Two Criteria For Divine Revelation
If the book could be written by a man then it was written by a man. If the book was impossible for a man to write, then it was written by God.
I can make a new religion and write any text that I want and claim it came from God. I can include a lot of truth in the book that I write but the presence of a lot of truthful facts does not mean that it came from God.
There are two things that a book from God can do that a book from man cannot do:
1) reveal the unknown past
2) reveal the unknown future
Revealing The Unknown Past
A man can write a book that contains a lot of correct historical information. But simply having correct historical information does not mean the book is God’s Word. However, a book that was written in the past by a person that lived during that era can write about things that happened during that era that we in the future may not know about. When they are discovered it verifies that the text was written during that era.
Revealing The Unknown Future
Only God can reveal the future. So, only a book that was written by God can reveal the future.
There are many prophecies in the Bible that have come to pass. No other book is able to predict the future, only the Bible.
Prophecy Vs Miracle
God gave miracles to those who existed in the present. It was a sign that God spoke to that person.
God gave prophecies for those living in the future so that we can look back and see that what was prophesied came to pass.
The Type Of Prophecy
Before Jesus was born, many people, through many ages, predicted his lineage, his gender, his birth order, what he would do, when he would die, and how other people would react at his death.
False prophets cannot produce, from other people, before they appeared on the scene, prophecies of themselves, OR THEIR GOD!
Miracles For Those Living In The Present
Moses
The Burning Bush
Exodus 3:1 (KJV) ¶ Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
Exodus 3:2 (KJV) And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Exodus 3:3 (KJV) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
Exodus 3:4 (KJV) And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exodus 3:5 (KJV) And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Exodus 3:6 (KJV) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Exodus 3:7 (KJV) ¶ And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Exodus 3:8 (KJV) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Exodus 3:9 (KJV) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Exodus 3:10 (KJV) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 3:11 (KJV) ¶ And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
They Will Not Believe Me
Exodus 4:1 (KJV) ¶ And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
Miracles For Proof
The Rod To A Snake
Exodus 4:2 (KJV) And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Exodus 4:3 (KJV) And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Exodus 4:4 (KJV) And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
Exodus 4:5 (KJV) That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
Leprous Hand
Exodus 4:6 (KJV) And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
Exodus 4:7 (KJV) And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Water To Blood
Exodus 4:8 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
Exodus 4:9 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Daniel
Daniel 2:1 (KJV) ¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Daniel 2:2 (KJV) Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Daniel 2:3 (KJV) And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Daniel 2:4 (KJV) Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Daniel 2:5 (KJV) The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Daniel 2:6 (KJV) But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:7 (KJV) They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Daniel 2:8 (KJV) The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Daniel 2:9 (KJV) But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:10 (KJV) The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Daniel 2:11 (KJV) And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Daniel 2:12 (KJV) For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:13 (KJV) And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
Daniel 2:14 (KJV) ¶ Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
Daniel 2:15 (KJV) He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
Daniel 2:16 (KJV) Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
Daniel 2:17 (KJV) Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
Daniel 2:18 (KJV) That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:19 (KJV) Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Prophecy For Those Living In The Future
I wasn’t present with Moses to witness the miracle of the burning bush, his rod turning into a snake and back into a rod, his hand becoming leprous and then being healed, or the water turning to blood. Those miracles were for those who were present at that past time.
God gave prophecies for those of us who exist in the current time. Most of the time when a prophecy was given the hearers of the prophecy died before the prophecy ever came to pass.
The Date Of Jesus Death Prophecied
Daniel 9:24 (KJV) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel 9:25 (KJV) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:26 (KJV) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel 9:27 (KJV) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Abraham’s Confirmation Of Prophecies
Luke 16:19 (KJV) ¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Luke 16:20 (KJV) And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
Luke 16:21 (KJV) And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:22 (KJV) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luke 16:23 (KJV) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 (KJV) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luke 16:25 (KJV) But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:26 (KJV) And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 16:27 (KJV) Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
Luke 16:28 (KJV) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Luke 16:29 (KJV) Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Luke 16:30 (KJV) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
Luke 16:31 (KJV) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Jesus’ Confirmation Of Prophecies
Moses, Prophets, Psalms
Luke 24:44 (KJV) And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Moses… Wrote Of Me
John 5:46 (KJV) For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
John 5:47 (KJV) But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
Which “Holy” Book Is From God?
There are many religious books. They can be placed into two categories:
· Those that claim to be of the Christian faith (or part of the Bible) and
· those that don’t.
1) Non-Biblical “Holy” Books
Islam : the Quran
Confucianism : the Analects of Confucius
Hinduism : the Rig Veda
The problem with these books is that they did not have miracles to accompany their “revelations”, and they do not reveal the unknown past or the unknown future. So, these books cannot be from God.
2) Biblical “Holy” Books (those that claim to be Christian or part of the Bible)
Christians & Jews : Old & New Testament
Catholicism : the Apocrypha
Mormonism : the Book of Mormon
Just because someone claims that a book is part of the Bible does not mean that it is.
Which Hebrew / Greek Text Is From God?
What is the Bible? In denominations that claim to be “Christian” there are many versions of the Bible, and some versions contain books that other books don’t contain.
So, how do we determine if this “Christian” book is actually a book of the Bible or not?
The Bible (Old and New Testaments) give the following criteria.
1) It Was Written By A “Jew”
Romans 3:1 (KJV) ¶ What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Romans 3:2 (KJV) Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
These are two major points. The Bible says the words of God were given to the Jewish people. God entrusted the writing and preservation of His Word to the Jewish people. God did not entrust any of the preservation or writing of His Word to any non-Jewish person.
A) The Strict Definition Of “Jew”
Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary
3064. יְהוּדִי Yehuwdiy (Yᵉhûwdîy)
יְהוּדִי Yᵉhûwdîy, yeh-hoo-dee’
patronymically from H3063; a Jehudite (i.e. Judaite or Jew), or descendant of Jehudah (i.e. Judah):—Jew.
A “Jew”, in the strict definition of the word, is a descendant of Judah, who was a son of Jacob/Israel.
B) Non-Jewish Patriarchs
Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not Jewish. However, they all come from the same family lineage. In a general sense if someone refers to them as Jewish it is understood that they mean that they are predecessors of the sons of Jacob.
C) The Biblical Usage Of The Word “Jew”
1) After A Divided Kingdom
After Israel became a divided nation the word “Jew” referred to the inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, distinguishing it from the inhabitants of the kingdom of Israel. The kingdom of Judah was composed of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
1 Kings 12:21 (KJV) And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.
2 Chronicles 11:1 (KJV) ¶ And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
The word “Jew” began to refer to anyone from the tribe of Judah as well as the tribe of Benjamin as demonstrated in Esther.
Esther 2:5 (KJV) Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;
In this passage Mordecai, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, is called a Jew.
2) In The New Testament
By the time we get to the New Testament the word “Jew” began to refer to any biological descendant of Jacob.
Romans 3:1 (KJV) ¶ What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Romans 3:2 (KJV) Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
The “oracles” or “words of God” were not only given to Israelites from the tribe of Judah. Moses was from the tribe of Levi and God gave him the 10 commandments. In the New Testament Paul refers to Moses as a Jew.
Exodus 2:1 (KJV) ¶ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
Exodus 2:2 (KJV) And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
Exodus 6:2 (KJV) And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
Jesus recognized Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms as having received the oracles (words) of God.
Luke 24:44 (KJV) And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Those groups were not exclusively from the tribe of Judah. So, we see that in the New Testament the word “Jew” referred to anyone that was a descendent from one of the twelve sons of Jacob.
3) Jesus Is A Jew
Jesus is a Jew in the strictest of definitions. He is from the tribe of Judah, a son of Jacob, a descendant of David.
Genesis 35:23 (KJV) The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:
Jesus’ lineage (tracing his ancestry back to Judah) can be found in Matthew 1:1-16 and in Luke 3:23-38.
2) Many Authors In Agreement / No Contradictions
The Bible is the only book that can reveal the unknown past and the unknown future. It was written by many authors in a time span of about 1,500 years. All of the author in agreement, the central figure, the Messiah, the Christ,… Jesus.
3) It Is Recognized By The Nation Of Israel
Ezra 7:11 (KJV) ¶ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
Ezra 7:12 (KJV) Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
God spoke to Israelites and Israel as a nation determines what the Bible is, not the church, Bible scholar, or anyone else. Israel had scribes that faithfully and accurately wrote down God’s words and copied and preserved them from generation to generation. They know what was given to them and any new revelation, text, or addition will not be received by them.
Any imposter can:
· write a text, and
· claim it was from God, and
· try to get other to believe in it
but the correct Words of God were given to the Jews, and they know what they are. If the Jews don’t recognize the text to be legitimate, then it is not part of the Bible.
4) It Was Never Lost
There are no lost books of the Bible. God said that he would preserve his words and his church. Neither have been lost.
· When God revealed his Word to Jeremiah and king Jehudi burned it in the fire, God had the exact words re-written.
· When Nebuchadnezzar forgot his dream he had Daniel reveal it to him.
The fact that a “Biblical” text was lost is proof that it never was God’s Word in the first place and the messenger wasn’t from God either.
a) Thou Shalt Preserve Them
Psalm 12:6 (KJV) The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 12:7 (KJV) Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
b) Thou Hast Founded Them For Ever
Psalm 119:151 (KJV) Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
Psalm 119:152 (KJV) ¶ Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.
c) My Words Shall Not Pass Away
Matthew 24:35 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
d) But The Word Of The Lord Endureth For Ever
1 Peter 1:24 (KJV) ¶ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
1 Peter 1:25 (KJV) But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
e) Burned Text Re-Written
Jeremiah 36:21 (KJV) So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
Jeremiah 36:22 (KJV) Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
Jeremiah 36:23 (KJV) And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
Jeremiah 36:24 (KJV) Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
Jeremiah 36:25 (KJV) Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.
Jeremiah 36:26 (KJV) But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.
Jeremiah 36:27 (KJV) Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
Jeremiah 36:28 (KJV) Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.
Jeremiah 36:29 (KJV) And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?
Jeremiah 36:30 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
Jeremiah 36:31 (KJV) And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.
Jeremiah 36:32 (KJV) Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.
f) A Dream Revealed
Daniel 2:1 (KJV) ¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Daniel 2:2 (KJV) Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
Daniel 2:3 (KJV) And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Daniel 2:4 (KJV) Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
Daniel 2:5 (KJV) The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
Daniel 2:6 (KJV) But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:7 (KJV) They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
Daniel 2:8 (KJV) The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
Daniel 2:9 (KJV) But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
Daniel 2:10 (KJV) The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Daniel 2:11 (KJV) And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
There Are No More Divine Revelations
a) Adding To The Bible In The Old Testament
There are places in the Old Testament where it prohibits adding to God’s Word and yet new books of the Bible were still being added. It was forbidden to alter or add to the divine revelation that God gave but God had not yet finished giving divine revelation.
Ye Shall Not Add Unto The Word
Deuteronomy 4:1 (KJV) ¶ Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJV) Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Add Thou Not Unto His Words
Proverbs 30:5 (KJV) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:6 (KJV) Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
b) When New Revelation Was Permanently Ended
There would come a time when miraculous gifts would end such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc. That time is when the Bible was completed.
But When That Which Is Perfect Is Come
1 Corinthians 13:8 (KJV) ¶ Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
1 Corinthians 13:9 (KJV) For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
1 Corinthians 13:10 (KJV) But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
If Any Man Shall Add Unto These Things
What does “when that which is perfect” mean? There are only two perfect things: God and God’s Word. Jesus, who is God, had already come and died on the cross for our sins. God’s Word had not yet been finished. It was finished when John wrote the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 22:18 (KJV) 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:
Revelation 22:19 (KJV) 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.
So, how do we know that the Book of Revelation is the last book and that none other should be received as God’s Word?
Because the nation of Israel doesn’t claim any new “bibles” as their own.
III. Conclusion
The REAL Word of God:
· Can reveal the unknown past
· Can reveal the unknown future
· Was accompanied by miracles for proof in the present
· Was given prophecies for proof in the future
· Was written by a Jew
· Was written by many Jews over many years.
· It is recognized by the nation of Israel.
· It was never lost.
https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/apologetics/the-bible-vs-other-holy-books/
https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/
Putting It To The Test
Islam : the Quran
Confucianism : the Analects of Confucius
Hinduism : the Rig Veda
The problem with these books is that they did not have miracles to accompany their “revelations”, and they do not reveal the unknown past or the unknown future. So, these books cannot be from God.
Islam
Was Muhammad a Jew? No.
Is the Quran recognized by the nation of Israel as the Bible? No.
Can the Quran reveal the unknown past? No.
Can the Quran reveal the unknown future? No.
Did Muhammad perform miracles? No.
Muhammad claimed to get his message from God (divine revelation).
The Quran endorsed the Bible but the Bible does not endorse the Quran.
According to the Bible, could this be true?
The Old Testament
All of the above criteria are met. It is God’s Word.
1) Was written by the Jews
2) Has many authors in agreement
3) Is recognized by the nation of Israel
4) Was never lost
The New Testament
All of the above criteria are met. It is God’s Word.
1) Was written by the Jews
2) Has many authors in agreement
3) Is recognized by the nation of Israel. How can this be? Because the entire Old Testament predicts the events in the New Testament. Even if Jews do not receive it as the Word of God the events that happened in the New Testament have been confirmed that the writings of the Old Testament are true. If you genuinely believe the Old Testament then you must believe the New Testament.
4) Was never lost
Apocrypha
In Christianity there are books (other than the Old and New Testament) that claim to be part of the Bible such as the Book of Mormon and the Apocrypha.
1) Was written by the Jews
2) Has many authors in agreement
3) Is recognized by the nation of Israel
4) Was never lost
Un-Inspired
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
apocrypha
APOC’RYPHA, n. Gr. from, to conceal.
Literally such things as are not published; but in an appropriate sense,
· books whose authors are not known;
· whose authenticity, as inspired writings, is not admitted,
· and which are therefore not considered a part of the sacred canon of the scripture.
When the Jews published their sacred books, they called them canonical and divine; such as they did not publish, were called apocryphal. The apocryphal books are received by the Romish Church as canonical, but not by Protestants.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary 1913
Apocrypha
A‧pocʺry‧pha, n. pl., but often used as sing. with pl. Apocryphas. [L. apocryphus apocryphal, Gr. hidden, spurious [fake, forged, phony], fr. to hide; from + to hide.]
1. Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or authority;— formerly used also adjectively. [Obs.] Locke.
2. Specif.: Certain writings which are received by some Christians as an authentic part of the Holy Scriptures, but are rejected by others.
☛ Fourteen such writings, or books, formed part of the Septuagint, but not of the Hebrew canon recognized by the Jews of Palestine. The Council of Trent included all but three of these in the canon of inspired books having equal authority. The German and English Reformers grouped them in their Bibles under the title Apocrypha, as not having dogmatic authority, but being profitable for instruction. The Apocrypha is now commonly omitted from the King James’s Bible.
Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apocrypha
apocrypha
writings or statements of dubious authenticity
books included in the Septuagint and Vulgate but excluded from the Jewish and Protestant canons of the Old Testament
early Christian writings not included in the New Testament
The Roman Catholic Church (Babylon) Decided, Not The Jews
How to Defend the Deuterocanonicals
Did the Catholic Church add seven books to the Old Testament?
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/how-to-defend-the-deuterocanonicals
At the Council of Rome in 382, the Church decided upon a canon of 46 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament. This decision was ratified by the councils at Hippo (393), Carthage (397, 419), II Nicea (787), Florence (1442), and Trent (1546).
The New Testament never quotes from the Apocrypha
The New Testament never quotes from the Apocrypha and the Jews do not recognize it as the Word of God.
The New Testament does not quote from every single book in the Old Testament (Obadiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Esther), but the Jews DO recognize ALL of the Old Testament as the Word of God.
The Book Of Mormon
So, according to the statements in the Old and New Testament, could the Book of Mormon, for example, be considered part of the Bible?
1) Was written by the Jews
2) Has many authors in agreement
3) Is recognized by the nation of Israel
4) Was never lost
· Was Joseph Smith a biological descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? No.
· Was the Book of Mormon written in Israel or the surrounding neighbors of Israel? No.
· Is the Book of Mormon recognized by the Israelites as the Word of God? No.
· Was all of the Book of Mormon preserved so that none of it was lost? No. One of it’s divine revelations from God, the book of Lehi was lost and never recovered.
· Lost Manuscript of the Book of Mormon
The Textus Receptus / Masoretic Text
It narrows it down to the Textus Receptus and Masoretic Text
English Translations
Unanimous Agreement Among Translators
If the Bible wasn’t translated from the Textus Receptus / Masoretic Text then it is not the REAL Bible.
The Bible that we have in English that was translated from the TR is the King James Version.
King James went through great efforts to guard the 1611 translation from errors. Please note the following:
In 1604, King James announced that 54 Hebrew and Greek scholars had been appointed to translate a new Bible for English speaking people. The number was reduced to 47 by the time the work formally began in 1607.
Rather than working together all at one location, these men were divided into six separate groups, which worked at three separate locations. There were two at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge.
Each group translated a selected portion of Scripture.
Each scholar made his translation of a book and then passed it on to be reviewed by each member of his group.
The whole group then went over the book together.
Once a group had completed a book of the Bible, they sent it to be reviewed by the other five groups.
All objectionable and questionable translating was marked and noted, and then it was returned to the original group for consideration.
A special committee was formed by selecting one leader from each group. This committee worked out all of the remaining differences and produced a finished copy.
This means that the King James Bible had to pass at least FOURTEEN examinations before going to press.
Throughout this process, any learned individuals of the land could be called upon for their judgment, and the churches were kept informed of the progress.
Reasons To Not Revise
https://www.facebook.com/KJBRC
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=842370967921502&set=a.618579933633941
KJBRC President Dr. David L Brown announces the unanimous Board action May 23, 2024
Seven reasons Why the KJBRC Does NOT Support
Yet Another Supposed Revision of the King James Bible!
Ever since the 1770’s people have been calling for a revision of the King James Bible because it is too old, and no one can understand it. According to Margaret Hills (The English Bible in America. 1961 published by the American Bible Society) there have been over 1200 new English Bibles published between 1777 and 1961. Many of these Bible claimed to be a “revision” of the KJB. This claim has been made falsely many, many times. Today a number of Christian leaders and teachers are again saying that the time has come for a real genuine revision. Some of them, no doubt, are genuine and really believe something could be accomplished for the cause of Christ. Some are just trying to escape the concept of an authoritative Bible! I oppose the suggestion of a new KJB revision for several reasons.
Reason One:
There have been so many phony claims of being a KJB revision that any such claim is met with overwhelming suspicion today. This is not the time for any such project. It would not be taken seriously.
Reason Two:
There have been a few previous such projects that were genuine attempts at revision like the King James ll. They have all failed dramatically. There was simply no market for them. They simply did not sell. The liberal crowd did not want anything similar to the KJB and most Bible believers were not looking for anything new. Their KJB was precious to them, they understood it well and Biblical language was precious to them in their daily devotions. The few loud voices calling for a revision were not enough to make a revision successful. There is not a legitimate demand.
Reason Three:
Evangelicalism. fundamentalism, and the independent Baptist movement are all splintered, fractured, and politicized beyond recognition. Any genuine revision would immediately be rejected by the vast majority before it was even looked at. The atmosphere does not exist today to produce a common Bible.
Reason Four:
I do not believe that the qualified people exist today to undertake such a bold project. Our era has valued genuine scholarship very lightly. We have too many self proclaimed scholars and experts. We do not have a group of people with similar qualifications to those of the King James translators. No one is entitled to designate themselves as a scholar.
Reason Five:
I do not believe that the complaints about the King James Bible are legitimate. Some loudly complain that you cannot present the gospel out of the KJB because lost people cannot understand it. Meanwhile, thousands of churches around the English-speaking world are leading people to Christ using a King James Bible every week. Loud voices say that Christians cannot grow in the faith using a KJB because they cannot understand it. Meanwhile, every morning millions of people in the English-speaking world are beginning their days with devotions in the King James Bible. It’s clear doctrines, Biblical English, and beautiful phraseology are dear and precious to them.
Reason Six:
Having a Bible that is easy to understand is not a godly goal. We are never encouraged to such an idea in the Scripture. Spiritual growth comes from diligent 6 study. We need an accurate Bible not an easy one. That is why we have preachers and teachers. The cry that everything must be easy is the cry of our day but it is the opposite of spiritual growth. Much of the Bible is “meat” and requires diligent study. We must have a Bible that is the words that God gave accurately translated into English. Growing believers must be willing to study and learn if they wish to grow. Everyday millions of people in the English-speaking world prove that that can be done with the King James Bible.
Reason Seven:
As always, most of the people calling for a revision do not really want one. They want an atmosphere that is not bound by one Bible that is the sole authority. They want a flexible authority. They want human authority to be the final authority. In summary bus kids do not have trouble with the King James Bible, seminary professors sometimes do.
· Giants
· Understanding The Bible.doc
· Interpreting the Bible.docx
· Important Events In The Bible.doc
· Idioms In The Bible.doc
The next article should be: Understanding God’s Word