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This principle needs serious repetition: A blood-bought soul is worth more than the aggregate wealth of the entire earth and its universe. Sounds bizarre, I know, but it is certainly an understatement of infinite proportion.
When one considers that God, through His only begotten Son, created the earth and its universe in six, 24-hour days just over 6,000 years ago, and when one considers what Jesus Christ says in John 17, the bizarre nature of the claim I’ve just made becomes a clear understatement. John 17:19-23:
19 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Those who are BORN AGAIN are one with the Father and the Son for all eternity.
The temporal nature of this world’s fallen situation is declared in the following verses:
🞇 Psalm 102:25-26:
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
🞇 Hebrews 1:10-12:
10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Soon, God is going to fold up this current world and its heavens like a vesture. I use the example of God folding it up like a handkerchief and putting it in His pocket. All of the DNA of every human on this earth would fit into one aspirin tablet. God can flip that tablet into the air, catch it, and put it in His pocket. Surely, one eternal, blood-bought soul is worth more than the aggregate wealth of the earth and its universe. One with the Father and the Son.
Dear visitor, have you yet to be BORN AGAIN? Will today be your day to be worth more than all the world’s wealth? In just a few moments, I will invite you to follow me in a simple prompt, and if you follow from your heart, this will surely be the best day of your life, and as you follow the Lord Jesus Christ, each tomorrow will be better. Today, all your sin and shame will be washed away by Christ’s cleansing blood. Today, all of Satan’s bondages will be broken, the bigger the better. This is your opportunity. Here is the prompt I promised: Click onto Further with Jesus for childlike instructions and immediate entry into the Kingdom of God. Click now, you cannot wait! NOW FOR TODAY’S SUBJECT.
GOD SAID, Deuteronomy 4:2:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
GOD SAID, Revelation 22:18-19:
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 30:6:
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
MAN SAID: Everybody knows that all Bible translations are the Word of God. Everybody knows that!
Now THE RECORD: Welcome to GodSaidManSaid feature article 1191 that will, for the 1,191st time, certify the marvelous inerrancy of God’s majority-text Holy Bible. All of these features are archived here in text and streaming audio for your edification and to be used as bait for the fishers of men. Every Thursday eve, God willing, they grow by one.
Thank you for visiting. Peace and grace be multiplied unto you and your house.
Which Bible should I read? My copy of the Word of God is of paramount importance. Everything depends upon it. I need to know what is in my hand is true and righteous altogether. I have not personally counted, but according to reports there are 100 or more Bible translations and paraphrases being offered up to the public. Which one is the one? Can I know?
You may have often heard that it “makes no difference” which translation you use because “all translations are the Word of God.” Be assured that this is NOT factual information; there are major and critical differences between Biblical translations, and we must be certain that the translation we are using is giving us the full, inerrant Word of God. If you only have a short time to be here with us today, please know to purchase yourself an AKJV Bible—that stands for Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
In 1970, when the Lord had mercy on me and received this prodigal son back into the fold, the Authorized King James Version was the Bible in the evangelical world. The first real intrusion came in 1973’s NIV, the New International Version. I remember it well: The NIV was offered up by the so-called evangelical church leaders at large as “also” the Word of God. I personally had not studied the NIV, so my position was solid. I knew the sword in my hand was tried and true, and I stood solid for the old Authorized King James Version. I made no condemning statements against the NIV, and other translations that followed, but as time passed, serious issues began to surface.
Fast-forward to today, and we find a world awash with flawed minority-text Bible lookalikes. The churches can no longer claim I Corinthians 1:10:
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
In order to honor that verse, we all need to read the same thing.
In days of old, congregations would often be invited to read along with the pastor in unison as he read from the Bible. For most churches, those days have long passed. We need to read the same book.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), the newest techno darling, has entered the fray. The headline of a June 1, 2023, feature published by AnswersInGenesis.org reads, “PETA’s ‘Vegan Bible’ Misses the Whole Point.” Several excerpts from the feature, written by Ken Ham, follow:
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) recently did something rather bizarre. They asked ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence chatbot) to rewrite the book of Genesis and make it a “vegan interpretation.”
So, what kind of changes did AI make for this “vegan Bible?” Well, consider this change noted in a Christian Post article:
Among the changes made by PETA to the Word of God includes referring to animals as “beings” rather than “beasts” or “creatures.” Another deviation is the use of plant fibers like hemp and bamboo as clothing rather than animal skins, a significant change from the narrative in Genesis 3 in which God “made garments of [an unidentified animal] skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).
Abraham and his wife Sarah are old and childless, but God promises they will have a son, Isaac, and through this son, God will keep His covenant promise to Abraham to bless all the families of the earth (a clear reference to salvation through the Messiah). Of course, this is exactly what happens.
But PETA isn’t happy with childless couples just having a baby. Instead, PETA’s AI version of Genesis also has them “add to their growing family by adopting a dog named Herbie.”
As they walked with Herbie, Sarah and Abraham thought of the importance of adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations rather than purchasing them from breeders.
They spoke of how buying a dog or cat from a breeder or a pet shop contributes to the animal overpopulation crisis, as countless dogs and cats in shelters await loving homes while breeders continue to produce more puppies and kitties for profit.
And it just gets worse. Instead of God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise, on Mount Moriah, here’s what PETA has Abraham doing instead:
Abraham travels to the land of Moriah and befriends a gentle lamb to show his reverence and respect for God’s creation, rather than slaughtering a ram to demonstrate his faith—much as human sacrifice, once a reality, is now outlawed all over the world. [End of quotes]
You may think this absurd and blasphemous—and you would be correct—but you should know that the NIV also offered what some called a “gender-neutral” Bible in 2005. It couldn’t find traction, so parts of it were amalgamated into the latest NIV Bibles.
Primary issues regarding Bible translations boil down to two:
1. Is the translation translated from the majority-text or from the minority-text?
2. Can the new translation claim TR status? (TR stands for Textus Receptus or Received Text) .
GodSaidManSaid has published numerous features concerning Bible translations. Excerpts from a few of those features follow.
📖 GodSaidManSaid, “Ancient Discovery Confirms Masoretic Text—Skeptics Scramble!”
Is there anything more important than a believer’s copy of the Holy Bible? It will be obvious in this feature that all Bibles are not the same. Today’s English translations—such as the NIV, TNIV, NASB, ESV, HCSB—are not translated from the same manuscripts as the 1611 Authorized King James Version of the Bible.
There are two Testaments in the Bible—the Old and the New. The Old Testament was handed down by the Hebrew Levitical Order. The Old Testament in your Bible is either the Hebrew Masoretic Text or German: Rudolf Kittel’s revised Masoretic Text. The Authorized King James Version uses the Hebrew Masoretic Text. All other modern versions, including the NKJV, use Rudolf Kittel’s text. New information you’ll read in this feature will address this issue.
Regularly, GodSaidManSaid is asked about Bible translations. Multiple features are offered here on this critical subject; for more information, visit the “Which Bible? Updated Series” on this website.
Concerning the New Testament debate, there are two pivotal issues: One, the term Textus Receptus (TR), meaning received text, and two, Majority Text (MT). They are different, but one begets the other.
The wide geographical use of a Bible text earned it the status of Textus Receptus—the accepted text of the Christian faith. There are over 5,200 known manuscripts—according to Kurt Aland—that contain all or part of the Greek New Testament. Keep in mind, until Gutenberg, there was no printing press. The Bible was penned by scribes one at a time. It took ten months to pen one Bible. The term Majority Text was earned when the majority of the 5,200-plus manuscripts recorded the same thing. The Authorized King James Version’s New Testament is Majority Text. Today’s modern translations listed earlier use the Minority Text. The Majority Text—according to Riplinger—represents 99% of all extant (existing) Greek manuscripts, while the Minority Text claims 0.008%. Several excerpts from GodSaidManSaid features follow pertaining to the New Testament issue.
D. Baker, in his book, A Visual History of the King James Bible, writes:
Zane Hodges, Arthur Farstad: The Majority Text represents the best theory because it is the only way to account for the vast majority of the extant manuscripts. Under normal transmission processes, this also is the only way to account for the dominance of the Byzantine text. Textual critical practice also relies on majority reading support.
Maurice Robinson, William Pierpont: As stated by William McBrayer:
“The ‘Byzantine Textform’ best represents the text of the early church. The emphasis in textual criticism is the history of the transmission of the text. The result of the transmission process produced a textform that is represented in the vast number of surviving Greek manuscripts. This view stresses that the overwhelming spread and dominance of the Byzantine text suggests it is closest to the original New Testament.” [End of quote]
Keep in mind, the Byzantine Text is what is found in the King James Version.
William Pickering, author of Identity of the New Testament Text, recipient of a Th.M. in Greek Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Toronto, wrote:
🞽The new versions ignore the over 5,000 Greek manuscripts now extant. (Extant meaning “now existing.”)
🞽 The majority-text comes from manuscripts from Greece, Constantinople, Asia Minor, Syria, Alexandria, Africa, Gaul, Southern Italy, Sicily, England, and Ireland.
🞽 A reading found in only one limited area cannot be original. If a reading died out in the fourth century, we have the verdict of history against it.
🞽 The King James Version has the majority-text and geography.
Metzger, author of The Text of the New Testament, writes: “Readings which are early and are supported by witnesses from a wide geographical area have a certain initial presumption in their favor.” Thus, the term Textus Receptus, which means received text.
NOTE: Another name for the majority-text is the Syrian Text. Central to the Apostle Paul’s ministry was the Syrian city of Antioch. Acts 11:26:
And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
GodSaidManSaid has received e-mails that state we spend too much time on minor issues concerning different translations, because all the translations are the Word of God. Keep in mind that Satan added one word and a question mark as he began his efforts to deceive Eve and destroy the souls of men. In Genesis 3, Satan said to Eve, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" When you remove hath and the question mark, the passage would read, "Yea, God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden." Research conducted by G.A. Riplinger compared the Authorized King James Version (majority-text) with the New International Version (minority-text) and discovered:
The NIV has 64,098 less words than the KJV. This omission of approximately 10% of the Bible—reduces a typical 1,700 page Bible by 170 pages. ..."
Fifteen entire verses have been omitted.
The following was written by Samantha Gobba on World.WNG.org on September 22, 2016:
Once the Ein-Gedi scroll was available for Biblical scholars to study, it proved highly significant: The text scholars can read is identical to the Hebrew Masoretic Text used today.
Either way, the scroll proves those 18 lines of God’s Law have not changed, one jot or tittle, in at least 1,700 years.
Regent University’s Corné Bekker said this latest discovery is yet another score for Biblical accuracy through the centuries.
“Every new discovery in Biblical archaeology has served to underscore the trustworthiness of the Bible,” Bekker told me. “Science and faith are not enemies, but friends.” [End of quotes]
Thousands of years have passed and God’s Word is still God’s Word, but critics continue to challenge.
Dr. Henry Morris, founder of the world renowned Institute for Creation Research, writes:
Even many King James Bibles have footnotes referring to what are said to be "better manuscripts" which indicate that certain changes should be made in the King James text. But what are these manuscripts, and are they really better? It is significant that almost all of the new versions of the New Testament are based on what is known as the Westcott-Hort Greek text, whereas the King James is based largely on what is known as the Textus Receptus. As far as the Hebrew text is concerned, the King James is based on the Masoretic (meaning, handed down) text, while the modern versions rely heavily on Kittel’s revised Masoretic text.
The Masoretic text was compiled from the ancient manuscripts of the Old Testament by the Hebrew scholars dedicated to guarding and standardizing the traditional Hebrew text "handed down" from the earlier Hebrew scribes, who had in turn meticulously copied the ancient Hebrew manuscripts, scrupulously guarding against error. As far as the Hebrew text developed by Rudolf Kittel is concerned, it is worth noting that Kittel was a German rationalistic higher critic, rejecting Biblical inerrancy and firmly devoted to evolutionism.
The men most responsible for alterations in the New Testament text were B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort, whose Greek New Testament was largely updated by Eberhard Nestle and Kurt Aland. All of these men were evolutionists. Furthermore, Westcott and Hort both denied Biblical inerrancy and promoted Spiritism and racism. Nestle and Aland, like Kittel, were German theological skeptics.
Westcott and Hort were also the most influential members of the English revision committee which produced the English Revised Version of the Bible. The corresponding American revision committee which developed the American Standard Version of 1901 was headed by another liberal evolutionist, Philip Schaff. Most new versions since that time have adopted the same presuppositions as those of the 19th century revisers.
Furthermore, the Westcott-Hort text was mainly based on two early Greek manuscripts, the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus texts, which were rediscovered and rescued from long (and well-deserved) obscurity in the 19th century.
Dr. Morris concluded with this thought:
So one of the serious problems with most modern English translations is that they rely heavily on Hebrew and Greek manuscripts of the Bible developed by liberals, rationalists, and evolutionists, none of whom believed in the verbal inspiration of the Bible. Is this how God would preserve His Word? Would He not more likely have used devout scholars who believed in the absolute inerrancy and authority of the Bible?" [End of quotes]
📖 GodSaidManSaid, “Which Bible (Updated, Part 1):”
Remember, the Byzantine text is what you have in the King James Bible.
🞽 Pickering cites H.A. Sturz, who wrote The Byzantine Text-Type and New Testament Textual Criticism and summarized his research concerning the superiority of the KJV text-type, based on the discoveries in the papyri:
H.A. Sturz...surveyed all the available papyri...each new MS discovered vindicated added Byzantine readings...The magnitude of this vindication can be more fully appreciated by recalling that only about 30% of the New Testament has early papyri attestation...If we had at least three papyri covering all parts of the New Testament, all of the 5000+ Byzantine readings rejected by the critical (eclectic) texts would be vindicated by early papyrus...Henceforth no one may reasonably or responsibly characterize the Byzantine text-type as being...late (meaning not as old)...Although modern editors continue to reject these readings, it can no longer be argued that they are late. [End of quote]
🞽 A.F.J. Klijn, in his book, A Survey of the Researches into the Western Text of the Gospels, compared Aleph and B (fourth century) readings with the papyri (second century). Pickering added to his research and compared the Textus Receptus (received text) to Aleph and B. He concluded that the KJV readings (TR) dominated the early papyri to a greater percentage than the readings of Aleph and B, seen in the new versions.
🞽 Pickering concludes, "The TR has more early attestation than B and twice as much as Aleph—evidently the TR reflects an earlier text than either B or Aleph."
🞽 Other scholars’ findings reveal results which vindicate the KJV readings.
🞽 G. Zuntz in The Texts of the Epistles writes, "KJV type readings previously discarded as late are in P46...Are all Byzantine readings ancient?...G. Pasquali answers in the affirmative...Papyrus 46 and 45 support the majority-text readings..."
🞽 Metzger says, "Papyrus 75 supports the majority-text dozens of times. In relation to the majority-text, P46 (about AD 200), shows that some readings...go back to a very early period...P66 has readings that agree with the majority-text type."
🞽 Hill notes, "Byzantine readings, which most critics have regarded as late, have now been proved by Papyrus Bodmer II to be early readings."
🞽 The Journal of Theological Studies (London: Oxford University Press) says, "Papyrus 66 supports the readings of the majority-text."
Remember, the majority-text is the source of the King James Version.
🞽 John W. Burgon, Dean of Chichester was a contemporary of Westcott and Hort. He said, "...the two manuscripts honored by Westcott and Hort are the most depraved."
Burgon went on to say, "...without a particle of hesitation, that B and D are two of the most scandalously mutilated texts which are anywhere to be met with: have become, by whatever process (for their history is wholly unknown), the depositories of the largest amount of fabricated readings, ancient blunders, and intentional perversions of truth, which are discovered in any known copies of the Word of God.
Finally, Burgon wrote concerning dissenting manuscripts Vaticanus (B), Sinaiticus (ALEPH), Bezae (D), and Papyrus 75: "All four are discovered on careful scrutiny to differ essentially, not only from the 99 out of 100 of the whole body of extant manuscripts, but even from one another." [End of quotes]
Amos speaks of a famine for the Word of God in Amos 8:11:
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
The King James Version is becoming a thing of the past! There is a famine!
Let’s address the idea that the NIV is “easier” to read than the King James, therefore justifying its existence. G.A. Riplinger, author of New Age Bible Versions, notes an ease-of-readability formula by Flesch-Kincaid:
The Flesch-Kincaid Research Company’s Grade Level Indicator betrays the strictly black and white nature of the issue showing the new version’s true colors. The KJV ranks easier in 23 out of 26 comparisons. [End of quote]
The first chapter of the first and last books of both the Old and New Testaments were compared. The average grade level required to understand the King James Version was 5th grade, 8th month. The average grade level required to read the NIV was 8th grade, 4th month.
The King James Version proves easier to read.
In her book In Awe of His Word, Riplinger lists a host of changes made by the minority-text translators, and they are serious indeed. I will only list a few:
🞬 Westcott and Hort’s New Age translation, from which comes the NIV, totally omits entire passages and verses of God’s Word.
🞬 For example, the majority-text King James states in Luke 11:2, "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." But, the same passage in the NIV says, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name." Note that in the NIV, the Father is no longer in Heaven. New Age teaching instructs that God is in creation (Mother Earth)—the trees, the rocks, in you, and in me. The Hindu people place a red dot on their forehead which denotes the deity within them. This NIV change fits perfectly.
🞬 Again in the same passage the King James says, "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." The NIV omits it entirely.
🞬 All of Christianity, since its inception, has prayed to the Father in Jesus’ name because of verses such as John 14:14: The Majority-text King James Version states, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." The NIV writes, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
Jesus commands us to pray to the Father and not to Him, in John 16:26-27: "At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God." Do you think making prayer requests incorrectly might have some significance?
🞬 Believers have secret weapons against the Devil that have phenomenal power to break down his strongest strongholds. Those weapons are fasting and prayer. Isaiah 58:6: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"
Westcott and Hort have expunged the record of this powerful weapon against the Gates of Hell! When Jesus was asked by His disciples why they couldn’t cast out the evil spirit, He replied to them, in Mark 9:29 (KJV), "...This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." However, the NIV states, "...This kind can come out only by prayer." Note that the secret weapon, "fasting," is conveniently omitted by the NIV in Mark 9:29 and also in Matthew 17:21, Acts 10:30, and I Corinthians 7:5. Does it make sense that Satan would want this weapon to be destroyed?
I think Satan’s capstone of all changes is John 3:16. In the Authorized King James Version, it reads: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." In the NIV, "his only begotten Son" is removed and replaced with, "his one and only Son." First, God has many sons. Luke 3:38:
Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
Genesis 6:2:
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Job 1:6, and Job 2:1:
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
Several years ago, a young brother was seriously considering the translation issue. He suggested (what he had heard) that there wasn’t really any difference in the translations and they were all the Word of God. To demonstrate this error, I asked him to take his NIV, hold it above his head, flip it open randomly, and blindly point to a verse. He followed the instructions and his finger landed on John 3:16. I explained to him the magnitude of the miracle that God had just performed. What were the colossal odds that not only would he have pointed to a verse demonstrating a major difference, but by my account, the capstone of Satan’s deception? I explained that if Jesus is not the only begotten Son, the plan of salvation is lost. [End of quotes]
An emailer once chastised GodSaidManSaid fore incorrectly quoting Genesis 1:1. He claimed the Bible said “heavens” in that verse, and not singular (heaven) as we quoted it. We informed him that he was reading from the minority-text, and that the majority-text Authorized King James Version reads as follows, Gensis 1:1:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
In Verse One, “the heaven” is singular because it was not until the second day that there were more than one heaven. (Genesis 1:1-8) From the very first verse, the minority-text translators got it wrong.
If you are reading the Bible in English, make it the Authorized King James Version. This is a critical matter. Psalm 138:2:
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
You absolutely must be certain that you are holding the True and Inerrant Word of God, so you absolutely must be holding the Authorized King James Version.
GOD SAID, Deuteronomy 4:2:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
GOD SAID, Revelation 22:18-19:
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
GOD SAID, Proverbs 30:6:
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
MAN SAID: Everybody knows that all Bible translations are the Word of God. Everybody knows that!
Now you have THE RECORD.
References:
Authorized King James Version
GodSaidManSaid, “Ancient Discovery Confirms Masoretic Text—Skeptics Scramble!”
GodSaidManSaid, “Which Bible? (Updated, Part I)”
GodSaidManSaid, “Which Bible? (Updated, Part II)”
Ham, K., “PETA’s ‘Vegan Bible’ Misses the Whole Point,” AnswersInGenesis.Org, June 1, 2023
