I want to write this month about the different translations. I’m really not as concerned about the past as I am with seeing what is coming down the road.
The new translations are all based on a text other than the text of the KJV. This is a set of manuscripts which have come largely from Egypt. There are really three that I would pick out as the driving force behind them. The first is Origen who lived in the third century after Christ. He believed in soul sleep, purgatory, preexistence of the soul, reincarnation and that Jesus was a created being, not equal with the Father. His ideas came in at that time. This is why many of the omissions or changes in the new versions have to do with the deity, blood, or person of Christ. Origen didn’t like them.
Then, right around 400 AD the pope of Rome had Jerome produce a new Bible, called the Vulgar (or common) Bible. Until then they had the version written by the apostles. The pope did not like this as it did not have some of the doctrines that the catholic church wanted. Augustine (Calvin’s dear friend) also had his fingers in this one. The third is Westcott and Hort, mid 1800s. They took a manuscript found in Egypt and claimed they had found something older and better. It was simply the old one that Origen had or something from the same family. They then sold the church a bill of goods.
Remember, many of the heretical teachings began in the early or mid 1800s. The cults said that we did not have the true church until they came along. W and H said that we did not have the true Bible until these two wise men came along.
Remember, if you have one of the new translations and think the old is to difficult perhaps you would rather stay with the new.
The important thing is to be alert to that which is coming, although some is already here.
Archive for March, 2010
TRANLATIONS
Thursday, March 18th, 2010ROME
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:12 “If I have told you earthly things, an ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things.”
We went through this passage in a Bible study recently and it started me thinking of how true this is in different areas. By and large the earthly things are those that have happened in history, or here on earth. The heavenly things are usually the spiritual truths that the earthly points to. When we look at it from this point of view, it is easy to see that it naturally follows that if I do not believe the earthly I can never believe the heavenly. Jesus Himself gave an example when He spoke of the serpent in the wilderness. It was a historical fact that those who looked at the serpent were healed. The application He made was that those who believed in the Crucified Christ would have eternal life. It is not possible that those who cannot believe the story of the serpent in the wilderness would have no trouble believing that Jesus death could take away their sins.
A very important event in history was when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” Only if I believe that Jesus died for all is it possible to believe that Jesus died for me. In I Corinthians 15 Paul takes the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ to prove the resurrection of the saints. It would not be possible to disbelieve the historical or earthly fact while at the same time believing the heavenly, although many pretend to do so.
There are a couple of examples that I am familiar with, as I grew up with them and also have been in contact with them more recently. One is that the Orthodox or evangelical denominations see the Old Testament as Theo-Centric or speaking primarily of God the Father. Jesus in Luke 24:44 and other places states very plainly that the Old Testament speaks of Him.
What’s the difference? Those who see the Old Testament as Theo-Centric tend to see the Father as the God of the Old Testament and the Son as the Man of the New Testament. They find it difficult to see that Jesus is fully God, equal with the Father. An example of this is in Philippians 2:6. In the KJV and other older Bibles you notice that it states that Jesus did not think it was “robbery” to be equal with God. The NIV has “did not think equality with God something to be grasped at.” According to the KJV Jesus felt perfectly comfortable to claim Godhood while in the NIV it indicates that He would make no such claim.
One more thing that I was taught was that man was made of two parts: body and soul. I was taught that soul and spirit were one. And again we ask: why is that so important? The history is in Genesis 2 where we read that God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (the spirit of God Himself) and man became a living soul. The soul is therefore the heart and core of the man. That’s who he is. It is correct to say then that I have a body and world consciousness and I have a spirit or God consciousness. See also Hebrews 4:12. I must remember that it is with my spirit that I am in touch with God. It is for this reason that for those who see man as only body and soul are very weak in the doctrine of the new birth. When I am born again it is in my spirit that I become alive to God.
DECEIVED
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010Jesus made a statement that “the love of many would grow cold.” Here is a statement from the same chapter. In Matthew 24:11 we read, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” Paul tells us the same thing in 11 Timothy 3:13 with the phrase, “deceiving and being deceived.” This would be true of the last days.
I think the first thing we think of, and rightly so, are the cults. The cults were very successful but at the same time they were too obviously unbiblical. What we are seeing today is something much more subtle. As an example, Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life” has much in it, which is very helpful, and to the point. But if you will look at page 17 you will see that he quotes from the Message Bible; quoting Colossians 1:16. Notice the words, “above and below.” This same Bible uses this phrase in Matthew 6 in the Lord’s Prayer where it says “as above, so below.” This is a New Age phrase which began in ancient Egypt: As above, so below simply means that God is the Creator (above) and the created (below) which is, of course, pantheism. In Ephesians 4:5 the KJV reads “One God and Father — in you all” – a wonderful doctrine. The Message reads, “in all,” leaving out the ‘you’. This is, also, pantheism. The phrase “as above, so below” is construed by the New Agers as the foundation of all magic. The last two verses of the Bible use the phrases Lord Jesus and Lord Jesus Christ. The Message reads (both times) Master Jesus. There is, supposedly, a man named Maitreya who has returned to earth. He was on earth when the “Master” Jesus was here. Maitreya is the true Christ and the Master Jesus is one of his disciples. Maitreya’s spokesperson is Benjamin Crème. Supposedly, someone claiming to be Maitreya will soon surface.
Maitreya, Benjamin Crème, Jampolsky, Walsch and others are the leading New Age figures of the day. Now, no evangelical will believe them. They are working through Robert Schuller, whom the evangelicals don’t trust. Robert Schuller is Rich Warren’s chief mentor. The evangelicals, by the millions, are swallowing Rich Warren’s Purpose Driven Life along with a good level of New Age philosophy. If you want all the facts, they are in a book by a former New Ager, “Deceived On Purpose” by Warren Smith. A statement by Warren Smith is, “you can take 100% arsenic; or 99% water and 1% arsenic but either one will kill you 100%.” You’re just more likely to drink the latter. Generally speaking, I think the more recent the Biblical translation the more danger of it containing poisonous doctrine. And more and more people are going to read them.
LOVE GROWN COLD
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010I just want to touch on one point that Jesus made about the end of the age. This is in Matthew 24:12, “And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall grow cold.” A parallel to this is Paul’s statement in 11 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.” Jesus said that “iniquity would abound.” This is not hard to see today. I think it is so obvious that I need to say little about it. Things are happening today that were not even mentioned in the past. It is because of this that the “love of many grows cold.”
One of the complaints I hear from those who lead Bible studies is that it is difficult to find men who have the desire to study and obey the Bible. The very word “commandment” has almost become a negative idea. But Jesus Himself said, “Not every one that saith, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of My Father, Who is in heaven.” One of the causes of this is the emphasis on “rights” but at the same time there is no clear understanding of right and wrong. The result of all this is that as sinfulness is becoming more acceptable the love for God and His laws is fading away.
Here is a quote from Thomas Vincent who lived in the seventeenth century: It is the folly of our day that we think we can have none of His Kingship in this life, yet have some claim to part of His Kingdom in the next. But for those who reject the rule of the Lord Jesus now, there is only the fearful expectation of the fury of the wrath of God, the Judge of heaven and earth.
Finally, we must remember that the entire purpose of the Scriptures is that God wants to save us from our sins. I think the key passage in the Old Testament is Exodus 25:17-22 where we are told that God will meet His people at the Mercy Seat.
A passage that stands out in the New Testament is in John 5. In verse 18 we read: “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him.” In the verses that follow He seems to be very severe, even to the point of warning them that “they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” But in verse 34 Jesus tells the Jews His purpose when he says “but these things I say that ye might be saved.” And this was to men who were out to kill Him. So, too, Jesus prophesies about the unpleasant things that will happen in the end times, but His purpose is to keep us from being drawn into the deception and the consequences. Remember, men do not hate and fear God because they are good and God is evil but because men are evil and God is good. I think it was Finney who first pointed that out.
THE MANY THOUGHTS OF GOD
Monday, March 15th, 2010In Psalm139we read that the thoughts of God are more in number than the sand. That is a little hard to imagine, but I do know of one case where I could see that it is true. I want to tell the story, although I know that some of you have heard it at one time or another.
The story begins in the early 1900s when Anglican missionaries came to Uganda. Their Christianity was more “British culture” than Biblically Christian. They began by bringing the children into schools, teaching biblical stories and reading and writing and also how to dress in western clothes and eat properly. As the children grew up some of them became priests and lay leaders. A cathedral was set up in the capital city, Kampala, mud and grass churches built out in the countryside and, of course, a training center for the priests. To the Anglican missionaries this was Christianity.
There was one more thing that they had which made all the difference. They had readers. As most could not read, each Sunday the reader would read a passage of Scripture. These people are quick to learn and in time got to know much of the Bible. In the early 1930s the Holy Spirit came down on these people and many of them were saved as the Spirit opened their minds. Those who were saved began to meet together, not just on Sunday but also during the week, for bible study, prayer sharing experiences.
In the 1970s a couple. David and Beatrice Kayigwa, were invited to join one of these groups. They did so and in time became truly born again Christians. They changed from being a couple whom enjoyed every fleshly sin to becoming a godly couple.
Beatrice had a brother, Joseph. The two had always been quite close and she began to speak to him, encouraging him to become a Christian. Joseph felt that he had to give up too many things that he enjoyed doing.
In the 1980s the Bible League came into Uganda with some good Bible based studies. Within a few years thousands of Anglican church people were taking these studies with many being saved. I hired David Kayigwa as the director of the work in Uganda. As his sister, Beatrice, was involved in the work Joseph felt that he should also take the course, which was a twenty-five week study. At the same time, he was quite determined that he would not become a Christian, although like many other unsaved people he was a church member. There were about one hundred people taking the course at the same time that Joseph did, perhaps in six or seven different groups. After they finished the study course we had a special graduation for them in one of the country churches. Beatrice was hoping that Joseph would come to the graduation as the gospel would again be clearly presented. In fact, of the one hundred fifty, over fifty came to Christ either while going through the studies or at the meeting.
To Beatrice disappointment Joseph did not come and she really gave upon him at that point. Well, on the way back to David and Beatrice’ house she wanted to drop off food at her mother’s place. She lived on a dirt road about two miles off the main road that we were on. Just about the time we arrived at the road leading to her mother’s house it started to rain. It was not possible to take this two-lane track when it was wet. Beatrice decided that, as Joseph lived nearby on the main road she would leave the food there and have him take it to their mother
When we stopped at Joseph’s house we found that he was down with malaria and unable to come although he had very much wanted to. While taking the lessons the Holy Spirit had convicted him and he really wanted to be saved. He was not sure just how to go about it and thought someone at the meeting could help him. David and Beatrice were, of course, able to lead him to the Lord.
Now, think of all the steps God took just for Joseph: First of all, about a hundred years ago the missionaries came from England long before Joseph was born. Fifty years before the Holy Spirit came in power on the church of which Joseph was a member.
Ten years before this Joseph’s sister and brother-in-law became Christians but could not persuade Joseph.
He was determined not to become a Christian. After going through the study course Joseph finally decided to become a Christian.but Satan gave him a malaria attack so that he could not come to the meeting.At this point, although Beatrice gave up on him, God did not. He sent the rain which overruled Satan’s plans and worked things out in such a way that Beatrice stopped by his house.
This is what we know about. That’s the tip of the iceberg. Think of all the things we can’t see.
ONE THING
Monday, March 15th, 2010In Mark 10 we read the story of the rich young ruler. He had a problem. He wasn’t sure that he had eternal life. He came to the right One; to Jesus. Jesus points him to the law. As a good Israelite he would see the correctness of that. But he has done that and still has a nagging feeling that all is not right. In verse 21 Jesus tells him “One thing thou lackest”.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:30: “for My yoke is easy and My burden is light”. This statement is in direct contrast to His comment to the Jesus lawyers. In Luke 11:46 Jesus tells them that they “lade men with burdens grievous to be borne”. They had many rules; Jesus gave the rich young ruler just one. We see something of the same in Acts 15. There is a dispute about the Gentiles keeping the laws of Moses. In verse 28 we read the decision of the apostles and elders: “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things”. In the next verse the Gentiles are told that if they do these few things “ye shall do well”.
As we read the Bible to learn what God would teach us, we will find that He never gives us a list of things to do. He will simply point to the one thing we are doing wrong and tell us “Do this and I will be satisfied”. Something may come up later as we do something else wrong, but He will point to just one thing. Remember, His burden is always easy. Now it possibly could be a hard thing as in the case of the young ruler, but also here God is ready to help. Jesus said, “With God all things are possible”.
In Psalm 97:12 we read, “and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness”. Think about it. If you were caught doing wrong, would you rather face a truly godly man or a religious legalist. In John 8 we read of the Pharisees and the woman. They wanted her stoned but Jesus simply told her to “go and sin no more”. Again, just one thing.
GRANDFATHER AND GRANDDAUTHER
Monday, March 15th, 2010Correspondence between granddaughter and myself.
Grandpa, I have a few questions. I just started two online courses through the Institute of Jewish Studies. One is on Jewish cultures and customs. We have discussion times between the classmates (about 10 of us). One question was raised in the discussion that got me thinking. It was “should we use the law as a guide to holy living since that is what God considers holy?” Here is my idea on this and I would like to hear what yours is too: We know that Christ has fulfilled the law for us and that to return to it we would be only returning to “salvation by works”. But, after salvation should we look to the law as our guide for being “careful to maintain good works”? It seems to me that the New Testament offers a completely new look at holy living. In Jesus sermon on the mount he gives a guide for discipleship so different from the “eye for an eye” way of the Old Testament. The Old Testament gives the physical rules while the New Testament gives the heart’s attitudes as God sees it. I guess the question really becomes, if we are supposed to be separated from the world, in what ways should we be separate? I don’t think it should be by following the Old Testament laws but instead the charges given by Christ and the writers of the epistles- to me they seem very different. What are your thoughts on this?
Grandpa: In Romans 3:10 we read “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Verses 18 and 23 have the same thought. Luke 1:5 and 6 tell us that Zacharias, a priest and his wife Elisabeth were righteous before God, walking in all His commandments and that they were blameless. This is God’s assessment of them so therefore true. It does not do to pit one verse against another. We may be confused but God never is. The answer to this riddle (and it may appear so to some) is in Ephesians 2: 19 to 22 especially in the last two verses where we are told that we are the temple of God. As we look at the temple we find that the inside is covered, first with cedar, which speaks of the humanity of Christ. We read in 1 Kings 6:18 that no stone was seen on the inside. Within the Holiest of all was the ark of the covenant. Above the ark was the Mercy Seat. In Exodus 25:22 we are told that God would meet His people from this place. Within the Holy Place the cedar, (which already covered the walls) was to be covered with gold. While the cedar spoke of the humanity of Christ, the gold spoke of His deity. The picture here is that we can come to God only through Christ, because of His atoning blood. As Romans 3:10 and other verses tell us “there is none righteous”. We can only come to God through Christ because of His perfect righteousness. In 1 Kings 6:18 we are told that inside the house their was no stone seen. The stone was seen on the outside. This is where the Christian comes in contact with the world. The priest could only come to God (Who dwelt in the Holy Place) through Christ. Outside was simply the stone of the temple. This is where the Christian comes in contact with the world. Here verses apply such as Matthew 5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see you good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Before God we have no righteousness but in the world God commands us to “be careful to maintain good works”: Titus 3:8. What about the law being our guide? There is an old road from Holland to Grand Haven. Some years ago a new highway was put in. I can drive on the new road while keeping my eye on the old. But I will sooner or later hit a tree. Also, we don’t keep the Sabbath which makes me a judge of the law deciding which ones I should keep.There are universal laws such as murder or stealing and you will find them in both testaments. Every country has speed laws but I don’t stop at a stop sign in the US because England has the same law. Grandpa
Thanks so much! Sorry it took so long for me to respond and since my battery is almost dead I can’t write for very long. Yes, I will retype this all so you can put it on the blog. As I retype I’m sure other discussion topics will arise out of this! I hope you are doing well. Miss you and the boggle and chess games! Love, C________
Grandpa (answer)
After looking over your e-mail I see something I forgot.
Read the story of Jehoiada’s son, put to death by King Joash. In his dying prayer
he is calling for vengeance. This is in 11 Chronicles 24:20-22. This was in the Old
Testament. In the New Testament in Acts 7:60 is Stephen’s prayer for foregivness.
Yes, we are in a different dispensation.
Your,
Grandpa.
C_______, I had this all ready to go and then two more questions came. I think the answers will explain the questions.
To answer the first, yes we do live on a higher plain than the Old Testament saints.
We have more information now for one thing. Jesus said in John 6:63 “the Words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life”. I think the answer in the next paragraph will touch on some of the first question.
There are two kinds of universal laws. The covenant with Noah is going to operate
regardless of what you do about it. The same is true of the seasons and the months.
The law of the seven days is just as absolute but depends on man’s obedience.
Also, remember, the law of capital punishment was before the ten commandments
were given. It’s another absolute law. What of today? The government, according to Romans 13, wields the sword. You and I do not unless we are acting as agents of the government.
As Christians we are in favor of capital punishment simply because the Bible says so. But at the same time I must remember that the murderer is also a victim of Satan .
Ephesians 6:12 is quite plain on this: “we wrestle not against flesh and blood—but
against— spiritual wickedness in high places”.
Therefore even if the crime directly affects me I forgive the offender. This the Old
Testament believer was not expected to do. At this point I live on an entirely different plain. But if I do not demand justice I have no pity on the victim and will let crime grow unhindered.
We see both sides in Psalm 72:4 “He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the
children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor”.
It is a very true axiom: Law without love is not law=Love without law is not love.
Although there are two testaments there is one Book with one Author.
I suppose this leaves you with more questions than answers. Let me send this and take those up later.
Your
Grandpa
THE RAPTURE
Monday, March 15th, 2010LETTER TO THE GRANDCHILDREN
In my reading through the gospel of Luke I came across the story of Jairus daughter.
When Jesus came to the house He made the statement: “She is not dead, but sleeps.”
I saw that God was showing me that from His perspective grandma was simply sleeping.
He will wake her in the morning.
Right after that I wrote this poem which I want to share with you.
While millions buried and forgot
In slumber both profound and deep
And all who are in Christ shall rise
The hosts in long and dreamless sleep
The one Who’s throne is not of earth
Will come: the Lord, the King of heav’n
Nor all the hosts of hell can stop
The One before Whom skies are riven
With authority that none have heard
He speaks: a thunder of command
A single Word: “Arise”, they rise
From every grave, in every land
And every eye is fixed on Him
Who spoke the single Word: “Arise”
And every knee before Him bows
In that glad morning in the skies
They wonder at such Majesty
A mighty King before them stands
Still reaching out to every one
And love flows out from face and hands
They all arose a mighty throng
No deepest slumber could withstand
Not one there was who could refuse
The mighty Word of God’s command
But there are many left behind
Who must remain within the clay
A thousand years: a second death
Then all must stand on judgment day
Will you arise when Jesus comes
To raise the sleep at morning call
Or will you come at later time
And meet Him as the judge of all
The choice is yours; when will you bow
Your choice: to bow before His feet
Now willingly, or then in fear
And bow in terror when you meet
Remember, Jesus died that we
May rise, responding to that call
His offer is forever firm
For Jesus died to ransom all
NICODEMUS
Sunday, March 14th, 2010Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:12 “If I have told you earthly things, an ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things.”
We went through this passage in a Bible study recently and it started me thinking of how true this is in different areas. By and large the earthly things are those that have happened in history, or here on earth. The heavenly things are usually the spiritual truths that the earthly points to. When we look at it from this point of view, it is easy to see that it naturally follows that if I do not believe the earthly I can never believe the heavenly.
Jesus Himself gave an example when He spoke of the serpent in the wilderness. It was a historical fact that those who looked at the serpent were healed. The application He made was that those who believed in the Crucified Christ would have eternal life. It is not possible that those who cannot believe the story of the serpent in the wilderness would have no trouble believing that Jesus death could take away their sins. A very important event in history was when John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.” Only if I believe that Jesus died for all is it possible to believe that Jesus died for me. In I Corinthians 15 Paul takes the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ to prove the resurrection of the saints. It would not be possible to disbelieve the historical or earthly fact while at the same time believing the heavenly, although many pretend to do so.
There are a couple of examples that I am familiar with, as I grew up with them and also have been in contact with them more recently. One is that the Orthodox or evangelical denominations see the Old Testament as Theo-Centric or speaking primarily of God the Father. Jesus in Luke 24:44 and other places states very plainly that the Old Testament speaks of Him.
What’s the difference? Those who see the Old Testament as Theo-Centric tend to see the Father as the God of the Old Testament and the Son as the Man of the New Testament. They find it difficult to see that Jesus is fully God, equal with the Father. An example of this is in Philippians 2:6. In the KJV and other older Bibles you notice that it states that Jesus did not think it was “robbery” to be equal with God. The NIV has “did not think equality with God something to be grasped at.” According to the KJV Jesus felt perfectly comfortable to claim Godhood while in the NIV it indicates that He would make no such claim.
One more thing that I was taught was that man was made of two parts: body and soul. I was taught that soul and spirit were one. And again we ask: why is that so important? The history is in Genesis 2 where we read that God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life (the spirit of God Himself) and man became a living soul. The soul is therefore the heart and core of the man. That’s who he is. It is correct to say then that I have a body and world consciousness and I have a spirit or God consciousness. See also Hebrews 4:12. I must remember that it is with my spirit that I am in touch with God. It is for this reason that for those who see man as only body and soul are very weak in the doctrine of the new birth. When I am born again it is in my spirit that I become alive to God.
PSYCHIATRY
Sunday, March 14th, 2010There are a hundred thousand
Psychiatrists and such
For three hundred million souls
I s’pose that’s not too much
What therefore should we see?
For such a favored land
Decrease in animosity
And peace on every hand
Contentment reign in every school
And happiness increase
An upward curve of knowledge
The growth would never cease
With psychiatrics wisdom
And knowledge all unfurled
Our prison population
The lowest in the world
Half a century ago
There were few drugs in school
Now, with the wisdom of the wise
“No drugs” should be the rule
Divorce some fifty years ago
Was maybe one in ten?
With all these doctors helping us
It should be less than then
But first with Columbine
And now Virginia Tech
We need to ask ourselves, “Who caused
This universal wreck?”
In colleges the killers
Were not the homeless thugs
In every school the gunmen were
On psychiatric drugs
Two point two million in our jails
A grievous social flaw
With males of every age and class
In trouble with the law
Five hundred fifty thousand
The nation steals the kids
Fifty-five percent divorce
Society on the skids
With governmental debt so great
The end will soon be seen
And all the kids on drugs we’ll sink
Beneath the load of green
When all is said and done
It really gives one pause
Psychology the perfect cure?
Or maybe, it’s the cause.
What e’er the measure used
Of failure or success
Psychiatry will play its part
In never ending mess