THE OLD PATHS
The Preservation of God’s word
A Study on the King James bible
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THE OLD PATHS
The Preservation of God’s word
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Study #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10

Study #1 Back to top
Memory verse:

Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].

The Lord has directed me to prepare a series of Bible Studies on the stands this church takes that separate us from so many of the churches in this city. These are things that did not always separate us. There was a day when most of the churches took these stands. The truth has not changed but Christianity has. This is not to instill a proud spirit but rather to caution us. We need to be careful that we do not begin to slide towards all the knew ideas that are being promoted in the churches. The first topic will be the preservation of God’s word.

1. Why do we continue to hold to the Authorized Version of the Bible.
As we continue in this series we will cover the subject of music. We will also cover the subject of personal and ecclesiastical separation. Please pray for me that as I put together these Bible studies God will enable me to teach in a clear understanding way the truth on these subjects.

In this Bible study I want us to see from the scriptures God’s promise to us that we would have the preserved word of God. We will also be looking at how God preserved his word and brought it to us today. Then we will look at how Satan has also been busy counterfeiting God’s word to bring to the church.

The first fundamental Christian doctrine is that we hold to the truth that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.

The sad truth is that the same group of people who would say that the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice would also say that they do not have a verbally inspired inerrant infallible Bible to read unless they could read the originals which is not possible for we have only copies that are many many times removed from the originals.

As I read many articles regarding this topic it saddened me that there are many who even deny the Bible really gave any promises of preservation at all. That means they don’t even believe the originals were promised preservation. But then how could they because they have to admit that the originals are long gone.

In this Bible study I want to focus on just sharing what the Bible says about it’s self in regards to preservation. So without any more delay let’s let the bible speak for its self.

Psalms 12:6,7 God’s word promises the preservation of his people in this chapter and he does it by assuring us that his word is pure with no impurities mixed in, that is pure silver.
So many that I read want to say that this scripture only applies to God’s promise to preserve his people. They say that this does not apply at all to his word.

I Peter 1:22-25
Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.
The gospel is preserved for us through the incorruptible word.
I can still say that to those I witness to
Our Lord connects himself to his word.
John 1:1,14
1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
1Jo 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away .

Psa 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Psa 119:90 Thy faithfulness [is] unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth

Psa 119:160 Thy word [is] true [from] the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments [endureth] for ever.
Psa 119:161 SCHIN. Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
Psa 119:162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.

Isa 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
This is a reference that Peter used in I Peter.

When our Lord used the scripture he did not question it he just quoted it.
During his temptation in the wilderness he said nothing but what was written.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

2Pe 1:19 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:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 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.
As I read about the process of preservation I am more and more convinced that only God could have written the Bible and only God could preserve it. This is not a matter of proving the process was perfect it is a matter of believing that God is perfect and capable of doing what he said.

The Old Paths
The preservation of God’s word
Study #2 Back to top

Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].

Intro: As we continue in this study I want us to consider the attitude of the writers of the New Testament towards that work. The scriptures show that they knew they were being given the word of God. They also knew that were work was being opposed right form the start by those who would like to corrupt the word of God. So Lets begin by considering the scriptural attitude towards the scripture.

I. Those whom God used to write the New Testament new they were being used of God for this purpose.

1. 2Peter 1:16-21 Peter knew that what he was a part of writing was bigger than him.
2. 2 Tim 21,2 Timothy was to commit the same truth to faithful men.
3. 2 Peter 3:15,16 Peter put Paul’s writings along side the other scriptures
4. 2 Cur 12:7 Paul knew he was being given an abundance of revelation
5. Rev 1:1 The Revelation that God gave to John the beloved
6. Luke1:1-4 this was an understanding that God had enabled him to do this work.
7. 2 Tim 3:14-17 Paul challenged Timothy to stay true to the scriptures that had been given him.

II. The command to teach all Nations is dependant upon the preservation of the truth that is to be taught.

1. Mat 28:17-20 The command came with a promise to empower them to preach the gospel to all the world. to baptize them in the name of the father Son and Holy Ghost and to teach them all things whatsoever they had been commanded.

It is interesting to note that in the middle of the command there is the statement
But some doubted.

2. John 14:26 Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to bring all things to your remembrance.
3. John 16:12,13 I have many things to say unto you , ye cannot bear them now.

III. The opposition to the preservation of the truth started before the scriptures was even complete.

1. 2 Peter 3:16 They that are unlearned and unstable wrest
WREST, v.t. [G., to wrest, to snatch or pull, to burst, to tear.]

1. To twist or extort by violence; to pull or force from by violent wringing or twisting; as, to wrest an instrument from anothers hands.
2. 2 Timothy 2:15-21 These men attacked the truth but God promised to keep the foundation sure.
3. Gal 1:6-9 So soon removed from him that called unto another gospel.

Before the challenge of translating the scriptures into other languages was even considered there were those who questioned Paul’s authority.
4. 2 Cor 13:3 seek proof of Christ speaking in me. Much of 2 Corinthians is Paul addressing this problem.

God’s word did survive all those who tried to corrupt it and it is not because man did not tamper with it but rather because God has told us in his word that it is the incorruptible word of God.
I Peter 1:23-25 Isa 40:6-8

From the scriptures we can conclude that God was in the process inspiring his word as he gave it to the New Testament writers. They were aware that they as prophets were being used of God to write the New Testament. If God first inspired his word and then promised to preserve his word can we see that there is the preserved word of God for every generation as Psalms 12:6,7 speaks of. What I desire to show you in the next few Bible studies is that God did continue to give his word to his church and that there has been opposition to that by Satan’s religion.

The Old Paths
The preservation of God’s word
Study #3 Back to top

In this Bible study I desire to show that God providentially preserved his word from one generation to the next. His word was also translated into other languages very soon after, this was done in the name of evangelism. God preserved his word thought the process of using his word.

Memory verses:
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 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.

When the Lord gave his commission to the apostles who were the members of the first church they had yet to write one verse of the New Testament and the Apostle Paul who wrote 14 books of the N.T. was still an enemy of the church.

As they stepped out by faith to obey our Lord’s command he gave them his word. They wrote what God gave them and then made many copies and continued to do so as souls were saved and churches established and missionary work was done.

I. How Many New Testament manuscripts are there?

The following statistics are based on information as they are presented by Kirt Aland
According to Alland there 5255 Greek manuscripts that contain all or part of the Greek New Testament.

A. The earliest of the Greek New Testaments are called Papyri: they are called that because it was the kind of paper they were written on Papyrus. 88 of these papyri have now been discovered.
These date back to the second century.
Those who have done extensive comparisons of these 88 Papyrus and are in favor of the Siniaticus and Vaticanus only sight 9 as being of that text type.

B. All the rest of the New Testaments are of Vellum which means Leather. The oldest of these are called Uncial which means all the letters were capitals and there was no space between the words. At the point of this writing there were 267 of these manuscripts.
The three oldest complete or nearly complete of these are the Siniaticus the Vaticanus and the Alexandrian. These go back to about 450 A.D.

C. The next group of manuscripts are called Minuscule which means small letters with a space between the words. 2764 minuscule manuscripts have been cataloged These date from the 9th to the 16th century.

D. Thy Syriac versions which were the version used by the Syrian church which go back to the second century number at 350. A man named Burkitt has tried to date these in the 5th century but the evidence does not support this.

E. There are Latin Syriac and Coptic versions not exact number is available.
F. Armenian versions there are 1244 manuscripts cataloged
G. There are also the New Testament quotations found in the writings of the church fathers which go back to the second century.

As these Manuscripts have been compiled and compared we can modestly say that 85% of the time they are in agreement.

15% of the time there are variations of a notable kind. This 15% comes mostly from that group of manuscripts called the Siniaticus Vaticanus and the Alexandrian Text. Those three were the most complete of the Uncials I listed above. They go back to the 4 century.

So what else do they have in common.

Lets consider the fact that most of the corruptions to scripture came by the end of the second century. After that there were enough copies and familiarity with the word of God that when copies surfaced that varied from the traditional text the errors were exposed.

How did these old manuscripts remain in tact. Quite simply they were not used. They ended up on a shelf collecting dust while the traditional text were read and copied. It is also very possible that as these copies of copies wore out they were disposed of that being the reason there are not older copies of the entire New Testament.

The tampering did not come from the uneducated but rather from the educated.

Tertullian who lived 160-221 said this of those who tried to corrupt the word.
( I hold sure title deeds from the original owners themselves… I am the heir of the apostles. Just as they carefully prepared their will and testament and committed to a trust … even so I do hold it) Around the year 200 he wrote I urge the heretics to run over to the apostolic churches, in which the very thrones of the apostles are still preeminent in their places, in which their own authentic writings are read. Achaia is very near you, in which you find Corith. Since you are not far from Macedonia you have Philippi… and the Thessalonians. Since you are able to cross to Asia you get to Ephesus. Since, moreover, you are close upon Italy you have Rome, from which there comes even into our own hands the very authority of the apostles themselves.

This man certainly believed in the preservation of God’s word and didn’t want anyone messing with his Bible.

1Jo 2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

Origin: Who lived 185-254 and was a teacher at the school of Alexandria Egypt said this of the scriptures, ( The scriptures are of little use to those who understand them as written.)
It was said of him by miller a church Historian
He sought to gather the fragments of truth scattered throughout the pagan Philosophies and unite them to Christian teaching so as to present the gospel in a form that would not offend but rather ensure the conversion of Jews Gnostic and cultivated heathen.
Wilkinson another church historian said this of Origin
“When we come to origin, we speak the name of one who did the most of all to create and give direction to the forces of apostasy down through the centuries. His corrupted manuscripts of the scripture were well arranged and balanced with subtlety. The last one hundred years have seen much of the so-called scholarship of European and English Christianity dominated by the subtle and powerful influence of Origen.”

Origen believed that babies were baptized for the forgiveness of sin.
He believed in reincarnation and that all beings including fallen angels would be saved in the end. Origin allegorized all of scripture.
Jerome who translated the Latin Vulgate was a devout follower Of Origin.
The Bible adopted by Constantine was of Alexandrian origin.

What I have seen as I have read on this subject is that by the end of the third century there was very clearly the two lines of manuscripts. Those that followed the traditional text and that agreed with each other most of the time.
Then there was that 15% that came from Alexandria that disagreed with the traditional text but now this is the kicker they did not agree with each other either.

A man named John Burgon has done a massive amount of work compiling and comparing all these manuscripts. From his findings he had this to say of the Siniaticus and the Vaticanus manuscripts that Westcott and Hort put so much stock in,( it was easier to find two verses of scripture that these two manuscripts disagreed on than two they agreed on.)
Herman Hoskier in his book Codex b and its allies said there are over 3000 real differences between aleph and B in the gospels alone.

The Vaticanus manuscript was written in 350-370 A.D. it contains most of the Old Testament and most of the New Testament except for Parts of Hebrews the Pastoral Epistles and Revelation. Strause( said it’s text is mixed but in the main is Alexandrian)

When a detailed study of the quotations of scripture By the second and third century church fathers 70% of the time the traditional text was quoted.

This tells you that the war over the Bible started when it was first written and before the scholars could fight over what the originals said in the Greek and Hebrew they were fighting over what the authors meant to say in the originals.

Next week we will learn some more about Jerome and his influence upon a New Greek version to try to dethrone the then Greek Bible that was so widely used.

The Old Paths
The Preservation of Gods word
Study 4 Back to top
Mat 7:13-29 May 30, 2008

Intro: We left off about the end of the second century, I would like to spend a little more time basically reaffirming that the reason there is a battle over the Bible today goes back to the first and second century.
This battle also goes back to a notable man named origin. Lets pick up where we left off by stating a few more facts about this man who influenced many who were to follow and whose influence continues to be felt today.

Memory verse:
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

In the year 302 A.D. The Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict which decreed the burning of all Bibles. Satan was trying to destroy the Bible from with in with men like Origen and from with out with men like Diocletian.

Origen the writer: this man was a brilliant man as far as intellect is concerned. One of his most famous writings is called On first principles. This reads like a doctrinal statement. In this paper it is clear that he had a form of Christian doctrine but not as we know it.
Here is a quote out of his own paper on first principle. This has been translated into English from copies of his Greek paper.
“The God and Father, who holds the universe together, is superior to every being that exists, for he imparts to each one from his own existence that which each one is; the Son, being less than the Father, is superior to rational creatures alone (for he is second to the Father); the Holy Spirit is still less, and dwells within the saints alone. So that in this way the power of the Father is greater than that of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and that of the Son is more than that of the Holy Spirit, and in turn the power of the Holy Spirit exceeds that of every other holy being” (Fragment 9 [Koetschau] tr. Butterworth 1966, pp. 33-34, and footnote).
This is hardly the doctrine of the trinity found in scripture.

1. Origin also believed the soul was in existence before it was born.
2. He believed in the salvation of all creatures in the end.
The idea of purgatory ( thus purging even the devil of sin eventually.)
3. He believed in the washing away of original sin in baptizing babies. Sounds like a catholic to me.

Origen had a great influence on the men who followed him
Eusibius: was called a devoted follower of origin, he claimed to of collected 800 letters of Origens. He and one of his colleges named Pamphilus restored and preserved Origens library at Caesarea.

Jerome: lived around 340-420 He and his wife were ardent students of Orgens work and in 382a.d Jerome was requested by Pope Damasus to revise the Latin Bible. This is what became known as the Latin Vulgate.
The reason for a new Latin version: There were many Latin versions in existence but they agreed with the received text which did not agree with the Catholic church which had come along ways by now to being a powerful organization.
When Jerome set out to do this work he went to the Library of Eusibius in Caesarea and found in Origins works a copy of a Greek Bible of the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus type.The Alexandiran Greek type was different than the Syrian Greek type so when you got hold of one or the other it wasn’t hard to tell which was which. The copy in Origens Library contained the seven books the Syrian church rejected. Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus, First and second Maccabees. This is a pretty clear indication that Origen held these writings on the same standing as the scriptures.

The Catholic church wanted to have A latin version of the scriptures that agreed with the Greek version of the Siniaticus Alexandrian Type. By this time the doctrine of transubstantiation and purgatory had been adopted into the dogma of the church as well as the idea that tradition had equal value with the scriptures.

What I am putting forth in this Bible study is this: If we accept that The Siniaticus and the Vaticanus the Two Uncial writings that date back to the 4th century as being more accurate than the thousands of manuscripts that disagree with them we have to ignore that they came from the hands of men with the mind set of Origen, Eusibius and Jerome and many others like them. To say that Origen did not tamper with the scriptures is not believable because he did not even hold to the view that the word was inherent.

Reumann in a book called the romance of Bible Scripts and Scholars says that Origen had a team of scribes whose purpose it was to correct the manuscripts PP50-56
Origen believed in an allegorical interpretation of scripture that would render a literal verbal preservation of scripture unimportant.

I would also like to point out that when Rome became powerful enough to impose upon it’s people a corrupt Bible in around the end of the fourth century what we have for the next 500 years is a period in history called The dark ages.
I would also ask you to consider what has happened to England since 1884 when it adopted the revised version and what about America since1901 when it adopted the revised version.
By there fruits ye shall know them.Mat 7:13-29

From the time that the Latin Vulgate was put into place the line in the sand had been drawn. There is the Catholic Bible with its added books of the Apocrypha and there is the Christian Bible that does not include those books and it simply does not read the same as the catholic Bibles.

Theologians want to say that the KJV translators didn’t have the best manuscripts to study but in actuality they had the Douay Rheims version which was based on that text.
This issue is that straight forward. The new Bibles are not reliable because the translators are weighing heavily upon a minority of corrupt manuscripts.
Next week Lord willing we will look more at the age called the dark Ages. I would submit to you that the preservation of the word runs parallel with the preservation of his church and he promised to preserve both.

The Preservation of the church
And the preservation of the Word
Bible study #5 Back to top
5/30/2008

Intro: God’s word is a living testimony that he has a people.

In the Old Testament we see that he gave us the Lineage of his people from the beginning. We have recorded in Luke 3:23-38 the Lineage of Christ through the Line of Mary with Joseph as the head of his house being listed in the lineage in Mary’s stead. This lineage goes back to David through Nathan. In Mat 1 We have the lineage of Joseph going back to David through Solomon. In Luke’s lineage the line goes all the way back to God listing Adam as the son of God. God has always had a people.
Gen 12:1-3 God gave Abraham a promise of preservation of his people. When our Lord came the records of genealogy were still in tact and we have for us a record of his lineage proving he was of the seed of David both through Joseph and Mary. In 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was ransacked and the temple destroyed the genealogy records were also destroyed. If one would come saying he was of the seed of David he could not prove it by the records because they no longer exist. One day Israel is going to face the reality that there Messiah has come. In the mean time God continues to preserve his people.

1.This is where the church fits in.

God promised to preserve his church. There would be a called out assembly of believers meeting together that would hold to the truths of God’s word that mark us as a New Testament church.

Mat 16:13-19 Our Lord promised to build his church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
Mat 28:18-20 He empowered the church and said he would be with it till the end of the world.
Eph2:19-22 We have the apostles and prophets as our foundation through the written word.
I Tim3:14,15 The pillar and ground of the truth is the church. I do not speak of a universal invisible body of believers nor do I speak of a universal visible body of believers. I am referring to independent New Testament local visible assemblies that hold to the doctrines that have always marked us as Ana-Baptist.

From our previous lessons:
we have seen that there was the formation of two lines of manuscripts one that
came from Antioch and one that came from Alexandria. There was also with this,
The Theology that went with the Two lines of manuscripts and the division that came as a result.
Those who held to the truth as given by the Apostles continued to focus on evangelizing the world. ( Look at the chart These are all the red dots)
Those who held to this apostate theology developed their own church. We had the beginning of what will become the catholic or universal visible church. What happened to bring this church to prominence was the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity so to speak. (These are the irregular churches)

2. A notable time in History : The conversion of Constantine

313 Constantine gave the edict of Milan which gave tolerance to all religions. He also offered a sum of money and a white rob to all those who converted to Catholicism. There were thousands of conversions.
Constantine did not give up Paganism he just added belief in Christ but never was it the Christ of the Bible. He did upset the Roman empire with his desire to endorse the Christian religion and it eventually lead to the division of the empire with two heads one in Rome and the other in Constantinople. Eventually it resulted in the Catholic Church dividing into two with Greek Catholicism and Roman Catholicism

3. There were those believers who never fell under the spell of Constantine and were never a part of what was fast becoming the state religion. These faithful few continued separate from the apostasy and continued to make copies of the scriptures and continued to evangelize the lost. The Catholic Church grew because it became acceptable and even profitable to be labeled a Christian.

During this time period those who remained separate from this Constantine style of Christianity During the dark ages there was a valiant attempt to exterminate the Anabaptist and there Bible but it was unsuccessful. Historians number the Martyrs at 50 million.
Look at the chart ,as I have tried to learn what some of these groups believed I did get a quote from a Historian who was not in favor of the group labeled as the Paulicians who lived during the dark ages. Lets read what a Lutheran Historian had to say about what they believed.

“They maintained, in general, according to their own confession, that the whole of religion consisted in the study of practical piety, and in a course of action conformable to the Divine laws; and they treated all external modes of worship with the utmost contempt. Their particular tenets may be reduced to the following heads: 1. They rejected baptism, and, in a more especial manner, the baptism of infants, as a ceremony that was, in no respect, essential to salvation. 2. They rejected, for the same reason, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. 3. They denied that the churches were endowed with a greater degree of sanctity than private houses, or that they were more adapted to the worship of God than any other place. 4. They affirmed that the altars were to be considered in no other light than as heaps of stones, and were, therefore, unworthy of any marks of veneration or regard. 5. They disapproved the use of incense and consecrated oil in services of a religious nature. 6. They looked upon the use of bells in the churches as an intolerable superstition. 7. They denied that the establishment of bishops, presbyters, deacons, and other ecclesiastical dignities, was of Divine institution, and went so far as to maintain that the appointment of stated ministers in the church was entirely unnecessary. 8. They affirmed that the institution of funeral rites was an effect of sacerdotal avarice, and that it was a matter of indifference whether the dead were buried in the churches or in the fields. 9. They looked upon the voluntary punishment called penance, so generally practiced in this century, as unprofitable and absurd. 10. They denied that the sins of departed spirits could be, in any measure, atoned for by the celebration of masses, the distribution of alms to the poor, or a vicarious penance; and they, consequently, treated the doctrine of purgatory as a ridiculous fable. 11. They considered [Catholic ceremonial] marriage as a pernicious institution, and absurdly condemned, without distinction, all connubial bonds. 12. They looked upon a certain sort of veneration and worship as due to the apostles and martyrs, from which, however, they excluded such as were only confessors, in which class they comprehended the saints, who had not suffered death for the cause of Christ, and whose bodies, in their esteem, had nothing more sacred than any other human carcass. 13. They declared the use of instrumental music in the churches, and other religious assemblies, superstitious and unlawful. 14. They denied that the cross on which Christ suffered was, in any respect, more sacred than any other kind of wood, and, in consequence, refused to pay to it the smallest degree of religious worship. 15. They not only refused all acts of adoration to the images of Christ, and of the saints, but were also for having them removed out of the churches. 16. They were shocked at the subordination and distinctions that were established among the clergy, and at the different degrees of authority conferred upon the different members of that sacred body. When we consider the corrupt state of religion in this country, and particularly the superstitious notions that were generally adopted in relation to outward ceremonies, the efficacy of penance, and the sanctity of churches, relics, and images, it will not appear surprising that many persons of good sense and solid piety, running from one extreme to another, fell into the opinions of these mystics, in which among several absurdities, there were many things plausible and specious, and some highly rational." (Mosheim, pp. 258, 259).
Let it be remembered that this is the statement of their bitter enemy, and even he modified it by this explanation:
"The eleventh article is scarcely credible, at least as it is here expressed. It is more reasonable that these mystics did not absolutely condemn marriage." (Mosheim, pp. 258, 259).
Even having to read this through the eyes of one who opposed them you can see truth coming through. The chart I have given in the notes came from the book called the trail of blood. This chart shows quiet well a birds eye view of the churches that were in existence since the first century. It also shows where our Bible came from. The common people in New Testament churches kept making copies of the bible to continue there work of evangelization.
The point of this Bible study is to show that God did preserve his church. And that God preserved his word through his church
Anabaptist churches had the following things in common:
1. These churches were independent of the state with Christ as there head 2. These churches did not believe in conversion by force.3. They did not believe in baptismal regeneration 4.they did they believe in transubstantiation in the Lord’s Table. 5. They believed in the word of God as there final authority.6.They rejected Catholic baptism and re baptized those who came to them from the Catholic Church. 7. They had two ordinances Baptism and the Lords supper and neither had saving value. 8. Only the saved were to be members of the church.
As we look at this chart we see the transformation of a society that was predominantly Greek and Latin speaking, to one that was more and more speaking English. The Catholic Church did held there services in Latin and kept the Bible out of the hands of the common people simply by keeping it out of the language of the common people for as long as they could. In 1229 the catholic church had a meeting declaring it illegal for any catholic to own a bible
Next we will look at how God brought us our King James Bible. The process started in the 13th century with John Wycliffe.

The Old Paths
The Preservation of God’s Holy word Back to top
Bible study #6 Dec 9th 2007
Intro: As we continue on in this study I am desiring to show that this problem with the new versions is the same as the problem that has been around since the Apostles gave us the New Testament. There are the two lines of manuscripts. Here is where the real trouble lies.
Evangelical Christianity has been hoodwinked into believing that there is no issue. The new Bibles are said to be true to the originals. The new Bibles are being pumped out and the scholars and Christian leaders are allowing these versions to flood the market.
Now let us pick up where we left off, During the dark ages 500-1500 A.D. we have Christians continuing to live and evangelize and keep the word. Then we have the Catholic church that continued to persecute and do there best to destroy the scriptures.
There has been two distinct lines of church history and two distinct lines of manuscripts. We have seen that from our previous studies. During the dark ages God kept his people and his word alive and continuing from one generation to the next.
These versions were in Greek , Latin and Aramaic.

There was more and more English speaking people and there was no English equivalent of the word of God. The following is a good summary of how we came to have our English Bible the KJV. This is from a web site called “WWW.GREATSITE.COM

John Wycliffe writes out a translation into English form the Latin Vulgate.

The were produced in AD by John Wycliffe, an Oxford professor, scholar, and theologian. Wycliffe, (also spelled “Wycliff” & “Wyclif”), was well-known throughout Europe for his opposition to the teaching of the organized Church, which he believed to be contrary to the Bible. With the help of his followers, called the Lollards, and his assistant Purvey, and many other faithful scribes, Wycliffe produced dozens of English language manuscript copies of the scriptures. They were translated out of the Latin Vulgate, which was the only source text available to Wycliffe. The Pope was so infuriated by his teachings and his translation of the Bible into English, that 44 years after Wycliffe had died, he ordered the bones to be dug-up, crushed, and scattered in the river!

Erasmus: the great scholar was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in , with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament. The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired. This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press. The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other tongue. No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome… even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God.

William Tyndale wanted to use the same 1516 Erasmus text as a source to translate and print the New Testament in English for the first time in history. Tyndale showed up on Luther's doorstep in Germany in 1525, and by year's end had translated the New Testament into English. Tyndale had been forced to flee England, because of the wide-spread rumor that his English New Testament project was underway, causing inquisitors and bounty hunters to be constantly on Tyndale's trail to arrest him and prevent his project. God foiled their plans, and in the Tyndale New Testament became the first printed edition of the scripture in the English language.
Today, there are only two known copies left of Tyndale’s 1525-26 First Edition. Any copies printed prior to 1570 are extremely valuable. Tyndale's flight was an inspiration to freedom-loving Englishmen who drew courage from the 11 years that he was hunted. Books and Bibles flowed into England in bales of cotton and sacks of flour. Ironically, Tyndale’s biggest customer was the King’s men, who would buy up every copy available to burn them… and Tyndale used their money to print even more! In the end, Tyndale was caught: betrayed by an Englishman that he had befriended. Tyndale was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in . Tyndale’s last words were, . This prayer would be answered just three years later in, when King Henry VIII finally allowed, and even funded, the printing of an English Bible known as the “Great Bible”. But before that could happen…
Myles Cloverdale and John “Thomas Matthew” Rogers had remained loyal disciples the last six years of Tyndale's life, and they carried the English Bible project forward and even accelerated it. Coverdale finished translating the Old Testament, and in he printed the first complete Bible in the English language, making use of Luther's German text and the Latin as sources. Thus, the first complete English Bible was printed on , and is known as the
went on to print the second complete English Bible in . It was, however, the first English Bible translated from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew & Greek. He printed it under the pseudonym , (an assumed name that had actually been used by Tyndale at one time) as a considerable part of this Bible was the translation of Tyndale, whose writings had been condemned by the English authorities. It is a composite made up of Tyndale's Pentateuch and New Testament (1534-1535 edition) and Coverdale's Bible and some of Roger's own translation of the text. It remains known most commonly as the .
In , , the Archbishop of Canterbury, hired Myles Coverdale at the bequest of to publish the "Great Bible". It became the first English Bible authorized for public use, as it was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English. It would seem that William Tyndale's last wish had been granted...just three years after his martyrdom. Cranmer's Bible, published by Coverdale, was known as the due to its great size: a large pulpit folio measuring over 14 inches tall. Seven editions of this version were printed between April of and December of .
The King authorized the translation of this Bible out of spite towards the pope who had refused to let him divorce his wife and marry another. God works in mysterious ways.
The ebb and flow of freedom continued through the 1540's...and into the 1550's. After King Henry VIII, King Edward VI took the throne, and after his death, the reign of was the next obstacle to the printing of the Bible in English. She was possessed in her quest to return England to the Roman Church. In , John "Thomas Matthew" Rogers and Thomas Cranmer were both burned at the stake.

Satan really hates this book but thankfully he can’t stop it.

With the end of Queen Mary's bloody reign, the reformers could safely return to England. The Anglican Church, now under Queen Elizabeth I, reluctantly tolerated the printing and distribution of Geneva version Bibles in England. The marginal notes, which were vehemently against the institutional Church of the day, did not rest well with the rulers of the day. Another version, one with a less inflammatory tone was desired, and the copies of the Great Bible were getting to be decades old. In , a revision of the Great Bible known as the was introduced. Despite 19 editions being printed between and , this Bible, referred to as the “rough draft of the King James Version”, never gained much of a foothold of popularity among the people. The Geneva may have simply been too much to compete with.
By the , the Roman Catholic Church saw that it had lost the battle to suppress the will of God: that His Holy Word be available in the English language. In , the Church of Rome surrendered their fight for "Latin only" and decided that if the Bible was to be available in English, they would at least have an official Roman Catholic English translation. And so, using the corrupt and inaccurate Latin Vulgate as the only source text, they went on to publish an English Bible with all the distortions and corruptions that Erasmus had revealed and warned of 75 years earlier. Because it was translated at the Roman Catholic College in the city of Rheims, it was known as the (also spelled Rhemes). The was translated by the Church of Rome in at the College in the city of Douay (also spelled Doway & Douai). The combined product is commonly referred to as the . In , Dr. William Fulke of Cambridge published the "Fulke's Refutation", in which he printed in parallel columns the Bishops Version along side the Rheims Version, attempting to show the error and distortion of the Roman Church's corrupt compromise of an English version of the Bible.

King James I
With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, Prince James VI of Scotland became . The Protestant clergy approached the new King in and announced their desire for a new translation to replace the Bishop's Bible first printed in . They knew that the Geneva Version had won the hearts of the people because of its excellent scholarship, accuracy, and exhaustive commentary. However, they did not want the controversial marginal notes (proclaiming the Pope an Anti-Christ, etc.) Essentially, the leaders of the church desired a Bible for the people, with scriptural references only for word clarification or cross-references.
This "translation to end all translations" (for a while at least) was the result of the combined effort of about fifty scholars. They took into consideration: The Tyndale New Testament, The Coverdale Bible, The Matthews Bible, The Great Bible, The Geneva Bible, and even the Rheims New Testament. The great revision of the Bishop's Bible had begun. From to the scholars engaged in private research. From to the work was assembled. In the work went to press, and in the first of the huge (16 inch tall) pulpit folios known today as came off the printing press. A typographical discrepancy in Ruth 3:15 rendered a pronoun "He" instead of "She" in that verse in some printings. This caused some of the First Editions to be known by collectors as , and others as. Starting just one year after the huge 1611 pulpit-size King James Bibles were printed and chained to every church pulpit in England; printing then began on the. These were produced so individuals could have their own personal copy of the Bible.

This English Bible History Article & Timeline is ©2002 by author & editor: John L. Jeffcoat III. Special thanks is also given to Dr. Craig H. Lampe for his valuable contributions to the text. This page may be freely reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, in print or electronically, under the one condition that prominent credit must be given to “WWW.GREATSITE.COM” as the source.
What we must keep in mind is that even though all those involved in giving us our Bible were simply human God providentially preserved his word as he said he would.
Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psa 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psa 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
2Pe 1:19 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:
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 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.

The Old Paths
Preservation of Gods word
Study # 7 Back to top

Memory Verse:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Intro: We left off with how we got our King James Bible. Today we are going to consider the time period of Christianity where everyone read from the same Bible. What kind of Christianity did we have during those days? During this time period there were great strides made in the evangelization of the world. Christianity was certainly in better condition than what it presently is. Consider the fact that so much of the scholarly commentaries that sit on our shelves were written during this time period. Also so much of the hymns that are in our hymn books were also composed during this time. The direction that Christianity has taken since the turn of the century is cause for great concern.

I realize that this in it’s self is not proof enough that the new Bibles have not been under God’s leadership so let us consider how we got our new Bibles.

I. The call for a revision of the KJB began in the middle of the 18th century

1. A revision was proposed in the lower house of convocation in march of 1856. This met with comparatively little support.
2. In 1870 a revision was again proposed by the southern province of the Church of England. This resulted in a great debate where there was a wide range of opinions. Some wanted no revision all the way over the other extreme of a major revision.
3. Behind the scenes two men named J.F.A. Hort and B.F. Westcott had been working on a critical Greek New Testament since 1853.
Two years before embarking on the revision of the KJB Westcott said in his book History of the English Bible “ The revision of the original texts must proceed the revision of the translation: and THE TIME FOR THIS EVEN IN THE NEWTESTAMENT , HAS NOT FULLY COME. Yet he had been working on the revision of the original since 1853.

II. The ground work set for a revision

1. I will give the proposal as it is given in May of 1870

1. That it is desirable that a revision of the Authorized Version of the Holy Scriptures be undertaken. 2. That the revision be so conducted as to comprise both marginal renderings and such emendations as it may be found necessary to insert in the text of the Authorized Version.3. That in the above resolutions we do not contemplate any new translation of the Bible, or any alteration of the language, except where, in the judgment of the most competent scholars, such change is necessary. 4. That in such necessary changes the style of the language in the existing version be closely followed.
The way this read it made everyone happy because it seemed to assure only small changes but it also gave the most competent scholars room to make the changes they wanted. You also notice it said nothing about the Greek text that was to be consulted in translating.

2. The average Christian believed they were going to see slight changes here and there because the chairman of the committee named Charles John Ellicott summed up what he believed the changes would amount to in the following quote.

WE SHOULD HARDLY BE FAR WRONG IN ESTIMATING THE AMONT OF CHANGES THAT WOULD BE INTRODUCED IN ANY ENGLISH REVISED VERSION OF THE WHOLE 6964VERSES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AS NOT EXCEEDING IN ALL ONE FOR EVERY FIVE VERSES OR UNDER 1400 IN ALL. MANY OF THESE BEING OF WHOLLY UNIMPORTANT CHARACTER.

3. The actual changes made by Ellicot and the revisers was 36,000 or 4.5 for every verse of scripture.
4. Ellicott also denied that they would be using a critical Greek text to base there corrections on. He made a statement to this effect in May of 1870 and yet only weeks later on the first day that the revision committee met Westcott and Hort introduced their Greek text to the committee. The committee was told not to tell anyone about this. For ten years they worked on this revision behind closed doors.
5. These few facts and there is much more that we could share show that the foundation for the revision of the Authorized Version began in deception. This is hardly the ground work of the Holy Spirit’s direction.

III. The men and their beliefs on the revision committee

1. The Unitarian George Vance Smith: Smith was outspoken in his rejection of the belief that Jesus was God and claimed that Christ was merely a humble teacher.
Smith taught that salvation was not purchased through Christ’s blood. He taught that God’s wrath does not abide on sinners and that they do not need to be redeemed. Smith denied the divine inspiration of the Bible.
Many were outraged that a man like that could be on this committee and demanded he be removed. The Church of England passed a resolution demanding his dismissal but three men Westcott, Hort and a man name J.B. Lightfoot threatened to resign if they removed Smith.
Several of the revisers did resign over it and Smith remained on the committee.
Smith later testified that the textual changes in the revised version and the Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament reflect those of his own heretical theology. Some of the scriptures sited were
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Revised version replaces God with He As do most of the new Bibles.
1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
I Jo 5:7 and it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit is the truth R.V.

2. Westcott and Hort: these men defended Smith partly because they were not all that different.
Both these men did not believe in the literal interpretation of the first 3 chapters of Genesis.
Both rejected the atonement and the substitution of Christ for the sinner. Both denied that the death of Christ counted for anything as an atoning factor.
Both Westcott and Hort deny that the Bible clearly teaches the per existence of Christ. I’ll Quote from a book entitled Heresies of Westcott and Hort.
Westcott did not believe Rev 1:8 refers to Christ. Read Quote: p 24
Hort did not believe that I Peter 1:19 referred directly to Christ but rather to the Passover lamb. Read quote p42
Westcott thought that Christ’s body passed through earthly dissolution. He did not believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ. Read quote Page 36,37

What we have here are the three men on this committee who did not believe even the fundamentals of the faith.

The Greek text that was produced by Westcott and Hort is the inspiration for all of the modern Greek texts that our new Bibles are based on. They are fundamentally the same.

I’ll read some quotes from men who state their favor for the Westcott and Hort text and the similarity between them and the new Greek texts that are based on the Alexandrian manuscripts. P.2 Revision revised.

All the new Bibles are unapologetic about the fact that they are based on what they call the older better manuscripts. The problem with it is that it is not the truth. It is debatable that they are even older and it is certainly not true that they are better. Many of the Papyrus manuscripts from the first and second century are in agreement with the Antiochian line of manuscripts.

Next week we will get into the differences and the doctrines affected by these changes.

 The Old Paths
The KJV verses the NIV
Lesson #8 Back to top

Intro: There are many versions that we could look at, the reason I choose the NIV is because it is the most widely used. This version is said to be a balance of correct translation and the most readability. The theologians used a method of translating called dynamic equivalency. The KJV was translated using a method called Formal Equivalency. The definitions are as follows

This type of translation is best suited for scholarly work and serious study. It takes into account the form and meaning of the words. It uses more than one word if a word has different shades of meaning or if the receptor language requires it. These versions are often difficult to read for the young, because they are more interested in literally translating than in ease of understanding.

This type of translation demands that the original languages be understood by the reader in the receptor languages. It strives for understandability, sometimes at the sacrifice of accuracy. It has a tendency to interpret rather than to translate. Dynamic Equivalent translations strive to give not only the information of the text but also its ideas and impact. It strives to respect both languages and to make whatever adjustments are necessary to say in the receptor language what has been said in the original. It asks what is the point, the meaning of the text. Occasionally to reach its goals, forms must be changed in the receptor language, which provides a free expression.
Many preachers who use the NIV do so because they believe it is the most understandable of the English translations and that they must try to educate their people if they feel there is an inadequacy in the meaning of the verse. They have been taught that there is no perfect translation so therefore you do the best you can with what you have.
They would also say that the modern Bibles all teach the same doctrines as the KJV does. They would freely admit that there are verses that can no longer be used to teach certain doctrines but what does it matter just use the other verses.
What does it matter?
Prov30:5 (KJV) Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him. This verse is missing in the international standard version

Luke 4:4 (KJV) And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
When the laymen is studying the word of God how can he know that he is even studying God’s word is there are so many differences between them. They cannot all be right.
Now Lets compare the KJV with the NIV. We shall consider some of the doctrines of Christ specifically

1. The doctrine of Redemption

Luk 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save [them]. And they went to another village. KJV
Luke 9:56 and they went on to another village. NIV

Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. (KJV)
(NIV) (OMITTED TEXT)

Mat 9:13 I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. KJV
Mat 9:13 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners NIV

Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Acts 8:37 Omitted

The above verse is the only verse in the N.T. that shows both the minister sharing the gospel and the listener positively responding to the gospel message.

Act 9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [it is] hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.  "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." NIV Paul’s prayer of repentance and submission is gone what a shame
More verses could be considered on this but I shall go on to other topics
2. The doctrine of Christ eternal existence
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.
  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,  though you are small among the clans [] of Judah,
     out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,  whose origins [] are from of old, from ancient times. [
the translators of the NIV translated the Hebrew word Olam “ancient times” in this verse. They translated it everlasting when it referred to God’s love in Psalms 103:17, God’s praise in Psalms 106:48 God’s righteousness in Psalms 119:142, Gods kingdom in Isa 54:8, Why not them God’s son in Mica 5:8
Isa 63:16 Doubtless thou [art] our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, [art] our father, our redeemer; thy name [is] from everlasting.
  But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us;
       you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. NIV
3. Christ Deity
1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He[] appeared in a body,[]
      was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations,
   was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. NIV
1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 1Jo 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

I John 5:7,8 For there are three that testify: the[] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. NIV

1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
I Peter3:5 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,NIV
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
The way the NIV renders this verse it can only refer to God the father The KJV teaches that Jesus is God our Saviour.
Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let [him] go.
Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.

Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.
Acts13:26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."NIV

Mat 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
Mat 9:18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live."NIV

Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Worship is reserved for God where as kneeling can be simply a show of respect for authority.
4. Christ’s teachings and words:
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies[] and pray for those who persecute you,

Mar 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Niv omitted

Mar 6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Mark6:11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.” omitted NIV

This is hardly an exhaustive list of verses but it will suffice for this study.

The Old Paths
KJV VS NIV Continued
Bible study #9 Back to top

Intro: As I have studied this week I felt it necessary to give some more comparisons of these two versions. The nuts and bolts of this issue are that the new versions are very different than the KJV. I want to show very clearly that there are a lot of verses with changes that are of a serious nature. Verses are taken out completely and the translator’s notes undermine the truth that we have the word of God. There are so many changes that a person can point out so I will try to summarize in such a way that we see the big picture.

I. Names of Christ

1. This change grieves my heart deeply and is so clearly an attack by Satan to seat himself on the throne of God.
Isa 14:12 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!
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. KJV
This reference to Lucifer starts out with showing where he fell from. He is referred to as the shining one. Ezekiel 28:12-17 speaks also about Satan in his former glory. Some commentaries want to say this has no reference to Satan but rather only to the king being spoken of. All we need to do is read the verses and try to apply it to these men. The fact is Stan is the prince of the power of the air. Eph 2:1-3, Eph 6:12 Satan is the ruler of the darkness of this world.
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 nation"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. [] I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."   But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. NIV
Jesus said he is the morning star
Rev 22:16 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.
The Lords name is tampered with in over 150 places.
The name Jesus is removed 46 times in the NIV here is one sad example

Mat 16:20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. KJV
Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. NIV

The name Jesus means Jehovah is salvation and this is the only place in the four gospels where Christ calls himself Jesus.

II. The infallibility of God’s word

2Pe 1:19 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: KJV

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. NIV

Psa 119:140 Thy word [is] very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. KJV

Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them. NIV

Psa 119:160 Thy word [is] true [from] the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments [endureth] for ever.

All your words are true;   all your righteous laws are eternal

Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psa 12:7 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 refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.   O LORD, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. KJV
Now this verse can only apply to the people and not God’s word. This verse was changed sufficiently to give our Theologians one less verse on the preservation of God’s word to have to deal with.
2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
God’s word makes us perfect
PER'FECT, a. [L. perfectus, perficio, to complete; per and facio, to do or make through, to carry to the end.]

1. Finished; complete; consummate; not defective; having all that is requisite to its nature and kind; as a perfect statue; a perfect likeness; a perfect work; a perfect system.
G739
ἄρτιος
artios
ar'-tee-os
From G737; fresh, that is, (by implication) complete: - perfect.
This word is sacrificed at the expense of there dynamic equivalency
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.
The foundation Christ spoke of is his words.
We have compared verses on Christ’s 1.Redemptive work, 2.his eternal existence, 3.his deity,4. His name, and 5.the preservation of his word. The changes have weakened the doctrines or totally removed them. There are many more scriptures we could look at but I believe the point has been made that the new versions have some serious problems.
Those who justify there omissions or additions or different renditions say they are translating what is before them and that they are using the best manuscripts. They have bought into this idea but will be held accountable for embracing two manuscripts in particular the Siniaticus and the Vaticanus on which so many of the changes to God’s word has been based.
Next week we are going to consider the NKJV because this is the version that is making it’s way into fundamental churches.

 The Old Paths
The KJV VS the NKJV
Study #10 Back to top
Intro: As I have studied out this subject once again it grieves my heart that Satan has been able to take the inherent word of God out of so many churches and put a counterfeit in its place. I am convinced that is the reason that so much falsehood has been able to make its way into churches. When you get your eyes off of the authoritative word of God you no longer have a final authority. We know how long an inch is because we have made up a standard of measurement that tells us how long an inch is. What a mess if every construction contractor had his own ruler to go by and every supply place had there own ruler to go by. That is what has happened. I received an e-mail from Christianbooks.com. The add promoted a Bible for every occasion and every age group. They have headings for every possible scenario under the sun. This is all about marketing and sales and very little about a sincere desire to see the word get into more homes. Those who buy these products are also buying into the whole idea that we need a different version for every mood swing and change of life we go through. That is what has fueled this whole business. Now let’s consider the NKJV. Is this a KJV with the replacing of the words thee thou and ye with the word you? Is this Bible true to the received text in its entirety? The translators are saying it is by
1. Putting the name KJV on it
2. By stating in their preface this paragraph
A special feature of the New King James Version is its conformity to the thought flow of the 1611 Bible. The reader discovers that the sequence and selection of words, phrases, and clauses of the new edition, while much clearer, are so close to the traditional that there is remarkable ease in listening to the reading of either edition while following with the other.
There is more manuscript support for the New Testament than for any other body of ancient literature. Over five thousand Greek, eight thousand Latin, and many more manuscripts in other languages attest the integrity of the New Testament. There is only one basic New Testament used by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Orthodox, by conservatives and liberals. Minor variations in hand copying have appeared through the centuries, before mechanical printing began about A.D. 1450.
Some variations exist in the spelling of Greek words, in word order, and in similar details. These ordinarily do not show up in translation and do not affect the sense of the text in any way.
This statement gives a clear understanding that they do not acknowledge that there is a problem with the Siniaticus Vaticanus Manuscripts on which the KJV version was changed in 36,000 places in the revised version.
Here is what one scholar had to say regarding the preface in the NKJV.
The Preface points out that the few late medieval manuscripts upon which the Textus Receptus was based "were representative of many more" which constitute "the traditional text of the Greek-speaking churches" (also called the 'Byzantine Text'), and it further asserts that "it is now widely held that the Byzantine Text that largely supports the Textus Receptus has as much right as the Alexandrian or any other tradition to be weighed in determining the text of the New Testament." While this statement is true as far as it goes — all manuscripts and other witnesses to the text deserve to be weighed and are weighed by scholars — the reader should be told that nearly all competent scholars agree that the so-called Byzantine manuscript tradition of the middle ages can never be given the same evidential weight as the ancient manuscripts.
This shows that the scholars who worked on this text still are of the opinion that the Alexandrian text type are to be trusted more so than the received text. Now consider their use of foot notes.
New King James Footnotes
Significant explanatory notes, alternate translations, and cross-references, as well as New Testament citations of Old Testament passages, are supplied in the footnotes.
Important textual variants in the Old Testament are identified in a standard form.
The textual notes in the present edition of the New Testament make no evaluation of readings, but do clearly indicate the manuscript sources of readings. They objectively present the facts without such tendentious remarks as "the best manuscripts omit" or "the most reliable manuscripts read." Such notes are value judgments that differ according to varying viewpoints on the text. By giving a clearly defined set of variants the New King James Version benefits readers of all textual persuasions.
Where significant variations occur in the New Testament Greek manuscripts, textual notes are classified as follows:
1. NU-Text. These variations from the traditional text generally represent the Alexandrian or Egyptian type of text described previously in "The New Testament Text." They are found in the Critical Text published in the twenty-sixth edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and in the United Bible Societies’ third edition (U), hence the acronym, "NU-Text."
2. M-Text. This symbol indicates points of variation in the Majority Text from the traditional text, as also previously discussed in "The New Testament Text." It should be noted that M stands for whatever reading is printed in the published Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text, whether supported by overwhelming, strong, or only a divided majority textual tradition.
What I am left with as I read on the info concerning the NKJV is that this is absolutely positively paybe the way this should have been written so we will give you all this info and you decide for yourself.
Yet we have the following quote from Jerry Falwell
Dr. Jerry Falwell put his stamp approval on it by saying this
The new edition preserves all of the truth and authority of the original, but makes it much easier to read and understand. It protects every thought, every idea, every word, just as it was intended to be understood by the original scholars.
We do not have God’s promise to preserve every thought or every idea.
That is quite a statement and really should not have been made but he made it and so we should be able to study every thought, every idea and every word and see that it is the same. The loop hole in his boast is the two words original scholars.
We cannot know the thoughts or the ideas of the original scholars. What we have are the words. That is what is to be translated into English.
2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
2Pe 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.
Now Lets get down to the nuts and bolts of it all
How does the NKJV compare to the KJV.
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

2. THE NKJV MAKES THOUSANDS OF UNNECESSARY CHANGES. There are an estimated 100,000 changes, averaging 80 per page. This was probably done for copyright purposes.
3. THE NKJV MAKES MANY ERRONEOUS DEPARTURES FROM THE KING JAMES BIBLE. Following are some examples:
MATTHEW 7:14
KJV “Because STRAIT is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
NKJV “Because narrow is the gate and DIFFICULT is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
MATTHEW 20:20
KJV “Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, WORSHIPPING HIM, and desiring a certain thing of him.”
NKJV “Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, KNEELING DOWN and asking something from Him.”
In this connection, the translators of the NKJV commit the same strange error as the translators of the NIV. This is the same Greek word that they translated worship and yet in certain cases chose not to.
HEBREWS 3:16
KJV “For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.”
NKJV “For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?”
This change in the NKJV creates an error in the Bible, because the Old Testament plainly teaches that not all of the Israelites rebelled and provoked God. The KJV is right in its teaching here and the NKJV is wrong.
REVELATION 1:18
KJV “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of HELL and of death.”
NKJV “Re 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of HADES and of Death.”
This is one of the strangest changes that have been made in the NKJV. In 11 different verses, the NKJV replaces the word “hell” with the word “hades,”
The word "damned", "damnation" is NOT in the NKJV! They make it "much clearer" by replacing it with "condemn" (ditto NIV, RSV, NRSV, NASV). "Condemned" is NO WHERE NEAR AS SERIOUS as "damned"! Damned is eternal! One can be "condemned" and not "damned". Romans 14:22 says, ". . . Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth." Webster defines "condemned": to declare to be wrong, but the much more serious and eternal "damn": "to condemn to hell".
In 2 Timothy 2:15, the NKJV (like the NIV, NASV, RSV, NRSV) remove that "obsolete" word - "study"! The only time you're told to "study" your Bible. AND THEY ZAP IT! Why don't they want you to "study" your Bible? Maybe they don't want you to look too close - you might find out what they've ACTUALLY done to your Bible! The "real" KJV is the only English Bible in the world that instructs you to "study" your Bible!
4. THE NKJV DELETES THE IMPORTANT DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE SECOND PERSON PRONOUN SINGULAR AND PLURAL (THEE, THOU, THY, THINE VS. YE, YOU). Therefore, the NKJV gives up accuracy for modernity.
The Hebrew and Greek languages has a distinction between the singular and plural of the second person pronouns. The King James Bible maintains this distinction by the consistent use of “thee, thou, thine, ye and you.” The pronouns beginning with “T” are always singular (i.e., thee, thou, thine), and the pronouns beginning with “Y” are always plural (i.e., ye, you).
We can see the importance of this with the following example from the New Testament:
JOHN 3:7
KJV “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
NKJV “Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'”
What about that mysterious symbol
The three esoteric "6"'s separated.
Plainly displaying the interlocked "666".

Symbols are used throughout the occult. Harpers' Encyclopedia of Mystical & Paranormal Experience (p.594) says, "Symbols are important to all esoteric teachings, for they contain secret wisdom accessible only to the initiated."
Many people have asked about the mysterious symbol on the NKJV.
Thomas Nelson Publishers (publishers of the NKJV) claim, on the inside-cover, the symbol, ". . .is an ancient symbol for the Trinity." But Acts 17:29, clearly FORBIDS such symbology: ". . . we ought NOT to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, GRAVEN BY ART and man's device."
And why does The Aquarian Conspiracy, a key New Age "handbook", bear a similar symbol? New Agers freely admit it represents three inter-woven "6"s or "666".
Constance Cumbey, author of The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow and a notable authority on the New Age Movement, said, "On the cover of the Aquarian Conspiracy is a Mobius, it is really
used by them as triple six (666). The emblem on the cover of the New King James Bible is said to be an ancient symbol of the Trinity. The old symbol had gnostic origins. It was more gnostic than Christian. I was rather alarmed when I noticed the emblem..." (The New Age Movement, Southwest Radio Church, 1982 p.11)
To choose a symbol like this shows poor spiritual judgment when the Bible says 1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

5. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE WITH THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION IS THAT IT IS A BRIDGE TO THE MODERN VERSIONS.
Kirk DiVietro, Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Franklin, Massachusetts, was in one of the Thomas Nelson planning meetings that prepared the way for the publication of the New King James. The meeting was attended by over 300 college professors and pastors. At the meeting we were treated to a slide presentation of the history of the English bible and in particular the King James Bible and its several revisions. During the presentation of the NKJV the Thomas Nelson representative made a statement which to the best of my memory was,” ‘We are all educated people here. We would never say this to our people, but we all know that the King James Version is a poor translation based on poor texts. But every attempt to give your people a better Bible has failed. They just won’t accept them. So we have gone back and done a revision of the King James Version, a fifth revision. Hopefully it will serve as a transitional bridge to eventually get your people to accept a more accurate Bible.’ Because of the years, and because I did not write it down, I cannot give you the speaker’s name and I cannot promise you that this is word for word correct, but the meeting so seared my spirit that I have never picked up and opened a NKJV. I can tell you that this is absolutely the substance and nearly the exact words of what was said.”
The New King James Bible is not going to be supported by this church because we are not getting on the bridge that leads to a Bible based on corrupt manuscripts. The main issue that Bible believers have with the new versions is also true of the NKJV. This version is cloaked in deception and is simply not from the hand of God.