Which Version of the Truth Will You Use?

Recently it was quite comical to see the liberal left in such a turmoil over the Republicans actually wanting to READ THE CONSTITUTION at the start of the congressional session! What a stunt! What a gimmick! The idea that they might actually read the document they were swearing to uphold, was preposterous to the liberals!! After all, they have been trying to render that pesky document "over 100 years old" (so wisely noted by a "brilliant" scholar on the left) irrelevant for a long time. What version will they use, they wanted to know? That was quite telling. There is only ONE constitution. It was deliberately and ingeniously framed by its authors to be able to be amended with a two-thirds majority of Congress. So the one and only constitution is the original one with all its amendments included. Liberals believe it is a living and breathing document that changes with the times. With a two-thirds majority, it can change, but otherwise it is a constant. When they don't have the votes to support the changes they want, liberals then declare it dead, "over 100 years old", and irrelevant. So it's either "living and breathing" or "dead", depending on what they need it to be at the time. Like "global warming" that had to be changed to "climate change" because of some pesky details which indicate we are not warming!! :-)

The episode made me consider again about how there is no truth in media anymore. There is no news anymore. You must investigate every bit of "news" yourself because of such a terrible media bias that will have you drowning in the liberal kool-aid, if you don't. For instance, if you were listening to only the mainstream media shortly after the Tuscon tragedy, you would have believed that the killer was a Tea Party nut job spurred on by Sarah Palin to kill certain targets in Congress! The rush to accuse and make this political, really diminished a very sad and tragic incident in American history. But that discussion is for another day.

My focus here is on "the truth". The one and only constant through all the "living and breathing" chaos of a biased world is God's Word. Recently I was made aware of just how much that is also being manipulated and changed. Oh, I've been aware for some time of the New Age movement and feel-good preaching that makes people feel good with no accountability. But last year I came to realize there has been a subtle attempt to change God's Word for some time!

Every year or two (however long it takes me to read through the entire Bible), I would begin again with a different version to get a "fresh perspective" on the Word of God. I am personally fond of chronologically ordered Bibles that help me to know exactly when certain events took place and when certain Psalms were written, etc. Last year, as I was deciding which "version" to read, I decided to start with a study about different versions and translations to decide which were "the best". Boy, were my eyes opened! I would like to share some of that information now.

There is only ONE Word of God. What He spoke and what He inspired by His Holy Spirit to be written is just ONE Word of God! He didn't say things in a variety of different ways, taking into consideration our changing times, and changing some of His thoughts to accommodate a modern world! His Word was His Word! God's Word is important and He spoke specifically about it not being altered.

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2

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; 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. - Revelation 22:18-19

I learned that is exactly what has been done! What a grave responsibility it would be to translate the Word of God and publish it for the world! That is what was undertaken in 1611 with the King James Version of the Bible. Actually, the work was begun in 1604, "that a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed, without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service." The idea was to have a Bible that the average person could possess and read for himself. There was a long list of rules to be followed to insure that the English translation stayed true to the meaning of the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. The most important aspect of the 1611 King James English translation of the Bible is that it followed the Textus Receptus, the original "received text" as it was received from the Holy Spirit to the original writers. It is the text that has been used by Christians for 2000 years. The King James Bible wasn't written in 1611; it was translated from the 1400-year-old original text. The King James Version translators recognized back then that the Textus Receptus was God's preserved Word. The KJV has been tested and re-tested and proven for many, many years. A couple of important things to remember when reading the KJV that could change your interpretation of the scriptures is that sometimes the English writers added words to aid with understanding or to make a complete grammatical sentence, but those words are always in italics. So when you read and study the Bible, you can know not to put undue weight on words in italics. Nothing is better illustrative of this point than in the verses John 18:4-6. I placed the words that would be in italics in a regular King James Bible in brackets below.

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am [he], they went backward, and fell to the ground. - John 18:4-6

Jesus didn't say "I am he", as the English translators thought he meant, but because they let us know that they had added that word, we have the advantage of knowing that the original Greek said "I am". And that's why they fell over! This was God Himself proclaiming "I AM". The KJV, although its translators used the same word "Lord" for two different original Greek words, they let us know by using all caps in LORD, when it replaced the name Yahweh, which means "I Am Who I Am" or "I AM". Really the only real problem with the KJV would be when we failed to recognize the original Textus Receptus. If you read straight through, not recognizing when words were added or when the name of the Lord was used, you could certainly interpret things a little differently than the original interpretation. And such is the case with most of the newer translations; they don't differentiate between the original words and the added words. In addition, most all of the newer texts don't use the Textus Receptus, but newer Greek translations, Nestle-Aland and United Bible Society, often seen as "NU texts". One common sense argument for accepting KJV over all other versions is that it is not copyrighted and is meant to be freely copied and shared. Most all other versions are copyrighted. To be copyrighted, a new version would have to be an original document by the writers and display a reasonable amount of their original creativity. In other words, it would have to be re-written!

The ASV (American Standard Version) differs from the original Textus Receptus in over 5700 instances! The ASV was revised (and copyrighted) further with the RSV (Revised Standard Version). That version completely eliminates the word "virgin" in the prophecy of Christ's birth in Isaiah 7:14.

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el. - Isaiah 7:14 (RSV)

There's a big difference in the magnitude of the miracle when a virgin shall conceive vs. a young woman conceiving and bearing a son! In the Good News Bible, the all-important essential theme of "the blood of Christ" is eliminated in many passages and replaced with "death" or "costly sacrifice". It's not just Christ's death on the cross that was essential, it's the blood covering of the perfect sacrifice, and the only one perfect is God Himself! These subtle changes play down the deity of Christ and is the reason so many people now don't recognize Jesus Christ as God.

The NASV (New American Standard Version) is often touted as the best version because all translations are noted in footnotes, but does this not water down the original with all the different possibilities? Not to mention the cases where it favors newer text with a footnote that says "most ancient manuscripts omit this verse". And worst of all, with all these footnotes, the reader gets the idea they are getting a complete picture of all translations, but it is not the case. Some parts of scriptures are left out with no explanation at all, so the reader never questions it.

Probably the worst translation and one of the most widely used versions is the NIV (New International Version). I will detail some of its horrors a little later, but let me finish with this brief list of the various translations. The NKJV (New King James Version) may come closest to the original because it supposedly did use the Textus Receptus, but it, too, is copyrighted, so it had to change substantially enough to be eligible for copyright. I have personally found that in some instances where it seeks to better explain the original intention of the scripture or to use better modern grammar, it changes the meaning more than with which I am comfortable. It is no wonder some people have trouble accepting the Bible as the inerrant word of God when there are different versions saying slightly different things!

But even worse than just saying things "a little differently", the NIV goes further to actually diminish and destroy some key doctrinal points in the Bible. Whether or not it was a conscious effort on the part of the NIV translators, you can bet it was Satan's intention to marginalize the Word of God, and at the very least, the NIV translators were deceived!

Following are some links with eye-opening information and study on the NIV translation:

Research on the New International Version
The NIV Report Condensed
1611 King James Bible . Com
Why I Read the Authorized KJV Bible
NIV Calls Lucifer, "Jesus"

The links above, especially the first one, outline in detail why the NIV is not to be trusted, but I just want to point out some of the subtle, and maybe not so subtle, changes that have great impact on the meaning! First I will list the scripture as stated in the KJV, followed by how it is written in NIV; I indicated the significant changes in red:

Matthew 6:13
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

It amazes me that NIV translators felt justified in removing actual words of Jesus, and in His model for our prayer, no less! Not to mention, they added a word to it!

Matthew 20:16
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

In the above scripture, NIV translators chose to omit a very important doctrinal issue that not ALL will be saved.

Sometimes entire verses are omitted in NIV, such as:

Matthew 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

In the following example, NIV chose to ADD words again:

Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The original Greek text did not say that the Son didn't know. The NIV translation diminishes the deity of Jesus Christ.

Consider the following example:

Matthew 27:35
And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

It is of monumental importance to know that this was prophesied in Old Testament scripture, but NIV translators decided it was not so important.

The NIV often omits the use of the word "Lord" when it is used in reference to Jesus Christ. This is only one of many such examples:

Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The following example is even more remarkable than most in that it is completely in error!

Mark 1:2
As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way."

NIV translators added "in Isaiah", when the quote is actually from Malachi 3:1, not Isaiah!

Consider yet many more examples:

Mark 2:17
When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

What a small omission, but a very important doctrinal issue, that sinners must actually REPENT! That means to CHANGE from their sinful ways!

Mark 3:15
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
And to have authority to drive out demons.

NIV translators omitted a very important mission Jesus intended for His disciples.

Mark 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.
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.
NIV translators removed a direct quote from Jesus which drove home an important point.

Mark 7:2
And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
Saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed.
The significance of the scripture above is not that the disciples were simply eating with unwashed hands, but that the scribes and Pharisees found fault with it.

Mark 7:8
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.

Words of Jesus Christ have been removed by NIV translators, words that fully illustrated the fault He found with the scribes and Pharisees, that they nit-picked with their petty laws and totally missed the true commands of God.

Mark 10:24
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!"
Why would NIV remove the specific reason Jesus said it is hard to enter the kingdom of heaven?

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

The entire verse above, very important words of Jesus, are flippantly discarded by NIV translators!

Mark 15:28
And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.
Once again, NIV omits an entire verse. No verse should be completely omitted, but this is an especially important one that shows how prophetic Old Testament scripture was fulfilled.

Mark 16:9-20
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with [them], and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
WOW! ALL of the verses in the paragraph above were omitted by NIV translators! Quoting the work of the author of "The NIV Report", "The NIV indicates that this passage is not part of the Word of God...What they have not told us is that this passage is missing in only two manuscripts - codex sinaiticus and codex vaticanus. Even in those manuscripts there is evidence from the spacing that it was intentionally omitted."

Luke 2:33
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
Calling Joseph "the child's father" diminishes the miraculous birth of the son of God to a virgin.

Luke 2:43
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not [of it].
After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it.

Once again, NIV, in its wisdom, chooses to mortalize Jesus with an earthly father.

Luke 4:4
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"

Extremely important words of Jesus that tell us exactly how we should live are dismissed and omitted by the NIV translators!

Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Very important words of Jesus in telling us how to pray, are omitted by NIV. This was a direct answer to a question on how we are to pray. How are we to know how we ought to pray, when NIV omits parts of the answer?

John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
The entire plan of salvation rests on those two little words, but NIV considered them trivial and unimportant!

John 6:69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.

"THAT Christ, the Son of the living God" is a far cry from "the Holy One of God". After all, many unbelievers in Christ as the only way to salvation, believe He is a Holy One of God - a prophet, a teacher, a man of God.

John 8:59
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
The NIV translation diminishes the miraculous departure in that Jesus did not merely hide and sneak out, but He passed right through the midst of them, but was "hidden" from their view.

Acts 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.
The above scripture is completely omitted in the NIV! It's a story about Philip preaching about Jesus to a eunuch. As they passed some water, the eunuch asked to be baptized. NIV translators chose to leave out the most important prerequisite to being baptized! It's not a matter of just wanting to be baptized and jumping into the water, which is the way the NIV tells the story.

Hebrews 2:7
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor.

God set man over the works of His hands; He put MAN in charge of everything He made! Not something the new age religion of Mother Earth wants to admit! NIV translators just left that part out.

1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
The scripture above tells us how to identify the spirit of antichrist, very important indeed! Yet NIV takes one little part of it out, so that we don't get the entire picture to correctly identify it. It's a most essential part! Why, everyone can acknowledge Jesus. He is an actual historical figure, a teacher, a prophet! But He is most importantly the CHRIST come in the flesh! Now on that, not everyone can agree, and that comes from a spirit of antichrist!

1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
For there are three that testify:

The Father, the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit are ONE, another essential doctrinal point that the NIV omits.

Revelation 21:24
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
Only the nations of those who are saved shall walk in the light! That's a rather significant point left off by NIV translators. Once again, it's a point New Age universalists would like to ignore.

There are so many, many more examples of scriptures that were changed in the NIV, which are excellently researched and listed in "The NIV Report". There is a definite pattern that develops in the scriptures that were changed or omitted. There are many that diminish the deity of Christ, skew the true plan of salvation, and falsely elevate "man's wisdom" and traditions. A case could be made that the NIV promotes a New Age false religion!

Imagine, the Bible itself contributing to false beliefs! It's why many people choose not to believe the Bible as the inerrant and inspired Word of God! You can bet that Satan was at the helm of revising the Bible! God is fully able to lead His people to the truth even through a flawed translation. People who truly accept Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice as the one and only way to their salvation, will see the one true Christ on the pages of the NIV. But there is a danger that people may latch onto the false, feel-good, tickling to their itching ears, kind of teaching that pleases their flesh, and allows them to live according to the world and its pleasures, and not according to the will of God.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

I believe we are seeing that today. People who profess to be Christians believe they can live as they please, in sexual immorality, homosexuality, drug abuse, and deceit; or they believe even if it's not right for them, they believe it's alright for others to live that way. They feel in their own fleshly hearts that there can be many paths to God and they are open to all ideas and religions that allow them to feel better about themselves. They feel perfectly fine with pushing aside Biblical morals to vote for immoral laws and ungodly men and women to public office. However, the Word of God is quite clear:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. - Romans 1:32

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. - John 14:6

A fashionable trend in some churches today, and something that is pleasing to the ears and flesh of many, is that the Old Testament is obsolete and should not be used as an authority in this day and age. All through the New Testament, which is supposedly what we are allowed to use as our guide, are references to the scripture used by Jesus and apostles. The Old Testament was the scripture they used and quoted! Jesus himself said that He did not come to earth to change one tiny bit of the scripture.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. - Matthew 5:17-18

As a matter of fact, if anything, Jesus made things harder for us to do on our own!

You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. - Matthew 5:21-22 & 27-28

The law of the Old Testament was based on actions, but Jesus said if we even felt those things in our hearts, we were deserving of hellfire! How can anyone possibly live up to the law of the New Testament?!

When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" - Matthew 19:25

No one can be saved by his or her own good deeds. There is only one way and that is through God's free gift to those who will take it, salvation through the blood covering of Jesus Christ!

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17

Only THROUGH HIM, the One and only Way to eternal life, Jesus Christ! Make sure you do not miss the Truth, as told in the original Holy Spirit inspired received text, as recorded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. For more on why the "Textus Receptus" of the King James Version is the best and only translation of the Bible we should be reading, please see the wonderful research at the following links:

http://www.freehousechurchresources.com/bestbible.php
http://www.1611kingjamesbible.com/

There is only one standard measure for truth and that is the Word of God, but it is important to know that we are adhering to the real non-watered down translation of His Word!

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. - Deuteronomy 4:2

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; 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. - Revelation 22:18-19