Fiery Furnace Faith

There Can Be Only One

The subject that I' m writing about today is one that is near to my heart yet I hesitate to speak about it. The Bible. I know I've mentioned it from time to time but just to reiterate; there is only one legitimate English translation of God's word and that is the King James Bible. (You will note that I do not refer to the King James as the KJV, it is not a "version" it is unique, it is The Bible. I will refer to it as the KJB)

While I'm not ashamed to tell people that truth, I've come to realize people will only accept what is convenient and reject anything that upsets their comfort level. This is why so many different "translations" are out there, and why so many Jesus loving, God-fearing believers choose to read them rather than the KJB.

I don't know if this little work will convince anyone but I figure it's worth the effort. If you are one of the multitudes who will not be shaken from what you are comfortable with then there is nothing anyone can do or say. If you are willing to accept the truth, and change, but this argument doesn't quite convince you, may I suggest a book that will make you sweat. This is some heavy reading. It is "Final Authority" by Dr. William Grady. I highly recommend it.

So I now offer in my simple, laymen's reasoning my argument for the King James Bible as the only true word of God in the English language.

First of all I think that it is imperative that you understand something. In the real world there is a law call the law of non-contradiction, or the "either, or" system. Simply stated, anything that disagrees with the truth is a lie. You cannot have two opposing views of a reality and have them both be right. This is why Jesus's statement "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." is logical. If the first part of what he said is true then the second part must be true which makes anything contrary to this statement false. Keep the nature of truth in mind as you read this.

Getting people saved is impossible without the Holy Spirit because people don't like to change. Oh, if a politician starts talking about "change" people are all for it because they don't see it as directly affecting them, but if you bring up personal change . . . Katie bar the door. We get into our comfort zone. Whether it's getting someone to stop drinking, smoking, beating their spouse, or accepting Jesus people won't change unless they feel a need to, unless they see the path that they tread as being destructive. They have to be "convicted."

Whenever I ask someone why they choose a book other than the KJB I usually get one of two responses. "It's easier to read." or a blank stare and a shrug... it's comfortable.

We are admonished to study to show ourselves approved, but we don't take it seriously. Notice, the word here is "study" (2 Tim 2:15... Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.)

What does "study" mean? According to my dictionary it means... The devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge. A detailed investigation and analysis of a subject of or situation. Done with deliberate and careful effort. I don't see anything here about it being "easy."

The word of God isn't "easy," it was never meant to be. The word "mystery" is used 22 times in the Bible, and only in the new testament. In all but three cases (all in Revelation) "mystery" refers to God's plans for man that are hidden from all but his children. I suggest that you look up and read the verses in which it is found. I'll make it easy for you, here they are:

Mr4:11, Rm 11:25,16:25, 1 Co 2:7,8 (this one explains why), 1 Co 15:51, Eph 1:9, 3:3-4 +9, 5:32, 6:19, Col 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3, 2Th 2:7, 1Ti 3:9, 3:16, Rev 10:7. God never meant his word to be understood by everyone. He never meant it to be "easy."

Next let me direct your attention to another important word in this scripture "...THE word of truth." "The" is what we call a "definite, article, adjective." What does that mean?

Definite: clearly stated or decided, not vague or doubtful

Article: a particular object.

Adjective: a word used to describe or modify a noun.

"The" is a word that tells you exactly what is being spoken of. It usually refers to uniqueness. In the scripture it says "the word of God" that tells me there is only one.

Now before I go any further let me explain something, all bibles are not the same. Do you understand that?

ALL BIBLES ARE NOT THE SAME!!!

They can't be, remember the law of non-contradiction. First of all the KJB is the only one that is not copy-righted, the others are. (I think it takes a lot of brass to copy-right something you don't claim to have written, but there you go.) In order to copy-right something you have to be able to show significant differences between your work and any other. A perfect example is

"Romeo and Juliet" verses "Westside Story." They are exactly the same story, but "Westside Story" changed the location, and the names enough to gain a copy-right. Someone could study Shakespeare until their dying day but if asked who the "Sharks and The Jets" are he wouldn't have a clue. In case you don't understand this. "Different" means "not the same."

The New Translations are different because they come from different originals. The King James Bible was translated from what is called the "textus receptus" or the Antiochian manuscripts, while the other translations are from something called the Alexandrian manuscripts.

Not to put too fine a point on it but the Alexandrian manuscripts are heathenistic manuscripts. They were written by men who didn't believe Jesus was who he said he was and had some rather wacky ideas about God and Man's relationship. Many Bible scholars believe these are the "Nicolaitans" Jesus references in Rev.2:6 as "...the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." (Read Grady's book for a more in depth history of the Alexandrian manuscripts and the men who wrote them.)

Understand this...The King James Bible is the ONLY translation which uses the textus receptus. These are the manuscripts that were preserved, laboriously, copied and passed down thru the ages, as opposed to the Alexandrian which didn't see the light of day until the 1800' s. The hundreds of copies that survived were compared to each other, any that were found to be different, ie containing additions, missing sections, or errors, were put aside and only the "majority manuscripts" were used. The Newer perversions typically use only one manuscript.

I could go on and on about all the whys and how's but Grady can explain it better. I yield to his expertise.

There are numerous books available on how the King James differs from the new "translations." How they remove the word "blood" in many places, or how they deny the deity of Jesus,if you seek the truth you will find this for yourselves. I will only give you some things to ponder.

Ok, first of all, if you want to believe that the other 'bibles' were translated from the better originals, so be it. In this case there would be a valid reason for the New Testaments of your bible and my Bible to be different, but why do the Old testaments differ?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember that God only had ONE chosen person to whom he gave ONE canton of scripture which the Hebrew people went to extraordinary lengths to preserve EXACTLY as given over the ages. If this is so, how can YOUR bible and MY Bible be different in the OT?

I'll make this one easy on you. According to the people who wrote your book the old testament they use is a Hebrew to Greek translation called the "Septuagint." According to THEIR history the "Septuagint" was translated from the original Hebrew into Greek around the 2^nd or 3^rd century B.C. by a group of 72 (hence the origin of the word) Jewish Pharisees. This is an outright lie. It is a "tradition" (hint: what church is big on "traditions") that this was accomplished by two groups working independently. It also includes the "Apocrypha" which is commonly held NOT to be inspired scripture.

This gives rise to another question...If the translators of YOUR bible use script that considers the Septuagint to be valid, and it contains the Apocrypha, why doesn't YOUR bible have the Apocrypha in it. Some do, some don't, it depends upon whom the publisher is selling the book to. If you are a Baptist, it won't have it, but if you belong to a church that accepts the Apocrypha as scripture it will. According to these people, God is pretty wishy washy.

One last common sense question I have is this. When did God change? My Bible says in Mal3:6 "...I am the Lord, I change not.

James 1:17 "...the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Sounds to me like God doesn't change (of course these verses are from the KJB, I don't know what your bible says), but if you accept the fact that Jesus is God and that Heb. 13:8 is true when it says "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever." you might ponder my question.

You see, from the beginning God has said there is only ONE God, he chose ONE man, he gave ONE law, he protected ONE people, he sent ONE redeemer, (who said "...I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life... Jn 14:6. "The" denotes ONE) he had ONE plan of salvation, (proven by Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene when he lifted up the cup and said "...if it be possible, let this cup pass from me..." but there was no other way.), yet I am to believe that God has given us over 100 different versions of his New Testament.

One of the things I look for when I study scripture is the nature of God. I ask myself, "Is what I'm reading or starting to think or believe in line with the nature of God?" Does he do things this way? God never changes and that fact is one of the foundations of our faith. Why would God do things ONE way for over five thousand years then suddenly (within the last 150 years) decide to change? Did he decide that his Word was to difficult to understand even with the help of the Holy Spirit so he turned to non-believers like Wescott and Holt for clarification?

I believe there is only ONE Bible, The King James Bible. It contains the Old as well as the New testaments, divinely preserved, and enduring forever. It contains as yet undiscovered mysteries which are there for the finding to those who believe, and trust in God's Holy Spirit to reveal them.

When I look at my Bible I find only one flaw, one that is corrected on the title page. On the cover it says "Holy Bible" but on the title page it says "THE Holy Bible". Mine is the definite article.