Awarisraging.Itstartedbeforemanscreation.ItbeganwithLucifersdesiretoexalthimself aboveGodandhissubsequentexpulsionfromheaven.Fromthattime,Satanhasdoneallin hispowertothwartGodsplanandthetacticheusedinthebeginningistheonehehasused throughalltime,evenuntiltoday.Whatisthattactic?AttackGodsWord. Satan firstattackedtheWordwithasubtletwistofGodsinstructiontoAdam,causingEveto questionGodsWord. Yea,hathGodsaid?ThenhepervertedGodsWordsaying,Ye shallnotsurelydie. ItisthistacticSatanisusingnow. ManyBiblesareavailabletoustoday,andmostsay somethingdifferentthanwhatGodinspiredHisscribestowrite. Infact,therearesomany versions,onecanchoosewhicheverBiblebestsuitshisbeliefs.ButifallBiblesareequivalent thoughtheysaydifferentthings,bywhatstandardwillGodjudgeus?

Eitherallarewrongor onlyoneisright.Theycannotallberight.Thenumerousversionshaveonlyservedtocause confusion,andGodisnottheauthorofconfusion. ThatishowSatanoperates. Thisisavitalissue. BybelievingacorruptWord,Evebroughtdeathtohumanity. SinceGod doesnotchange,believingacorruptWordtodaywillalsobringdeath. However,GodpromisedtopreserveHisWord.JesussaidinMatt.24:35,Heavenandearth shallpassaway,butmywordsshallnotpassaway. GodalsotellsusinPsalm12:67,Thewords oftheLordarepurewords:assilvertriedinafurnaceofearth,purifiedseventimes.Thoushaltkeep them,O Lord,thoushaltpreservethemfromthisgenerationforever. WehaveadivinelyinspiredandpreservedWord.Godinspiredfallible,frailhumanstowriteHis Word,andifGodcouldinspirementowriteIt,Heismorethanableto,byHisHolySpirit, inspirementotranslate,transcribeandpreserveHisWord. SoifthereisonlyonestandardbywhichourjustandrighteousGodwilljudgeus,howcanwe knowwhatthatstandardis?Wemustgotothebeginningandexaminethefoundationof todaysBibles. TwoBasicGroupsofText ModernBibletranslationsessentiallycomefromtwobasicgroupsoftexttheMajorityTextof AntiochandtheMinorityTextofAlexandria,Egypt. TheMajorityTextisalargegroupofGreekmanuscriptsinexistencebeforetheMinorityText. ProducedbymenwhobelievedbothintheinspirationoftheWord,aswellasitsinerrant preservation,fiveearlyChristianchurches,includingthechurchatAntioch(Acts11:26)andthe Waldensiansusedthistext,andfromittheTextusReceptus(thebasisfortheKingJames Bible)wascompiled. NinetyfivepercentofGreekmanuscriptsagreewiththeTextusReceptusasdoBibles transcribed200yearsbeforetheMinorityText. TheTextusReceptuswasthesparkthatignited theProtestantReformation,and,becauseofitsacceptedvalidityandusebyearlychurch fathersandreformers,wasthechoiceofKingJamestranslatorsovertheAlexandrianMinority Texts. TheMinorityTextisagroupoftextsthatagreeswithonlyfivepercentofknownmanuscripts. TheywereproducedinAlexandria,Egyptbymeninfluencedbyphilosophyandthebeliefthat truthisrelative,andthat,whileScriptureisinspired,itmaynothavebeenpreservedinerrant.

Theysubjectedthemanuscriptstotheiropinionusingatranslationmethodcalleddynamic equivalence. Dynamicequivalencediffersfromwordforwordtranslating(formalequivalence) bytranslatingnotpreciselywhattheoriginalauthorwrote,butwhathelikelymeant. Thesetexts th wererejectedbyearlyChristiansand16 centuryreformerswhobelievedtheywereunfitfor translationyet,everymodernBibletranslationisbasedontheseMinorityTexts. Twoinparticular,theVaticanTextandtheSinaiManuscript,havebeenusedthoughthey contradicteachotherinover3,000places. TheSinaiManuscript,discoveredinatrashpileatSt.CatherinesMonasterybyWilliam Tischendorfwheremonkshadstudieditforyears,attemptingtovalidateit,isanextremely unreliabletext.Nearlyeverypagehasrevisionsbytendifferentmen.JohnBurgeon,examined everyavailableNewTestamentmanuscript,wrote,Onmanyoccasions10,20,30,40words aredroppedthroughverycarelessness.Letters,words,orevenwholesentencesarefrequently writtentwiceover,orbegunandimmediatelycanceled LawyerPhillipMaurowroteinhisbook,WhichVersion,Fromthesefacts,therefore,we deduce:FirstthattheimpurityoftheCodexSinaiticus,ineverypartofit,wasfullyrecognized bythosewhowerebestacquaintedwithit,andthatfromtheverybeginninguntilthetimewhen itwasfinallycastasideasworthlessforanypracticalpurpose. TheVaticanText,foundintheVaticanLibraryin1481,itwasbeautiful,onfinevellum,and wellpreserved.However,itomitslargeportionsofScriptureincludingGenesis1:1through 46:28,Psalm106138,ThePaulineEpistlesandthebookofRevelation. JohnBurgeonstates,Theimpurityofthetextexhibitedbythesecodicesisnotaquestionof opinionbutfactIntheGospelsalone,CodexB(Vaticanus)leavesoutwordsorwholeclauses nolessthan1491times.Itbearstracesofcarelesstranscriptionsoneverypage Thisexplainsitsgoodcondition.Thoughbeautiful,itisfullofomissions,additionsandchanges. EarlyChristiansshelvedthemascorrupttextthatshouldnotbereadandcertainlynotusedfor translation. Amazingly,theseMinoritytextsareusedfornearlyeverymodernEnglishBible. KingJamesBible FortheKingJamesBible,publishedin1611aftersevenyearsofwork,thetranslatorsusedthe TextusReceptus,theknown,accurateBible. Fiftysevenspiritualmen,mostlyfromCambridge, weredividedintogroupsofsix.EachgroupwasgivenasectionoftheBibletotranslate,and, usingtheTextusReceptus,eachindividualinthatgrouptranslatedthosebooksbyhimself usingformalequivalence,awordforwordtranslation.Whenwordshadtobeaddedtobe grammaticallycorrect,theywerewritteninitalicstoindicatetheiraddition. Wheneachmanstranslationwascomplete,thegroupwouldtheninspectitbeforesendingthe finalversiontotheothercompanies.Then,allsixcompaniesexamineditagain,making fourteentimestheitwastranslatedandanalyzedinordertobepreciseandaccurate. ModernTranslations TheKJVwastheenduringBibleforover250years.Thenin1884,anewbiblewaspublished. Twomenontherevisioncommittee,BrookFossWestcottandFentonJohnAnthonyHort,fully

embracedtheAlexandrianphilosophythatthereisnoperfectBible.Theyhadavehement aversiontotheKJV,theAntiochianGreektextandtheTextusReceptus. HortandWestcottcompiledtheirownGreektextfromAlexandrianManuscripts,relyingheavily ontheVaticanandSinaitexts. Gradually,theyslippedittothecommittee,thoughithadnever beenpublishedandwasinferiortotheTextusReceptus. Uponcompletion,thecommittee claimedthisnewtranslation,theRevisedVersion,tobearevisionoftheKingJamesBible.In realityitwasanEnglishAlexandrianBible. In1901,theAmericanStandardVersionwaspublished,butwasrejectedbyChristianity.Itwas furtherrevisedandrepublishedin1954astheRevisedStandardVersion.Thecycleofrevision andrepublicationcontinuedwiththeNewAmericanStandardVersionof1960,theNewScofield Versionof1967,theNewInternationalVersionof1978,andtheNewKingJamesVersionof 1979. EverybiblepublishedaftertheKingJamesof1611isaproductofAlexandrianPhilosophy. TheywereeithermostlycopiedfromAlexandriantexts,ortheywerecopiedfromAntiochian textsbutwiththeAlexandrianthinkingthatthetextswereinspiredbyGodbutnotinerrantin preservation. InessencetheproblemwiththenewversionsoftheBibleisthattheyallowfalsedoctrinesto develop.Theytakeawaymanyimportantinstructions,producingdoubtandconfusioninthe WordofGoditself.Overall,theyhavebeendestructivetothechurchasawhole. Mostofthe wordsinthesenewbiblesdobelongtoGod,butitistheleaventhathasbeensowninthatis dangerous,andthewordsthathavebeenleftoutthataresoharmfultoourmaturinginthe Christianwalk. Jude1:3says,Yeshouldearnestlycontendforthefaithwhichwasoncedelivereduntothe saints.WemustbeliketheBereans(Acts17:11),searchingtheScripturestoseeifthese thingsaretrue,andIThess.admonishesustoProveallthings:holdfastthatwhichisgood. TheTextusReceptuswasthebackboneoftheearlychurchfathers.Itwasusedexclusivelyby thereformers,puritansandpilgrims,anditpavedthewayforthegreatrevivalsthroughout EnglandandAmerica. TheKJViscomplete,accurate,andproven.ItisGodsWordforus today. Whyisthereabattleoverwhichversiontouse?Whywouldnttherebe?Psalm11:3asks,If thefoundationsbedestroyed,whatcantherighteousdo?Whatismorefoundationalthan Gods Word? Remember,thebattlestartedlongbeforethesenewtranslations.Satan pervertedGodsWordtoEve,andheisdoingthesamethingtoday.