Make no mistake about it; the Bible version issue is a direct, Satanic attack upon the Word of God. Was this not the very first temptation of Eve? The serpent (the devil) challenged her into doubting God’s instructions. She desired to be like God, being able to decide for herself what is good or evil. This is precisely why sinful man enjoys “many versions” of the Bible; it allows him to decide for himself what is really needful to obey, seeing as how no one, definitive criteria has been left for him! It is indeed, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…” –from II Tim. 3:5.
Two liberal scholars from the mid-1800s, Wescott and Hort, put great pressure upon the Anglican Church to authorize a committee for “updating” the language of the KJV. They eventually were granted their petition, though it was supposed that really very few words would need to be changed. These 2 “scholars” worked deceitfully, and instead worked to change the very foundation manuscripts of the KJV. They substituted greatly inferior manuscripts from the Alexandrian line, and put their own interpretation on it. It is from this work of revision that nearly all non-KJV Bible versions are taken. So even when a newer translation is heralded as being “very accurate”, it really is only an accurate rendition of extremely corrupt, flawed manuscripts. If you take time to closely examine Wescott & Hort, you will wonder why they were ever looked to for such a project. These men formed and belonged to the Ghostly Guild; a group that routinely contacted familiar spirits, and sought them for guidance! But, I really can’t get started on the character of the revision committee.
The point that I would like to make, is that the Bible version issue is not one of the KJV versus many; it is really mostly about the Authorized Translation (AT) vs. the Revised Translation. Now, let’s start getting into the unique strengths of the KJV, and why you can rely upon it as authoritative.
1) Only the KJV is authorized from a God-ordained King. This is important, scripturally. Look at the sequence;
Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes. Deuteronomy 12:8
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
A divine sentence is in the lips of the king: his mouth transgresseth not in judgment. Proverbs 16:10
The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1
God shows us throughout His Word that He uses kings, be they Jew or Gentile. Such examples include Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, and Daniel chapter 4. Cyrus is listed in Ezra 1:2, Isaiah 42:28, and King Necho of Egypt in II Kings 23:29, and II Chronicles 35:20-24. Absolutely no other Bible can make this claim.
2) The KJV fulfills the promise of Psalm 12:6,7; when bringing forth His Word in English, God “purified” it seven times; the 6 English predecessors being the Tyndale, the Matthews, the Great Bible, the Geneva, and the Bishops Bible. The men responsible for these translations were faithful, and most gave their lives for bringing common people the Word. What they were not, was instructed by a king. Even Tyndale’s last words were, “Lord, open the eyes of the King of England.” God answered his prayer.
3) The KJV translating team numbered 54 at the start, but only 47 when finished (1604-1611). The main translating bodies were 6 groups of 8; each translator had to write his own translation! First, this group of 8 had to agree on the translation. Then they sent their findings to the other 5 groups, which also had to agree, or it was sent back with notes for reviewing. Lastly, the translation was sent to the 2 top translators overseeing the work, for their approval. And along the way, the translation work was open, and freely discussed with learned men outside of this committee for their input.
The Bible tells us that in “the multitude of counselors there is safety.” –Proverbs 11:14. By translation design, every word of the KJV had to be agreed upon 14 times! Think of all the slipshod scholars that you have ever heard, which criticize KJV translation. They look up definitions in a book, choosing what definition they like best- pleased with themselves for their “scholarship.” This is nothing new. Shortly after the KJV was translated, one of the translators, Dr. Kilbye, an expert in Greek and Hebrew, visited a church with his friend, Bishop Sanderson. A young preacher that day spent much time criticizing words in the KJV, telling what he thought it should say; most of his time was spent on just one word in the text!
That evening the young preacher was invited to dinner, along with Dr. Kilbye. The young preacher was told by Dr. Kilbye how they had looked at the 3 reasons given by the preacher, but then found 13 better reasons to translate the word as they did! That young preacher then admitted his error, and stopped preaching at that church. Learning was at its high point then in history, and we simply cannot appreciate the unrivaled scholarship of the KJV translators.
4) KJV translators considered their translating predecessors with Christ-like humility. This is yet another step apart from modern-day revisionists. It is a sure fruit of the Spirit. They were not writing a new Bible from scratch, and then exalting themselves in the process. Just look at this note written from the KJV translators to the readers, as found in the 1611 KJV on the ninth page; “Truly, good Christian Reader, we never thought from the beginning that we should need to make a new translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one;… but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones one principal good one, not justly excepted against; that hath been our endeavor, that our mark.”
Now compare that to the intro of the New Revised Standard Bible which states, “There are serious flaws in the King James Bible.” What arrogance! After almost 340 years, the NRSV finally came along to make it right; is that the contention? Where is the Christian charity? What about all the great Christian leaders that had evangelized the world with the KJV, trusting it in faith as God’s Word? At the very least, I hope you can see the spiritual fruit of the character of these translators.
5) The KJV translation is free; there is no money-making copyright attached to it. All new revisions, every new version has a copyright which entitles someone(s) to profit from it!
Think about it for a moment; if you were going to attempt to produce the best possible translation of the Bible, how many would there be? There should only be one, but could there be 2? Or 3? You simply cannot have version, upon version, upon version! This is a money racket, and nothing else (I Tim. 6:10). Each new version is NOT striving for accuracy, as if they were really handling the words of God. No, they are changing words in order to secure a copyright to make money. How can you trust them? There were no selfish financial motives with the KJV translation.
6) The blessings which followed the KJV translation speak volumes. God expanded the British Empire to stretch around the globe, and the English language became a world language. England evangelized the world with the KJV; both Satan, and his corrupt Catholic Church hated it!
7) Is the language really too archaic? At the time of translation, “Old English” had been officially obsolete for over 300 years. Instead, it was chosen as the best English form to bring forward the Word of God. What sounds better, more authoritative? Would you rather have, “Thus saith the Lord” , found in the KJV, or “This is what the Lord says” found often in the NIV?
Also, when using the pronoun “you” in modern English, there is no distinction between singular or plural; is one person being spoken to, or a group? The use of ye in the KJV always indicates plural. The “th” found in “thee, thou, thine, or thy” always shows singular. In John chapter 3, Jesus is speaking with Nicodemus when He says, “Ye must be born again.” This way, we know that it is not only Nicodemus who must be born again, but everyone.
Hopefully you can now see more of the advantages “up front” with the King James Bible. Much deceit has been used to squash its voice in our time, but Jesus will write His words on our hearts. In the next blog, I will focus on examples of the corruption, and hopefully be listing resources in case you wish to search more deeply on your own. In the meantime, I think that you can gain much from a simple side-by-side comparison of Bibles. It won’t take long until you will see that there is a vast difference between the KJV, and most new Bible versions.
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