KJV: THE SOURCE OF TRUTH

Statement of Faith Series.

The Word of God

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (REV 20:4)

This is an interesting passage of the Bible. It is found in the end of the book of books and it reveals an astounding truth in the midst of the fourth verse;

and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands.

This is in the end of this present world. This is when Jesus Christ returns with the armies in heaven which followed him (Ch19), and prior to the new heaven and the new earth (Ch21).

This is after the beast and the false prophet are taken and cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone and immediately after Satan was taken to be bound for a thousand years.

This is the beginning of that one thousand years of future history when Jesus comes to rule and reign on earth from the City of Peace, so called in its perfect form for the prince of peace has come.

What I am trying to say to you beloved is that during the time of the great tribulation many of the saints of God will be taken and beheaded for their refusal to take the mark of the beast, but this decision is inspired by one significant fact, the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.

Lest you overlook what is being spoken of here I want you to understand that ALL THAT WE KNOW FACTUALLY CONCERNING CHRIST, WE GAIN FROM THE WORD OF GOD.

In that time Christians willing to die for their witness of Christ, WHICH THEY HAVE COME TO KNOW FIRST THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.

The Bible is the source of their testimony.

The Bible is their absolute assurance of the truth and they have ALL committed themselves to THE BIBLE ALONE AS THEIR FINAL AUTHORITY, so much so that they will be willing to be “beheaded for” the truth of Jesus found therein!

There is no conflicting authority in their minds, there are no pretentious Pastors surrounding them telling them which words belong and which words don’t belong in the Bible.

There are no sanctimonious Shepherds telling their congregation they believe the Bible is holy and then taking time out of their sermons to correct it.

No, these Christians are beheaded for their witness of what they believe to be the very words of GOD.

They are emboldened to stand for what they KNOW to be true!

And I find this curious in the light of the one hundred years of attack against the English Bible. Not even the Independent Baptists of the world hold the Bible as perfect anymore.

I thought it was only the vain young and middle aged ministers of IB Churches that had been sold a false bill of Goods, then I sadly discovered to my dismay that even the old ones cant reconcile the Source of Truth with any degree of consistency.

YET, here we have Christians who are willing to beheaded for the witness of a man spoken of in a book so filled with errors, there has needed to be over 450 published attempts to get it right with no end in sight?????

Really????

I think this passage tells me that those who are to be beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, have FOUND the PERFECT SOURCE OF TRUTH not subject to the doubt created by misguided men.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

This Church has a statement of faith that forms a part of its constitution. It is a statement that I sought to ensure was as clear as possible so that those who hold to ideas that are contrary to that which is publicly available as representing the beliefs held by this Church, can feel free to overlook us and move on, or be willing to study the scriptures and accept that what is believed among us is consistent with the word of God.

Now, for that to occur we needed to IDENTIFY that “WORD OF GOD”, not in an obscure general way that does not exist in reality, but in a very practical way that is readily available.

It is therefore naturally the very first point in our statement of faith;

1.THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

We believe in the 66 books of the Holy Bible contained in the Old and New Testaments as the very word of God. Believing that every word is verbally and plenarily inspired by God, and perfectly preserved for English speaking people in the text of the Authorized Version of the Bible (KJV). We hold this book to be our final authority in all matters. The Bible then being the supreme authority by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions are judged.

2 Peter 1:19-21Psalm 12:6-72 Timothy 3:16

I would like you to notice the specific distinction between this first point related to the scriptures and I would like you to compare it directly to an example that might be found in many other churches of many other denominations, which go something like this

A Bible College

I. The Scriptures

All 66 books of the Bible in its original documents are the inspired Word of God, without any errors in their statements. It is the complete revealed Word of God for this age.

More than merely 'becoming' God's Word through an experience, every word of the Bible is definitively the inerrant, infallible, eternal Word of God.

The Bible is to be interpreted in a literal, normal manner.

There is a tremendous distinction between those two statements.

The latter lays claim to a volume that does not exist, not now, NOR HAS EVER EXISTED as a whole in “the original writings”. No matter how good that statement might sound and might placate most people, it is a statement that is false within itself, and can hold NO ONE ACCOUNTABLE TO ANYTHING. You can’t say you believe in something that does NOT presently exist, nor ever has existed as a whole, it could not have because it was written originally over a period of 1500 years. (the ten commandments “originally” in stone)

And we will talk more to that as we go on in this series. In short, never did the original writings ever exist in one bound volume of 66 books, nor do ANY of the “original writings” exist today so that such institutions, churches or pastors can be held directly accountable to.

The former statement of Faith however (Ours), directs the reader to the very book that is in their own hands and lays claim that this book retains the perfect inspiration qualities that all perfect copies have retained throughout history, losing NOTHING in translation. And it thereby holds the church and its pastor directly accountable.

Over the next six weeks I aim to demonstrate why we believe the very source of truth is found in this book, that this KJV of the Bible is the only book in the English language that can rightly claim to be Gods Holy Bible for the English speaking people.

Yes beloved, I will address the arguments that are generally laid against the KJV. I will speak to why they are false arguments and more importantly how they contradict the very words of God itself.

I will show that denying we have a perfect Bible both denies what is plainly written in the Scriptures concerning Gods promise to preserve his words, but also impugns God’s own character and our Lord Jesus Christ who is also called “The Word of God”.

Over the next six weeks that I deal with this subject, though it truly can be so easily dealt with in a single hour of sermon for anyone who believes their Bible and knows the character and nature of Christ, yet because of all the deception out there respecting this issue, I will take the time needed to address it.

Seven sermons are intended, they will deal with.

The Persona of Truth

The Promise of Truth

The Preservation of Truth

The Proclamation of Truth

The Protest of Truth

The Prohibition of Truth

The Permanence of Truth

[I just made note that the issue concerning the preservation of the Bible and the trust we have that it is found even in a translation, could take less than an hour to understand. So I intend to do just that in this first sermon and If you are happy and content with it….you can take the next six weeks off 😊]

BUT, if your desire is to truly understand it, then I’d encourage you to return and rejoice together with us as we truly do celebrate what it is like to hold on to the very SOURCE OF TRUTH.

Introduction

I would like you to imagine for a moment a world where there is no truth.

A world so filled with deception, a world where every man does only that which is right in his own eyes.

Imagine a world where even the greatest institutions of learning, those institutions that are promoted to teach of the very source of truth, instead teach things which are self-contradictory. Imagine a world filled with books where the truth is said to be proclaimed but instead we discover that they are filled with only the vain opinions of men and woman who themselves are guessing at best as to what is true or false.

Imagine what it is like living your life believing you have done you best to follow what truth is, only to come to the realisation that there is no such thing. No absolutes, no right or wrong, no purpose or in-ate reason for life, just a world where the human population has lost its will to live and looks to the end of life with more fondness than they look for tomorrows hope.

Imagine a world where those who are both charged to preach the truth, and are expected to have the sure foundation, the very source of truth in The Book, themselves create doubt in it, and the best they can do is give to you the opinions of men they agree with. That, through the force of their arguments they persuade you to follow them, all the while leaving any absolute notion of Truth in the dust to be trampled under the foot of men.

‌Imagine now a world that has completely lost its mind.

Up is down

Good is bad

Bad is good

Bitter is sweet

Sweet is bitter

A world where boys no longer know if they are boys, and the greatest attribute of women personified in all your entertainments, is to be the men that they hate.

A world where a child is believed to be safer in a home filled with sexual perversion rather than a home where the foundation of civilisation had always prospered.

Imagine a world where small children are killed for the sake of convenience by their own parent.

Imagine a world that cares so little for those who sacrificed to bring the world to prosperity, are themselves sacrificed by the world that believes they have expired their used by date. A world where people desire to be killed because they can no longer walk to the Cinema, or ride a bicycle. A world where doctors do more harm than good.

Beloved, this is the world we are entering all because not one man in ten thousand believes they have the absolute source of truth.

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This is a world that truly believes God has left us with NOTHING, right when we need it the most. This is a world where men who claim to believe the Bible as true, really don’t.

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I see them everywhere today. Pastors who say the believe the Bible, but in practise they deny it. They claim they have the very source of truth, and then choose another authority to correct it. They claim to believe every word of God is pure, then spend ten minutes in a sermon saying why the word they have chosen better fits the passage.

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This is a picture of todays Independent Baptist Churches. Truth in an absolute sense is cast into the streets.

The Persona of Truth

Deuteronomy 32:4

4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Psalm 31:5

5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

Isaiah 65:16

16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

John 14:6

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 15:26

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

In these we see the character, the persona of the Godhead. Truth is associated by him, in fact, TRUTH is personified in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

When Jesus told Pilate he came to bear witness to the truth, Pilate responded with his doubt, “What is truth”, almost questioning the very reality of its existence.

The God of truth is INCONSISTENT with either deliberate deceit or deliberate confusion. Beloved, it is INCONSISTENT with the concept of a plurality of his inspired word, ALL SAYING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

This truly should be 101 in logic, A cannot be both A and B at the same time. You cannot have one perfectly inspired and preserved word while also having ANOTHER conflicting claim to be the same!!!!

Dr Mickey P Carter wrote a book respecting the King James Bible and the simple logic of this is seen in its title, “Things That Are Different Are Not The Same”.

Truth is SINGULAR, not plural for those things that are different. You can have ONE car manufactured by ONE car maker who makes multiple exact copies of the original, but you CANNOT have different car makers making cars that MUST DIFFER BY LAW, and claim they are the same vehicle!

Matt 18:11

11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Deleted in the NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT, Bad News Bible

Jesus tells us the very purpose of his coming in Matthew, but the other books of Matthew delete it. How can something so different remain the same?

Isaiah 14:12

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

How is it that modern versions such as NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT, Bad News Bible give alusions to Jesus Christ being the one who falls from heaven, removing the name Lucifer and replacing it with Day Star, or Morning Star which the SAME so called bibles represent Jesus as?

The Promise of Truth

2 Peter 1:21

21 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.

2 Timothy 3:16–17

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Acts 3:18

18 But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

Ephesians 1:13

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Romans 9:9

9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

Scripture came first by direct inspiration of God, the God of truth.

The promises of Scripture are seen to have been fulfilled by God in everything, that which has NOT YET been fulfilled will be fulfilled.

This is the character of God,

In the old days we use to look at a man and refer to him as “being as good as his word”. That statement is incredibly telling, because the character of a man was measured by those promises that come from his lips.

If he did not do that which he said he would do, you would call him deceitful and not place your trust in him.

If he said one thing today, and then contradicted that tomorrow, and again the next day, you would simply NEVER TRUST HIM AGAIN.

This is EXACTLY what all these CONFLICTING, muttering versions of the Bible have done to the character and nature of God in the eyes of the people, and so the natural response is societies rejection of God as the source of truth.

His promises, in their eyes, are not worth the paper it is written on.

EVERYTIME A PASTOR CORRECTS or changes a single word in the Bible, he impugns the promises of God and make them of none effect and hardly worth having any hope in.

The Preservation of Truth

Psalm 12:6–7

6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Matthew 24:35

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Everything here builds on one another.

If God is the God of Truth, if that is his persona, and if the promises of truth are given in the Bible, and his promise to preserve his words are one such promise, then ANY FAILURE to fulfill that promise denies this confidence.

And notice it is the WORDS that are promised to be preserved, not the “MESSAGE” as those who excuse the polyglot of translations assume. If you change the WORDS you change the message, it is that simple.

I cant tell you how many sermons I have heard respecting

Acts 17:22

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

When modern translations such as NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT, Bad News Bible, and even the NKJV alter the words to “Very religious”.

Guess what happens with the “Message”? the sermons change.

Now, that does not mean that a preacher cant preach a different message on the same verse, but if that message contradicts what is said, he is held to account by God. Yet here it’s the words themselves that are changed and so naturally the message changes.

Isaiah 40:8

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

They keep telling us that “no important doctrines have been affected by the changes”, beloved, the very DOCTRINE of the preservation of God’s words is denied by the changes.

I will show you that God cares little for the so-called originals that so many faith statements alude to. I will show you that Jesus never spoke of the ORIGINALS when he charged men to belive the scriptures.

I will show you how GOD has dealt with his words when men destroyed THE ORIGINALS and why there is no problem with copies.

The Proclamation of Truth

To a person (Abraham)

Genesis 12:1–3

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

To a nation (Hebrews)

Ezekiel 3:4–7

4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. 5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; 6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. 7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

To a world (Greek etc)

Acts 21:37–40

37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? 38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? 39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. 40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

We are also going to look at how God has worked historically through the years to communicate his words to those he desire to reach.

I will demonstrate that God has NO PROBLEM WITH TRANSLATIONS, in fact, the reality that we have the Bible “Originally” penned in more than one language, with both Jesus and the apostles quoting one passage from the Hebrew in Greek, confesses to us that God has no problem supervising the transfer of his words into another language.

Translation examples:

Acts 22

Mark 15:34

34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Mark 5:41

41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

Genesis 42:23

23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

The Protest of Truth

Genesis 2:16–17

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 3:1–6

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

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

Doubt in the words of God was created from the beginning.

It was the very first time we see Satan speak and that is significant.

The effects of creating such doubt was the VERY FALL OF MAN KIND, the continuation of the creation of doubt in his words has led us to today.

I WANT TO MAKE THIS UBUNDANTLY CLEAR

Every Pastor who has ever created doubt on a single word in the Bible has repeated Satan’s lie and is THE VERY CAUSE OF TODAYS mess. This INCLUDES ALL THE BIBLE COLLEGES, none of which have a precedent in the Bible to even exist!

There is lucky to be a single Bible college in Australia, that is not directly linked to a church coming under the direct authority of the pastor of that Church, that is not a devils tool training preachers on how best to create doubt in Gods words to all who will hear!

People are LOST because they can find NO place of assurance. No absolute rest for their souls.

Men and women are DEPRESSED because those who can think, have read all the books of men who contradict themselves and the Bible, and have lost hope that there is any absolute.

2 Corinthians 2:17

17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

Paul makes it clear that even in his own days their wre many which corrupt the word of God. And we will look at the men who changed Gods word and fostered in the greatest, and predicted, confusion in Christiality.

QUOTE from 1832

“If alterations of the received version once commence, where will they end?...The reception of the ‘authorized version of the Bible,’ by the whole Christian community wherever the English language is spoken, is a blessing the value of which cannot be estimated, and the loss of which would be one of the heaviest curses which could befall the Church of Christ…If one substitution may be made, another may be; and the Bible, by this impious transmutation, become, after a few successive changes, the book of man, and not the Book of God…If to the curse pronounced on him who should remove his neighbor’s landmarks, all the people were required to say Amen, what shall be said of them who would remove the landmarks of the faith, and turn aside the wanderer from the path that leads to heaven!” (Banner of the Church, Stimpson & Clapp, 1832 Vol2, Issue 7, Pg 99)

The Prohibition of Truth

Job 21:14

14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

Isaiah 30:10

10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

Now this is where we are today!

People have rejected the Bible, and few churches there exist anymore who simply trust in its words.

Revelation 3:7–8

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Are we that Church? Time will tell beloved.

The Permanence of Truth

Zechariah 1:5–6

5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? 6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

The words of God endured even though man did not.

Well after men expire on this earth, yes even those men who deny his words, his words will remain and have their promised effect.

Matthew 24:35

35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mark 13:31

31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 21:33

33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

It’s as if Jesus needed to repeat himself precisely. In one of the rarest, if not the ONLY, perfectly repeated verse in more than one Gospel account, Jesus assures us that the truth stands and will always stand, EVEN IF HEAVEN AND EARTH pass away.