In the previous article in this Black Thread Series, we saw how the devil changed the Word of God, and convinced Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. A commenter pointed out to me how Eve changed the Word of God, as well:
God said - "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it." -Genesis 2:17a
Eve said - "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." -Genesis 3:2-3
Eve added "neither shall ye touch it." I do think that's a good idea, though - not to touch the tree. Touching the tree of the forbidden fruit makes the temptation to eat of it all the more real. However, God didn't mention that she couldn't touch the tree, just that she couldn't eat of it. I do think not touching it is in the spirit of the rule, but nonetheless, she did add to what He said to her.
Satan is a master at changing the Word of God. God said not to eat of that specific tree. Satan changed it around, and asked Eve if God said they couldn't eat of every tree. God said if they ate of the tree, they'd die. Satan said 'they wouldn't,' yet they did.
The tactic of changing God's Word works so well, that the Enemy is still up to that same trick today. Why change the tactic, when it works so well? Certainly that Dragon has other tactics as well, but possibly none so pervasive as the subtle tweaking of the Word of our Lord.
The Original Manuscripts of the Holy Bible
Bible Scholars are all about having the Bible correctly translated from the originals. The problem is, the originals disintegrated long ago. The good news, is that God rose up people who faithfully copied those originals. In fact, there eventually ended up being thousands of copies. The New Testament has over 5,600 accurate copies of the originals. These copies agree with each other 99%. The differences are minor things, such as spelling variations.
Do you know how miraculous that is? There has been no other ancient writing discovered with so many manuscripts. Those discovered with multiple manuscripts (nowhere near the amount that the Bible has) disagree with each other significantly. It is a genuine, certified miracle that these Bible manuscripts are so multiple, and agree as concisely as they do. The statistic probability of this happening by coincidence is staggering.
The reason these multiple, accurate manuscripts survived, and why we still have access to what the originals said, is because God promised us so:
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
Amen and amen. The above Scripture is powerful, isn't it?
Do you read a Bible that Satan has changed the words of? Look up the above Scripture in your Bible, and see if it is different. This beautiful promise is missing from many of the corrupted versions. It has been changed to say something entirely different.
The True Majority Manuscripts vs. the False Ones
Satan knows how powerful the miracle of the majority manuscripts are. He is the great deceiver and counterfeiter. Working through certain people, he came up with his version of the "majority manuscripts." Satan is a slick semantics tweaker. He can twist ideas so well, that words can actually have the opposite meaning than what they should mean.
There are the true majority manuscripts, as described above, and then there are the counterfeit "majority manuscripts." These counterfeit "majority" manuscripts are the minority! There are only a handful of them. This small handful of manuscripts severely disagree with the 5,600+ true majority, and what's worse, these minority manuscripts seriously disagree with each other.
Satan has his own little playground in these minority manuscripts. If he could get scholars to use these, instead of the true majority, then Bible translating becomes more complex, and leaves the translators the choice of which manuscript to use for which passages, since different minority manuscripts say different things.
Hort, in translating part of the Gospel of Mark, said - "The confusion of attestation introduced by these several cross currents of change is so great that of the seven principal MSS, Aleph, A, B, C, D, L, no two have the same text in all four places." Quoted from True or False, by David Fuller.
Westcott and Hort are some of the main men who introduced the minority manuscripts into Bible translation.
Why did Mr. Westcott and Mr. Hort insist on translating from the minority texts, which were riddled with contradictions and monumental differences? Why didn't they translate from the majority texts, which were accurate copies of the originals?
Perhaps if we look more into who Westcott and Hort were, we'll get closer to an understanding:
"Both believed that Heaven existed only in the mind of man. |
The true majority manuscripts have the truth in them. The minority manuscripts have many errors. In fact, at least one of them has been found to be changed and edited, after being examined under a black light.
It seems quite likely that Hort and Westcott were unbelievers, doesn't it? When someone wants the Bible to say what they want it to say, instead of what it really says, then why not go to the minority, corrupt manuscripts, pick which manuscript says what you want it to say, and translate in that haphazard way? Although the above was explained in a super-simplistic fashion, is this how corrupted Bible translations are created? Think about it.
Here is a trick... Corrupted textual criticism teaches that the minority Bible manuscripts are the majority. It disbelieves the miracle of the preservation of the originals through the true majority, and instead accuses the true majority of all being copies from one source, while they see the differences in the minority, and therefore they count the true majority as ONE, and count the minority as many.
It's true. The true majority does all come from one source. They are all copies from the same source. That source is THE ORIGINALS.
The King James Bible is the only Bible in the English language, that was accurately translated from the true majority texts. New Bible translations that claim they are translated from the majority, are twisting words. They were translated from the minority, which is falsely being called the majority. How about that confusing semantic game? eeek.
Take a look at the below chart, and decide which Bible you will trust:Verse King James Version New Bible Versions Psalm 10:4-5 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. - NIV and other new Bible versions Proverbs 26:22 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body. - NASB and other new Bible versions Psalm 29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" - NIV and other new Bible versions Psalm 12:6-7 The words of the LORD {subject = 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. The words of the LORD {subject = words of the Lord} are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. -ESV and other new Bible versions 1 John 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. - NIV and other new Bible versions Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. THIS VERSE IS OMITTED from the NIV and many other new Bible versions. Matthew 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. THIS VERSE IS OMITTED from the NIV and many other new Bible versions. Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. -NASB and other new Bible versions 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! But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! -HCSB and other new Bible versions Luke 2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. -ESV and other new Bible versions Genesis 3:15 (first Bible prophecy of Christ) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. -the Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible (not a new version, but corrupt, none-the-less) 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. But Jesus answered him, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone. -HCSB and other new Bible versions Luke 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" -NIV and other new Bible versions John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. -NASB and other new Bible versions 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. THIS VERSE IS OMMITED from the ESV and other new Bible versions Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. -ESV and other new Bible versions 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. -NIV and other new Bible versions 1 Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. -ESV and other new Bible versions 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 who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now. -HCSB and other new Bible versions 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. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it -ESV and other new Bible versions 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Some of you think the best way to cope with sex is for men and women to keep right away from each other. That is more likely to lead to sexual offences. My advice is for everyone to have a regular partner - Good As New Translation John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. -New World Translation James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. - NIV and other new Bible versions Joshua 15:18b and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? As she sat on the ass, she broke wind, and Caleb asked her, 'What did you mean by that?' - New English Bible, First Edition
The above chart is just a small sampling. There are literally thousands of changes like the above.
What about the New King James Version? I've heard people ask that question a lot. Here is a good article about that.
What about other versions not mentioned in this article? A good start, is to look up the verses in the above chart, and see how they rate against the King James Version.
I have barely scraped the surface. Since different Bible versions have different meanings, and often have the opposite meaning, they cannot all be the Word of God. Are you reading a corrupted version of the Bible? Is it a counterfeit? Obviously, knowning which Bible is the correct Word of God is of utmost importance, and requires serious study. Below are some books you can read on this subject. They are free to read online:
Fighting Back
An Understandable History of the Bible
The Answer Book
Please don't take your Bible version questions to me. Do your own research. Read the above books.
There is a dark connection between Westcott and Hort, and the root of corrupted Bible translations and manuscripts. We will begin to examine that part of the Black Thread in future articles in this series.
Notes:
1) Satan changes the Word of God
2) There is the true majority of the ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, and then the false majority
3) The true majority manuscripts are accurate copies of the originals
4) Westott and Hort, likely unbelievers, introduced textual criticism to Bible translation, and brought in the minority manuscripts
5) Bibles are now translated from the minority manuscripts and are therefore corrupt
6) There is a link between the minority manuscripts, Westcott and Hort, Satan, and the Black Thread
