Why The King James Bible?
Many
people question why it is so important to read the King James
Bible, I will tell you that I have read several of the new versions
of the Bible and I do not care what people say about them being
easier to understand, they are not. They are confusing and some are
so way off the subject it is no wonder why people can not believe
that the Bible is truly God's Word and that it was written by a
man. Of course, these false bibles are written by man, but the True
Bible, the one and only True Word of God is the King James Bible
and I will gladly defend it, even if it means dying to defend it.
"Remember
them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the
word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for
ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For
it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not
with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied
therein."
- Hebrews 13:7-9.
Jesus is the living Word of God and God
never changes! "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was
made...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth."
- John 1:1-3, 14. Why then are we so ready to accept changes
to God's Word in the form of different Bible versions? The
Authorized King James text has faithfully served the body of Christ
for almost hundreds of years. During this time, and during its
translation, Satan has viciously and relentlessly attacked it. The
Authorized 1611 King James Bible was translated in the most
beautiful period of English literature, it is ridiculous to water
it down to the silly so-called "translations" which we
have available on the market today.
Even the world
knows it--the Authorized King James Version has been listed on
Norton Anthology's list of "the world's best literature"
for decades. I know that God has the power to preserve His word and
that He would not leave us out in the dark with an "imperfect"
translation. In the authorized King James Version God assembled,
and moved with His Spirit, a team of some of the world's best
scholars to translate His word into the world's most popular
language, English. Today, the King James Version is available in
more languages than any other version, it is important to have a
true Bible in your native tongue because you think and understand
it best in your own language.
We must remember also, that
the Bible is a spiritual book and is understandable to those who
are led by the Holy Spirit. It is not possible for the natural man
to understand it, “But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned."
-I Corinthians 2:14, hence paraphrasing or simplifying it will do
no good. The Bible is not supposed to read like a fairy tale, Peter
said, "For
we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known
unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of his majesty."
- II Peter 1:16.
The
Pure Preserved Word of God
The
word pure is defined as being free from anything contaminating, in
other words, it is genuine and free from error. The word preserved
is defined as something to keep alive, meaning to keep it in
existence. God promises that His Word is pure, meaning that it is
genuine and free from error. He also promises that it is preserved,
meaning that no matter how many people try to take it out of
existence they can not. "The words of
the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth,
purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt
preserve them from this generation for ever." - Psalm
12:6,7.
God's word has been preserved for all time. It has
been preserved for every generation. We know that God's word has
not been hidden or lost to man, since it was first spoken and
recorded in God's written revelation. We can be assured that we
have not had to depend on the latest discoveries of the oldest
manuscripts, or on the efforts of fallible man to uncover God's
words. God has preserved his words to all generations, without
fail! These words state very clearly that God's preserved word must
be available to us today, because God promised to preserve it for
us. There must be an infallible book somewhere."For
the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth
to all generations." - Psalm 100:5. The King James
Bible is the preserved and infallible words of God. It does not
merely contain the word of God: it IS the word of God.
God
places supreme importance upon His Written Word and warns anyone
who tries to altar it in any way of the consequences they face.
"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.
Translators
Were God-Ordained
The main subject of the
Bible is the kingdom which God intends to give to His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, Who will be crowned "KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS," according to Revelation
19:16. Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the
word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What
doest thou?" Unlike the modern versions, the King James
Version was translated under a king. In fact, the king's name was
James, which is the English word for Jacob, whom God renamed
Israel, because he had power with God and with men (Gen.
32:28).
The new versions have been translated in America,
which is not a monarchy (governed by one), but a democracy
(governed by many). God's form of government is a theocratic
monarchy, not a democracy. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that
His word would be translated for the English speaking people under
a monarchy with an English king.
The complete translator's
notes of the Authorized King James scholars are not included in
today's publishing's. This is unfortunate because these notes say a
lot about these men, they were humble, loved the word of God, loved
the King, were berated by the Catholic religion, and they desired a
translation for the common man who was kept in darkness. Some of
the translators where killed for their faith. This book was created
literally from blood, sweat, and tears.
Unlike many of
today's translators, the authorized King Jame Version translators
let us know which words they had to add in translating in order to
give the full meaning of the original text (these are the words in
italics in the James James Version). Other translators have added
words too, but they don't tell you what they've added. These men
went through the extra trouble of identifying which words they
added. That's real scholarship and integrity.
The
King James Version Has No Copyright
The
original crown copyright of 1611 does not forbid anyone today from
reprinting the Authorized Version. It was only copyrighted then for
the purpose of allowing the printer to finance the publication. For
nearly four hundred years now millions of copies of King James
Versions have been printed without requesting permission from
anyone. Over eight-hundred million copies of the Authorized Version
have been printed without anyone paying royalties. This cannot be
said of any of the new translations.
The
new versions are the work of men, but the King James Version is a
divine work of the Holy Spirit. The term "Authorized" has
traditionally been applied to the King James Version alone, for
this is the one Book which the Holy Spirit has blessed and used for
so long. The fact that it bears no copyright allows printing
ministries throughout the world to print millions of copies each
year for the mission field.
Why
Read The King James Only
1.
God has preserved His Word for us, when two different Bibles say
two different things, it poses a major problem. If they are
different, at least one of them is incorrect. I simply do not want
my Bible to be a source of confusion.
2. Almost all English
Bibles which have come into being in the past 125 years are based
on the Westcott-Hort texts. The Westcott-Hort texts are frankly
false texts in that they have been tampered with. Scrivener, a
contemporary of Westcott and Hort, produced a Textus-Receptus New
Testament Greek text in which he documents that Westcott and Hort
changed the New Testament text 9,970 times. They amended! They
emended! They deleted! They added things! They literally pilfered
the Greek text. Therefore, no matter how sincere or how skilled the
translators are, if you have them working with a bad text, you will
come out with a bad English version.
3. In almost all cases
when someone produces a new English text, his motivation for doing
so is either bias or bucks! That is, he either has a doctrinal
agenda he is trying to accommodate or he is trying to make a
dollar. In some instances, it has been bias and bucks!
4. If
you do not have a Bible that is your standard text, the
consequences are going to be costly. Where there is not a standard
text, the preacher and the people are never quite sure of anything.
If they are sure, they do not know why they are. The problem is,
they do not have a Bible to which they can turn with confidence and
certainty. In the absence of an authoritative Bible, the people
will not become strong Christians. They will drift and shift
because necessity for an authoritative text that is, in fact, the
Bible!
Where
to Get A King James Bible
King
James Bibles are available in every book store. If you do not have
a King James version of the Bible in your language write to the
American Bible Society at P.O. Box 5601, Grand Central Station, New
York, New York 10164, U.S.A. They have a complete listing of all
the languages in which the King James Version of the Bible is
available.
If you find the King James Version is not
available in your language or have difficulty in obtaining a Bible,
write to the United Bible Societies, Bible House, P.O. Box 755,
Stuttgart l, Germany. They maintain a list of "Scriptures of
the World" which identifies all the languages in the world in
which at least one book of the Bible has been published. Write to
Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, U.S.A. for further
information.
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