Constantine saw this symbol in the sky with the words "In This Sign Conquer", which he obviously did. Because of this, Constantine wrote an edict saying all of Rome was now "Christian". Instead of ridding Rome of its Pagan practices however, Constantine, ever the politician, began melding the mystery religions together with Christianity. 

Instead of tearing down the statues of pagan gods and goddesses that had been commonplace amongst the people of Rome for example, Constantine simply renamed some of them after Christian apostles. The statue of the pagan god Mars would be left standing, but the name plate would be changed to Saint Peter. Instead of tearing down the pagan goddess Venus, holding her baby, the statue would now read "Mary and her baby, Jesus".

 

This is one of the reasons some scholars argue that Constantine had no real conversion to Christianity and why we know for a fact, that Rome certainly did not have any real conversion from the mystery schools into Christianity. There was only a melding of the two religions in Rome, not a conversion. 

Constantine had in his company, a scholar named Eusebius. At some point, Eusebius was ordered by Constantine to put together fifty copies of a Christian Bible. Eusebius did not compile his Bibles from the five thousand or so manuscripts that were floating around the Christian churches at that time, or the letters that the apostles wrote.

 

Eusebius compiled his Bibles from all of the religious texts floating around at that time, including those that had been added to and taken away from and those like the gospel of Thomas that contradicted the other gospels. 

There are only two of those fifty manuscripts Eusebius compiled that are still known to be in existence. One of those manuscripts is called the Codex Vaticanus and it resides in the underground vault housed underneath the Vatican. It should come as no surprise to anyone, that no one in the world, save maybe the Pope, is allowed to go down there and actually read it.
 

The other document is called the Codex Sinaiticus. A scholar named Constantine Von Tischendorf is responsible for "rediscovering" the Codex Sinaiticus in the 1800’s. While working in a monastery at Mt. Sinai in Egypt, Tischendorf saw a scroll in a waste basket that monks had thrown away. He opened the scroll and discovered that it was a copy of the New Testament, printed in Greek. Tischendorf further postulated that this scroll must have dated back to around 300 A.D. and therefore it was most likely, one of the fifty manuscripts Eusebius had compiled for Constantine. 

However, when scholars well versed in Latin and Greek began researching copies of the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, their research showed that the two documents disagree with each other, into the thousands of times and major disagreements between them. Even so, these two documents gave birth to what is known as the Latin Vulgate. 

The Latin Vulgate, compiled of the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus, became the official recognized Bible of the Roman Catholic Church in around 680 A.D. and it was the only Bible allowed by the Vatican for over one thousand years. Further, the Popes and the priests and the bishops and cardinals and the like, were the only people allowed to read the Latin Vulgate. Study of the scriptures on ones own time was deemed vulgar by the Vatican.

Even further, for around one thousand years, the priests and elders of the church deemed worthy, would stand in front of the crowd and read this Latin Vulgate, with all of its mistakes, additions and contradictions and almost no one even knew what any of it meant. Not unless you happened to be highly educated and could understand Latin!

 

We must ask then, for the majority of the crowd hearing and seeing this spectacle that did not speak Latin and were not highly educated, was it Biblical and just before the Lord, for only the priests and Vatican elect to study, know and understand the scriptures? Jesus said, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: And what Ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27)

Simon Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

By 1384, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar named John Wycliffe was challenging the Vatican and Papal authority. Wycliffe had seen corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and knew that if the people could read the scriptures for themselves, that they would see for themselves, how some officers of the church were twisting the scriptures and twisting them for their own benefit. So then, Wycliffe decided to translate the Latin Vulgate scriptures, into vernacular English and he created what is now known, as Wycliffe’s Bible. 

Because of this, the Roman Catholic Church did everything they could to destroy Wycliffe and continued to persecute him, even after his death. On May 4, 1415, the Council of Constance declared Wycliffe a heretic and decreed his works be burned. An anti-Wycliffe statute also extended persecution to any of Wycliffe’s followers and any translation of scripture into English, by anyone unlicensed by the church, was to be charged with heresy; a crime punishable by death.

 

Two days after declaring Wycliffe a heretic, the Roman Catholic Church defrocked Jan Hus, a Catholic Priest and Wycliffe follower; charged and convicted him of heresy and burned him at the stake. 

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Wycliffe himself however, was already dead. He died of a stroke the same year that he translated his Bible, in 1384. To give you an idea of how bad the Roman Catholic Church hated Wycliffe, since he was already dead and buried before they could go and do the job themselves; once they declared him a heretic, they dug up his remains and burned what was left, of his decomposing corpse.

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While the Roman Catholic Church was doing everything in its power to hide the Latin Vulgate from its parishioners, there were already hundreds of translations of the original Greek New Testament manuscripts, being translated into various languages. 

We had for example, the Pashita, which was an Aramaic New Testament, being translated from the original Greek. We had the Italic Bible, which was a copy of the original Greek New Testament, being translated into the Italian language.

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We have also Ulfilas of Goth, who in the mid 300’s translated a copy of the original Greek New Testament into his Gothic language. Like Ulfilas of Goth, those people who were responsible for translating the original Greek manuscripts into their own languages, did so because they all wanted their people to have the same Bible, readable in their own languages, unchanged from the original Greek; unchanged from the original letters of the apostles and writings of the Old Testament prophets.

As Christianity spread throughout the world, this process of translating those copies of those original Greek letters and manuscripts into different languages continued, as more and more cultures of people wanted to read the scriptures for themselves, in their own language. The Roman Catholic Church also continued their persecution of those who would do so.

In 1516, Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, or more simply "Erasmus", printed and published the original Greek New Testament and the Latin Vulgate into one book and gave birth to what most scholars of English, history and certainly theology call, the “book that changed the world”.

 

Erasmus’ book, known today as the Textus Receptus, launched the reformation of the Christian church. Joel Lampe, Museum Director for the Phoenix, Arizona Bible Antiquarian Museum says; “Let’s just call Erasmus what he is; the smartest man that ever lived, non-deity factor okay. Jesus of course, is the smartest man that ever lived. Solomon is up there as well, but even today we consider Erasmus the smartest, whether it’s the sciences, theology, philosophy, he was just that smart.” (2013, Framing the World Productions, New World Order Bible Versions the Movie; Steven Anderson)

Lampe continues on the Textus Receptus; “Even as an atheist you acknowledge this is the most important book ever printed. The Renaissance is launched from this. The truth comes from this book. So we see just how imperative this book is, but what it also did was cause an enormity of problems. What do I mean by that? Well, the money stopped flowing to Rome. There was a building under construction. There is a very famous interior designer down there that was hired to decorate it. Of course, I’m talking about the Vatican, Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel. That money stopped flowing. The church started putting bounties on people’s heads, saying you can’t teach this.” (2013, Framing the World Productions, New World Order Bible Versions the Movie; Steven Anderson)

As brilliant as Erasmus was, all he actually did when he published the Textus Receptus was print the original, unaltered Greek New Testament in one column, side by side with the Vatican’s corrupted Latin Vulgate version in another column. Though a simple idea, Erasmus accomplished giving anyone who could read Latin, the opportunity to compare the original Greek to the Latin Vulgate, for themselves.

 

This is why the Textus Receptus changed everything. It showed the Vatican’s corrupted Latin version, had added to, taken away from and even contradicted the original, Greek New Testament scriptures, into the thousands of times. 

This is how the Protestant movement was born. Protestant means “to protest” the Latin Vulgate corrupted version of scriptures. To protest in the days of the start of the Protestant movement however, was nothing like the protests we see today in America. This was no “Occupy Wall-Street” hippie styled sit-in, or "free speech pride zones". To protest the Latin Vulgate corrupted scriptures in those days, meant you and your family could very well incur the wrath, of a bloody and murderous Vatican.

An English scholar and one of the early, key figures of the Protestant reformation, was a man named William Tyndale. Influenced by the work of Erasmus and Martin Luther, another “protestor”, Tyndale drew directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, to translate the first English New Testament in 1534. Before he could finish his translation of the Old Testament, Tyndale was arrested and held under house arrest, for five hundred days.

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On the morning of October 6. 1536, William Tyndale was tied to a stake and burned. He had committed an assault against the Vatican that was unforgiveable and given the death of a heretic. He had wanted people to know the truth. He wanted the scriptures to be free and open to the public. Tyndale’s last words when tied to the stake was reportedly a prayer, in which he begged; “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes”. 

During Tyndale’s incarceration period, his friend Myles Coverdale finished the work that Tyndale was not allowed to finish. Using Tyndale’s translations for the New Testament, Coverdale translated the Old Testament and published the first complete Bible, which included both Old and New Testaments, in the English language. This completed work, is known as the “Coverdale Bible”.

In 1539, William Tyndale’s final prayer asking the Lord to “open the King of England’s eyes” was answered. Most historians believe it was because of a divorce, others say it was because of fear of religious schism in his country. Either way, King Henry VIII finally allowed the scriptures to go free in his country, shortly after Tyndale’s death. 

The King commissioned Myles Coverdale, to produce what is known as the “Great Bible” and he directed the clergy to provide "one book of the Bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."

Coverdale produced the Great Bible by using Tyndale's New Testament, but removed the passages that were objectionable to the Catholic bishops, from his translations of the Old Testament. He also translated the remaining books of the Old Testament, that Tyndale wasn’t able to finish, by using the Latin Vulgate and the German translations of Martin Luther. Coverdale's failure to translate the entire Bible, in the same fashion as Tyndale, using the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, gave way to the "Geneva Bible".

The Geneva Bible is incredibly significant, historically and for several reasons. Leading up to its production, King Henry VIII dies and his son Edward VI, takes the throne. He, like his father, allows the scriptures of the protesters to go free, as well. However, Edward VI dies at a young age, before marrying and having children, that would be heirs to his throne.

Therefore his sister, Queen Mary I of England, takes the throne and becomes, who we infamously know today, as “Bloody Mary”. Queen Mary I did not receive her infamous nickname, because she enjoyed vodka, mixed with tomato juice, of course. She received that “Bloody Mary” moniker because she slaughtered, or ordered the slaughtering, of more than seven thousands of her own people.

She burned entire families at the stake, for the so called crime that some parents were committing, of teaching their children, the Lord’s Prayer in English. She burned entire families alive, parents and children alike, for home-schooling!

 

Bloody Mary reinforced the edict over all the peoples of her rule, that only the Latin Vulgate could be taught and then, only by the Vatican clergy. According to Bloody Mary, it was vulgar for us, mere peasants, to read and understand and know, God’s word. 

During Bloody Mary’s reign of terror, many protestant scholars such as John Calvin, William Whittingham, John Knox, John Fox and Anthony Gilby, among others, fled to Geneva, Switzerland. There, they collaborated together to create the "Geneva Bible".

 

Whittingham was directly responsible for the New Testament, which was complete and published in 1557, while Gilby oversaw the Old Testament.

The first full edition of the Geneva Bible, with a further revised New Testament, appeared in 1560. However, it was not printed in England, until 1575 (New Testament) and 1576 (complete Bible). The very first Bible printed in Scotland, was a Geneva Bible, which was first issued in 1579.

 

In fact, the involvement of Knox and Calvin in the creation of the Geneva Bible, made it especially appealing in Scotland, where a law was passed in 1579, requiring every household of sufficient means to buy a copy.

The Geneva Bible was also called the “family Bible" by many because it was in fact, the first study Bible intended for the entire family. The Geneva Bible was the first Bible to divide the text into verses so that one could cross examine one portion of Bible with another, with better ease, in a family setting. This “family Bible" or Geneva Bible is the Bible of the protestors that came over on the Mayflower and settle Jamestown. 

When Bloody Mary dies, she does so with no children or husband to take her place on the throne, in England. Therefore, her sister Elizabeth becomes Queen and is known, as Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth I now, has a problem. On the one hand, she has the Vatican, who are offended by the Geneva Bible, of the protestors. It has destroyed the confessional booth of the Catholic Church and showed people they can and should have a personal relationship with God. It has destroyed the myth of the Catholic Church, that people need an earthly mediator between them and God, because it showed that Jesus was, and IS that mediator.

On the other hand, Queen Elizabeth also knew that the Great Bible of 1539, which was the only version legally authorized for use by the Vatican, was severely flawed.  She knew that much of the Old Testament and Apocrypha, included in the Great Bible, was translated from the Latin Vulgate, rather than from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Therefore, in an attempt to soothe both Vatican authorities and protestant Christians, Queen Elizabeth I commissions the Bishop’s Bible to be produced.

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The thought was that the Bishop’s Bible would make the protestors happy, because the Geneva Bible would be the central text being used, for reference in the translation, while allowing Catholic Bishops to be the authorities responsible, for completing the actual translating. Given the distrust of the protestants in the Church of England, this Bible never caught on and most protestants continued using their Geneva Bibles.

When Queen Elizabeth I dies, she also has no spouse or children, so her cousin from Scotland takes over the throne of England and is named King James I. When King James I begins his rule in 1603, he steps into a hot-bed of religious turmoil, between the Vatican and their Protestant counterparts. People everywhere are clamoring for a new translation of the Bible, in English; as half of the population is using the "Geneva Bible", while their preachers are using the "Bishop’s Bible". Further, the other half of the population, the Catholics, are using the "Great Bible". 

By 1604, within the first year of King James’ I reign, he commissioned fifty four of the most highly educated and most brilliant scholars of that day. He charged them with finalizing a version of the Christian gospel that could be authorized, with his royal stamp of approval.

 

To his credit, King James also decrees that this new translation of the scriptures, should come from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and also be carefully compared, to all of the previous translations that had been written. 

King James’ group of fifty four scholars again, were men of great intellect and their fields of expertise were vast. There were Hebrew scholars and Greek scholars and Aramaic scholars and English scholars and historians and geographers and they were the best of the best, in their respective professions. 

To give one example of the quality of scholarship of the King James Bible translators, one of the fifty four was a scholar named Lancelot Andrews. Andrews was considered an expert in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldean, Syriac and Arabic. He was known to be especially skilled in the "languages of the orient" and he was affluent, in about twenty modern languages, in total. 

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Professor of Divinity, at Cambridge and Dean of St. Paul's, in London, Dr. John Overall, was considered by some; the most scholarly divine in England.

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There was Dr. Miles Smith, known as "a walking library". He was also a scholar of Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac and Arabic.

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John Boyse, or Bois, at six years of age could reportedly, write Hebrew elegantly. He was the chief lecturer in Greek, at St. John's College, Cambridge. Bishop Andrewes, of Ely, made him a prebend in his church, in 1615. Boyse was one of the most laborious of all the translators.

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Andrews, Overall, Smith and Boyse, along with fifty three others, just as scholarly as they, divided into six different groups. These groups took the Geneva Bible, the Bishops Bible, the Great Bible, the Textus Receptus of Erasmus and the five thousand or so original, Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and from 1604 to 1611, they compared those texts line by line. 

Not only did they evaluate and compare the texts, but they evaluated and compared each other’s translations, carefully checking for any contradictions, or errors. Lancelot Andrews for example, might have been responsible for part of a Greek manuscript for his group, but once his translation was finished, his work would be evaluated by the other five groups.

 

The six groups would then select a leader from each of them and each leader would evaluate all six groups and their work. The eventual goal was to have every, single passage of scripture, evaluated fifteen times and to make sure there were no contradictions, errors or misinterpretations of scripture, in any of what would become their King James Bible.

At the end of it all, the entire fifty four scholars had to reach an agreement that each passage of scripture was translated correctly, into the English language and that the correct interpretation of each and every Hebrew and Greek word to be included, had been translated, with the same meaning into the English language.

 

The entire process that the King James translators undertook, made the King James Bible the most scholarly Greek, most scholarly Hebrew and most scholarly English literary work ever produced and it still is, to this very day.
 

In 1611, the official and authorized English version of scripture was finally completed and King James I put that work, known today as the King James Bible, under his royal patent. That meant the King James Bible from that point on, had a royal copyright under the crown of England and it could not and cannot be changed or altered whatsoever, other than changes in orthography, which is simple lettering.

In fact, in some printings of King James Bibles today, there is still a statement that reads in part; “The English Bible, as left by the translators, has come down to us unaltered in respect to its text, except in the changes of orthography which the whole English language has undergone”. 
 

This means that the 1611, Old English version of the Bible is exactly the same as my standard version of today, save lettering, type face or a printing error. Likewise, that 1611, Old English version is the same as the Geneva Bible and the Textus Receptus of Erasmus, which was the same as the original papyrus scrolls of the prophets and apostles.

 

Through these works we can clearly see that God has kept His promise to us, throughout the centuries and to this day, has preserved His word.

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In the past, I have heard a few people from time to time reject the King James Bible out of hand, BECAUSE it had King James I' name on it. They've said, "King James was a terrible guy. Why would I want his Bible?" It's not his Bible. He put his Royal patent on it, but he didn't write a single page of it. He had the most brilliant scholars of the day, put together the most scholarly work, in the history of mankind, so that he could put an end to religious tension in his kingdom. What kind of man he was and all his sins multiplied together, have nothing to do with the quality of the work he had commissioned. 

Now, fast forwarding to the mid 1800’s; the Vatican, severely wounded by the Protestant movement, decides the Church of England needs a new, fresh updated version of the Bible. The Vatican commissions Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort to comprise their new, revised Bible.

 

Westcott and Hort did not use the five thousand plus manuscripts of the Bible still floating around the church at the time, that were translated from the original Greek. They did not use the thousands of letters and lectionaries that had been written, that all said the same thing, did not contradict one another and followed the original texts. They did not use the Geneva Bible of the Protestants or the Textus Receptus of Erasmus, to produce their translation of the Bible either.

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Westcott and Hort used the Sinaiticus, the Vaticanus and the Alexandrian texts of Egypt to compile their Bible and since the King James Version was under a royal copyright and to no lesser extent, was also significantly different from their version, they had to call their Bible by another name. 

 

So, in 1881 Westcott and Hort published their work, “The New Testament in the Original Greek” and then “The Revised Version” in 1885.

 

In 1952, the Westcott and Hort Bible was changed again and called the “Revised Standard Version”. In 1971, it was changed again and called the “New American Standard Bible”. The NASB gave way to the “New International Version” or NIV in 1973. The NIV gave way to a deceitfully entitled text called the “New King James Version” in 1982 and then the “English Standard Version” in 2002. Then again, in that same year, the Westcott and Hort vine was revised into a bible called “The Message” and finally, two years later in 2004, the “Holman Standard Bible”. 

A man named Dr. Frank Logsdon was asked to be on that 1971 commission, that created the New American Standard Bible. He resigned after protesting, that he could not stay on that committee in good conscience, because he believed they were corrupting the word of God. Dr. Logsdon spent the rest of his life, advocating for the King James Version of the Bible and warning Christians to stay away from other versions. 

Why did Dr. Logsdon feel so strongly about this subject? Why would I spend so much effort and research time on this subject, myself? It is because they did not just take the “thee’s” and the “thou’s” out to make it easier to read. All of the versions of the Bible are not even close to being the same, and those “King James Version only people" are not just nit picking and being divisive in the church, about something that doesn’t matter, or is not that big of a deal.

Let us go back to Ulfilas of Goth, who I mentioned previously was translating a Bible in around 300 A.D. into his Gothic language using the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, instead of using the Vaticanus, Sinaiticus and Alexandrian texts, like Westcott and Hort.

Ephesians 3:14 in the King James Bible says; “for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Ulfilas’ Gothic Bible says; “fraujins unsar Iesuis Xristaus”, which translates into English as “of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

 

Ulfilas’ Bible says the same exact thing as the King James Version. In the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus that phrase is omitted. Therefore the phrase “of our Lord Jesus Christ” in that scripture is omitted from the Westcott and Hort bibles.

1 Corinthians 16:22 in the King James Version states; “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha". Ulfilas’ Gothic Bible says; “frayjun Iesu Xristu” in that passage, which translates to “Lord Jesus Christ” in English. The two versions say the exact same thing. The phrase “Lord Jesus Christ” in this passage is omitted in the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus however, and so the phrase “Lord Jesus Christ” does not appear in the Westcott and Hort texts.

Philippians 4:13 in the King James Version states; “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Ulfilas’ Bible says “Xristau” in this passage of scripture, which translates to “Christ” in English, making his Bible the same as the King James Version once again. The word “Christ” is omitted from this verse in the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus and so for example, in the New International Version, it only says “him”, not “Christ”. 

Luke 4:4 in the King James Version states; “It is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Ulfilas’ Bible says; “Ak Bi All Waurde Guds”, which translates into English as “but by every word of God”. Once again, Ulfilas Bible and the King James Version say the same thing. The phrase, “but by every word of God” is not a part of the Vaticanus or Sinaiticus and therefore, once again, is not included in the Westcott and Hort vine of bibles.

Romans 16:24 in the King James Bible says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen” and in Ulfilas’ bible it says the same thing. This entire verse does not exist in the Vaticanus or Sinaiticus and therefore it does not exist in the Westcott and Hort bibles.

Mark 15:28 in the King James Bible says, “And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, and He was numbered with the transgressors”. This entire verse does not exist in the Vaticanus or Sinaiticus and therefore it does not exist in the Westcott and Hort bibles. Again, it is included in Ulfilas’ Bible. 

Mark 9:29 in the King James Bible says, “And He said unto them, this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting”. Ulfilas’ Bible says, “Bidai Yah Fastubnya” at the end of that verse, which translates into English as “prayer and fasting”. The word “fasting” is omitted in the Vaticanus and Sinaiticus and therefore the NIV for example, says, “This kind can come out only by prayer”. 

This scripture is teaching us about spiritual warfare and how to rid ourselves of devils. This is an extremely important doctrine in scripture and the Westcott and Hort vine of Bibles decided for us that we did not need to know this, for some reason. Does this not strike you as suspicious as to why they would remove “fasting” from their doctrine? It seems to me as if we are getting very far away from only removing the “thee’s and thou’s”, are we not?

Hosea 11:12 in the King James Bible states; “Ephraim compasseth me about with lies and the house of Israel with deceit: but Judah yet ruleth with God and is fruitful with the saints”. In the Westcott and Hort vine of Bibles and again the NIV for example, it says; “Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful and Holy One”. Here, we have a full contradiction between the two Bibles, not just an omission. The King James Bible says Judah ruleth with God and is faithful with the saints. The NIV says Judah is unruly and against God, even against the faithful and Holy One.

Isaiah 7:14 in the KJV says, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel”. In the Revised Standard Version of the Westcott and Hort vine it states; “A young woman will conceive”. What happened to the virgin idea? Are they trying to shy away from the fact that Jesus was born of a virgin? Would the devil try and corrupt the scriptures, slowly and surly over time, to try and make the world doubt the virgin birth of Jesus? You better believe it.

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Matthew 18:3 in the KJV says, “And said, verily I say unto you, except ye be changed and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. The NIV changes Jesus’ own words here to mean something he did not mean when it states that Jesus said; “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. One vine says; “except ye be converted” and another vine says “unless you change”. One vine declares the work of God being done in your life, “being converted”, and the other vine declares the work of man, “you change”. 

How about what is probably the most recognized scripture in all of Christendom, John 3:16? In the King James Bible, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life”. In the Revised Standard Version, John 3:16 says; “His only Son”. In the New International Version it says “His only Son”. In “The Message” it says; “His one and only Son”. It may seem from first glance that the two vines of bibles are stating the same thing in John 3:16 but they are not. This is yet, another contradiction between the two vines of bibles. 

We know from several other scriptures in the Bible that Jesus is not the one and only son of God. There were sons of God who mated with the daughters of men in the Old Testament days of Noah. You and I, as born again believers, are manifest as sons of God. Jesus was the only begotten of the Father, Son of God, not the only son of God. Therefore, John 3:16 in the Westcott and Hort vine; the NIV, the RSV, the Message and the like, contradict several passages of scripture.

Mark 10:24 in the KJV states; “And the disciples were astonished at His words, but Jesus answered them again and saith unto them, children how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God”. For some odd reason and I bet you can figure out why, the Westcott and Hort vine of bibles has omitted the phrase “that trust in riches”, which makes their scriptures say simply; “How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God”.

 

If you grew up in the church or if you have ever spent much time around Christians, at some point you have probably heard the term, “Get thee behind me Satan”. If you have heard that phrase, then you were hearing someone quote Jesus’ words to Satan and that quote comes from the King James Bible vine of scriptures. Luke 4:8 in the KJV says, “And Jesus answered and said unto him; Get thee behind me Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve”. In the Westcott and Hort vine, the phrase “get thee behind me Satan” is omitted. For example, in the NIV it says simply, “Jesus answered, it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” In the New Living Testament it states; Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, you must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.” 

Matthew 18:11 in the King James Bible says, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost”. If you are following along with a New International Version or a New Living Testament or some other Westcott and Hort Bible you will notice that your version mysteriously skips from verse ten to verse twelve. Verse eleven does not exist in your Westcott and Hort, Vaticanus and Sinaiticus vine. 

Neither does Matthew 23:14 exist in that vine, or Mark 9:44, or Mark 11:26. Mark 16:9-20, eleven entire verses about Jesus and His resurrection have been removed from the Westcott and Hort versions. Not only do they remove these important verses of scripture, but many of these Westcott and Hort versions place a line across the page after verse eight and have the following message instead; “The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20”. 

What reliable manuscripts? What ancient witnesses? Are they meaning the most reliable witness, Mark and the book that he wrote? No, they do not mean Mark and they are not referring to the book of scripture that he wrote, because the book Mark wrote has those eleven verses included. They are of course, referring to the Vaticanus and the Sinaiticus and the Latin Vulgate.

Acts 8:37 in the King James Bible has an important passage of scripture for us concerning baptism. It actually gives us the instructions for baptism. To give some context, the Bible tells us of an Ethiopian man who was of great stature in the company of Queen Candace of the Ethiopians. The man, sitting in his chariot, was reading the words of Esaias the prophet to the crowd and the Holy Spirit told the apostle Philip to go listen to the man. When the man had read a portion of the scripture, Philip asked him if he understood what he had just read. The man replied, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” and the man asked Philip to come and sit with him in the chariot.

As the two men were traveling, Philip explained the portion of scripture that the Ethiopian man had read. When Philip was finished, the Ethiopian man asked him who the scripture was talking about and if it were about Philip or some other man? The Bible says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

After hearing all that Philip had to say about Jesus, the two men came to a place where there was water and the Ethiopian man asked Philip what was stopping him from being baptized right then and there? This is where Acts 8:37 explains to us the rules for being baptized, that Philip gave to the Ethiopian man. The verse says, “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then the Ethiopian man commanded the chariot to be stopped and they went down in the water and Philip baptized him. 

In the Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, Latin Vulgate and all of the Westcott and Hort vine of bibles, Acts 8:37 has been removed. In their version the Ethiopian man asks Philip what is keeping him from being baptized and then Philip baptizes him without a profession or proclamation of faith. They removed the scripture that tells us we must first believe in Jesus with all of our hearts! I have no doubts that this is why we see so many churches today, Catholic churches in particular, who baptize babies. 

Luke chapter two tells us of a man named Simeon who prophesies to Joseph and Mary about Jesus, when Jesus is still an infant. After Simeon gives his amazing prophesy about Jesus Luke 2:33 tells us; “And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.” The NIV says, “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” The NLT says, “Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.” The Message Bible says, “Jesus’ father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words.”

Jesus’ father is God. Jesus’ father never was Joseph. There are people out there that want you to believe that Joseph was Jesus’ father and they’ll point to books like the NIV and “The Message” as their proof, but the fact remains that Jesus was born of a virgin. He is the only begotten Son of the Father God, which is in heaven, not Joseph.

As I have stated, I know that many people, pastors included, will call me things like, “a divisive man” and say that I am trying to bring division in the church for writing the things I am writing here. They’ll point to Titus 3:10 in their New Living Testament which says, “If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them”, or their New International Version that says the same thing, or their “New” King James Version which more strongly suggests to “reject a divisive man”. 

Yet, Titus 3:10 in the King James Authorized Bible does not say what those Westcott and Hort vine of bibles say. The KJV version says, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition, reject.” We should warn, instruct and then finally if we must, reject a person if they are a heretic, a person preaching false gospel, not someone who is only seen as divisive.

In fact, was Jesus himself, not divisive? In Luke 12:51 Jesus states plainly; “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.” John 7:43 says concerning Jesus; “So there was a division among the people because of him.”

 

The truth is, we are taught by the Bible in many instances to be divisive and especially when it concerns the words of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The word of God is always going to be divisive and cause division between people. The reason is because it calls for us to come out and be separate from those heretics who teach contrary doctrine to the one we were given by God.

 

We should beware of those heretics too, twisting God’s words. Some of them actually do wish the true gospel simply said to “reject a divisive” man. That is a fantastic way for a false preacher to set himself up above rebuke, so that any man who refutes his preaching can be deemed “divisive” and removed. See, we’re getting into dangerous territory now. We are far removed from simply editing out the “thee’s and thou’s”, so it is better understood in today’s vernacular English.

Another key passage of scripture they have twisted and tampered with is Romans 13. This should take no one by surprise, as this is a critical passage of scripture that teaches us how we are supposed to handle our interactions with government. 

As many of us already know, the closer we get to the time of the anti-Christ, there will be pastors leading their congregations and flocks to slaughter, by preaching false doctrine and against the true liberty that Jesus taught. We know that the anti-Christ will want to put us under his laws when he arrives and he will be able to accomplish that feat with many people, by using those false pastors, to teach complete government submission.

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So, let's look at Romans 13 in the King James Bible, in the entire context and see what it says for ourselves; Romans 13, from verse 1 to 8 says "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."

The Westcott and Hort vine of bibles completely eliminates "higher powers", changing it to "governing authorities", which are not the same thing. For example, in Romans 13:1 the NIV says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”

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Likewise, the NLT says, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.”

Dear reader, those writings in the NIV and NLT are perversions of scripture and not true Biblical doctrine. The King James Version of scripture tells us the truth of what God was trying to teach us, saying; “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”
 

The "powers", as in the laws of the land, wherever we happen to be. For example, in the United States, we have the US Constitution. We have Supreme Courts. We also have state and local laws. God said; "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?" He's saying to you that laws are good and put there for a reason; to be a terror to evil and not to good works. He's telling you not to break the laws of the land. He IS NOT telling you to be subject to every governing authority, including the anti-Christ.

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So, what happens when the rulers aren't subject to their higher powers and have no use for God? Herein lies the problem we have today, in the United States and most countries around the world. 

Again though, there is nothing new under the Sun.

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In Hosea 8:4, God says; “They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.”

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Revelation tells us that there will come a day when the anti-Christ will be given government authority and it also teaches us that the anti-Christ is given that authority by Satan. Revelation 13:2 states; "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."

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This is why Jesus himself taught us the following, when the Pharisees tried to entangle him in this same trap. They went to Jesus and asked him that since he had no regard for any man and preached the true way of God, was it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar? Basically, they tried to get Jesus in trouble by getting him to break the law and not pay his taxes. 

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He saw this coming, of course and he took a penny and looked at it and asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" They answered saying, "Caesar" and Jesus said; "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

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Therein lies the answer. You are subject to the laws of the land and to Caesar, until Caesar decides he's God. Then you are subject to God above Caesar. You are not required to be subject to "government authorities" who violate natural law, or God given rights.