and

personal to us. Therefore, attempts to make the Bible

more “understandable” will fail without God doing the

work.

MODERN PUBLISHERS

The King James Bible is not copyrighted. It is

considered a public domain publication of the Word of

God. However, virtually all modern versions are

copyrighted which means there must be a minimum

percentage of modified text in order to obtain the

copyright. The Bible, of course, is the bestselling book of

all time, thus it is big money for those publishers. The

majority of modern Bible publishers are neither religious

organizations nor missionary societies deserving our

unqualified trust. It may very well be the case from the

afore demonstrated comparisons that modern day Bible

publishers have given themselves "license" to change

Scripture, and get money by showing enough

"differences" to obtain a copyright. There are certainly

enough differences even in this forum to bring the

reader to question the validity of these modern versions.

32

3. INSPIRATION

THE DOCTRINE OF INSPIRATION

Inspiration as defined in the Greek means "God-

breathed." Inspiration means that God used human

authors with their own individual personalities and

writing styles to say exactly what He wanted written:

2Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the

will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were

moved by the Holy Ghost”

Many Old Testament passages quoted in the New

Testament are said to have the Holy Spirit as their

author, even though a human prophet spoke the words.

34

Old Testament

The psalmist said

(Psalm 95:7)

The psalmist said

(Psalm 45:6)

Isaiah said

(Isaiah 7:14)

Hosea said

(Hosea 11:1)

Eliphaz's words

(Job 5:13)

New Testament

The Holy Spirit said

(Hebrews 3:7)

God said

(Hebrews 1:8)

The Lord spoke by the prophet

(Matthew 1:22-23)

The Lord spoke by the prophet

(Matthew 2:15).

God's Word

(1Corinthians 3:19)

The New Testament speaks of portions of the

Old Testament which were written by men, as

being written or spoken by the Holy Spirit:

Mark 12:36 “For David himself said by the Holy

Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my

right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool

[Psalms 110]”

Acts 1:16 “Men and brethren, this scripture must

needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by

the mouth of David spake before concerning

Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.”

Acts 4:24-25 “And when they heard that, they lifted

up their voice to God with one accord, and said,

Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and

earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by

the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why

did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain

things? [Psalms 41, 42]”

35

GOD'S WORDS IN THE MOUTHS OF THE OLD

TESTAMENT PROPHETS

Second Samuel 23:2 says, “The Spirit of the

LORD spake by me, and his word was in my

tongue.” Also Isaiah 59:21, “As for me, this is my

covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that

is upon thee, and my words which I have put in

thy mouth...”28

FULFILLED PROPHECY: PROOF OF DIVINE

INSPIRATION

From the Book of Genesis to the Book of

Malachi, the Old Testament abounds with

predictions of the coming Messiah… Fulfilled in the

New Testament: His birth, life, ministry, death,

resurrection, and glory. These fulfilled prophecies

are a powerful evidence for the inspiration of

Scripture.29 The New Testament writers often

pointed to how Christ was the specific fulfillment of

a Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament…

MESSIANIC PROPHECIES FULFILLED BY JESUS

CHRIST

Seed of woman: Genesis 3:15

Virgin Birth: Isaiah 7:14

28 See also Jeremiah 1:9; Acts 28:25; Zechariah 7:12 29 See many more: Smith, J. F. Creation-Education Book 1: Bible & Science. 2010. Creation-Ed Ministry. Unpublished.

36

Birthplace: Bethlehem: Micah 5:2

Forerunner: John: Malachi 3:1

Ministry of miracles: Isaiah 35:5-6

Sold for 30 shekels: Zechariah 11:12

Hands and feet pierced: Psalm 22:16

Crucified with thieves: Isaiah 53:12

No bones broken: Psalm 22:17

Suffered thirst on cross: Psalm 69:21

Resurrection: Psalm 16:10; 22:2230

INSPIRATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Lord promised that it would be the

work of the Holy Spirit to provide an accurate

recounting of the events of His life . . .

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy

Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he

shall teach you all things, and bring all things to

your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto

you.”

THE NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS ARE "SCRIPTURE"

The apostle Peter in 2Peter 3:16 uses the word

"Scripture" to describe the writings of the apostle

Paul:

“As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these

things; in which are some things hard to be

understood, which they that are unlearned and

30 Rhodes, Ron. The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the Bible. Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. <http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Inspiration.html>

37

unstable wrest, as they do also the other

scriptures, unto their own destruction.”

NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES WHERE THE

WRITERS CLAIM DIVINE AUTHORITY FOR THEIR

WRITINGS

In 1Corinthians 2:13, Paul said he spoke,

"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.”

In 1Corinthians 14:37, Paul says, "If any man

think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him

acknowledge that the things that I write unto

you are the commandments of the Lord.”

In 1Thessalonians 2:13, Paul says, "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."

In 2Corinthians 13:3 “Since ye seek a proof of

Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not

weak, but is mighty in you.”

By the time 2Timothy 3:16 was written, all of

the New Testament books had already been written

except for 2Peter, Hebrews, Jude, and the Apostle

John's writings. Paul was surely including these

books in the phrase "all Scripture is inspired…” And

since the remaining books were later acknowledged

as belonging to the canon of Scripture, we may say

38

that this verse says something about all 66 books

of the Bible.31

When we speak of inspiration these days, we

are referring now to four aspects of inspiration. The

following are terms used today, in reference to the

inspired Word of God:

Plenary

Concepts, ideas, and dialogue

Everything written in the Bible was given by God

(plenary), but not everything is correct (e.g. the

advice of Job’s “friends,” etc.)

Verbal

Every word

That means the inspiration extends to the very

words themselves (verbal), not just concepts or

ideas.

Infallible

Certain; correct

This means that it is accurate in matters of faith

and doctrine, and does not mislead or deceive.

Inerrant

Free from error; true; accurate

Meaning that in the end, it will not be proven

wrong.

31 Rhodes, Ron. The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the Bible. Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. <http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Inspiration.html>

39

Is entirely true and never false in all it affirms,

whether that relates to doctrine or ethics, or to the

social, physical, historical, or life sciences.

STATISTICS

In the book, Reforming Fundamentalism, author

George A. Marsden gives shocking statistics:

85% of the students in one of America's largest

evangelical seminaries stated that they do not

believe in the inerrancy of Scripture.32

Additionally, in the same book, in a poll of

10,000 U.S.A. pastors were asked if they believed

that the Scriptures are the inspired and inerrant

Word of God. Again, the response was shocking:

95% of Episcopalians said . . . "No."

87% of Methodists said . . . "No."

82% of Presbyterians said . . . "No."

77% of American Lutherans said . . . "No."

67% of American Baptists said . . . "No.”33

Is it possible that the confusion generated by

the many versions has influenced these statistics?

32 The Gideon, January, 1994, pp. 12-13. Quoted in Reforming Fundamentalism. Articles on George Marsden. <http://bible.org/illustration/reforming-fundamentalism> 33The Gideon, January, 1994, pp. 12-13. Quoted in Reforming Fundamentalism. Articles on George Marsden. <http://bible.org/illustration/reforming-fundamentalism>

40

INSPIRATION AS IT APPLIES TO A DISCUSSION OF

BIBLE VERSIONS

This four-pronged approach to understanding

the Doctrine of Inspiration gives us a relatively

complete view of just how perfect the Word of God

is; that He gave us not only the ideas, concepts,

and dialogues in the Bible; but also His EXACT

words, which are not only holy, and life changing,

but very much certain to have happened, are

happening, or will happen as recorded; and certain

to be accurate in what they have recorded. And,

because it is inspired by God, the Scriptures are

therefore authoritative and sufficient. The Bible is

not only inspired by God, but it also has the

supernatural ability to change us:

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing,

and hearing by the word of God.”

“The authority of Scripture cannot be separated

from the authority of God. Whatever the Bible

affirms, God affirms. And what the Bible affirms

(or denies), it affirms (or denies) with the very

authority of God."34

This therefore then begs the question, which

Bible version contains these plenary-verbal-

infallible-inerrant inspired words of God? As we

34 Rhodes, Ron. The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the Bible. Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. <http://home.earthlink.net/~ronrhodes/Inspiration.html>

41

have already seen in the previous chapter, the

versions do NOT contain the same words. So, with

all of that authority behind it, it is doubtful the Lord

would leave His Word to the unreliability of men.

Conversely, it also reasonable to believe (with

childlike faith) that the Lord is completely able to

keep that very inspired Word of His, throughout the

ages. This leads us to our next point, the Doctrine

of Preservation.

42

4. PRESERVATION

Psalm 12:7 in the KJB is one of the most solid

internal evidences for the Doctrine of Preservation:

“Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt

preserve them from this generation for ever.”

First Peter 1:23 also lends support to the same

doctrine:

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of

incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth

and abideth for ever." (1Peter 1:23)

Those who advocate the doctrine of Inspiration

so clearly taught in Scripture but maintain that the

Bible contains errors, or mistakes in translation

neglect, do not know, or refuse to acknowledge,

the Doctrine of Preservation also clearly taught in

the Bible. The Doctrine of Inspiration cannot be

removed from the Doctrine of Preservation. They

are two sides of the same coin – that “coin” being

the Holy Bible, God’s Holy Word. Why would God

write something, then not preserve it? They cannot

be removed from each other. Inspiration requires

preservation, otherwise, what was the point in God

speaking to us?

Here is what some “theologians,” “scholars,”

clergy, and churches assert that: The Bible was

inspired only in the “original” languages and

43

manuscripts.35 One problem with that ideology, as

that those “original manuscripts” are long gone,

turned to dust over the centuries – there are NO

more originals! So, where does that leave them –

without a Bible; without God’s Word; in the dark?

God says His Word is a “lamp” to guide us in the

way.36Why would God say such a thing then just

leave His inspired Word to the feebleness of men?

That would make God unreliable.

Another problem with that is that God Said…

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

35 "Original” Manuscripts. The doctrine found in many church

statements says something to the effect of: "We believe that the Bible

is the written Word of God, without error AS it was written in the

ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS, and of infallible divine authority in matters

of faith and life." BUT where are those original manuscripts? They are

dust. So, does that mean we do not have the Word of God today?

Did the LORD use the “Originals”? "Did ye never read in the

scriptures?" (Matthew 21:42). "He expounded unto them in all the

scriptures" (Luke 24:27). "And while he opened to us the scriptures"

(Luke 24:32). "That they might understand the scriptures" (Luke

24:45). Did that little synagogue in that little town where Jesus taught

have the originals? Did others have the originals? No, they had

"copies;" God-preserved copies. Christ called them Scripture. Would

He have called them the Scriptures if they were not?

Did the Ethiopian have the originals? "The place of the scripture

which he read" (Acts 8:32). "And began at the same scripture and

preached" (Acts 8:35). Did the Thessalonians have the originals?

Paul "Reasoned with them out of the scriptures" (Acts 17:2). Did the

Bereans have the originals? "They searched the scriptures daily

(Acts" 17:11). Did the church in Rome have the originals?

"Comfort of the scriptures" (Rom. 15:4). 36 Compare with Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

44

It would do us well to remember, that in a

discussion regarding Bible versions – What is the

manner of preservation? Not men, but GOD. It is

God who we must trust in, NOT the ability of men

to “preserve” His words.37Just as God is able to

inspire men to write His Word, so He is able to use

men to preserve it through the centuries and

through translation. The Westminster Confession of

1646 supports this:

"The Scriptures were immediately inspired of

God and under His singular care and providence

kept pure in all ages."

WHAT IS PRESERVATION?

Basic Meaning (Webster, 1828)

1. To keep from harm, injury, damage, danger,

destruction, evil, etc.

2. To keep from spoiling, rotting or decaying

3. To keep up, carry on, maintain, uphold, sustain

Doctrinal Definition

1. The act of God by which He keeps and protects

the Word of God so that every word is exactly of

His choosing and completely without error

2. More simply, the act of keeping scripture

inspired (see 2Timothy 3:14-16)

37 Compare with Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

45

From these definitions we can see that God

protects His Word from “going bad.”

“I do not teach a new inspiration for the

translation. Rather, I believe that God preserved

the inspiration of scripture as He transferred it

from one language to another.”38

SCRIPTURAL CONFIRMATION OF PRESERVATION

The following verses confirm that God does

indeed preserve His Word:

Psalm 12:6-7 “The words of the LORD are pure

words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified

seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou

shalt preserve them from this generation for

ever.”

Psalm 100:5 “For the LORD is good; his mercy is

everlasting; and his truth endureth to

all generations.”

Psalm 111:7-8 “The works of his hands are verity

and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done

in truth and uprightness.”

Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is

settled in heaven.”

38 Reagan, David. King James Bible Inspired or Preserved? Quoted The Answer Book. 1989. <http://www.seawaves.us/na/web4/answerbook.html>

46

Psalm 119:152 “Concerning thy testimonies, I have

known of old that thou hast founded

Them for ever.”

Psalm 119:160 “Thy word is true from the

beginning: and every one of thy righteous

Judgments endureth for ever.”

Ecclesiastes 3:14 “I know that, whatsoever God

doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to

it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it,

that men should fear before him.”

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

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.”

From these words, it is pretty much an open

and shut case: God does preserve His Word. Psalm

110:5 says God’s Word will “endure” to ALL

generations. Wouldn’t that apply to our generation

in this day and age as well? Wouldn’t that mean

that we do indeed have God’s Word available to us

today? That being the case, the question is no

longer IF God preserved His Word, the question

now is, “where is it?” Psalm 119:152 tells us God

intends for His words to be around forever. So

where are they? We already saw in an earlier

chapter that the versions do NOT contain the same

words, or even ideas in many cases. Hence, again,

ours as believers is to make sure that we have

47

God’s Word in our hands. Ours is to “study” to

show ourselves approved unto God” (2Timothy

2:15).

GUARDS

The Lord placed guards over His Word in the

form of warnings:

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word

which I command you, neither shall ye diminish

ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments

of the LORD your God which I command you.”

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.”

Revelation 22:18-19 “For I testify unto every man

that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book,

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.”

God must think highly of His Word if He would

give us warnings regarding adding or taking away

from it. It also implies that His Word is complete,

and suggests that it is among us. If there were no

preserved Word of God today, then why give this

48

warning? As it is now, many a Bible version

publisher/writer have good reason to fear these

warnings given the many additions and

subtractions from God’s Word, as we have already

seen in a previous chapter.

METHOD OF PRESERVATION

The Lord has also established an orderly way

that His Word may be preserved, humanly

speaking, in both the Old and New Testaments. We

see the internal evidences of this preservation

design in the following outlines from a source which

the author failed to ascertain. Nevertheless,

remember as you examine this preservation layout

that if God can use even lost and wicked men to

bring about His perfect will,39 then He can use

saved sinners to preserve His perfect book.

OLD TESTAMENT PRESERVATION

Preserved by the priests

1. They kept the tables of the Law (Deuteronomy

31:24-26)

2. They taught the words of the law

a. To the courts (Deuteronomy 17:8-13)

b. To the people (Deuteronomy 31:9-13)

3. They copied the words of the law

39 Psalm 76:10; Proverbs 16:4; Revelation 4:11

49

a. Before the king (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

b. By the king’s scribe (2Samuel 8:17)

(1) First mention of “scribe” in the Bible

(2) A scribe was a copier of manuscripts

c. By the men of Hezekiah (Proverbs 25:1)

d. By Baruch, the scribe (Jeremiah 36:4,17-

18,32)

e. By Ezra, the priest (Ezra 7:6,10-12,21)

As God preserved the Old

Testament physically through the

Aaronic priesthood, so the manner in

which God preserved the New

Testament text was by means of the

universal priesthood of believers,40

through the leading, of the Holy

Spirit in the hearts of individual

Christians throughout the centuries.

Do NOT however put your confidence in men, but

in what God is ABLE to do in and through men.

Remember, He can do the impossible.41

NEW TESTAMENT PRESERVATION

A. The New Testament books were

immediately accepted as Scripture

1. The claims of the authors

40 In the New Testament every believer is a priest under Christ: 1Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” 41 Mark 10:27 “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

50

a. Apostles (Matthew 10:20; Luke

12:12; 21:15)

b. Paul (1Corinthians

2:13; 14:37; 2Corinthians 10:7-

13; 13:3; Galatians 1:6-12; Colossians

4:16; 1Thessalonians 2:13; 4:8-9;

2Thessalonians 3:6, 12-14)

c. Peter (2Peter 3:1-2)

2. The acceptance of other New Testament

authors

a. Peter testifies of Paul’s epistles (2Peter

3:15-16)

b. Paul quotes Luke 10:7 in 1Timothy

5:18 along with Deuteronomy 25:4 and

calls them both Scripture

3. Early Quotations

a. Clement (c.96) who may have known the

Apostles42 quotes Hebrews as “the holy

word.” He also quotes Matthew, Acts,

Romans, I Corinthians, Titus, James and I

Peter.

b. Polycarp (c.115) a disciple of the Apostle

John43 quotes Matthew, Luke, Acts, Romans,

42 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/tixeront/section1-

1.html#1clement 43 http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/polycarp.php http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/tixeront/section1-

1.html#polycarp

51

I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians,

Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians,

I & II Timothy, I & II Peter and I John. He

alludes to Mark, Hebrews, James and II & III

John. He speaks of Ephesians 4:26 as

“sacred scripture”.

B. Warnings against textual corruptions were

made immediately

1. In the Scriptures themselves (2Corinthians

2:17; 4:2; 2Timothy 4:3-4; 2Peter 2:1-

2; 3:16; Jude 3-4; Revelation 22:18-19)

2. Polycarp (c.115) said, “Whoever perverts the

sayings of the Lord…that one is the firstborn of

Satan.”

3. Irenaeus (c.180) who studied under Polycarp

and whose ministry was refuting Gnosticism44

said about his own writing:

“I adjure you who shall copy out this book, by

out Lord Jesus Christ and by his glorious advent

when He comes to judge the living and the dead,

that you compare what you transcribe, and

correct it carefully against this manuscript from

which you copy; and also that you transcribe this

adjuration and insert it in the copy.”

C. The making of good copies spread rapidly

44 http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/irenaeus.php

52

1. The copies were to be circulated

(See Colossians 4:16)

2. Widespread early quotations prove the

existence of numerous copies

3. Justin Martyr (100 AD – 165), one of the

earliest and ablest Christian apologists45 referred

to the weekly practice of reading the Scriptures

in the churches; about 150 (See 1Timothy

4:13; Luke 4:16)

D. The rejection of corrupt copies was an

early practice

1. New copies were compared with faithful copies

2. Corrupt copies were rejected

a. Some were destroyed

b. Some were put aside unused (like

Sinaiticus)46

3. Pure copies were used

a. Used until they were worn out

b. Used to make new copies

45

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/evangelistsandapologists/martyr.html

46 Chapter 6

53

However, in the footnotes of some modern

versions we read about the “older” and “better”

manuscripts. They may very well be older, but they

are not “better.”47 There might be a good reason

they are “older.” Perhaps they weren’t used.

David Reagan (a popular KJB defender) puts it

like this:48

“I see two precepts concerning God's words: (1)

He will preserve His words (Psalm 12:6-7); (2)

His truth (which is His word - John 17:17) will

endure to all generations (Psalm 100:5; 117:2).

My job is NOT to determine whether or not God

preserved His words. That would be a direct

rejection of the information given to me by God.

Rather, my duty is to discover that true word

and where it is in the world today. My faith

ought NOT to be in the translation abilities of

man. It is in the providential working of God to

preserve His words. God says of man that He

"hath set the world in their heart, so that no

man can find out the work that God maketh

from the beginning to the end" (Ecclesiastes

3:11). That means that He purposely hides the

way He accomplishes His will from our eyes and

understanding. His ways are unsearchable

(Romans 11:33). In the end, we must come to

Him in faith. The truth is, our belief in God, in

the preserved canon of Scripture, or in the

47 Chapter 7 48 Reagan, David. Do We Have a Preserved Text?

<http://www.learnthebible.org/do-we-have-a-preserved-text.html>

54

preserved words of God, all come down to faith.

Will you believe God or not?

E. L. Bynum, author of “Use The Bible God Uses

King James A.V. 1611”49 says:

“If our only hope in the text rests on the labors

of man, I would agree that it has been lost. But

would God allow His words to be hopelessly lost

in errors and corruptions. We must believe that

He wants us to have His pure words. Therefore,

I believe that He providentially works in the

affairs of men, taking their errors and attempts

and bringing out at certain times and in certain

languages His perfect word and His perfect

words… The devil does not want anyone to be

able to say, ‘thus saith the Lord.’ He wants

people to say, ‘Yea, hath God said?’ And that is

just about what he has the modern religious

world saying. Many are constantly correcting

the Bible, and people are so confused that they

do not know what the Lord did say.”

Instead of the word of God correcting us, we

arrogantly correct the word of God.50 And the real

authority becomes the “scholar” who tells us what

the passage really means.

49 Bynum, E. L. Use The Bible God Uses King James A.V. 1611. The Baptist Pillar, Brandon Bible Baptist Church. <http://baptistpillar.com/article_102.html > 50 Reagan, David. Attack on the English Bible <http://www.learnthebible.org/attack-on-the-english-bible.html>

55

The Lord says:

Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away,

but my words shall not pass away."

Notice the use of the word, "words." This is a

specific reference to individual words. Jesus did not

say "my 'word' shall not pass away;" which would

leave open the possible interpretation by some of

thoughts or ideas "passing away." He said "words."

Not just the Word in general or the ideas have

been preserved but EVERY word. It’s not for us to

know HOW. God can use anything for His purposes:

Mark 10:15 “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall

not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he

shall not enter therein”

We are called to childlike faith in Christ. God

said it, it is true. God created heaven and earth.

God opened an animal’s (ass) mouth to speak to

Balaam (Numbers 22:28). God held the sun in

place for Joshua. He raised Lazarus from the dead,

and many more miracles. Why then could He not

do one more miracle, and preserve His inspired

Word EXACTLY as He spoke it?

56

5. HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE

CANON

In your personal or public studies, you may

have heard the term “canon” from time to time.

Canon simply means a collection of books accepted

as Holy Scripture, especially the books of the Bible

recognized by any Christian church as genuine and

inspired.

How was the New Testament Canon

determined?

There has never really been much controversy

regarding the canonicity of the Old Testament

Scriptures, as they were meticulously kept by the

Levites on through to the Masoretes.51 Interestingly

though, it has been the New Testament (the

fulfillment of the Law by Jesus Christ, and grace

through faith in Him) which has been primarily

targeted for questions regarding Bible versions.

The early church had three criteria for determining

what books were to be included or excluded from

the Canon of the New Testament:

1. The books must have apostolic authority:

Either written by the apostles, or written

by associates of the apostles (Mark, Luke)

51 Chapter 7

57

2. There was the criterion of conformity to the

"rule of faith." In other words, did the

document match the basic Christian tradition

of faith and practice

3. Continuous acceptance and usage by the

church in general.

The charts on the following page represent the

timeline of the development of the English Bible,

and provide an overview for the pages to follow

with which the reader may refer to.

58

59

WHAT IS THE APOCRYPHA?

The term "apocrypha" refers to 14 biblical books

included as part of the Septuagint (the Greek

version of the Old Testament), and the Vulgate

(the Latin version of the Bible), but not included in

the Hebrew Bible. The apocrypha are generally not

accepted as inspired.

Up until the 1880’s every Protestant Bible

(not just Catholic Bibles) had 80 books, not

66.

• The Apocrypha books were part of nearly

every Early Bible: Tyndale-Matthews Bible,

the Great Bible, the Bishops Bible, the

Geneva Bible, and the King James Bible until

their removal in the 1880’s.

• The original 1611 King James contained the

Apocrypha. It was left in at the King’s

request and insisted upon by the Anglican

clergy. It was never considered “inspired” by

the early church fathers but considered

historical.

• The Apocrypha was officially removed from

KJB by Archbishop of Canterbury in 1885,

but was voted out in 1880 by American Bible

Society. The Bible then became 66 books.

60

These books are useful but are not to be

regarded as Scripture for the following

reasons:

1. They were never included in the Hebrew

Old Testament.

2. They were never accepted as canonical by

Jesus and His Apostles (not quoted from).

3. They were not accepted by early Jewish and

Christian writers.

4. They do not demonstrate inspiration.

Statements on the Apocrypha from the Days

of the Reformation52

Luther Bible (1534). “… not to be esteemed like the

Holy Scriptures …”

Coverdale Bible (1535). “… not reckoned to be of

like authority with the other books of the Bible …”

Geneva Bible (1560). “… books which were not

received by a common consent to be read and

52 Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got The Bible. Excerpt Quoted in Has The

Bible Text Been Reliably Transmitted?

<http://www.bumby.org/faq/is_the_bible_reliable.html>

Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got The Bible. Excerpt Quoted in Vlach,

Mike. How We Got Our Bible. Bible Bulletin Board

<http://www.biblebb.com/files/howbible.htm>

61

expounded publicly in the Church, neither yet

served to prove any point of Christian religion …”

Westminster Confession (1647). Chapter 1 § 3:

"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, nor to be any otherwise approved,

or made use of, than other human writings."

The apocryphal books therefore have been

rightfully rejected from our Bible.

KEY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN PRODUCING THE

ENGLISH BIBLE WE HAVE TODAY53

John Wycliffe (c. 1324 – 31 Dec

1384)

First hand-written English

language Bible manuscripts.

Translated out of the Latin

Vulgate, which was the only source text

available to Wycliffe.

Well-known throughout Europe for his

opposition to the teaching of the Catholic

53 Jeffcoat III, John L. English Bible History & Timeline. 2002.

<www.greatsite.com> Mr. Jeffcoat has done a fantastic job of putting

this reference together which deserves his acknowledgment. However,

the author has reduced the commentary to bullets for the sake of

space.

62

Church, which he believed to be contrary to the

Bible.

Johann Gutenberg (c. 1398 –

Feb 3, 1468)

Invented the printing press in

the 1450's,

First book to ever be printed was a Latin Bible.

Bibles and books could finally be effectively

produced in large quantities in a short period of

time.

His invention was essential to the success of the

Reformation.

Erasmus (Oct 28, 1466 – Jul 12,

1536)

Published a Greek-Latin Parallel NT

Translated from the more accurate

and reliable Greek

Focused attention on the corrupt and inaccurate

Latin Vulgate

Gave importance to going back to the original

Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew

(Old Testament) languages to maintain

accuracy

William Tyndale (c. 1494 –

1536)

63

Captain of the Army of Reformers, and their

spiritual leader.

First man to ever print the New Testament in

the English language.

Fluent in eight languages

Referred to as the “Architect of the English

Language”

Martin Luther (10 Nov 1483 – 18

Feb 1546)

Declared his intolerance for the

Roman Church’s corruption on

Halloween in 1517

Nailed his 95 Theses of Contention to the

Wittenberg Church door

Translated the NT into German for the first time

from the 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of

Erasmus

In the 1530’s he would go on to publish the

entire Bible in German

Myles Coverdale (c. 1488 – 20

January 1569)

Used Luther's German text and the

Latin as sources to print the first complete English

Bible on October 4, 1535, known as the Coverdale

Bible.

John Rogers (c. 1500 – 4 Feb

1555)

64

Printed the second complete English Bible

in 1537.

First English Bible translated from the original

Biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek.

Used the name "Thomas Matthew",

Considerable part of this Bible was the

translation of Tyndale,

Known as the Matthew-Tyndale Bible.

King Henry VIII (28 Jun 1491

– 28 Jan 1547)

Requested the Pope permit

him to divorce his wife and

marry his mistress. The Pope

refused.

Married his mistress anyway, and rejected

Roman Catholicism, taking England out from

under Rome’s religious control

Declared himself to be the head of the Anglican

Church, or the Church of England. Acted as its

“Pope”

Funded the printing of the scriptures in English…

the first legal English Bible

John Calvin (10 Jul 1509 – 27 May

1564)

Credited with (this is questionable

based on the author’s research)

publishing the Geneva Bible in 1560,

which won the hearts of the people because of its

65

excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive

commentary.

King James I (19 Jun 1566 – 27

Mar 1625)

At the request of the Protestant

clergy, replaced the Bishop's Bible

with the KJB

Was a devout man who loved the Lord and His

Word

Known for being well-versed in Scripture,

knowledgeable of biblical theology, and morally

upright

THE ENGLISH BIBLES

The following is a timeline for the production of

the English Bibles. Following this table is brief

commentary54 regarding each of the seven Bibles

produced during these years.

54 Jeffcoat III, John L. English Bible History & Timeline. 2002. <www.greatsite.com>

66

Tyndale NT (1526)

Approximately 90% of this translation was

retained all the way to the 1611 King James Bible.

Coverdale Bible (1535)

First complete printed English Bible

Translated from Latin Vulgate and Martin

Luther’s German Bible (based on TR)55

First to include chapter summaries into the text

First to separate the Apocrypha from the other

Old Testament books and include them as an

appendix to the Old Testament

Tyndale-Matthews Bible (1537)

First complete English Bible translated directly

from original Greek & Hebrew

55 Chapter 7

67

John Rogers used William Tyndale’s New

Testament, and completed his work on the Old

Testament

Great Bible (1539)

Myles Coverdale was hired by Thomas Cranmer,

the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the request of

King Henry VIII

Became the first English Bible authorized for

public use... the first legal English Bible

Distributed to every church in England

Meant that the illiterate could hear the Word of

God in plain English

Known as the Great Bible due to its great size

Geneva Bible (1560)

Had extensive marginal notes and references

Considered the first English "Study Bible"

The Bible of choice for over 100 years of English

speaking Christians

Retains over 90% of William Tyndale's original

English translation

The “Bible of the Protestant Reformation”

Known for its excellent scholarship, accuracy,

and exhaustive commentary

Controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the

Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.)

Bishop’s Bible (1568)

68

Made in response to the controversial marginal

notes in the Geneva Bible

Made to be less inflammatory in tone

Basically a revision of the Great Bible

Never really became popular

King James Bible (1611)

The result of the combined effort of about fifty

scholars and 7 years (1604-1611)

Became the most printed book in the history of

the world

Unrivalled for 250 years until the appearance of

the Revised Version of 1881

Only book in the world that can claim one billion

copies in print

Has been through several “editions” (spelling,

font, printer errors), but not “revisions” since

1611 until 176956

MODERN VERSIONS

The following is a timeline for the production of

the Modern English Bibles. Following this table is

brief commentary57 regarding each of the more

popular versions produced during these years. The

next chapter will get into more detail on the

subject of the origin and background of these

modern Bible versions.

56 Chapter 7 57 Jeffcoat III, John L. English Bible History & Timeline. 2002. <www.greatsite.com>

69

Doway-Rheims Bible (1609)

By the 1580's, the Roman Catholic Church had

lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that

His Holy Word be available in the English

language

In 1582, the Church of Rome surrendered their

fight for "Latin only" and decided to have an

official Roman Catholic English translation

Used the Latin Vulgate as the only source text

NT Translated at the Roman Catholic College in

the city of Rheims, and OT translated by the

Church of Rome in 1609 at the College in the

city of Douay (also spelled Doway& Douai)

Has obvious errors and distortions

Revised Version (1885)

(Supposed) British revision of the King James

Version of 1611

NT based on the W-H Greek Manuscripts

70

Only officially authorized and recognized

revision of the King James Bible

Stated aim was "to adapt King James' version to

the present state of the English language”

Regarded as the forerunner of the entire

modern translation tradition

American Standard Version (1901)

Rooted in the work done with the RV

Published by Thomas Nelson & Sons, and

copyrighted

Revised Standard Version (1952)

Considered a comprehensive revision of the

King James Version, the Revised Version of

1881-1885, and the American Standard Version

of 1901

Tries to present the Bible in modern English

Used the Nestle-Aland Greek text for the New

Testament, and the traditional Hebrew

Masoretic Text for the Old Testament

New International Version (1973)

“Dynamic equivalent” translation into modern

English

Not designed “word-for-word” accuracy but

“phrase-for-phrase” accuracy,

Aimed for ease of reading even at a Junior High-

School level

71

Meant to appeal to the general public

Best-selling modern-English translation

New King James Version (1982)

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Supposed original intent was to keep the basic

wording of the King James and only change the

obscure words and “thee, thy, thou” pronouns

Never taken seriously by scholars, and is not

really popular today

English Standard Version (2001)

Made to bridge the gap between the NIV and

the NASB

72

6. HISTORY OF THE MODERN

VERSIONS

MODERN BIBLE VERSIONS

Modern Bible version publishers claim that their

versions are more updated and based on “older”

manuscripts, thereby more reliable and

understandable than the King James Bible. The first

“new version” was the English Revised Version

(ERV) in 1883, then the American Standard Version

(ASV) in 1901. Since the early 1900’s, there has

been about one new version a year. Today, we

have at least 100 new versions (though there are

estimates of 500).

BACKGROUND

In the late 1800’s, two men named B.F.

Westcott and F.J.A. Hort put together and

translated “older” manuscripts into a Greek Text

known as the W-H. Their text was used to make

the first “new” Bible version in over 300 years

(ERV). The argument was that it was more reliable

because of the “older” manuscripts and therefore

better than the KJB. Their Greek New Testament

text has largely replaced the traditional Textus

Receptus in modern seminaries. Oddly however,

both men denied Biblical inerrancy and promoted

spiritism and racism.

The KJB is translated from the Textus Receptus

based on approximately 5,000 manuscripts

73

(Majority Text). Nearly all other modern

translations are based on the W-H Text, which is

largely based on TWO manuscripts (Sinaiticus and

Vaticanus)

THE MEN

Who Were Westcott And Hort?58

B.F. Westcott was born

in 1825. F.J.A. Hort 1828.

They were friends and

members of the Church of

England. They worked for over thirty years

together on the subject of the Greek text of the

New Testament. Westcott went on to become the

Bishop of Durham (England) and served for a while

as chaplain to Queen Victoria. Hort is best

remembered as a Professor of Divinity

at Cambridge University.

Westcott did not accept Genesis 1-3;59 Bodily

resurrection of Christ; Miracles and literal

coming of Christ. Hort did not accept the

infallibility of Scripture. He also favored

58 Stringer, Phil. The Westcott And Hort Only Controversy. October,

2001. Message given at the 33rd. Annual Meeting and Conference of

the GraceWay Bible Society meeting. Brampton Ontario, Canada.

<http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/wh-only.htm> 59 "Westcott's son writes of his father's lifelong ‘faith’ in what for lack

of a better name, one must call Spiritualism"

Quoted in: Garrett, Les. Which Bible can we Trust, First Edition.

November 1997

<http://www.churchgrowth.cc/Which_Bible_Can_We_Trust.htm>

74

Darwin's theory of evolution. Both men did not

believe in eternal punishment or the

substitutional atonement.

Denials of basic Bible truth by Westcott and

Hort60

Westcott and Hort both DENIED:

The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture

The Genesis record of the Creation and the Fall

of man

The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ

The substitutionary atonement

The bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Second Coming of Christ

The doctrine of Eternal Life

The reality of Heaven and Hell

The personality of the Devil

Westcott and Hort BELIEVED IN:

The inherent goodness and perfectibility of man

The Darwinian theory of Evolution

The Universal Fatherhood of God

The ultimate salvation of all men

The efficacy of water baptism for Regeneration

60 Kwok, Dennis. The King James Bible And The Doctrine of Verbal

Plenary Preservation, Lesson 7. The Bible for Today

<www.biblefortoday.org/PDF/dbs_course_on_vpp.pdf>

75

Hort called the doctrine of the substitutionary

atonement "immoral.”61 Westcott

denied that Genesis 1-3 were historically true.

Hort praised Darwin and his theory of evolution.

Neither Westcott nor Hort were known to have ever

given an account of their own conversion. Westcott

and Hort praised evolutionists, socialists, and

modernists, they were bitterly critical of evangelical

soul winners.

Westcott and Hort endorsed evolution,62

socialism, globalism, disarmament, spiritism,

purgatory and communal living while

deprecating the inspiration of Scripture,

salvation by grace, a literal Heaven and Hell

Were Westcott and Hort secret practitioners

of the occult?

In 1993, Gail Riplinger published the book, New

Age Bible Versions. She asserts that Westcott and

Hort were practitioners of the occult. It is indicated

that they do provide a bridge between apostate

Christianity, the occult, and the New Age

Movement. She says that along with Bishop Edward

White Benson, Westcott and Hort founded

the Ghostly Guild. This club was designed to

investigate ghosts and supernatural appearances.

61 Stringer, Phil. The Westcott And Hort Only Controversy. October, 2001. Message given at the 33rd. Annual Meeting and Conference of the GraceWay Bible Society meeting. Brampton Ontario, Canada. <http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/wh-only.htm> 62 Grady, William P. Final Authority. Excerpt

<http://www.chick.com/catalog/books/0168.asp>

76

The club was based upon the idea that such spirits

actually exist and appear to men. According to The

Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, the

members of the Ghostly Club would “relate

personal experiences concerned with ghosts.”63

Riplinger also claims that Westcott’s son refers

to his father’s life long faith in spiritualism.64 Either

Dr. Wescott’s children lied about him or Dr.

Wescott was used to meeting with spirits.

According to Wescott’s son, Arthur, Dr. Wescott

practiced the Communion of the Saints. This was a

belief that you can fellowship with the spirits of

those who died recently. Wescott and Hort both

joined a secret society called, The Apostles, where

they were secretly practicing the occult. In 1872

Wescott formed a secret society, the Eranus Club.

The Eranus Club would eventually become known

as an occult secret society. They were clearly in

contact with people who were "familiar" with

spirits. There is every reason to suspect that they

might also have been in contact with spirits; at the

63 Ghostly Club. The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Quoted Stringer, Phil. The Westcott And Hort Only Controversy. October, 2001. <http://www.pbministries.org/Parachurch/bible/Westcott_Hor t_controversy.htm> Accessed <http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/wh-only.htm> Ghostly Club. The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. Quoted Riplinger, Gail. The James White Controversy - Part 4. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/ripwhit4.html> 64 Riplinger, Gail. Westcott’s son refers to his father’s life long faith in spiritualism; though debated: Westcott and Hort Resource Center. Frequently Assaulted Quotes: New Age and Occultism. <http://www.westcotthort.com/quotes_newage.html>

77

very least, a strong suspicion of occult influence on

both Wescott and Hort (especially Dr. Wescott).

Regarding “secrets,” the Lord said:

John 18:20 “Jesus answered him, I spake openly to

the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the

temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in

secret have I said nothing.”

Spiritualism, Occult, Ghosts, Talking to Spirits

of Dead People, Secret Societies?

The Lord also said something about this too:

John 3:20-21 “For every one that doeth evil hateth

the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds

should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh

to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest,

that they are wrought in God.”

Our Lord’s teaching from the “Sermon on the

Mount” (Matthew 7:15–18) applies:

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in

sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening

wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men

gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so

every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a

corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree

cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt

tree bring forth good fruit.”

Questions:

78

What were their doctrinal beliefs and

persuasion?

What sort of “tree” then were Westcott and

Hort?

What was the result of their work?

Answer:

The W-H text, when compared to the Traditional

Text omitted 2,987 Greek words, and added 306;

they omitted 2065 (the author has verified only 13)

verses.

THE MANUSCRIPTS USED FOR THE MODERN

VERSIONS

This Westcott and Hort Greek text was based

primarily on two fourth century Roman Catholic

manuscripts:66

Codex Vaticanus (discovered in the Pope's

library in 1481, in the basement of the

Vatican)

65 Fowler, E.W. Evaluating Versions of the N.T. Quoted Antioch

Alexandria

<www.baptistlink.com/creationists/quadro2cidades.pdf> 66 Stringer, Phil. The Westcott And Hort Only Controversy. October,

2001. Message given at the 33rd. Annual Meeting and Conference of

the GraceWay Bible Society meeting. Brampton Ontario, Canada.

<http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/wh-only.htm>

79

Sinaiticus (discovered in 1859 in a trash can

at St. Catherine's monastery on Mt. Sinai).

These are usually the "older" and "better"

manuscripts that we keep hearing so much about.

The Orthodox monks evidently had long since

decided that the numerous omissions and

alterations in the Sinaiticus manuscript had

rendered it useless and had stored it away in some

closet where it had remained unused for centuries.

The Vatican manuscript, which had been kept in

seclusion (“buried in the belly”) in the Vatican

Library since 1480 or earlier, though no one

seemingly knows for sure when it was originally

written or how it was acquired by the Vatican.

The heart of the Wescott and Hort theory was

that the New Testament was preserved in almost

perfect condition in these two Greek texts. The two

most popular Greek manuscripts today, Nestles-

Aland and UBS (United Bible Society), differ very

little from the Westcott and Hort text. In fact, the

Vaticanus and Sinaiticus are two of the least

trustworthy documents in existence ..."67

Both of these have been traced to Alexandria,

Egypt, in the second or third century. Alexandria

was a great center of both philosophical and

theological scholarship, and intellectualism.

Religious corruption and false doctrines were

67 Burgon, John W. Revision Revised. Quoted The Oldest and Best

Manuscripts. May 1989.

<http://www.hissheep.org/kjv/the_oldest_and_best_manuscripts.html

>

80

prevalent including Gnosticism, Aryanism,

pagan philosophy, etc. The First mention of

Alexandria is in the book of Acts, and it is not a

favorable portrayal:

Acts 6:9 “Then there arose certain of the synagogue,

which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and

Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia

and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.”

Why would they be disputing with Stephen, and

eventually stone, and kill him when the Lord said of

him:

Acts 6:5 “And the saying pleased the whole

multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of

faith and of the Holy Ghost,”

Could it be perhaps because he was preaching

and teaching the truth from Scripture?

The Alexandrian manuscripts: are they

reliable?

Notorious for their unreliability and general poor

quality of transmission. A researcher named

Hoskier noted over 3,000 points in the Gospels

alone at which Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (the two

primary Alexandrian works) differ between

81

themselves.68 One marked feature, characteristic of

this copy, is the great number of its omissions.69

ORIGEN

“Origen (184-254 AD), one of the key

men in the formation of the Alexandrian

texts was a very intelligent man;

however he denied the Bible's historicity,

eternal punishment, the Holy Spirit's

eternality, salvation by grace, and more.”70

Origen was perhaps the most influential man

among the Christian community in Alexandria.71 It

is believed that he was largely instrumental in

developing the so-called "Alexandrian" text of the

New Testament. This is the source of the Vatican

and Sinai manuscripts, in contrast to the Textus

Receptus.

With all his immense learning, Origen's views of

theology and Biblical interpretation were heretical

in respect to numerous key doctrines.72 Like

modern theistic evolutionists, he felt constrained to

harmonize Christianity with pagan philosophy,

68 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 69 Ibid p. 45 70 Grady, William P. Final Authority. Excerpt

<http://www.chick.com/catalog/books/0168.asp> 71 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 72 Morris, Henry M. A Creationist's Defense of the King James Bible. <http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_kjv/> Dr. Morris is the Founder and President Emeritus of ICR (Institute for Creation Research)

82

especially that of Plato and the Stoics. This led him

into excessive allegorization of Scripture, especially

Genesis, and into denigrating the actual historical

records of the Bible, even that of the bodily

resurrection of Christ, as well as the literal creation

of the world.

The early church and texts

Corruption (both accidental and purposeful) in

the New Testament text was greatest in the first

two centuries after the revelation of the New

Testament (roughly 80-200 AD). During this

period, while many books were still in the process

of filtering out to Christian communities all across

the Empire, heretical texts would have been easiest

to introduce and pass off as legitimate Scripture.

But beginning in the 3rd century, it became nearly

impossible. For critics of the KJB to claim, on the

basis of a few disused ancient texts that they can

overturn the vast majority of texts73 is not sensible.

Simple reliance on "older" texts is not wise,

considering that they may be older because they

were unused.

The early manuscripts

Ancient manuscripts had basically two types of

media for texts - vellum and papyrus. Neither of

73 Collectively known as the Textus Receptus

83

these media are especially durable. Vellum74 was

more rugged and expensive, and was used in the

copies of the Scriptures held for "official" use by

the churches, and by more wealthy individuals.

Vellum scrolls will wear out over time through use

and need to be replaced (just as a well-used Bible

today will tend to do). They were destroyed when

finished.

Why are such old texts (as the Sinaiticus and

Vaticanus) still in existence and in the relatively

good condition which they are, since they are over

fifteen centuries old? Perhaps these scrolls are in

such good condition despite their age because they

were never used. They did not endure the

repetitious unrolling and rolling back up, the

assault of sweaty hands and humid breath, the

violence of tears and bends that come from

constant use.75 They were probably rejected from

use by early Christians who understood them to be

flawed, and refrained from relying upon them.

GNOSTIC CORRUPTIONS IN THE CRITICAL TEXTS

There are a number of reasons for the informed

Christian to be distrustful of the modern Bible

versions. There are indeed some very serious

changes, doctrinal changes.76

74 Dried skins of sheep or other animals 75 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 76 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition

84

The Alexandrian manuscripts show evidence of

corruption at the hands of Gnostics. The Critical

Text, as it is known, demonstrates Gnostic

theology which conflicts with other portions of

Scripture which can be agreed upon by all. These

particular variants in the Alexandrians from the

Byzantine majority do not constitute very natural

and likely scribal errors and that the variants

discussed below quite naturally would fit into

Gnostic speculative theology first two hundred

years when tampering with the text was so

rampant.77

What is Gnosticism?

The term "gnostic" derives from "gnosis," which

means "knowledge" in Greek. The Gnostics

believed that they were privy to a secret

knowledge about the divine,78 hence the name.

They believe that we cannot rationally claim to

have access to knowledge that is beyond the

powers of the intellect. They did not believe in the

Deity of Jesus Christ. They believed Him to be only

a man while on earth, and some form of deity

before and after His earthly ministry, but not God-

Man. Gnostics were a constant influence in the

early church (1st-2nd Centuries).

<http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 77 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 78 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gnostics.html

85

Gnostics tried to draw a distinction between the

earthly Jesus and the heavenly Christ, and taught

that Christ did not have a physical body, but

spiritual only. The deletion of Jesus Christ as being

"the Son of God" would be acceptable to many

Gnostic groups as it would remove a reference to

the "Jesus Christ" combination, being "the Son of

God." Demonstrating any humanity and physical

existence, would be incompatible with the Gnostic

view of the pneumatic, heavenly Saviour separated

from material creation.79

The Byzantine text-type, represented in the

Majority Text and the Textus Receptus, far

outweighs and outnumbers the Alexandrian texts

and will be considered as the standard by which

the readings should be measured. The Nestle-Aland

21st Edition of the Greek New Testament,

published by Zondervan Publishing House is the

Critical Text edition behind the translation of the

New International Version.

A closer look at Gnostic influences on the

modern versions

If we examine the following verses, comparing

the words found in the Textus Receptus (TR) with

those found in the Nestle-Aland Text (Critical Text),

we can see some marked influence that cannot be

ascribed to scribal errors in transmission, but what

79 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html>

86

appears to be a conscious attempt to inject Gnostic

theology into the Scriptures. The unnamed author

who created the resource, A Case Study on the

Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition,”

did a fantastic job of comparing texts in the original

manuscripts; and their omissions, changes, and or

deviations from the TR. These “changes” are

reflected in what we read today in the modern

versions.

It is worth some examination to give the reader

an insight into the more technical issues of this

discussion in order to be more aware that there is

certainly something “different” in what the “older”

manuscripts say versus what we know to be true

from the Textus Receptus manuscripts (Majority

Text). Each verse has two renderings, one from the

TR, and one from the Nestle-Aland manuscripts

(Critical Text). It is immediate that there are

differences from the English readings. Additionally,

following each verse set is given the manuscript

support for each version. In many or most cases,

the majority of the manuscripts agree with the TR.

In cases where there is not a majority of

manuscript support, it is clear that there is a

deviation from solid theology, i.e. Gnostic

influence. Following the manuscript support is a

brief explanation of the differences between the TR

and the NA.

John 1:18

87

Textus Receptus “No man hath seen God at any

time; the only begotten Son, which is in the

bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (KJB).

NA 21 “No one has ever seen God, but God the

One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has

made him known” (NIV).

Support for TR reading is found in the

following manuscripts

Codex Alexandrinus (5th c. uncial, Byz. in Gospels)

9th c. correction to Ephraemi Rescriptus (Codex C)

Codex K (9th c. uncial)

Codex X (10th c. uncial, Alex. in Gospels)

Codex W (5th c. uncial, Alex. in John)

Delta (9th c. uncial, Alex.)

Theta (9th c. uncial, Caes.)

Pi (9th c. uncial)

Psi (8th/9th c. uncial)

f1 (12-14th c. group of mss., Caes.)

f13 (11th-13th c. group of mss., Caes.)

28 (11th c. miniscule, Caes.)

565 (9th c. miniscule, Caes.)

700 (11th. c. miniscule, Caes.)

892 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

1010 (12th c. miniscule)

1241 (12th c. miniscule, Alex.)

The vast majority of the Byzantine text body

The majority of Greek lectionaries

Most of the Old Latin mss. body

Most of the Latin Vulgate mss. body

The Curetonian Syraic mss. set (4th c.)

The Harclean Syraic mss. set (7th c.)

88

The Palestinian Syraic mss. set (5th c.)

Support for the Critical Text reading is found

in the following manuscripts

p66 (c. 200 AD)

p75 (3rd c.)

Codex Sinaiticus (4th c. uncial)

Codex Vaticanus (4th c. uncial)

Ephraemi Rescriptus (5th c. uncial)

Codex L (8th c. uncial, Alex.)

33 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

Peshitta Syraic mss. set (5th c.)

Northern Coptic mss. set (4th c.)

This change removes from the text the Sonship

and pre-existence of the Lord Jesus Christ, basic

Christian doctrine. Many Gnostic groups taught that

Jesus Christ was a created being. The changing of

"Son" to "God" reflects this as it does not

necessarily indicate an attempt to strengthen the

doctrine of the deity of Christ, but rather an

alteration of His eternal Sonship. In the writings of

many "Christian" Gnostics and other heretics (such

as Tatian, Arius, and the Valentinians), this textual

variant appeared. The veritable capital of

Gnosticism, Alexandria, would suggest that the

Gnostics made their mark in this verse.

John 3:13

Textus Receptus “And no man hath ascended up to

heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even

89

the Son of man which is in heaven” (KJB)..

NA 21 “No one has ever gone into heaven, except

the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man”

(NIV).

Support for the Textus Receptus reading

Codex Alexandrinus (5th c. uncial)

K (9th c. uncial)

Delta (9th c. uncial, Alex.)

Theta (9th c. uncial, Caes.)

Pi (9th c. uncial)

Psi (8th-9th c. uncial, Byz. in John)

f1 (12th-14th c. family of mss.)

f13 (11th-13th c. family of mss.)

28 (11th c. miniscule, Caes.)

565 (9th c. miniscule, Caes.)

700 (11th c. miniscule, Caes.)

892 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

The large majority of the Byzantine textual set

The large majority of the Greek lectionaries

Most of the Old Latin mss.

The Latin Vulgate mss. set

The Peshitta Syraic mss.set (5th c.)

The Harclean Syraic mss. set (7th c.)

Possibly in the Palestinian Syraic mss. set (5th c.) -

unconfirmed

Some Northern Coptic mss.(4th c.)

Support for the Critical Text reading

p66 (c. 200 AD)

p75 (3rd c.)

90

Codex Sinaiticus (4th c. uncial)

Codex Vaticanus (4th c. uncial)

L (8th c. uncial, Alex. in Gospels)

W (5th c. uncial, Alex. in John)

083 (6th-7th c. uncial)

086 (6th c. uncial)

0113 (5th c. uncial)

33 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

1010 (12th c. miniscule)

1241 (12th c. miniscule, Alex.)

Most of the Coptic mss. sets (3rd-5th c.)

This alteration involves the removal of a

statement of omnipresence concerning the Lord

Jesus Christ while He was on the earth. While both

affirm that Christ came down from heaven, the

Alexandrian reading removes the statement about

the Son being concurrently IN heaven. This reflects

the general Gnostic view that while the Saviour

was in the material world, he was completely

separated from His place in Heaven. The Byzantine

reading of this verse would suggest just the

opposite, that the Saviour was both on earth in His

physical body, yet also contemporaneously in

heaven

John 9:35

Textus Receptus “Jesus heard that they had cast

him out; and when he had found him, he said unto

him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God” (KJB)?

91

NA 21 “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out,

and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in

the Son of Man” (NIV)?

Support for the TR reading:

Codex Alexandrinus (5th c. uncial)

K (9th c. uncial)

L (8th c. uncial, Alex.)

X (10th c. uncial, Alex.)

Delta (9th c. uncial, Alex.)

Theta (9th c. uncial, Caes.)

Psi (8th-9th c. uncial, Alex.)

0124 (6th c. uncial)

f1 (12th-14th c. family of mss.)

f13 (11th-13th c. family of mss.)

28 (11th c. miniscule, Caes.)

33 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

565 (9th c. miniscule, Caes.)

700 (11th c. miniscule, Caes.)

892 (9th c. miniscule, Alex.)

1010 (12th c. miniscule)

1241 (12th c. miniscule, Alex.)

The large majority of Byzantine mss.

The large majority of the Greek lectionaries

Most of the Old Latin mss.

The Latin Vulgate mss. body

The Peshitta Syriac mss. set (5th c.)

The Harclean Syriac mss.set (7th c.)

The Palestinian Syriac mss.set (5th c.)

Most of the Northern Coptic mss.set (4th c.)

Support for the CT reading:

92

p66 (200 AD)

p75 (3rd c.)

Codex Sinaiticus (4th c. uncial)

Codex Vaticanus (4th c. uncial)

Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis (5th-6th c. uncial)

W (5th c. uncial, Alex. in John)

The Sinaitic Syriac mss.set (4th c.)

One Northern Coptic ms. (4th c.)

The Southern Coptic mss.set (3rd c.)

While this change in reading appears more or

less innocent to us, to a reader in the early church

familiar with Gnostic systems, the particular choice

to change "God" to "Man" would bespeak a

definite attempt at making the verse more

acceptable to Gnosticism.

Acts 2:30

Textus Receptus “Therefore being a prophet, and

knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,

that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh,

he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne”

(KJB).

NA 21 “But he was a prophet and knew that God

had promised him on oath that he would place

one of his descendants on his throne” (NIV).

This deviation diminishes from the doctrine of

the Deity of Christ and makes Him to be nothing

more than a “descendant” of David, i.e. a man.

The only opposition which the reading found in the

93

Textus Receptus has is from Codex Sinaiticus,

Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, and

Ephraemi Rescriptus. Otherwise, the TR reading is

supported by the majority Byzantine text set, as

well as other versions, yet the NIV publishers

decided to go with the “minority.” Could these be

the “more accurate” manuscripts they refer to in

their footnotes?

I Corinthians 15:47

Textus Receptus The first man is of the earth,

earthy: the second man is the Lord from

heaven” (KJB).

NA 21 The first man was from the dust of the

earth, the second man from heaven” (NIV).

Again, the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is

diminished from in the NA. A simple choice of

words has tremendous doctrinal implications. In

this case, man and Lord are together (the

incarnation of the God-Man) from heaven in the

KJB, but the NIV has Him only as a “man” from

heaven. The only support for the omission of "the

Lord" is from Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus,

and Ephraemi Rescriptus. The vast majority of

remaining Greek mss., including Codex

Alexandrinus, contain this phrase. This deletion

subverts the Christian doctrine of Christ coming in

94

the likeness of sinful humanity to serve as the

Saviour for the creature made in God's image.80

Ephesians 3:9

Textus Receptus “And to make all men see

what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from

the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,

who created all things by Jesus Christ” (KJB).

NA 21 “…and to make plain to everyone the

administration of this mystery, which for ages

past was kept hidden in God, who created all

things” (NIV).

The TR rendering demonstrates to the reader

that Christ was there at the beginning, in line with

John 1:1-3, and that God by Jesus Christ created

all things. There is little room for error to creep in

here regarding the Deity of the Lord. However, the

NA rendering, that chosen by the modern version

publishers to put in their Bibles, removes Jesus

Christ from the verse. Why would the publishers

allow such a sparsely supported doctrinally-

diminishing statement like that to be installed in

their books? The only opposition to the TR reading

here is from p46, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex

Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and Ephraemi

Rescriptus.

80 See Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:7, Hebrews 2:14

95

1John 4:3

Textus Receptus “And every spirit that confesseth

not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is

not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,

whereof ye have heard that it should come; and

even now already is in the world” (KJB).

NA 21 “...but every spirit that does not

acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the

spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is

coming and even now is already in the world”

(NIV).

The only support for the omission of this clause

comes from Codex Vaticanus and Codex

Alexandrinus. This is a straightforward example of

a change made to support Gnostic beliefs.

According to the Majority Texts, if a person refuses

to believe that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, they

are of the spirit of antichrist. This reading is

changed in the Alexandrian texts in two ways which

both reflect Gnostic tampering. In Alexandrinus and

Vaticanus, the clause is simply deleted. They now

say that if one "denies Jesus" (without the

stipulation of acknowledging His literal incarnation),

they are not of God, which is something that both

Gnostic and Christian would agree upon in a

general sense, though the Gnostic can still freely

reject the fleshly incarnation of the spiritual,

heavenly Christ. Furthermore, the very wording of

the text in the NA, “…Jesus is not from God,” has

96

subconscious implications for the reader. Which

would you rather put in your head, that or, “…Jesus

Christ is come in the flesh” (KJB)?

97

7. HISTORY OF THE KJB

BACKGROUND

Protestant Reformers with a burden for the

common man to be able to read the Scriptures

began to translate the Bible into the common

language of English; a Bible that was not in the

possession of the clergy, the scholars, and the

theologians only - but a Bible for everyone. Early

Reformer, William Tyndale wanted a Bible that

even the ploughboy could buy and read.81

The Bishop's Bible of 1568, the “authorized”

English Bible, was still rivaled by the Geneva Bible,

and there was great competition between the two.

The clergy were legally bound to use the Bishop's

Bible, while the common man was using the

Geneva Bible. The Puritan president of Corpus

Christi College, John Reynolds, urged King James

to produce another “Authorized” Bible which would

remove this barrier.82

The King James Bible eventually won the people

over the Geneva Bible. It was the only English

version used for nearly 300 years, before the ERV.

The King James Bible dominated the time in history

characterized by the greatest Bible preaching and

teaching, missionary work, evangelism, church

81 Ireson, David. Ploughboy Notes The Gospel Truth. Quoted Werrell, Ralph S. Ploughboy Group. <http://www.tyndale.org/TSJ/27/ploughboy.html> 82 Vance, Laurence M. A Brief History of the King James Bible. Excerpt.

<www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvhist.html>

98

building, and doctrinal development the world has

ever known. The King James Bible became the

primary influence on the literature, education,

government, law, and philosophy of numerous

generations of English-speaking people around the

globe.83

The King James Bible has been read, studied,

quoted, memorized, believed, and loved by more

people than any other version of the Bible in any

language in history, including that of the original

languages. The evidence that God preserved His

words in the King James Bible … Briefly, it is the

one He has blessed more than any since the

founding of Christianity. The Bible says that we

know a tree by its fruit (Luke 6:44). The King

James Bible has been present for more revivals,

more souls being saved, more missionary work,

more Bible colleges, and much more, than any

other copy of the Bible ever was – including the

original Hebrew and Greek.84

ABOUT KING JAMES I (1566-1625)

• King of England

• Mother was Mary, Queen of Scots

• Cousin Queen Elizabeth I

83 Vance, Laurence M. A Brief History of the King James Bible. Excerpt. <www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvhist.html> 84 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible.

<http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_

Translations/>

99

• Ruled both England and Scotland until his

death

• Learned in theology

• A devout man who loved the Lord and His

Word

• Well-versed in Scripture

• Devout in worship

• Morally upright85

The preface to the KJB describes him as:

“… a sanctified person, … the zeale … towards the

house of GOD … writing in defence of the Trueth, …

Religious and learned discourse, … frequenting the

house of GOD, … hearing the word preached, …

cherishing the teachers therof, … caring for the

Church as a most tender and loving nourcing

Father.”

KJB TRANSLATORS

From Henry Morris:86

“All the translators were great scholars, deeply

fluent in the Biblical languages, the cognate

languages, the writings of the church fathers

and other relevant materials, as well as

85 Sorenson, David H. "Erasmus, King James, and His Translators (Part

1 of 3)." 2001. The King James Bible Page.

<http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/sorenson-ch10-1.html>. 86 Morris, Henry M. A Creationist's Defense of the King James Bible. <http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_kjv/>

100

accomplished writers in English. It is almost

certain that no group of Bible scholars before or

since has ever been as thoroughly fit for their

task as was the King James Translation Team.”

God uses holy men87

His practice is to use holy men to convey His

holy words. God’s words were given to “holy men

of God” who “spake as they were moved by the

Holy Ghost” (2Peter 1:21). Therefore, we may

properly look at the spiritual condition of the

translators.

In the days of the King James translators:

“England became the people of a book, and that

book was the Bible.” To an extent hardly ever

known in any country at any time, England was

saturated with the Bible. This is the England in

which the translators lived and learned.

God’s Word was familiar to every Englishman.

It was read both in the church and in the home.

The greatest motivation for popular education was

to enable the people to read the Bible for

themselves. The Bible knowledge of the translators

was of those who had from childhood known the

Holy Scriptures (2Timothy 3:15). And, they carried

this dedication with them through their lives.

87 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/>

101

The Preface to the King James Bible refers to

deity by a name a total of 72 times.88 The preface

includes such descriptive names as the Sun of

righteousness, Saviour, the Spirit of grace, the

Father of our Lord, and the living God. We can

easily see where these translators had their hearts

and minds.

However, the prefaces to the Revised Version

refer to deity by name (as in God, Lord, Jesus

Christ, etc.) for a total of ten (10) times.89 Five of

these times are in a discussion on the translation of

Jehovah.

Titles for Scripture as a whole are mentioned in

the preface to the King James Bible a total of 75

times.90 This includes scriptures (23 times),

Scripture (13 times), Bible (11 times), the word of

God (9 times), and the word (6 times). Also

included are other titles such as the Word of truth,

the Word of salvation, the Book of God, the written

Word, the Oracles of God, and His holy writ. Titles

for Scripture as a whole are mentioned in the

prefaces to the Revised Version only ten (10)

times.

88 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_

Translations/> 89 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_

Translations/> 90 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/> <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/>

102

God uses enabled men91

Paul states, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who

also will do it” (1Thessalonians 5:24). God backs

up His calling with His enabling power. He then

supplies the needed sufficiency according to His

grace (2Corinthians 9:8). If God called the King

James translators to do the work of translation, He

would have enabled them. Therefore, we can

properly look at their abilities.

Greek was usually taught in the grammar

schools alongside Latin. Hebrew was taught in a

number of the grammar schools, but was certainly

prominent in the universities.92 Translators to the

Readers (KJB Preface) says of the translators,

“Therefore such were thought upon, as could say

modestly with Saint Hierome [Jerome], ‘Both we

have learned the Hebrew tongue in part, and in the

Latin we have been exercised almost from our very

cradle.’”

Proficiency in the English Language:

At the time of the King James Bible, the English

language was at a point of great maturity. English

literature was at its peak with writers like William

Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, John Donne, Ben

91 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/> 92 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/>

103

Jonson, and others in their prime. The King James

translators were accomplished students of the

English language and were authors of a number of

books.93 Their work on the Bible was certainly

enabled by God.

Individually – a brief look at a few individual

King James translators94

Lancelot Andrews was recognized as the master

of 15 languages. Each year, during a month-long

summer vacation, he made it a practice to learn a

new language.

John Bois had read the Bible in Hebrew by the

age of five. It was said that he could at any time

turn to any word in the Greek New Testament.

Miles Smith found Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and

Arabic almost as familiar as his native tongue. He

was called “a very walking library” because of his

extensive knowledge of history and literature. He

authored the King James Preface, The Translators

to the Readers.

This kind of knowledge in the languages could

be repeated in other translators. We can believe

that it was the same for other translators of which

we know little of their personal lives

METHOD OF TRANSLATION

93 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible. <http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_Translations/> 94 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible.

<http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_

Translations/>

104

There were fifty-seven translators (which

eventually whittled down to 47), divided into six

teams. They met in three cities, namely,

Cambridge, Westminster and Oxford. They began

their work in 1604 and completed it in 1611. In

both Westminster and Oxford, the translators

focused on the Old Testament and New Testament.

In Cambridge, they had a team working with the

Old Testament and Apocrypha (even though the

translators included the Apocrypha in the original

King James Bible, they did not believe it was

inspired). Dr. John Bois, chairman of the Old

Testament committee at Cambridge, was reading

and writing Hebrew at age six. At each place, the

groups were further divided by two so that there

were six companies of translators:95

One team ~ 6-7 Translators. One Translator –

one book (of the Bible); checked by other six

translators, then all together ~ 7 checks each

book; sent to other 5 teams, then a joint-meeting

of 12 men (two from each team) = 7 checks; a

total of 14 times (2 x 7) each book from Genesis to

Revelation. The number seven is seen throughout

the translation of the King James Bible.96 From the

commission of the translation in 1604 until the

95 Sorenson, David H. "Erasmus, King James, and His Translators (Part

1 of 3)." 2001. The King James Bible Page.

<http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/sorenson-ch10-1.html>. 96 Compare with Psalm 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words:

as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

105

completion of the translation in 1611, seven years

expired.

The King James Bible was the seventh popular

modern English translation:

1. Tyndale’s Bible (1526)

2. Coverdale’s Bible (1535)

3. Matthew’s Bible (1537)

4. Great Bible (1539)

5. Geneva Bible (1560)

6. Bishop’s Bible (1568)

7. King James Bible (1611)

The translation was completed by seven

different companies: Six original companies, and

the general committee of revision.97

REFERENCES USED

They would translate the Hebrew and Greek

texts, and compare them with the English Bibles of

the time: Tyndale NT, Coverdale Bible, Matthews

Bible, Geneva Bible, Bishop's Bible. The Greek

editions of Erasmus, Stephanus, and Beza were all

accessible as can be seen in the Preface:

"THE HOLY BIBLE, Conteyning the Old

Testament, and the New: Newly Translated out

of the Originall tongues: & with the former

97 Reagan, David. Translators of the King James Bible.

<http://www.stateofthechurch.com/Foundational_Issues/Which_Bible_

Translations/>

106

Translations diligently compared and revised, by

his Majesties Special Commandment. Appointed

to be read in Churches. Imprinted at London by

Robert Barker, Printer to the Kings most

Excellent Majestie. ANNO DOM. 1611."

The KJB translators used a strict word for word

translation method called the “formal

equivalence” or “verbal equivalence” method.

This method is the translation of Hebrew and Greek

words as closely as possible into English. Every

noun, adjective, preposition, participle and so on in

the Hebrew and Greek text is brought into the

English in the same way. That includes the

structure and form as well. In addition, the

translators used italics to identify any words that

they added for clarity. This word-for-word method

ensures that the KJB conveys God’s message with

literal and grammatical fidelity unrivalled by any

other modern English version. Furthermore, the NT

MSS the KJB translators used were copies of the

original, known as the Received Text (TR) or the

Majority Text. Thus we may confidently believe that

the KJB or AV (Authorized Version) is God’s Word

kept intact in English.

Many modern translations use a “dynamically

equivalent” method which is directly opposite the

verbal and formal equivalence technique of the KJB

translators. It is not a word-for-word translation.

The words were added, changed or subtracted in

the English. This is also known as

“paraphrasing.” In essence the reader is not

107

reading the Word of God, but instead the

translators’ interpretation of what God has said.

This is why you find such an extreme variance of

interpretation between the different translations as

well as from the KJB.

TRANSLATION

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the

word "translation" means simply going from one

language to another. The primary meaning of "to

translate" is not "to turn one language into

another" but rather “to convey, or remove from

one person, place, or condition to another; to

transfer, to transport.” Thus, when speaking of

translation, it is simply taking the words from one

language to another. As surely as God inspired His

Word, He could preserve it through the process of

translation. God, through men, gave us His Word,

and through men translated it into English using

the exact words He wanted us to know. The Bible

(KJB) says, "With men of other tongues and other

lips will I speak ... saith the Lord” (1Corinthians

14:21). We must remember that the Bible is not

just literature, nor is it ordinary.98 God can

communicate in any language, "clearly and

precisely," because He is God.

Let us remember the words of John 16:13 upon

the translation and preservation process: "Howbeit

98 Coats, Daryl R. "The Two Lies." The Bible Believer's Bulletin.

September 1988. The King James Bible Page.

<http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/coats-twolies.html>.

108

when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide

you into all truth." God has promised to guide His

people into all truth. He also could have easily

guided them into all truth as to the text of

Scripture (which were and were not the correct

readings).99 And in order to make this relevant and

practical He must also guide them into all truth

concerning the translation of Scripture.

"The translators of the king James’s time took

an excellent way. The part of the Bible was

given to him who was most excellent in such a

tongue (as the Apocrypha to Andrew Downs)

and then they met together, and one read the

translation, the rest holding in their hands some

Bible, either of the learned tongues, or French,

Spanish, Italian, etc. If they found any fault

they spoke; if not, he read on (Selden. Table-

Talk. Preface)”100

One may argue that the King James Bible

cannot be infallible because the translators were

only men, and all men are sinners. The human

element prevents the KJB from being infallible. But,

if this is true, then even the original autographs in

Hebrew and Greek were not infallible, because they

too were penned by men.

99 Moorman, Jack. "Principles Of Bible Preservation." O Timothy

Magazine, Volume 9, Issue 8, 1992. The King James Bible Page.

<http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/moorman-preservation.html>. 100 Pollard, Alfred W. Holy Bible, King James 1611 Version. 2008.

Bibliogical Introduction (p. 6). Hendrickson Publishers Inc. Peabody,

MA. USA

109

The King James translators were only

instruments of preservation.101 God has always

been the Divine Preserver of His word (Psalm 12:6-

7), but He has used men as tools and instruments

of preservation, just as He uses men to teach and

preach His words. When men humbly yield

themselves to the will of God, God can use them to

accomplish His will (Romans 12:1-2), and this is

precisely what happened between 1604 and

1611.102

ITALICIZED WORDS

Some people wonder about or even attack the

italicized words in the KJB as evidence of error. But

a number of Old Testament italicized words are

quoted in the New Testament without the italics.

This demonstrates the confidence that God places

in the italicized words. When He quotes Himself in

the New Testament, these words are not italicized.

If God treats the italicized words as scripture,

then so should we

a. Compare Exodus 3:6 (am) with Matthew

22:32

b. Compare Deuteronomy 8:3 (word) with

Matthew 4:4

101 Which is exactly what they called themselves in the Dedicatory to the A.V. 1611 102 Melton, James L. Fables And Facts About The King James Bible. 1996. <http://www.av1611.org/jmelton/fables.html>

110

c. Compare Deuteronomy 30:14 (is) with

Romans 10:8

d. Compare Psalm 16:8 (he is) with Acts 2:25

e. Compare Psalm 82:6 (are) with John 10:34

f. Compare Psalm 118:22 (which) with

Matthew 21:42

g. Compare Psalm 118:23 (is) with Matthew

21:42

Although they were not the first to do so, the

italics in the KJB prove that the translators were

honest in their work. They set the words in italics

so we would know they were not in the

manuscripts they were using. Besides, no one has

a copy of the original manuscripts today, so no one

knows for certain that the italicized words aren't in

them. In fact, there are many cases where we

know that the italicized words are justified. For

example, notice in Deuteronomy 8:3 that the word

"word" is in italics. However, when the Lord quotes

this verse in Matthew 4:4 He includes the italicized

word. If the italicized word does not belong in the

Bible, why did the Lord quote it? 103

MANUSCRIPTS USED FOR THE BIBLE

The Old Testament Masoretic Text

The Masoretic text is the Old Testament from

the Masorete. It is accepted as the most accurately

103 Melton, James L. The Italicized Words in the King James Bible. 2001. <http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/italicized.htm>

111

preserved Old Testament portion of the Bible. The

Masoretes were groups of Hebrew scholars

dedicated to guarding and standardizing the

traditional Hebrew text as "handed down" (the

basic meaning of "Masoretic"). They meticulously

copied the ancient Hebrew manuscripts,

scrupulously guarding against error. We have no

good reason to doubt the Masoretic Text preserved

and codified in its present form by about 600 A.D.

and served as the basis for the King James

translation.

The New Testament Textus Receptus (from

the Majority Text)

The King James Bible is also based on the Greek

New Testament, called the Textus Receptus or the

Majority Text. It has been around for over 400

years and is compiled from about 95% of the

surviving manuscript copies. The Minority Text,

discovered a little over 100 years ago is made up

from only 5% of the known manuscript copies,

although many are dated earlier in history.

A brief description of the progression from the

originals to what we have today is appropriate

here: Soon after the Apostles wrote the Scriptures

(the originals) many true and faithful copies were

made by born again believers and believing scribes.

These trustworthy copies were read and shared

amongst believers and copied and re-copied over

112

and over again.104 Untrustworthy or perverted

copies were not used or read much. Not many

untrustworthy copies in existence, because of the

little use and small demand for them. That is the

major reason why very few manuscripts when

found, are in such good physical shape, because no

one bothered to read or use them. Case in point:

Have you ever seen a believer’s Bible? They are

pretty well used. The chart below gives a visual

representation of this progression:

In the early years of the church, before the NT

canon was compiled, between the 1st - 2nd

centuries AD, manuscripts were circulating among

the churches. During this early period, there were

opportunities for heresy to be introduced (Judaism

and Gnosticism). A look at nearly all of the epistles

104 "What Is God’s Word," Lesson No. 5. (The Necessary Materials). 2008. The King James Bible Page. <http://www.thywordistruthKJB.com/LESSON%205KJB_a.htm>

113

gives some indication or direct addressing of

heretical teachings infiltrating the churches. Later,

in the 3rd Century, when churches were

established in good doctrine, they were able to spot

bad doctrine. Manuscripts which were questionable

were put aside or destroyed. They were not used.

Those that were used, the good doctrines, wore out

from constant use. Therefore, in this particular

instance, older is not better. One need only

examine the omissions and attacks on doctrine to

know that they are corrupt. Older does not mean

better. A book that is used a lot will get worn out.

What is the Textus Receptus?

It comes from the Latin for “Received Text” and

refers to a Greek New Testament. It was based on

Erasmus’ Greek New Testament, created in the

15th century, which was created because of

numerous mistranslations or outright errors in the

Vulgate. Erasmus published two other editions in

1527 and 1535. Other editors and printers

continued the work after his death in 1536. In

1633, another edition was published; from that

publisher’s notation has come the words “Received

Text.”

It was not questioned until the publication of

the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament in

1881, then the Textus Receptus came under

attack. Critics of the TR say, "it is far from the

original text," meaning that it is not as old as the

W-H MSS, but both Luther and Tyndale used the

114

same basic Greek text. Luther used the second

edition of the Erasmus New Testament, and

Tyndale utilized the third edition.

The chart is a basic representation of the

sequence of how we got our Bible:

It is because of the antiquity of the Minority

Text that most modern translators believe it to be

more accurate. All of the newer translations are

based on this text instead of the Textus Receptus

which was used when the KJB was translated. One

problem is that the Minority Text leaves out many

words, verses and even whole passages that are in

the KJB.105

The chart presents a visualization of the

process:

105 Refer to chapter 2, “Side-by-Side”

115

Satan’s strategy has always been to get man to

question the accuracy and validity of God’s

Word.106 God not only inspired His Word (II

Timothy 3:16) He also promised to preserve it107 in

its entirety.108 Therefore it is a dangerous thing to

add to or take away from the Word of God.109

REVISIONS?

Some who support the modern versions raise

the argument that the KJB has been revised. Has

the King James really been revised? The Authorized

Version, as it came to be called, went through

106 See Genesis 3:1-5, Matthew 4:3-11 107 Psalms 12:6-7; 119:89 108 Matthew 5:18, 12:26 109 Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18-19

116

several editions. Two notable editions were that of

1629, the first ever printed at Cambridge, and that

of 1638, also at Cambridge, which was assisted by

John Bois and Samuel Ward, two of the original

translators. In 1657, the Parliament considered

another revision, but it came to naught. The most

important editions were those of the 1762

Cambridge revision by Thomas Paris, and the 1769

Oxford revision by Benjamin Blayney.

Background

Revisions, as they are called, began

immediately upon the first publication of the KJB in

1611. The final revision took place in 1769 under

Dr. Blayney of Oxford. These revisions have cleared

numerous antique spellings, such as Hierusalem,

Marie, assoone, foorth, shalbe, fet, creeple, fift,

sixt, ioy, middes, charet and the like. Numerous

misprints (printing errors) have also been corrected

so that it is now of the most accurately printed

books in the world. The translators did not believe

themselves to be inspired, and it is difficult to see

how it can be held to the contrary by anyone who

will read their Preface.110

“Revisions” to the KJB

Modern versions change:

110 Goodspeed, Edgar J. The Translators to The Reader: Preface to the

King James Version 1611. Thesis. Meredith Publications. [Open

Domain]

117

"God was manifest in the flesh" to "He appeared

in a body" (1Tmothyi 3:16, NIV) or change

"only begotten Son" to "only begotten God"

(John 1:18, NASB), Critics say that the KJB also

made changes, but as we can see, they were

not of this sort.111

Editions are being confused with revisions.112 There

have been several editions of the KJB. The last was

in 1769, and is the one commonly used today.113

Such editions corrected pinter errors (see, there’s

one right there). These editions did not alter or

omit entire verses as the modern versions have.

The first attempted revision of the KJB was the

English Revised Version in the late 1800s. It was

based on the Westcott and Hort Greek

111 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King

James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A

Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html

From > 112 Defined: RE·VI·SION 1. an act of revising b : a result of

revising : alteration 2. a revised version. revision. (2010). Merriam-

Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revision. EDI'TION 1.

The publication of any book or writing; as the first edition of a new

work. 2. Republication, sometimes with revision and correction; as the

second edition of a work. 3. Any publication of a book before

published; also, one impression or the whole number of copies

published at once; as the tenth edition. edition. (1828) Merriam-

Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from

http://www.1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,edition 113 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King

James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A

Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html

From >

118

manuscripts, which altered and omitted entire

verses.

Printing was still very slow and difficult in 1611.

All type was set by hand, one piece at a time.

Errors were an expected part of any completed

book.114 The 1629 edition of the Bible printed in

Cambridge is said to have been the first revision. It

was not a revision, but simply a careful correction

of earlier printing errors.

The first two revisions were purification of early

printing errors. The last two revisions were

standardization of the spelling.115

The so-called thousands of changes to the KJB

Critics try to say that there have been

“thousands” of changes to the KJB over the years,

but that just isn’t true. Let’s examine those

changes:

The type style used in 1611 by the KJB

translators was the Gothic type style, a very

difficult-to-read font.116 Another form of change

114 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King

James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A

Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html

From > 115 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King

James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A

Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html

From > 116 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A

119

found in the history of the Authorized Version is

changes of spelling. In the 1600s spelling was

according to whim. There was no such thing as

correct spelling. Only in the 18th Century spelling

began to stabilize. Therefore, in the last half of the

eighteenth century, the spelling of the King James

Version of 1611 was standardized.

Additional "e"'s were often found at the end of

the words such as feare, darke, and beare. Also,

double vowels were much more common than they

are today. You would find mee, bee, and mooued

instead of me, be, and moved. Double consonants

were also much more common. Example: ranne,

euill, and ftarres. The present-day spellings would

be ran, evil, and stars. They are NOT textual

changes made to alter the reading. In the first

printing, words were sometimes inverted.

Sometimes a plural was written as singular or vice

versa. At times a word was miswritten for one that

was similar. A few times a word or even a phrase

was omitted. The omissions were obvious and did

not have the doctrinal implications of those found

in modern translations.117

Some “Revisions”

Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html From > 117 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html From >

120

The 1611 reading is given first; then the

present reading; and finally, the date the correction

was first made:

this thing . . . this thing also (1638)

shalt have remained . . . ye shall have remained

(1762)

Achzib, nor Helbath, nor Aphik . . . of Achzib,

nor of Helbath, nor of Aphik (1762)

requite good . . . requite me good (1629)

this book of the Covenant . . . the book of this

covenant (1629)

chief rulers . . . chief ruler (1629)

And Parbar . . . At Parbar (1638)

For this cause . . . And for this cause (1638)

For the king had appointed . . . for so the king

had appointed (1629)

Seek good . . . seek God (1617)

The character of the changes shows them to be

printing errors, not doctrinal changes. The fact that

they were corrected shows the desire to keep the

text pure. Maybe now you see that the King James

Version of 1611 has not been revised but only

corrected (purified).

Compare to Revisions Made by the NKJB

121

Below are some of the more obvious alterations

made in the book of Ecclesiastes.118 The reference

is given first; then the reading as found in the King

James Bible; and last, the reading as found in the

New King James Version:

1:13 sore travail / grievous task

1:14 vexation of spirit / grasping for the wind

1:16 my heart had great experience of wisdom

/ My heart has understood great wisdom

2:3 to give myself unto / to gratify my flesh

with

2:3 acquainting / guiding

2:21 equity / skill

3:10 the travail, which God hath given / the

God-given task

3:11 the world / eternity

3:18 that might manifest them / God tests them

3:18 they themselves are beasts / they

themselves are like beasts

3:22 portion / heritage

4:4 right work / skillful work

5:1 Keep thy foot / Walk prudently

5:6 the angel / the messenger of God

5:8 he that is higher than the highest / high

official

5:20 God answereth him / God keeps him busy

6:3 untimely birth / stillborn child

118 Reagan, David. Haven't there been several revisions of the King James Bible since 1611? Duplicated Gipp, Samuel. The Answer Book, A Helpbook for Christians. <http://www.av1611.org/kjv/kjvupdt.html From >

122

7:29 inventions / schemes

8:1 boldness / sternness

8:10 the place of the holy / the place of holiness

10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the

apothecary to send forth a stinking savour /

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment

10:10 If the iron be blunt / If the ax is dull

10:10 wisdom is profitable to direct / wisdom

brings success

12:9 gave good heed / pondered

12:11 the masters of assemblies / scholars

The King James Version we have today has not

been necessarily been revised but rather purified.

The authority for its veracity lies not in the first

printing of the King James Version in 1611, or in

the character of King James I, or in the scholarship

of the 1611 translators, or in the literary

accomplishments of Elizabethan England, or even

in the Greek Received Text. Our authority for the

infallible words of the English Bible lies in the

power and promise of God to preserve His Word.

PREFACE TO THE KJB

The KJB originally had a Preface which

discussed the mind of the translators. It consisted

of the Dedicatory, to King James, and “to the

Readers.” In our modern era, it seems to no longer

be a part of the KJB, and it has given critics

ammunition for their arguments. Though there are

some points made by the translators that may

123

seem troubling to some at first reading, careful

consideration of the context and the times can

settle these critical points.

TRANSLATORS TO THE READERS

The following, in bullet form presents a synopsis

of some of the pertinent elements of the message

from the KJB translators to those who would read

it. To pursue a study of this topic, a good reading

of the text in its entirety is recommended.

Nevertheless, the lines below give background:

• His majesty's constancy, notwithstanding

culmination, for the survey of the English

translations

• The praise of the holy Scriptures

• Translation necessary

• The translation of the old testament out of

the Hebrew into Greek

• Translation out of Hebrew and Greek into

Latin

• The translating of the scripture into the

vulgar tongues

• The unwillingness of our chief adversaries,

that the scriptures should be divulged in the

mother tongue, etc.

• The speeches and reasons, both of our

brethren, and of our adversaries against this

work

• A satisfaction to our brethren

124

• An answer to the imputations of our

adversaries

• The purpose of the translators, with their

number, furniture, care, etc.

• Reasons moving us to set diversity of senses

in the margin, where there is great

probability for each

• Reasons inducing us not to stand curiously

upon an identity of phrasing

“KJB-ONLYISTS”

A note is appropriate here, regarding “KJB-

onlyists.” These people demand that only the KJB

be used, and or condemn everyone who doesn’t

use the KJB. Some even suggest that a person

cannot be saved outside of the KJB renderings.

These people do not often speak with grace, and

have some wrong assumptions about the KJB.

“KJB-Onlyist” Erroneous Beliefs:

The King James Bible is "the original." But, if we

examine the Preface, we see that it is not the case:

"Truly (good Christian Reader) we never

thought from the beginning, that we should

need to make a new Translation, nor yet to

make of a bad one a good one, ...but to make a

good one better, or out of many good ones, one

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principal good one, not justly to be excepted

against."

Another “KJB-Onlyist” belief is that the KJB is

the only "Authorized" Bible. They understand it to

mean DIVINELY AUTHORIZED; but, what that term

means is that it is actually the third Authorized

Bible of the English Church. The first was the Great

Bible of 1539, which was intended for church use.

The second was the Bishops' Bible of 1568, and

the third was the King James of 1611.

There are more arguments to be made but you

can see from these brief samples that the tenets

they hold fast to are erroneous.

CONCLUSIONS

The Byzantine text has great continuity, while

the Alexandrian examples disagree with each

other. The Byzantine readings more often "make

sense" than do their competitors in the contexts in

which the passages exist, and there are

certain theologically "impossible" changes in the

Alexandrian stream, preferred for the modern Bible

versions. Their location (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus),

coupled with the apparent disdain which early

Christians held them in, opens up the possibility of

influence upon these texts from the various

heresies which so permeated Egypt for the first

four centuries of Christianity, which may have been

recognized by early orthodox Christians. The

Alexandrian textual set, and thus the Critical Text

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editions, were used pretty much in Egypt on only a

very small number of texts in their support.119

Modern versions attack Jesus' Deity and

sinlessness, the Godhead, etc. The NIV translators

claim that we are all at the mercy of imperfect men

to give us a reliable Bible; but what about a

sovereign and omnipotent God? The King James

Bible is loyal to the Lord. The King James Bible is

faithful to strongly proclaim the great foundational

doctrines of the Christian faith, and it's

uncompromisingly stand against sin. For example:

The NIV completely removes the self-explanatory

word "sodomite," thus disassociating homosexuals

from the wicked city of Sodom which God

destroyed with fire and brimstone. The NIV

removes the name of Jesus, the name above every

other name (Philippians 2:9-10) in 38 places in the

New Testament.120

Final Analysis

It is not so much the manuscript evidence, but

rather “what saith” these modern versions that

convinces me. The subtle message we find in

many, most, if not all of them is one which draws

us away from the foundations of the faith. Clearly,

upon comparison, there is cause for concern as the

119 Gnostic Corruptions in the Critical Texts: A Case Study On the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 21st Edition <http://www.studytoanswer.net/bibleversions/gnostic.html> 120 Stewart, David J. http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/NIV/worship.htm

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Doctrine of Christ, the Trinity, Salvation (by grace

through faith), and others, are subtly being

weakened and being given room to doubt in these

modern versions which diminish from the texts.

The Christian faith is based on Christ, yet Christ is

being removed. Why would a “Bible” (version)

reword passages in such a way as to erode and

dilute fundamental doctrines, when they have been

the pillars of the Christian faith since the beginning

of the church? It is certainly my conclusion that the

KJB is the one we ought to be using as Christians,

in large part due to the comparisons alone. And

although I am NOT a fist-pounding, railing, “KJB-

onlyist,”. . . I am a Christian, and the Lord tells me

in my Bible to “prove all things” and “hold fast that

which is good” (1Thessalonians 5:21). What I see

in the KJB is “good,” and what I see in the modern

versions is not.

The KJB was the Bible standard for over 300

years until it was challenged by the RV which is

based on questionable manuscripts. And yes, by

the way, we ought to compare others to this

standard, for it is the Bible which God has given us,

which has a history of changed lives and revivals.

Surely, that alone is food for thought. My faith does

not lie with men and what they can do, but in God

who is able to preserve His inspired Word (plenary)

and words (verbal) throughout the ages and

translation: trusting God at face value, in childlike

faith that what He hath said (Psalm 12:6-7), He is

able to do. There can be only ONE magnified,

inspired, preserved, settled, truth. We have seen

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the comparisons, sometimes completely opposite

each other in wording or meaning. So which one is

right? We cannot sit on the fence or be tossed to

and fro by every wind of change (version). I have

answered that question by God’s grace, and pray

you will too.

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Psalm 11:3 says, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

What God says is foundational to Christianity. The first thing the Devil did in the Garden of

Eden was attack the Word of God. Interestingly, in modern times, the veracity of

the Bible, the written Word of God is having doubt cast upon it. Modern Bible publishers promote their versions as being more

accurate and more understandable. As a result, there seems to be much confusion

today over which "Bible" we should be using as Christians.

Why Use The King James Bible is designed to give simple examples and brief explanation

as to why we should use the King James Bible as Christians; to advise you to reconsider your use of any other Bible version (if that be

the case); and or to encourage your continued use of the KJB. Finally, it will

provide you with enough knowledge to be able to adequately explain your decision to hold to the King James Bible.