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****************************************** * Why God Has Preserved His Holy Word * * Forth Revision, 4 November 1987 * ****************************************** \|/ \|/ | By John S. Green | | and Steve Shatka | +-------------------------+ with assistance from: Jerald Hohndorf, Sherman Smith, Eric Pement, and Don Smith Further information may be obtained: By Computer Modem: Malachi's Burden BBS 1200/300 Baud, 8 Data Bits, 1 Stop Bit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (402) 593-9188 Or by U. S. Mail: John S. Green P. O. Box 46793 Omaha, Nebraska 68046 Some information has been included from a book entitled "The Foundation And Authority Of The Word Of God" by Dr. Bruce D. Cummons, Massillon Baptist Temple, Massillon, Ohio Satan has in these last days attempted to distort and dilute God's Holy Word. Some Christians have even helped the devil accomplish his goal. Why? There has even been much controversy between Christians concerning God's ability to preserve His precious Holy Word. Why has Christianity derailed itself from performing the great commandment of "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." ** Matthew 28:19-20 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++ "Marueile not that I saide vnto thee, Ye must be borne againe." ++ ++ "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." ++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Notice that the King James of 1611 exactly WORD FOR WORD matches the same Authorized Version we universally accept today as the original King James. Not one word has been removed or replaced; only spelling and typesetting changes have been made. God's perfection is still in good working order today just as it was on the day of Creation. Read on to find out for yourself why God has kept His Holy Word pure. ====================================== = What Was God's Original Intention? = ====================================== What did God INTEND to do with His Word? Did He intend for it to be controversial? Did God want the Bible to cause confusion or did God want the Bible to eliminate confusion? From what source does confusion come? Does confusion come from Satan, or does God cause confusion? "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." ** 1 Cor 14:33 I have heard some people try to bring down the integrity of God's Word simply by saying "Christianity is all a hoax, that it's not real." To those people GOD has only one thing to say: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto YE DO WELL THAT YE TAKE HEED, as unto a light that shineth unto a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: +---------------------+ <--| Is God's Word | Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the <--| open to the private | scripture is of private interpretation. <--| interpretation of | <--| any one person? | +---------------------+ 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." ** 2 Peter 1:16-21 Notice in the last part of the above passage that there are two key ingredients for prophecy to be given to man. First, the men God chose to give the prophecy to were HOLY men. They were men who served God based on Bible convictions. Convictions like: >>> (1) God's Word existed before the foundations of this universe, found in John 1:1. >>> (2) God created the universe, the earth, and man, as stated in Genesis chapter 1. This means evolution did not have any part in the creation IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. >>> (3) Grace is the only way to salvation through Faith and not works as found in Ephesians 2. This means man cannot be accepted into heaven just because he was baptized. Does that mean that a person who adheres to the doctrine preached by the Church of Christ, that states a person needs to be baptized before they are truly saved, could not be trusted to translate God's Holy Word? Yes: anyone who shares the belief that baptism has any part in a person's salvation is blending works into God's gift, and cannot possibly be trusted to translate God's Word correctly. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." ** Galatians 1:8 "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." ** Romans 11:6 >>> (4) GOD'S WORD IS INCORRUPTIBLE, as found in 1 Peter. Does that mean the people who translated the Revised Standard Version could not be trusted to translate God's Word correctly? Harry Emerson Fosdick, a former leader in the National Council of Churches of Christ, and one who supported the RSV, once said this statement: ******************************************************** ** ** ** "I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST" ** ** ** ******************************************************** If Harry Fosdick really convinced other people to believe his statement about Jesus Christ's birth, why would other people trust him to guide them in spiritual matters? Perhaps the people that attended the Church of Christ at that time were unaware of his belief, or perhaps they supported it. "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:" ** Galatians 1:6 Luther Weigle, an associate of Harry Fosdick's, also holds similar beliefs. This man, in his book entitled "The Pulpil And The Teacher," opposes the New Birth as the only way to Heaven AND HE WAS THE CHAIRMAN FOR THE REVISION BOARD OF THE RSV OF 1952! You try and tell me he fits the qualifications of 2 Peter chapter 1. The RSV openly attacks the truth in verses of God's Word describing the Virgin Birth and the sovereign Deity of Jesus Christ. Please review the examples below: o RSV: Psalm 45:6 "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever. Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity." KJ: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre." Notice in the KJ, God is saluted as sitting on His throne. This is a prophetic statement concerning Christ's future rule of righteousness. The RSV denies God's sovereign Diety by removing the ownership of the throne. This can only be realized by the reviewing of the statements of the Revisors of this revision who state that the words 'Thy' and 'Thine' refer to Diety while the words 'you' and 'your' would refer to man. In deed, this passage from the RSV claims to assign Christ as a plain man when in reality HE IS GOD, Christ is Deity. This is just another attempt by Satan to displace God from His Throne. Now try and tell me all 'bibles' say the same thing. THEY DON'T! o RSV: Psalm 2:11-12 "Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet, least he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." KJ: "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." The RSV removes the reference to Jesus Christ, God Almighty, in this verse. All 'bibles' do not say the same thing. o RSV: Romans 9:5 "To them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. God who is over all be blessed for ever. Amen." KJ: "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen" The KJ puts Christ over all and God blesses Christ in this verse. The RSV deletes Christ rule over all and MAN blesses God. Which one is correct? Please don't say you can prove Christianity through all 'bible' because you cannot. Does that mean that anyone who believes the Bible must contain some error due to the inability of the translators to keep error from getting into God's Word cannot be trusted to translate God's Word correctly? Yes, that's what that verse means. Ye do well that ye take heed to whom ye listen or you will find yourself in the snare of Satan. God's power is not limited by man's ability; man's ability is limited by God's power. Is God powerful enough to keep his promise to us and preserve His Holy Word. Please translate the following verse for me and tell me WHO'S RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO PRESERVE THE HOLY WORD OF GOD? @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@ "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 FOREVER." @@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ ___________________ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Psalms 12 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ The second fact stated in 2 Peter 1:16-21 that is a prerequisite for receiving prophecy from God is the motivating factor. If man's will were allowed to motivate his desire to rewrite the Bible, then the work man produces would not be God's work: it would be man's work. >>> Why? <<< "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." Does that mean that when man chooses of his own accord to retranslate the Bible, then that work will be corrupted by sin? Yes: because only God can prevent sin from perverting works of righteousness. A translation is protected from sin only when it is God's will another translation be made. Also notice all throughout the Bible, whenever there was a prophecy given by a prophet of God, that prophecy was 100% accurate. Every single detail of that prophecy came to pass just as God said it would. God guarantees 100% accuracy in His Bible. Men can sometimes be wrong. God is never wrong. God only stated things one way. There are too many discrepancies in the other English translations for them to be God's 100% perfect, preserved Bible. Examine the following excerts and determine which version would be more like God's Word. ########################################## # Let's look at some examples from one # # more mistranslation, # # the New American Standard # ########################################## o NASV: 1 Kings 19:12, "...a sound of a gentle blowing." KJ: "...a still small voice." ** Not even close ** o NASV: Hosea 11:12, "...Judah is also ********************** UNruly against God, Even against the * We are not just * Holy one who is faithful." * talking about mis- * KJ: "...but Judah yet ruleth WITH God, * spellings, but * and is faithful with the saints." * DIRECT * * contradictions! * Notice in the KJ, Judah remains faithful ********************** with the saints but not in the NASV. How can the NASV be the perfect Word if it contradicts another earlier translation. God only said it ONE way. Which way do you think God said it? Was Judah faithful with the saints, or not? According to the NASV, Judah was NOT FAITHFUL. According to the KJ, Judah WAS FAITHFUL. Which translation is right, the NASV or the KJ? The Liberal, the Modernist, the 'learned' Doctors, who call themselves Christians preach that their 'bible' IS NOT THE PERFECT WORD OF GOD but, they say, their 'bible' contains the essence of God's Word. They claim that the Word of God is in their 'bible' but it is not the exact Word that God preserved for us. They are not sure which parts are error-free and which parts contain mistakes. If you listen as they preach, sometimes they will say "Well, the word in this verse is not really the best word, here is a better one." Or, have you heard this: "The original manuscript has a better interpretation. This verse really means..." I wonder if they even have an original manuscript or they are just changing the Bible to fit their own beliefs. Come to think of it, I don't think I've even heard one of these people speak in Latin or Greek. If they can't speak it, can they read it more fluently than the Bible God preserved for us today? Just look at the testimony of the 'men' who revised or re-translated the English 'bible' and you will see they are not men you would be proud to stand up for and say "Based on (so-and-so's) testimony, I believe he is a holy man moved by the will of God". One man who sat on the board to produce the RSV of 1952 was a SOCIALIST and voted for socialism.* Another man on the same board said "the Books of Genesis, Ruth, Job, and Jonah and the exploits of David are simply 'fiction, tales, and stories.' "* Another man on the same revision board, makes a claim that Jesus was an introvert, and never claimed to be Christ, the Messiah!* (*Note: See the sermon by Dr. Bruce D. Cummons entitled "Why We Reject The New RSV Bible.", available from Massillon Baptist Temple, Massillon, Ohio) ****************************************************************** ** The RSV is not the only one that denies God's Virgin Birth ** ****************************************************************** o NASV: Luke 2:33 "And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him." KJ: "And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him." Notice the NASV claims Jospeh as the father of the child when in reality, Christ did not have an earthly father. Try to explain that one away! o NASV: 1 Tim 6:1 b "...that the name of God and our doctrine may not be spoken against." KJ: "...that the name of God and HIS doctrine be not BLASPHEMED." There is a great difference between God's doctrine and man's doctrine. God's doctrine is INFALLIBLE. Man's doctrine is susceptibile to error. In addition, God's doctrine must not be spoken of reproachfully. The NASV only says not to speak against the doctrine of man. One can speak against something without blaspheming it because blashphemy, by definititon, is 'reproachful, contemptuous or irreverent words uttered against GOD'. One cannot blaspheme against man. Now examine some OMISSIONS of ENTIRE VERSES from the NASV: o NASV: Mark 7:16, ELIMINATED FROM THE BIBLICAL TEXT! KJ: "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear." =================================================== = The NASV causes doubt to come upon God's Word = = by inferring verses do not exist, or they are = = not accurate enough to publish. = =================================================== o NASV: Mark 9:46, ELIMINATED FROM THE BIBLICAL TEXT! KJ: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." o NASV: Mark 11:26, ELIMINATED FROM THE BIBLICAL TEXT! KJ: "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Mark 11:26 is a key verse that helps us sinners to have the correct attitude so we may abide in Jesus Christ and receive answers to our prayers. ** John 15:7 says: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." ** Psalms 66:18 says: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" o NASV: Mark 16:9-20, Footnotes indicate these verses do not belong in God's Word. The NASV, RSV, NIV, and all other English perversions leave some text out of their 'bible' or use footnotes to say the verses possibly are not to be included as God's Word. These perversions bring discredit upon the Word of God by insisting certain verses do not belong in the text. How much perversion will you take? Examine the facts for yourself. Do these verse contradict any other portion of Scripture? Would a lost person believe the remainder of the Bible if he were told he could not rely on the verses in the Bible to be accurate? o NASV: Luke 4:8, ELIMINATED FROM THE BIBLICAL TEXT! KJ: "Get thee behind me, Satan." Why would this verse be left out? I guess Satan did not want to be humiliated, so he removed that verse as he was instructing the 'translators' to pervert God's Word. Certainly it was not God who directed these misquotations. This is the reason when men who were well meaning attempted to 'translate' the Bible after God had given man the King James Version of 1611, those works were perverted by sin and the fruit yielded by those works is tainted: WHY? Not because the men were not well meaning or righteous, but because the Holy Ghost was not the author or mover behind the 'translators'. Man used his own will WITHOUT the direction of the Holy Ghost to 'translate' the NAS, NIV, RSV, NAKJ, and all the other English versions that contradict God's Word. People ask 'how can you say that these versions were not protected by the Holy Spirit as the King James of 1611 was?' It is very simple: those other versions have so many BLATANT misquotations of scripture; they could not possibly be God's preserved Word. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % God's Words Are Pure Words % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." ** Psalms 12:6 "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." ** Psalms 14:1 These two verses seem to go together. The people who deny God's perfection are in a sense saying, there is no God. The same God that promised salvation also promised His Word. What reason would God have for denying his Bible? God has no reason to do such a thing: to the contrary, God wants people to depend on His Holy Word. Let's define the key term in the first verse, above. Obviously, God uses words to communicate His thought to men. There is a certain adjective that is used to describe God's words. That adjective is the word "pure". Pure means 'to be free from what weakens or pollutes.' Taking that definition, one could without question say that if pure means to be free from what weakens or pollutes, then impure would mean the opposite is true: impure words would contain faults that weaken the total unit, or would pollute the meaning of those words as a unit or book. So you see, God's intention is to present man with His Word. Not just any kind of Word; but a PURE Word -- a Word without impurity -- a Word man can use to find out what God expects of him in order for that person to be excused from the everlasting punishment that awaits every unsaved individual. Just think... if there were impurity in God's Word, how do we know that the impurity did not affect the plan of salvation: i.e. how do we know that the plan of salvation not is missing an important part? Here is the answer: ************************************************** ** God has kept His Holy Word PURE, without ** ** impurity, beyond any shadow of doubt! ** ************************************************** That is how we can count on the fact that God's Gospel is not erroneous. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." ** 2 Timothy 3. These verses say that the Bible is inspired by God and can be used to teach God's doctrine. The Bible also states it can be used to correct a sinner and to instruct those who seek God's will. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." ** Psalms 119 For what reason would you want to teach doctrine? Why would you want to correct a sinner, or instruct righteousness? The Holy Word of God contains the answer: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Stated another way, so that each Christian may be complete, able to discern good from evil, to do right instead of wrong, to know that he is a sinner in need of a Saviour, to know what God commands about certain issues. Stated another way, God's Word is the only way for a Christian to find out more about his Creator. God's Word enables us to have a close, intimate relationship with the God of this universe. There is a God. There is a God of righteousness. He has not abandoned me. He has died for me on Calvary's tree. He has given me the choice of going to Heaven or going to Hell. If I reject his payment for my sin, I will go straight to Hell. If I accept his payment for my sin, I will go straight to Heaven. It's a very simple choice to make. I wonder why so many people in America won't lower themselves or lower their pride to accept a Christ who was mocked, was beaten, was whipped with a "cat of nine tails", was tortured beyond belief... for whom? ***************************** * Why Did Jesus Christ * * Have To Die * * In The First Place? * ***************************** For you. For me. For sinners. Why would the God of this universe allow himself to go through that for no reason? It is for no reason if people reject Him. "I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." ** Gal 2:21 If it were possible for people to get to Heaven ANY OTHER WAY than by accepting Jesus Christ's payment on Calvary, then Jesus Christ died on Calvary for no reason. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." ** John 3:3 Christ would not have been required to die any death at all, much less endure a very grievous, painful death if it were not the only way to admit sinners into a perfect place such as Heaven. It is for no reason if people deny His Word, or the power thereof. Think about it. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." ** Romans 1:16 Our first point has now been explained: God's intentions concerning the preservation of His Holy Word are now clear. God preserved His Holy Word so that sinners would know what they needed to do in order to find the Grace of salvation in God's sight. The Word of God states it's foundation in John 1:1. The Bible said of itself, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God." The Word is the testimony of God to the sinful world through the bodily existance of Jesus Christ. God left us a promise concerning His Word in Psalms 12: "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." That verse sure knocks a hole in the arguement of people who say "God's word is 98.5% pure. God's power is not capable of preserving ALL of the Word, only part of it." My friend, who gave you the authority to discredit the Word of God? ========================================================== ---> Is God Powerful Enough To Preserve His Word? <--- ========================================================== "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." ** John 3:17-18 "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath." ** John 5:8-9 The verses above testify that Jesus Christ, who is God, has the power to save a man from going to an eternal torments of fire called Hell. Clearly, this is the greatest of all miracles: God has the power and the capability to save a man from his sins and allow that same man who is a sinner, by choice of his own free will, by his own nature, and by his own practice, to enter the gates of Heaven. You will not see a greater miracle than the salvation of a wicked old sinner. The example in John 3:17-18 shows God's capability to save a person from his sins and from going to Hell. The next verse shows God's capability to physically affect a man's imperfect body. The man in this verse was afflicted with an infirmity thirty-eight years! Thank God there was one who would and could heal this man and that one was Jesus Christ. After thirty-eight years of suffering, Jesus merely spoke these words: "Take up thy bed and walk" and the man was healed. This demonstrates God's capability to affect the physical realms we live in each day. Don't you think God could make sure His Word was divinely translated just the same as God divinely inspired the Word to be written? Is there any difference in the difficulty between inspiring the Word of God and translating the Word of God? Both operations require God's divine intervention due to the promise in Psalms 12. ###################################### # What Tool Did Christ Use To # # Conquer Satan's Attacks? # ###################################### Refer to Matthew, chapter 4. After being hungry in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Satan comes to Jesus and tempts him. Now, what tool did Jesus use to fend off these attacks against his character? Three times Jesus was tempted. Three times Jesus used this same tool. Three times, Jesus Christ, the very God of this Universe, used His WRITTEN WORD to defeat Satan. Not any tongues, not any wierd dance or jumping up and down: Jesus Christ used the Written Word of God that had been handed down through centuries of manuscripts. Was it the original text as received from Moses? No. It was a text that had been copied BY MAN down through several thousand years. Could there have been error in that word? No. The proof is in the performance. God's Word was just as pure back then as it is today. What does God say man is to live by? Does man live on his feeling? Does man live by his emotion? Does man live by the food he eats? No! Notice whenever God says something one time in the Bible he means for you and I to pay attention to it. But whenever God says a particular thing MORE than one time, God is making a point for us not to forget what he is talking about. God said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." in TWO separate places in the Bible. That is because God wants us to pay attention. God wants us to pay CLOSE attention. God is saying in Deuteronomy 8:3 and in Matthew 4:4 that the way to defeat Satan is to have a consistent, daily walk with God IN HIS WORD. Think this through: if a man were to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God and use it as a weapon, that man would be able to defeat Satan and his fallen angels. Did you know that the ONLY offensive weapon in Ephesians 6 is the Word of God. All the rest: the breastplate, the shield, the helmet, the shoes, and the girdle are ALL defensive tools. What is the point God is making here? ************************************************************** ** ** ** THE ONLY WAY FOR A CHRISTIAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN ** ** BEARING MUCH FRUIT IS TO DEPEND ON GOD'S WORD ** ** IN HIS DAILY WALK. ** ** ** ** THE ONLY WAY FOR SATAN TO PREVENT GOD'S PEOPLE ** ** FROM BEARING MUCH FRUIT IS IF SATAN CAN TAKE ** ** GOD'S WORD AWAY FROM GOD'S PEOPLE: EITHER BY ** ** DESTROYING IT OR BY DILUTING IT. ** ** ** ************************************************************** So, how is Satan accomplishing his goal? Satan is using a trick he used back in the Garden of Eden. The ONLY way to disarm Christians is to supply them with a perverted version of God's Word. This tactic takes away the Christian's only offensive weapon against the wiles of the devil. If Satan can dilute the power of God's Word, he has destroyed the power of Christians. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." ** Hebrews 4:12 Most perversions have just enough truth in them to allow baby Christians to be distracted from the real Word of God. What happened in the Garden? o Gods perfect Word was "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying. Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, THOU SHALT NOT EAT OF IT: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." ** Genesis 2:16-17 o Satan induced Eve to pervert it by adding a few small words. His perversion read: "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of every tree of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, lest ye die." ** Genesis 3:2-3 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& && && && Who's Responsibility Is It && && To Translate The Holy Bible? && && && && Is It Man's Work Of Translation, && && Or God's Work of Inspiration? && && && &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Do you see the difference between the words God spoke and the words the woman spoke. That's why man cannot be responsible for translating God's Holy Word. God is the one who is responsible. God is the one who confused the languages at Babel. "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." Genesis 11:1. "And the Lord said, Behold the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let --> US <-- go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." Genesis 11:6-7. The Trinity came down and made it so there were needed translators to translate God's Word from language to language. God is the one who physically performed the confusing of the speech. It is therefore God's responsibility to insure that His Holy Word is translated correctly: not man's, for if man were the creature entrusted to translate this Holy Bible, we would have perished in our sins long ago, never having even one hope of eternal life in Heaven with God. It's God who performs the translation of his Word, not man. Man is only the instrument in God's hand. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." ** John 15:5 +--------------------------------------+ | | | What Testimony Does The Holy Word | | Of God Offer Of Itself? | | | +--------------------------------------+ We now see God has the capability to conquer not only spiritual realms, but physical realms as well. Now let's find out what Jesus Christ himself has to say about the written realm of His Holy Bible; however, some definitions are in order before we procede. (The following definitions were taken from "American Dictionary of the English Language published by Noah Webster in 1828, (C) 1967 by Rosalie J. Slater. This dictionary was put together by Noah Webster himself for the purpose of providing an authoritative guide to the English language without all the perversions of some of the meanings such as there are today.) A realm is a royal jurisdiction or extent of government; a kingdom, or a king's dominions. The word Holy as applied to the Holy Bible means WHOLE, ENTIRE, PERFECT, FREE FROM SIN, SACRED. (This eliminates the group of people that say the Bible is not perfect. If they really believed that, they would not entitle their perversion 'Holy Bible'.) "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. BUT I RECEIVE NOT TESTIMONY FROM MAN: but these things I say that ye might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." ** John 5:32-39 ////////////////////////////v\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ >>>>>>> Man's Challenge, God's Litmus Paper <<<<<<< \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^///////////////////////////// Jesus actually dared the Jews to search the Scriptures to find out what they said: He even said they did not listen to the voice of God. Why did He say that? Was it not the Jews who held the Scriptures so dear to their own hearts? I think the Jews were very slightly foreshadowing the type of people that would come in the last days ( which we are in now). Here is what I mean: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves (perverts), covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, UNHOLY, Without natural affection (homosexuals and lesbians), trucebreakers (the Russians), false accusers, incontinent (which means 'not restraining the passions, lusts, and appetite, particularly the sexual appetite'), fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + HAVING A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF: + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (and here is God's commandment to people who realize they are in the company of such people): FROM SUCH TURN AWAY." ** 2 Tim 3:1-5 Many of us think of the people that do not have natural affection are the homosexuals and the lesbians. Did you ever stop to think this could be talking about American families? Families where the Dad beats up on the wife and the wife beats up on the children. It happens every day, folks. Child abuse, sexual molestation, and perverted child killers are ever present in today's society. If the husband and wife do not love each other and they don't love the children, either, where does America fit into this verse? One out of EVERY TWO marriages today in AMERICA end up in divorce. One in ten children today have the potential of being sexually molested or physically beaten before they are eighteen by one or both of their parents. Where are the REAL Christians today? Some estimates by the people who consider the perverted 'bibles' to be just as much the word of God as any other state that one in five people in America today is a born-again Christian. If that is so, we would not see one in two marriages divorced. Nor would we see one in ten children abused. Nor would we see all the Playboy magazines on the bookshelf. Perhaps one in five people profess to be Christian, but where are they on Sunday morning and Sunday evening? Some are too tired from getting drunk at the neighborhood party the night before to go to God's house on Sunday morning. Many of the professing Christians that do go on Sunday morning are not back in God's house Sunday night. Will the REAL Christians please stand up? ******************* * IS GOD A LIAR? * ******************************************** * Does God Ever Break Any Of His Promises? * ******************************************** Men, unsaved or saved, I put forth to you that not only is God's intention to keep the Bible pure, not only is He capable of keeping the Bible pure, but if man were entrusted with the task of keeping God's Word, we would all be going straight to a devil's hell today because we simply would not have God's Word in any form that would resemble the Word God spake. God is intent on keeping His Word, God is capable of keeping His Word, and God has kept His Word HOLY, PERFECT, and WITHOUT ERROR. If the Bible were not kept in this state, men could not trust it to tell them of Christ death; and therefore, Christ died for nothing. Christ didn't die for nothing, Christ died for you! Christ died for me. Christ died for sinners, such as we are, such as every person is. Keep in mind 2 Timothy 3:5 "Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Let's examine the truth that's in this verse by finding out God's promises to us. God has placed many promises in His Word that provide for the many short comings of man. For instance, God promised He would supply our basic needs of life. "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." ** Phil 4 There are, as some scholars count, 7487 promises in the Holy Bible. If God ever were to break ONE of his promises, He would be a LIAR and unable to pass righteous judgement on guilty sinners. It is our very condemnation that gives God the opportunity to show His perfect love toward us: in that, while we were yet sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. That was our biggest, most gravest need: a Saviour. God would not be Holy any longer if he were to break one single promise He has made to man. Nor would God be HOLY enough to bestow Grace on an undeserving world for every sinner that comes to Christ, if he broke just ONE of his promises. Did God promise us eternal life? Did God promise us a PURE, HOLY Word? Has He kept his promise? If not, we better start preparing for HELL. If God kept the promise of Psalms 12, we who are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ will arrive in heaven just like the HOLY WORD of God says we will. The apostle Paul starts out the book of Titus by saying "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which GOD, THAT CANNOT LIE, PROMISED before the world began." ** Titus 1:1-2 God even describes the purpose of His Holy Word through a promise in Hebrews 6:17-19. "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." ** Romans 3:4 Satan tempted Jesus three times in the wilderness. Each time, Christ used His own Word to respond to Satan. The only possible way for man to be justified is through God's perfect, inerrant Word. If there were errors in God's Word or if it had not been translated exactly as God wanted it, there is no way in Heaven or Hell that any man could ever be justified by an imperfect word. That's why Romans 3:4 says that man is justified in God's sayings. Even Jesus Christ himself used the Word of God to forbid Satan from allowing Satan's temptation to overcome him. God's Word has been preserved. God has brought His Word down through the ages and has come to us in the King James Version, commonly called the Authorized Version of 1611. God does not contradict himself, ever. All you have to do is to take one look at the other 'translations' to see they cannot possibly be the inspired Word of God. Compare verses between any perversion and the Authorized Version and you will see why. Especially pay attention to those perversions such as the New American Standard which in some parts deny the fact that God is a Trinity and that Christ is such as most of these perversions do in 1 John 5:7. God's Word says "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one." If the version you are using does not describe God as being a Triune God in that verse, you are not using God's Bible. This is only one example among many. Find out for yourself: NAS, NIV, NAKJ, and all the others do not only change the thee's and the thou's, they CHANGE ENTIRE VERSES and their relevance to the entire Bible. Search it out and if you're honest, you will see that this is true. If the other 'bibles' that goofed that verse up were truly a bible God would call Holy, they would not have been as corrupted as they are. This is why God said "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." What better way for Satan to lead so many people astray than to publish a perverted version of God's Holy Word. That way people will have a form of godliness to go by but deny the power of godliness by the fact that they are misinformed on certain truths of God's Bible. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." ** 2 Tim 3:5 In conclusion, we discovered that God's intent for His Holy Bible is to keep it pure. His capability is able to keep His Holy Bible pure; and His PROMISE is to keep His Holy Word pure. "Being born again, NOT OF CORRUPTIBLE SEED, but of INCORRUPTIBLE, BY THE WORD OF GOD, WHICH LIVETH AND ABIDETH FOR EVER." ** 1 Pet 1:23 This verse tells us that the Bible is incapable of being corrupted even if man wanted to corrupt it (some have even tried). There will always be a version of the Bible that is pure, inerrant, incorruptible. God's Word never dies. God's Word never changes. God's Word never fails. God's Word will never pass away. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words SHALL NOT PASS AWAY." ** Matthew 24:35 Responses, critiques, and criticisms are welcome; please make sure they contain valid scripture quotations to back up your claims. Send them to John S. Green, P. O. Box 46793, Papillion, NE 68046 or by computer modem to MBBBS at (402) 593-9188 (Omaha). .W#04?