ShapedByTruth – Page 7 – shapedbytruth

The issue of this generation

The compromise and rampant immoral behavior pervading so-called christianity today is due to a lack of trust in the preservation, inerrance, and authority of scripture.

Doubt concerning God’s words was and continues to be Satan’s strategy because it is effective.

This IS the issue of this generation.

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
Ps 11:3

Psalm 82

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Sold for Food

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 3:6

And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

and Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Genesis 25:29-34

And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.
Genesis 47:13-26

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 13:16-17

Evil Eye

Oculus fascinus literally signifies an eye that has the power of bewitching or enchanting persons glanced at.

FASCINA’TION, noun The act of bewitching or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen inexplicable influence. The ancients speak of two kinds of fascination; one by the look or eye; the other by words.

Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
Proverbs 6:25

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:16

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Proverbs 23:6

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
Proverbs 28:22

thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mark 7:22

Is The King James Only position a cult or is the Modern Version Only position a cult?

http://www.scionofzion.com/kjop.html

By Dr. Ken Matto

One of the most ludicrous accusations made against those of us who hold to the Superiority of the King James Bible is that we are a cult. In this article we are going to compare the King James Only position to that of the Modern Version Only position and we are going to see which position really exudes the traits of a cult.

Central Leadership

All cults will have begun with a person who believes they have new revelation and that they are the only ones with the truth. For example, Joseph Smith of the Mormons, Sun Myung Moon of the Unification church or Jim Jones of the People’s Temple. The King James Only people do not have any central figure leading them. There have been many who have written books on the matter but none of them are so-called leaders.

The Modern Version Only people on the other hand are all basing their modern versions on new archeological finds and their belief they have found something new in all the manuscripts finds and that is why they believe the King James Bible is ineffective in light of these finds. Their central leaders are every seminary in the world which holds to the belief that God withheld His word for 1800 years. Their central leaders are also Hort and Westcott who developed their counterfeit text to supplant the Textus Receptus. The modern versions fulfill the first trait of cults.

Attacking the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ

The Christadelphians believe Christ was a created being. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim he was Michael the Archangel who became a man. The Mormons see Him as the brother of the Devil. So the cults have a tendency to attack the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. How about the modern versions? The full name of the Lord Jesus Christ is given 82 times in the King James Bible. Here is a tally from some of the modern versions:

Christian Standard Version – 59 Times

English Standard Version – 63 Times

New American Standard Version – 63 times

New International Version (2011) – 60 times

New American Bible Revised Edition (Roman Catholic) – 61 Times

The Gnostic influence on the modern bibles has them removing the full name of the Lord Jesus Christ and reducing them to “The Lord Jesus” “Jesus Christ” or “Jesus.” So the modern versions fulfill the second trait of a cult by attacking the Lord Jesus Christ.

Financial Gain

If there is another great characteristic of a cult, it is financial gain. The Mormons own a massive amount of businesses such as: Excel Entertainment, Deseret Books, Hawaii Reserves and 35 radio stations. The Church of Scientology holds millions of dollars in real estate and massive donations. Roman Catholicism has billions of dollars in real estate and massive donations plus much artwork valued at millions in the Vatican.

When publishers reprint copies of King James Bibles, they are normally to replenish stock since the text of the King James Bible has not changed since 1611 or 1769 when a language update was done. Since 1881 there have been about 300 Bible translations based on the Hort-Westcott Greek text. The latest one is the Christian Standard Version of 2017 which is nothing but a rewrite of the Holman Christian Standard Version. Alistair Begg pushes the Christian Standard Version in the form of the Spurgeon Study Bible; Chuck Swindoll pushes the New Living Translation since his new study Bible is in the NLT; The late R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur both push usage of the ESV because their study Bibles are in the ESV which is a revision of the RSV. As soon as a new Bible version come on the market, Christians are running to buy it and this is what the publishers count on that Christians never question anything. Modern versions are coming off the production line quickly because they make millions of dollars for the publishers and the media preachers who push them. So the modern versions can easily fulfill this third trait of the cults and that is financial gain.

Extra Biblical Authority

The Mormons have the book of Mormon, Christian Science has Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard and the Unification Church has The Divine Principle by Sun Myung Moon. The King James Translators used the Masoretic text (1524-25 Bomberg Text) and they used the 1598 Greek of Beza and compared the former translations such as Tyndale’s. The modern versions have used extra-biblical resources for their translations such as: Biblical Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, Samaritan Pentateuch, the Latin Vulgate of Jerome, Syriac Peshitta. These were used when the editors did not agree on a specific translation of a word or phrase in the Masoretic Text which they claim they emended (altered). Since the modern versions did not look to the Masoretic text and the Received Text and have looked elsewhere they now fulfill the fourth trait of a cult.

Twisted Scriptural Meanings

David Koresh believed that he was the worthy one in Revelation 5:2. Revelation 5:2 (KJV) And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? Seventh Day Adventists teach soul sleep based on Ecclesiastes 9:5. Ecclesiastes 9:5 (KJV) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Christ was less than God based on 1 Corinthians 15:28. 1 Corinthians 15:28 (KJV) And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

The modern versions also twist the meanings and teachings of Scripture right in their English texts.

Who Killed Goliath?

2 Samuel 21:19 (KJV) And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Beth-lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.

2 Samuel 21:19 (CSB) Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

According to the Christian Standard Bible it was Elhanan and not David as the King James plainly teaches!

How are the ways of the Wicked?

Psalm 10:4-5 (KJV) The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. {5} His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

Psalm 10:4-5 (ESV) In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (5) His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

According to the ESV, the way of the wicked is prosperous not grievous as the King James states. The word for grievous in Psalm 10:5 is the Hebrew word “chil” which is a verb that carries with it the meaning of “having labor pains, be in pain, or writhing.” It is used 51 times in the Masoretic Text. Doesn’t sound like prosperity to me?

The modern versions show they fulfill the fifth trait of a cult

The Teachings Change to fit the need

The Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted the return of Christ. It was supposed to occur in October, 1874, April, 1878, October, 1881, and October, 1914. Last days began in 1799. In 1925 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were to be resurrected. Harold Camping predicted that the Lord would return between September 15-27, 1994, when that did not happen he went on to predict several more dates but May 21, 2011 was his big one where the Lord was supposed to return in the rapture and then for 5 months the earth would suffer the wrath of God and on October 21, 2011 the Lord would return and all the unbelievers would be annihilated after judgment.

The modern versions do the same thing as evidenced in: 2 Kings 23:7

2 Kings 23:7

(NIV) He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes that were in the temple of the Lord, the quarters where women did weaving for Asherah.

(KJV) And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

Notice that the King James Bible is very specific stating “sodomites” which were by the temple. Notice the NIV changes it to “male shrine prostitutes” that were “in” the temple. Do you honestly think that the leaders of the temple would have allowed male shrine prostitutes inside the temple of God? After all, the modern versions do not want to offend the sodomite community instead they want to appease them so they have done away with the proper term “sodomite.”

Mark 1:41

(NIV) Jesus was indignant . He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”

(KJV) And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.

“Indignant” means “irate, outraged, or furious.” Roman Catholicism teaches a very angry Jesus and that only his mother can calm him down. The NIV fits right into their teaching. The King James Bible teaches that Jesus was moved with compassion and made the man clean. There is a great difference between being “indignant” and “compassionate.” The modern versions have changed two major teachings here, one to appease the sodomite community and the other to appease Roman Catholicism. The modern versions fulfill the sixth trait of a cult.

Cult Leaders are raised up in churches

Joseph Smith came out of the Methodist Church. Charles Taze Russell came out of the Congregational church and founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses. William Miller left the Baptist Church and started the Seventh Day Adventists. Jim Jones left the Disciples of Christ and founded the People’s Temple. Just like cult leaders, those who become prominent in the Anti-KJB movement and promote the modern versions likewise come from the church. James White comes out of the Reformed Baptist Church. Brooke Foss Westcott came out of the Anglican Church. Fenton Hort came out of the Anglican Church. Robert Bratcher (TEV) came out of the Baptist church. Martin Woudstra came out of the Christian Reformed Church. He was in charge of the Old Testament committee for the NIV. J.B. Phillips came out of the Anglican Church. So it seems just like cult leaders who sprang out of the organized church, those who push the modern versions have also sprung up from the church. The modern versions and their advocates show they fulfill the seventh trait of a cult.

Summary

It is very plain that the modern versions and their advocates fulfill 7 common traits of the cults. Their accusations that the King James only people are a cult are unfounded and just accusations made without any proof or substance. I have given 7 characteristics of cults and one can easily see without forcing any meanings, they are compatible with the modern versions. The modern versions are merely “Paper Cults” and should be rejected based upon their serious errors.

Conversation with a friend

Friend: So…..one error in the KJV and your entire worldview collapses?

SBT: Hi, not sure what you are referring to in context of the tweet you replied to? Tweet was about those who presume themselves to be authority over bible.

Perhaps something got lost in the brevity that is twitter?

Friend: Hi, thx for the reply. Plenty always gets lost so I dont take self or others too seriously. But if the Bible is an inerrant authority I wonder what would happen if you became sure it had an error? How would that affect your view?

SBT: my reaction to supposed errors and contradictions has been to doubt my understanding of God’s words before doubting God’s words. With prayerful study and research of all aspects in search of truth, so far all seeming stumbling blocks have turned out to be real gems

Friend: I get that you would question your understanding first. That makes sense, given that you believe it to be an inerrant authority. But my question is hypothetical. What if you became convinced that an error was there?

SBT: Thank you for the question, short answer is not to cross bridges until I get to them.

God has promised to preserve His words (Ps 12:6-7) and told us to seek out the book and read (Isa 34:16). That should be what drives us to find His words, read, believe, & live them

Friend: Are you saying it’s wrong to consider this question? Like in a moral sense you shouldnt think about it? Or what?

SBT: Not wrong, questions are a good thing.

Intention in prev reply concerned with productivity.

There are an infinite “what ifs”, while entertaining to consider, are not always productive.

Due to limited resources I try, not always sucessfully, to focus more on the “what is”.

Also, have crossed the bridge of alleged errors in the past, only to find there was always an explanation and my trust in God’s words has grown with each challenge.

I’m sure there will always be new challenges, but part of being grounded is not easily shaken.

Friend: Fair enough. It seems to me that this isnt exploring infinite “what ifs”, just one big one concerning the cornerstone of an entire belief system. You wont consider it, but you also have investigated alleged errors? Doesnt that mean the investigation would have been heavily biased

SBT: Good point and appreciate the thoughtful conversation. Any time we ever end up in the same city, would be great to sit down around some BBQ and iced tea and discuss.

It is true I have not felt the need to have an intellectual “Plan B” in presumption that there is some insurmountable error out there yet to be found.

But, neither do I feel that backs me into a corner such that I would have to deny truth in order to hold on to a fabled notion.

Concerning bias, as you probably know, we all have bias. We all have the same evidence and rules of logic, the difference is our starting point, our worldview, that impacts our interpretation of the evidence.

Jesus encountered this. There were typically two kinds of people in the crowds: those who were looking for reasons to believe, and those who were looking for excuses not to believe.

Given any topic of debate, there will always be the same two reactions.

In any case, to address your original question: “So… one error in the KJV and your entire worldview collapses?”

My answer to this would probably not be very intellectually satisfying to you as it depends on whether or not you would be willing to acknowledge the possibliity of something beyond your natural senses and experiences.

My worldview is not based on whether or not there are errors in the KJV.

My starting point (worldview) is based on the “Fear of the Lord”, which is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. This is the starting point of all logic, reason, interpretation and weighing of evidences.

It is not a “blind faith”, or baseless trust. It is a trust in God’s words, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

My belief in and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has resulted in my personal transformation (and continuing maturity) of spirit, heart, soul, and mind.

I don’t believe because of experiences, but the experiences of answered prayer, healing, being filled with the Holy Ghost, a variety of spiritual experiences, and peace that passes understanding have corroborated and confirmed that God’s words preserved in the bible are true.

So it is my worldview that has led me to expect that God has indeed kept His promises concerning preserving His words (Ps 12:6-7). That He told us to seek out the book and read (Isa 34:16) leads me to expect to be able to find His book and be able to read it.

So I suppose in answer to your other question: “What if you became convinced that an error was there?”

My reaction would be to continue to seek out the book.

Jesus is Jehovah

Those things said about Jehovah in the Old Testament are also said and/or fulfilled in Jesus in New Testament

Ps 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
Phil 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Deut 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Jn 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Rev 22:12-13 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Ps 130:7-8 Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Creator or drunken archer?

The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.
Proverbs 26:10 King James Bible

The Creator God is replaced with some kind of drunken archer. In Rev 6, and in OT descriptions, the Antichrist is the archer!

ASV As an archer that woundeth all, So is he that hireth a fool and he that hireth them that pass by.

AMP Like a [careless] archer who [shoots arrows wildly and] wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or those who [by chance just] pass by.

AMPC [But] like an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or chance passers-by.

CSB The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by is like an archer who wounds everyone.

CEB Like an archer who wounds someone randomly, so is one who hires a fool or a passerby.

CEV It’s no smarter to shoot arrows at every passerby than it is to hire a bunch of worthless nobodies.

ESV Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

ESVUK Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

EXB Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by is like an archer shooting ·at just anything [randomly].

ICB Someone might employ a foolish person or anyone just passing by. That employer is like an archer who shoots at anything he sees.

ISV An archer who shoots at anyone— is like someone who hires a fool or anyone who passes by.

LEB Like an archer who wounds everyone, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires passersby.

MSG Hire a fool or a drunk and you shoot yourself in the foot.

NABRE An archer wounding all who pass by is anyone who hires a drunken fool.

NASB Like an archer who wounds everyone, So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.

NCV Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by is like an archer shooting at just anything.

NET Like an archer who wounds at random, so is the one who hires a fool or hires any passer-by.

NIRV Anyone who hires a foolish person or someone who is passing by is like a person who shoots arrows at just anybody.

NIV Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

NIVUK Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

NLV He who hires a fool or hires those who pass by is like a man who uses a bow to hurt everyone.

NLT An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.

NRSV Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

NRSVA Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

NRSVACE Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

NRSVCE Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

OJB Like an archer wounding all, so is he that hireth the kesil (fool), or hireth the passerby.

TPT Like a reckless archer shooting arrows at random is the impatient employer who hires just any fool who comes along— someone’s going to get hurt!

RSV Like an archer who wounds everybody is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

RSVCE Like an archer who wounds everybody is he who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

TLV Like an archer who wounds at random is one who hires a fool or any passer-by.

VOICE Like an archer who shoots at random and injures everyone, so is a person who hires a fool or someone off the street.

WEB As an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires those who pass by.

NABRE An archer wounding all who pass by is anyone who hires a drunken fool.