Reflections of the Truth
The importance of God’s Word cannot be overstated. Those of you who regularly receive our newsletter realize how much I cling to that truth—and that the King James Bible alone is the perfectly preserved Word of God.
By coming to our site, it is my hope that you have read The Word of God section, and agree with it. Compromise seems to be the rule of our day, and so it can be difficult to stand for such a profound truth. Even more so, because so many “good”, professing believers, some very educated (by men’s standards), ridicule the King James Bible and cling fast to other “versions” of God’s Word.
We do not speak much on this topic, but it should be a settled matter for each true follower of Christ. The Word of God is our manual, our standard; the rock upon which faith in Christ unto salvation is built.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; John 8:31
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. Psalms 12:6,7
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:2
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. Matthew 7:24,25
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. John 12:48
A recent encounter has again provided conviction concerning this issue. The Lord has graciously and divinely led us to meet another professing Christian couple. Yet as time went on during our initial encounter, serious problems began to surface with their “testimony.” I could clearly see the Lord’s hand in bringing us together, but His reason for doing so started to become uncertain. It was looking more and more like an application of Ephesians 5:11; “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” In general, people hate reproof; where our relationship goes in the future will depend upon the type of soil the seed of God’s Word fell into within them (See Mathew 13:3-8, 18-23).
God’s Word became the critical focus of our first time of meeting together. As with so many who profess Christ, the husband has embraced the New International Bible Version (NIV for short) because it “sounds better.” Yet as he reflected on his understanding of God’s Word, the reasoning he used at times became quite blasphemous.
We are strictly warned not to add to God’s Word, or diminish from it. When we do add or diminish, invariably more lies will quickly follow! God’s Word is so connected, that to alter even one small part of it will often invalidate some other part.
As I listened to the man, I found his reasoning to be typical of the corruption within many of the organized churches of today in general (almost all churches are fallen, but a few upright ones likely remain).
One such reasoning occurred as we were sharing about the Bible’s stand on alcohol. He contended that when Jesus turned water into wine, the wedding guests had been “partying for at least 3 or 4 days, and many were drunk already.” This quote is not word for word, but very close. According to his earthly knowledge, he argued that this is the way Jewish weddings of that day were. Why had this rationale come about? He used it to justify a week during which he had fallen back into drinking! Rather than merely repenting for the failure, he chose to alter God’s Word by making his own additions to it! He also reasoned that the main disciples were fishermen, and fishermen are drunks; he was on a fishing trip when he fell back into drinking, and this reasoning helped relieve his guilt!
Needless to say, there are serious flaws with this reasoning about the wedding;
1) God’s Word does not tell us that the guests were drunk, or that this miracle took place after several days of celebrating.
2) Even if his reasoning about Jewish weddings had some validity, it is an erroneous assumption to say that this particular wedding was carried on that way!
3) Our present understanding of wine is that it is alcoholic. Yet since all wine is really just fruit juice in various stages of decomposition, we have no way of knowing the true alcohol content of the wine at the wedding (see John 2:1-11).
4) The “reasoning” about the nature of this wedding is adding to God’s Word; strictly forbidden in nearly every Bible “version.” See Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5,6, and Revelation 22:18,19.
5) Jesus Christ is the holy Son of God. We know that drunkenness is sin. To suggest, therefore, that Jesus would provide a miracle which approves and contributes to sin, is utter blasphemy! This would violate the teachings about when a kingdom is divided against itself. God would never bring forth sin to glorify His name.
This encounter provoked my curiosity to see what the NIV had to say on this month’s topic of truth. Knowing the nature of the NIV “translation”, and those behind the Bible’s revision, it seemed that much deceit was likely.
Many educated (yet unfaithful) men claim that the NIV is about 95% accurate when compared to the KJV. My own study experience shows this to be plainly false. I believe that there is serious misleading and contradicting in at least 25-30% of it; yet many changes are quite subtle, and hard to view if not read with discernment from the Holy Spirit. I would encourage anyone struggling with the Bible version issue to read the NIV and KJV carefully, side by side. It does not take long to see what the devil has done in attempting to destroy the faith of God’s children.
So in Serving God in Truth, I have printed and listed some 201 scripture passages. Of these, 111 have been significantly altered in meaning. What is a “significant” alteration is my opinion; many more have been unfavorably changed, but I did not include those due to my dislike alone; in other words, I tried to be somewhat reasonable!
With the 90 which remained fairly accurate, 76 were in the New Testament, only 14 in the Old Testament. Why? This I had discovered before; in some matters there is a far greater alteration of the Old Testament. It creates doubt and confusion about God; almost turning Him into two different characters. Overall, is it really a surprise if the untruthful men behind the revision attacked the doctrine of truth in God’s Word? The following verses are meant to show examples of the NIV’s changes close-up. This is only some of what I came across while researching the topic of truth.
Deuteronomy 32:4: As with many verses containing the word “truth,” here the NIV substitutes the word “faithful;” instead of saying “a God of truth,” it gives “a faithful God.” This may sound good, but faithfulness and truth are very different things. The world is filled with individuals who are faithful in relationships, but not truthful. Yes, God is also faithful; but do not take away the truth from any part of God’s Holy Word!
II Kings 20:19:
KJV: Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
NIV: "The word of the LORD you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?"
The first thing you notice is that the NIV drops the verse’s opening, which identifies who is being spoken to; you are left to assume. Also, it claims that Hezekiah “thought” some words. The Bible says he spoke them! How would you know someone’s thoughts, unless they were spoken? And finally, the word security is used to replace truth. These words are not synonymous; having security is not the same as having truth.
Psalms 25:10: The KJV declares that all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. The NIV instead says His ways are loving and faithful. Many times the NIV substitutes “love” for mercy. Mercy tends to reflect the grace that each of us need for salvation; love promotes esteem and intrinsic value. And again, truth has been replaced by the term faithful, which we have already addressed.
Psalms 31:18: This verse shows a subtle change; the KJV reads, “Let their lying lips be silenced.” The KJV is a declaration against all lies and liars, while the NIV is specifying that it is the lying lips of the wicked (verse 17). In other words, by limiting the scope of silencing lies to the wicked, it could be deduced that “good” people are allowed to lie—assumedly for a good reason. This small, one-word change carries big significance in meaning.
Psalms 60:4: The KJV says that a banner has been raised because of the truth. The NIV? The banner was raised to be “unfurled against the bow.” Remember; the new bible versions claim to be God’s Word in updated language! This alteration is not even close to the original.
Proverbs 16:6:
KJV: By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
NIV: Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
Here again, mercy and truth are removed for love and faithfulness. And the ways they don’t line up in meaning, is expressed after this phrase. God’s Word (KJV) says that by mercy and truth iniquity is purged. This is a deep inner cleansing of sinful habits and the sin nature. The NIV says sin is only “atoned for.” This means sins are forgiven, without necessarily any inner change. The verse concludes with, “by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. The NIV changes this reading to “men avoid evil.” To avoid evil implies that men are not evil, while a departure from evil correctly acknowledges mankind’s sinful state, and the need for deliverance. This follows the new age reasoning that we are all loved as God’s children, and not in need of “mercy.” There is an agenda being brought forth!
Isaiah 26:2: The KJV shows that the righteous nation which keeps truth will enter in to the “city” of salvation (verse 1). The NIV says it is those who keep faith. There are many religious faiths in the world, but only one truth. Remember that Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6).
Micah 7:20: Here again is a subtle one-word change, which significantly alters meaning. The KJV says, “Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob.” The NIV says, “You will be true to Jacob.” Being true to someone is not the same as performing truth. How many married couples are true to their union, but untruthful to their spouses? God knows what He is saying!
John 17:19: Jesus says here that He sanctifies Himself, that the disciples might be sanctified through the truth (KJV). The NIV says that Jesus does it so that His disciples may be “truly sanctified.” Here Jesus is actually identifying the way to sanctification—Himself! He begins this thought two verses earlier in John 17:17; “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” Remember that Jesus Christ is identified as the word in John 1:1-14, and the truth in John 14:6.
This altered scripture in the NIV simply denies the truth of our need to come to God through Jesus Christ.
II Corinthians 6:7: This verse is similar in corruption to the last one we reviewed. While the KJV reads “By the word of truth,” the NIV renders, “in truthful speech.” Using the phrase word of truth is a referral to Christ, as we find alluded to in many other parts of scripture. Human intelligence again thought it was improving upon God’s perfect Word by altering this reading—when in fact they were putting a greater separation between our savior and His children!
Galatians 3:1: The NIV here completely drops the word truth. Then it casts doubt upon the way of salvation by this alteration; “Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” Does this mean He wasn’t crucified? Man’s wisdom here is used to question or deny the mission of Christ on earth. It was a deliberate alteration by educated non-believers.
Ephesians 5:9: How does fruit of the Spirit become fruit of the light in the NIV? And what light? This change actually denies the trinity aspect of God, when taken in context with the surrounding verses. Many false religions claim to bring mankind to “the light.”
I Peter 1:22: The KJV here says that we are purified in “obeying the truth through the Spirit.” The NIV drops the word Spirit—which is capitalized, which identifies it as the Holy Spirit of God. This is important, because it shows which truth we need to obey. By removing Spirit, the NIV opens up the Bible to espousing many religions as legitimate.
Revelation 16:7: The NIV changes God’s judgments from righteous, to just. Righteous is a far stronger word than just. The term righteous necessarily implies Holy perfection. Haven’t you ever received a just settlement, but could still find many ways of improving it? Perhaps there was still some favoritism in it?
Also, the NIV claims that an altar spoke! The KJV renders it as, “another out of the altar”—simply implying there were speaking, living beings there.
While studying this topic (truth) and related verses, I found a rather glaring alteration that is quite far-reaching among our doctrines of faith.
In John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7, Jesus is giving His disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit; which He refers to as the Comforter. The NIV changes these referrals to the Counselor. One might reasonably think this change to be acceptable; after all, doesn’t one find comfort in a counselor?
Within the King James Bible, there is only one reference to God as a Counselor. It is the prophecy from Isaiah 9:6; a verse that is easily acknowledged to be a prophecy about Jesus’ coming to earth. Therefore, the title of Counselor belongs to Jesus Christ; NOT the Holy Spirit.
Would Jesus tell His disciples that He must go away, in order to send Himself to them? This makes no sense. Yet from a spiritual deceit standpoint, it has huge implication.
If Jesus was actually promising to send the Counselor, wouldn’t it imply that He (Jesus) is not the Christ? Remember that the Jews as a nation have rejected Jesus as the Messiah—so have many other religions.
There is a “New Age” messiah named Maitreya. He is supposed to be living on earth now, waiting to be revealed. According to this New Age teaching, Jesus is one of twelve “masters of wisdom” that serve Maitreya, the Christ. During his life on earth, Jesus supposedly allowed the spirit of Maitreya (the Christ) to inhabit, and work through him. The NIV substitution of Counselor, in place of Comforter, plays well into the hands of this New Age “faith.” Note: special thanks to Warren Smith for his New Age Movement insights. You will find his books available at EAEC.org.
It also explains why there is so much psychology in the New Age “Christianity” of these last days. Many pastors are merely self-esteem psychologists who try to use the Bible as justification. Jesus’ description in the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6 reads (KJV); “his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,…” While the NIV drops the comma, calling Him Wonderful Counselor! What a promotion of psychology for an unbelieving church (the organized one)!
Hopefully you see how vital it is to cling to the truth; the Lord prophesied of this to us in Romans 1:25 by stating “…they changed the truth of God into a lie…”
NIV Bibles are being graciously delivered throughout the world; in preparation for a new spiritual “unity” which actually denies Christ. Cling on to that real truth, the King James Bible, for it alone will guide you through to eternal life.
Many try to rationalize keeping the NIV over the KJV. They are content with their own current spiritual state, and think the NIV sounds good. The most effective, deceitful lies usually do! I am now likening the NIV to a sterile seed. This, I should explain.
Part of the new world government’s agenda is to control the world population. To this end, crop seed is being genetically modified by sterilization. Seeds will be sold, but they will have a short-term life expectancy; they will only germinate within the span of the growing season they are sold for. After that, it is a dead seed, and more will have to be purchased. Many nations are already suffering the ill effects from this agenda via the genetically altered seed.
The NIV (and all Bible versions but the King James) is much like this sterile seed. Yes, there is some life and potential in it—for it contains the “seed truth” of salvation through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. But the life of that seed will be short, for it resists the nourishment needed to sustain it. Biblically, it is comparable to the seed sown in shallow soil, found in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-23). Also like those sterile seeds, the NIV has altered God’s Word for money. The KJV translation has no profitable copyright, but new Bible “versions” are very lucrative for their creators! They simply need to alter enough words to stake a claim. Does that sound like Spirit-led translation?
Our world is spinning into that deep, final crisis which will culminate with the return of Christ. More than at any other time, we must cling fast to the truth which is found only in God’s Holy Word; the King James Bible. Compromising with this will only hurt us in the long run, and God wants what is best for us. Remember that if you are in need of a KJV and cannot afford one, we will provide one for you upon request, at no cost to you. May the Lord bless you greatly as you contend for the faith (Jude 3).
WARNING: To avoid Satan’s snares and deceptions, return to the pure Word of God; which is the King James Bible. Revised translations are not small word alterations meant to bring clarity! Major doctrinal changes have occurred, which will tend to bring doubt and destroy your faith. To follow these new “versions” of the truth, is to build your spiritual house upon sand, and become as the ones reflected in Matthew 7:21-23. Please use this entire passage, Matthew 7:21-27.
Satan means to deceive you into sincerely following his alternate “truth.” You are really being set up to fall, and serve the antichrist.
Pray and seek God diligently in this matter; for time is short. See also our Word of God section and the section on A Sure Salvation vs. Eternal Security.