It has been written
A Collection of Apologetics
History of The Writings
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
In this section:
Timing and Authors of The Writings
The Accuracy of The Biblical Timeline
"Can We Trust The Bible? (Debunking the 7 Myths That Deny Biblical Truth Series)" 15:38
All of this information is out there at your finger tips, and there is a lot of it. As I recommend to all searchers of the truth, pick a topic that you are particularly interested in, and dig deep on that topic, rather than just scratching the surface on many topics, and never really being convinced of anything. Go the extra mile. When you feel empirically convinced of your findings, then you can move on to another topic.
The Bible is an amazing, and impossible to fake book, but you have to go see for yourself why that is. Everyone has heard something about the Bible, and because of that, many pass judgement on it, even though they have never read it. It is unlikely that they would ever argue with you about the meaning of some novel they have never read, but because they know this book means answering to a higher power, they will be far more willing to argue about this one.
If one does actually read the Bible, and comes to faith that it is the word of God, then the meaning of what you read can change who you are, but your memory of those words will fade. The meaning and effect it has on you will remain much longer than the verse itself, until you are pulled away by inevitable distractions and time. For this reason, it is equally important to remain in the Word of God frequently, so that your obedience is always coupled with true desire, this is due to faith and fresh knowledge from frequent study. But first, in order to have faith in the words of any book and receive its messages with an open heart and mind, it's a very good idea to determine its credibility by finding out who wrote it, and where it came from. This is why we are told to study the word in 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV.
"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Before we delve into the when and where questions of the Bible, I wanted to start with 2 of the most incredible things I have come across that prove beyond any doubt that the Bible is indeed God's word.
Some things can be faked, or copied, others are darn right impossible to pull off unless you are the creator of all things, and operate outside of time. These two following examples just can not be debunked, and will absolutely blow your mind. The first has been done over the span of many generations with names of the lineage from Adam to Noah and even up to Jesus. If you know how the language of Hebrew works, you know that the meanings can't be changed as the name is visually descriptive in font type as well as directly related to words with meaning. The names of this lineage over the span of hundreds and hundreds of years have a Prophetic message that is just amazing and a must see.
This is a link of the detailed work and great website of the maker of this video.
Ivan Panin's Math
"Names Bible Code: Adam To Jesus" 4:01
This second example is even more impossible to explain without God, and it also happens to be from the genealogy of Jesus. It's pretty amazing that the places where these were found come from genealogies of mankind and not just a story. Just consider how amazing that is.
Russian immigrant and Harvard Grad Dr. Ivan Panin's "thing" was math. He has a very interesting story you can look up on wikipedia. He did spend a lifetime studying math, and was a literary critic. His interests supposedly started when he noticed the peculiar meaning of John 1:1. If he had been reading the "J.W. New World Translation of Scriptures" (which was started around that time), this would have been missed entirely, and this amazing discovery wouldn't have been found by him.
After realizing the implications of that verse, he thought if the Bible was truly inspired by God, then it would have the grand designers mathematical "fingerprint" in it, as all intelligent design does. He found far more than he bargained for. As for myself, this is one of the most compelling evidences that the Bible was indeed inspired by God. I am so very grateful for this, I would never have sought a math code out, but math is a very factual unbiased representative of undeniable patterns. When that is combined with accidental probability it is a major factor that requires our attention, and consideration.
"The Genealogy of Matthew 1:1-17
Chuck Missler on Dr. Ivan Panin" 11:35
If you are a person like myself, you will need to see the math yourself on all that. The next links are first a checklist of rules of seven's that it follows. If you'd like to do the math yourself the other links are two sites where the math is explained and shown with the original Greek, which can also be easily found elsewhere to check it.
The checklist on found Biblical math patterns in this link.
https://www.moh.org/files/290570/amathematicalchallenge.pdf
Much more about many other math codes found in the Bible
https://tngchristians.ca/downloads/panin.pdf
The Bible was written by about 40 writers over the span of around 2000 years or more, on 3 different continents. The Bible covers a complicated history of many civilizations, over huge spans of time, and yet it has one unified message: God is lovingly redeeming all who believe in the one who has come in his name, not to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them.
These following charts explain who wrote what, when it was written. Reading each book presented, you will find that they have been time stamped in various ways. This is usually done by referring to what city it was in, and who was in power at the time. They also often give family lineage, which also helps track down the timing of the events that took place. All of these things combined help archeologists know where to dig, as they search for remains of the stories, hoping to date the site with found coins, or known designs of artifacts from time periods, or kingdoms.
Technically, the next chart should say 70 books of the Bible due to the fact that Psalms is actually 5 books in total.
That makes a lot more sense and indicates it's completion, when you know God's "seven" style of things.
This chart was made by Jack Langford. A list of verses regarding this have also been compiled by him to show how this applied during each dispensation. This link will take you to them.
The following chart is a timeline made to include how God dealt with mankind, beginning with Adam and his family, then to Abraham, down through Israel's history of temples, Judges, and Prophets. After that it includes the lull of time known as Daniel' sixty-nine weeks from chapter nine, "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."
After the sixty-nine weeks is finished, this is when The Messiah is "Cut off", and his holy spirit is given to us at Pentecost, fulfilling the last feast, of the four spring feasts, leaving only the three fall feasts left to be fulfilled, which begins with The Feast of Trumpets. The timeline continues with duration of Israel's punishment listed in Ezekiel four, for their iniquities, and multiplied by a factor of seven from Leviticus twenty-six as shown in the Prophecy section. This date land's directly on the year 1948, which is when Israel regained it's status as a state. We know from Matthew twenty-four, that the generation that sees this happen will be the last, including all the events of the final week of years.
Each one of these events was prophesied to happen with remarkable details, and exact time spans. These are only a small portion of the various prophecies given to us by God before they happened. He told us these things, so that when they happened, we might believe. We can look back at this timeline and see that all throughout time, the Bible has been correct and accurate, because we can verify that these things were indeed written long before they happened. Prophecies like the Jews being freed of captivity and the rebuilding of the temple long before it even was destroyed. (See the prophecy section)
We are told by Jesus himself, that the generation that sees Israel put forth its branches will be the last. We may not know whether a generation is seventy to eighty years, or if it is one hundred years. However, when we consider that God says, when the things of Matthew Twenty-four and Luke twenty-one begin to happen, to look up, for your redemption draws near. Then there is also the massive Revelation twelve sign that just occurred in September of 2017, (Hebrew year 5777) on the exact days of the very next feast in line, The Feast of Trumpets. Maybe we should be paying attention? Then one year later, on Israeli's seventieth year anniversary Jerusalem was inhabited in her own place, and recognized as the capital by the United States, and several other countries. There are more details on all these subjects in the prophecy section. As for now, ponder this timeline and realize that most of the events on this timeline were said to happen before they did, and with extreme accuracy. The Bible is something supernaturally influenced, and more special than any other book ever written.
The Amazing Bible Timeline
This really is the Amazing Bible Timeline. I am amazed at how much time and effort that went into making a thing like this. The dates have been extremely carefully considered. I am personally very grateful to God for resources like this. Going back and forth between reading the Bible, with a visual concept of time, really helps you remember the Old Testament.
You can buy them here at their website.
A warning to anyone who adds to, or removes
the words of the Bible.
The Apostle John wrote the last book of the Bible around 90A.D. There are very important words to consider as a warning for anyone who would take from, or add to the Scriptures from that point on. That includes all versions that have changed the established meaning of any verse, of the Bible. Whether it be it Jehovah's witnesses, Mormon's, Catholics, Muslim's, or any other group who have come along and altered any of the texts past that year 90A.D. There will be no amendments and that has been made very clear. If you follow Christ you are Christian, and you don't remove his divinity, His purpose, or His Place as the Son of God. The only person you pray to, and the only way to salvation through faith in him alone, it is not by works. It is a gift that cannot be earned. If you don't agree with that, then you are following someone else.
REVELATION
Twenty-two : Eighteen - Twenty-one
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
I Am Coming Quickly
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Ethiopian Bible (Why so different?) 15:17
"Where did the Bible come from?", is usually the first question most people have, then come all the rest like "Who decided those were the books that go into it? How would we know if it was God who inspired it, or if it was just man's idea? Why wasn't "This book" or "That book" included? Were any books ever taken out?
Those are all the most common questions asked prior to reading it, and yes reading it and studying it would definitely answer a lot of them, but these are the tough questions that get asked often, and don't exactly get answered quickly. Fortunately, we live in a time where we have access to a lot of amazing research, and very comprehensive studies as well as some amazing literary evidence all along the way. Even still, the biggest question that arises when studying the these writings put to paper by the hands of men is, "How do we know God had anything to do with it?" If God created all things, including the entire universe, physics, and time itself, then he should be able to know the future since he is outside of physics and time. This is why the Bible is full of 100% accurate prophecy, as can be seen in the prophecy section. As for this section, we will be focusing primarily on the writings themselves.
The Biblical Canon
As much fun as that sounds to play with, it's not the mother of all canons. This is derived from the Greek word Kanon which essentially means, "Measurement". A Canonical book is one that measures up to the standard of Holy Scripture. Thereby, the Canon of Scripture refers to the books that are considered the authoritative Word of God.
What are the criteria for "Canon", and who decided that?
There was never a 10 commandment scenario where God carved the whole Bible out of a mountain, and handed it to man. 6 rules developed over time by those appointed, and led by God to establish the complete Bible. That by itself is a tough pill to swallow. However, the Bible didn't just get written one day. It is a series of books written by those who were there, about the unfolding history and story of the Jews from Adam to Jesus and carried forward by Paul. The Bible was written by more than 40 authors over the span of 1500 years, on 3 different continents. It covers a complicated history of many civilizations, over huge spans of time, and yet it has one perfectly unified message. In addition to that, if you take a look below at the rules followed for the collection of books that make up the Bible, you can see that they are definitely extremely good, and impossible rules to abide by unless it's the real deal.
The Canonical Rules
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Written by a recognized prophet, or apostle.
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Written by those associated with a recognized prophet, or apostle.
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Truthfulness of the writing.
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Faithfulness to previously accepted canonical writings (The Old Testament).
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Confirmed by Christ, prophet, or apostle.
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History of Church Usage and Recognition.
For a detailed explanation of each rule visit this link:
https://www.reviveourhearts.com/blog/how-were-the-books-of-the-bible-chosen/
Who decided what books made up the Old Testament?
To learn the story behind that, visit the link below, and read the amazing article put together
that explains how it all unfolded throughout time.
https://www.biblica.com/resources/bible-faqs/how-were-the-books-of-the-bible-chosen/
The Ancient Church Fathers
Written in the Bible we have the entire history of Israel, we have the prophecies that say how to identify the Messiah. We know according to the scriptures, that he will be killed, in what way, when that will happen, the family line he will come from, etc. But... Then what happened? What happened right after Christ's ministry, or after Paul's ministry?
First things first, I would be doing a disservice not to introduce Mr. Ken Johnson. There are several sources throughout time on these matters, but Mr.Johnson is a man who has made numerous books available to the public in modern times. Books like, The Ancient Book of Enoch, Jubilees, Jasher, The Dead Sea Scrolls, and the list keeps going. If there ever was a man who can tell you a thing or two about what has been written, it's him.
His books are available on Audible, Kindle and can also be purchased on Amazon. I am personally very grateful for his efforts through Christ, for what he has done making these writings so available to the public. If you are interested in knowing more about the literature around the Bible, I cannot think of a better place to start, than with what Mr. Ken Johnson, has spent a lot of time researching and making available to us.
Ken Johnson's Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNfF5IREQ_9hiRm47UX0E5g
Ken Johnson's Website:
Who were the Ancient Church Fathers 15:55
In the video Ken describes the basic ways the apostles of Christ handed off their duties to their disciples, and churches. After watching the video on just the basics, it is easy to see how crucial this time was. How dire the responsibilities were for these people to carry on the torch of what Christ accomplished with his life, and even more importantly, what he conquered with his death, when he used his life as the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, and gave us the holy spirit at Pentecost.
Below is a chart of that process from the video, and from Ken's book titled, The Ancient Church Fathers: What the Disciples of the Apostles taught. It is only one little chart, albeit as we all know, a lot can happen given 2000 years of time. So what did all the first church fathers originally teach, If they all taught the same thing? Why are there so many different denominations? Probably for the very reason, Christ made it a point to include the words found in Philippians Two:
"Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
There is one church in particular, that certainly did not do that. Rather, they robbed, murdered, raped, tortured, and have continued to distort what the Bible actually says, even to this day. All "In the name of God" as they say, or even as they claim to stand in the very place of Jesus himself. There is plenty more on that group, found in the Evil in Power section.
The Original Languages
(Derived in part from the Thomas Nelson KJV 400th Anniversary Bible set)
The Bible was written by more than 40 people from all walks of life across a period of several centuries in the languages of Hebrew and Aramaic (Old Testament, 39 books), and Greek (New Testament, 27 books). With the changing of nations and cultures across the centuries, these original writings have been translated into many languages to make the Bible available in different places of the world. Just as God inspired people and prophets to write his Word, he also has preserved the Bible by using his people to preserve it through out the generations.
Hebrew
The Hebrew Bible has come down to us through the scrupulous care of ancient scribes who copied the original text in successive generations. By the sixth century A.D., the scribes had been succeeded by a group known as the Masoretes, who continued to preserve the sacred Scriptures for another five hundred years in a standardized form known as the Masoretic Text. Babylonia, Palestine, and Tiberias were the main centers of Masoretic activity; but by the tenth century A.D. the Masoretes of Tiberias, led by the family of ben Asher, gained the ascendancy. Through subsequent editions, the ben Asher text became, in the twelfth century, the only recognized form of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Daniel Bomberg printed the first Rabbinic Bible in 1516-1517; that work was followed in 1524-1525 by at second edition prepared by Jacob ben Chayyim and also published by Bomberg. The text of ben Chayyim was adopted in most subsequent Hebrew Bibles, including those used by the King James Version translators.
Greek
Oldest Complete Greek Bible
http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/
The oldest Bible translation in the world was made in Alexandria, Egypt, where the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek for the benefit of the Greek—speaking Jews of that city. A Jewish community had existed in Alexandria almost from its foundation by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. In two or three generations this community had forgotten its native Palestinian language. These Jews realized they needed the Hebrew Scriptures rendered into the only language they knew, Greek. The first section of the Hebrew Bible to be translated into Greek was the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament, sometime before 200 B.C. other parts were translated during the next century.
This version is commonly called the Septuagint, from septuaginta, the Latin word for 70 (LXX). This name was selected because of a tradition that the Pentateuch was translated by 70 elders of Israel who were brought to Alexandria especially for this purpose.
Only a few fragments of this version survive from the period before Christ. Most copies of the‘ Greek Old Testament belong to the Christian era and were made by Christians. The John Rylands University Library in Manchester, England, owns a fragment of Deuteronomy in Greek from the second century B.C. Another fragment of the same book in Greek dating from about the same time exists in Cairo. Other fragments of the Septuagint have been identified among the texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947.
When Christianity penetrated the world of the Greek-speaking Jews, and then the Gentiles, the Septuagint was the Bible used for preaching the gospel. Most of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are taken from the Greek Bible. The Septuagint thus became the “authorized version" of the early Gentile churches. To this day it is the official version of the Old Testament used in the Greek Orthodox Church. After the books in the New Testament were written and accepted by the early church, they were added to the Septuagint to form the complete Greek version of the Bible.
The Septuagint was based on a Hebrew text much older than most surviving Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament. Occasionally, this Greek Old Testament helps scholars to reconstruct the wording of a passage where it might have been lost or miscopied by scribes as the text was passed down across the centuries.
Aramaic Targums
http://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2016/02/early-syriac-versions-of-gospels.html
The word targum means "translation." After their return from captivity in Babylonia from 500-450 B.C., many Jews spoke Aramaic, a sister language, instead of the pure Hebrew of their ancestors. They found it difficult to follow the reading of the Hebrew Scriptures at worship. So they adopted the practice of providing an oral paraphrase into Aramaic when the Scriptures were read in Hebrew. The person who provided this paraphrase (the Turgeman), was an official in the synagogue. One of the earliest examples of such a paraphrase occurs in Nehemiah 8:8. Because of the work of Ezra, the Pentateuch was officially recognized as the constitution of the Jewish state during the days of the Persian Empire. This constitution was read publicly to the whole community after their return to Jerusalem. The appointed readers, read distinctly (or, with interpretation) from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense and helped them understand the reading. The phrase "with interpretation” appears as a marginal reading in several modern versions (for example, the RSV), but it probably indicates exactly what happened. The Hebrew text was read, followed by an oral paraphrase in Aramaic so everyone would be sure to understand.
This practice continued as a standard in the Jewish synagogue for a long time. The targum, or paraphrase of the Hebrew, was not read from a written document, lest some of the congregation might think the authoritative law was being read. Some religious leaders apparently held that the targum should not be written down, even for use outside of the synagogue. In time, all objections to a written targum disappeared. A number of such paraphrases began to be used. Official Jewish recognition was given to two in particular - the Targum of Onkelos on the Pentateuch, and the Targum of Jonathan on the Prophets. Some were far from being word-for-word translations. As expanded paraphrases, they included interpretations and comments on the biblical text. Some New Testament writers indicate knowledge of targumic interpretation in their quotations from the Old Testament. For example, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30) is a quotation from Deuteronomy 32:35; but it conforms neither to the Hebrew text nor to the Greek text of the Septuagint. This particular phrase comes from the Targum. Again, the words of Ephesians 4:8, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men," are taken from Psalm 68:18. But the Hebrew and Septuagint texts speak of the receiving of gifts. Only the Targum on this, text mentions the giving of gifts.
Latin
http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=226
The need for a Latin Bible first arose during the second century A.D., when Latin began to replace Greek as the dominant language of the Roman Empire. The first Old Testament sections of the Latin Bible were considered unreliable, since they were actually a translation of a translation. They were based on the Septuagint, which, in turn, was a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek. Since the New Testament was written originally in Greek, it was translated directly into the Latin language. Several competing New Testament translations were in use throughout the Latin—speaking world as early as about A.D. 250.
The task of producing one standard Latin Bible to replace these competing translations was entrusted by Damasus, Bishop of Rome (366-384), to his secretary, Jerome. He began with a revision of the Gospels, followed by the Psalms. After completing the New Testament, Jerome mastered the Hebrew language in order to translate the Old Testament into Latin. He completed his work in A.D. 405, and it has come to be known as the Latin Vulgate.
The best surviving manuscript of the Latin Vulgate, the Codex Amiatinus, is now in the Laurentian Library in ‘Florence, Italy. Written in a monastery in Northumbria, England, it was presented to Pope Gregory II in 716.
The King James version having been made from the most optimum of texts, begs the question, "What were those texts, and where did they come from?" Even after that, through all of the ages, generations, and translations, how do we know the text is unchanged? The main component used for comparison and cross examination for the KJV is called the:
The Textus Receptus is the text that has been used for only about 2,000 years by Christians. However, this is also the text that agrees with more than 95% of the Bible Manuscripts in Koine (common) Greek. It is known by other names, such as the Traditional Text, Majority Text, Byzantine Text, or Syrian Text.
In his essay, "Texual Criticism" Dr. Thomas Cassidy writes: "The Traditional text of the New Testament has existed from the time of Christ right down to the present. It has had many different names down through the years, such as Byzantine Text, Eastern Text, Received Text, Textus Receptus, Majority Text, and others. Although no complete Bible manuscripts have survived which would allow us to date the Traditional text to the first century, there is a strong witness to the early existence and use of the Traditional text by the early church in its lectionaries."
A few facts showing the respected historical position of the Textus Receptus are in order. Its prominence and respect did not begin in 1611 with the KJV translators. They merely recognized (as others before them had), that the Textus Receptus was God's preserved word in the original New Testament language.
In other words this came from the most unchanged scripture of its time. It is like the King James version of its day. There are other codexes found and many other languages and versions having been made. Each one of them with their own story as to why it was done for the purpose of nations with various languages understanding it. However, this particular translation into english deserves its honorable mention. Due to its extensive attention to detail, and assurance of using the most accurate and original texts known, by the most qualified interpreters of it's time.
The 1611 King James Bible
One reason you come across "KJV ONLY!" type folks is because of verses like, Ephesians 3:9, or Psalms 12:6-7
KJV Ephesians 3:9
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
NIV Ephesians 3:9
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God,
who created all things.
Consider this example:
KJV Psalms 12:6-7
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.
NIV Psalms 12:6-7
And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
Upon a first glance one would make the assessment, that is down right terrible that Jesus Christ is missing, or they changed the words that say don't change the words! When you sit down and decide to figure out what the cause of this is, the plot thickens. It turns out that in Ephesians 3:9 the name Jesus Christ was not found in the earliest known manuscripts. It would appear as though it was actually added much later. Translational errors do exist in all copies including the KJV. You can scrutinize the scriptures using an interlinear Bible but when it comes to these places of hot debate you will find that not even interlinears agree. Look up Ephesians 3:9 with this interlinear:
https://www.blueletterbible.org/tools/interlinear/tr/eph/3/9/
Now look it up using this interlinear:
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/ephesians/3-9.htm
The reason for this discrepancy is dependent on which texts they are allowing to hold more validity. It will either be the earlier second and fourth century texts known as the Alexandrian text-type (also called the "Neutral Text" tradition; less frequently, the "Minority Text"'), or they will be allowing the Byzantine text-type; also, Koine text-type (also called "Majority Text"') which is from the fifth through the sixteenth centuries.
Dr. Jeff Riddle vs. Dr. James White | Textus Receptus vs. Critical Text DEBATE | Ephesians 3:9 2:12:10
Errors in the King James Version 7:56
Where did the KJV come from?
Let's begin with what Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch said during World War I, in a series of lectures at Cambridge University. He declared that the King James Bible, was "The very greatest" literary achievement in the english language.
King James himself was approached by a group of puritans, just before he took the throne, with a petition signed by 800 clergy who requested reform within the Church of England. This was because they felt the Calvinist commentary along the sides of the Geneva Bible promoted resistance to the King and State. Although making a new translation was not the agenda of the hearing called in 1604, by Dr. John Reynolds, the Puritan president of Corpus Cristi College, Oxford. He did present a strong case for one, King James Stuart stated,..
"I could never yet see a Bible well translated into English; but I think that of all, that of Geneva, is the worst. I wish some special pains were taken for a uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned men in both universities, then reviewed by the Bishops, presented to the Privy Council, lastly ratified by the Royal authority, to be read in the whole Church, and none other."
The Translation Process
When King James announced the decision to undertake a new translation of the Bible, he appointed to the project 54 of the best biblical scholars and linguists of their day. The translation was to be a truly collaborative work. Furthermore, detailed guidelines were set forth for the translation process.
The group of scholars and linguists (numbering 47 by the time the translation had begun) was divided into six committees. Two committees would work at Oxford, two at Cambridge, and two in Westminster, and each committee was assigned books of the Bible to translate. Ten scholars at Westminster were assigned Genesis through 2 Kings; seven had Romans through Jude. At Cambridge, eight worked on 1 Chronicles through the Song of Solomon, while seven others handled the Apocrypha. Oxford employed seven to translate Isaiah through Malachi; eight occupied themselves with the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.
In the preface to the 1611 edition, the translators of the King James Version state that it was not their purpose “To make a new translation, but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones one principle good one.” Their translation effort was based primarily on the 1602 edition of the Bishops’ Bible, but the translators also used the Tyndale, Matthew, Coverdale, Great, Geneva, and Douay Bibles. The scholars were proficient in Hebrew and Greek and used the Masoretic text of the Complutensian Polyglot (1514-1517) for the Old Testament. For the New Testament they used the Textus Receptus published by Stephanus and Beza from 1550 onward.
The scholars readily appreciated the intrinsic beauty of divine revelation. The reason the King James Version is so rich in the nobility of its language is that the translators were careful to make it so. They disciplined their talents to render finely chosen English words of their time, as well as a graceful, often musical arrangement of language. The text was to be used at church services and read aloud, so the translators would read their versions aloud to one another and rewrite it again and again to achieve the best emphasis of punctuation, and the best rhythm in prose.
However, It too has still been translated from another language with a completely different structure. The translation can never be perfect, because of that. Old english can also be very difficult to follow this day in age. It is my preference as an American English speaking person to read the New King James version, and if anything seems strange, I begin cross checking and even go to the interlinear translation Bible online when needed. You can look at the Greek, or Hebrew and identify the word by color, and find another verse with the same word and compare the two.
The Proto Sinaitic
(Before Phoenician, Before Cuneiform )
As seen in the "Tangible Evidence" section, the videos produced by Tim Mahoney get into the nitty gritty of the details behind the earliest known writing, that goes all the way back to MOSES! What they call the Proto Sinaitic, or first from Sinai. The Patterns of Evidence film, "The Moses Controversy" is the video that covers this topic in detail.
Basically, there is a form of writing known that predates all of the earliest know forms of writing. It's a big deal, but it jostles the foundations of those who have made many comments with supreme arrogance against the credibility of the Bible. The next video shows this script and how we know what we know about the Proto-Siniatic.
"Exploration E010 Serabit el Khadim part 3 - Proto-Sinaitic script" 31:08
Everything else
After the Biblical Canon, we have the "Non-Canonical" Books known as the:
Apocrypha, the Deuterocanonical, or Pseudepigrapha. Here is a list of some of those books as found on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Old_Testament_pseudepigrapha
These books, were considered, but according to those in charge, did not meet the 6 rules of Canon. It certainly does not mean that it's wrong to read these books, but after all that they are not to be considered God's Word. The book of Enoch is a tricky one, and comes with it's own conspiracy, see the "Evil in Power" for more on that. As far as we stand today on books outside of the 66 of the Bible, they are to be considered man's word, and if we trust in the Word of God, as 2 Timothy 3:15-17 states, we need to adhere to the instructions giving by His Word, as we know it to be.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
and that from childhood thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all good works.
"The Bible Is True and Accurate Part 1 of 2 - Chuck Missler" 1:15:47
"The Bible Is True and Accurate Part 2 of 2 - Chuck Missler" 1:11:01
There are 2 videos by Chuck Missler that go into great detail about the history of the Bible explaining their origins, their dates, and the remarkable divinity of its contents, far past what most people are aware of. Both of these videos are just over one hour each, but I assure you that you are about to learn some amazing history.
The Dead Sea Scrolls.
Affirmation From the Caves of Qumran
Even after all of the works carried out painstakingly by the scribes, the Rabbi's, people like Flavius Josephus, and King James, or having the dates documented with the reign of the various kings named at the time of the events, and having the evidence of those events, as well as the existence of those kings verified by pulling coins out of the ground with their names and dates on them, God knew people would still doubt the Bible's divinity and accuracy over time. Even with all of these books, and all the codices available for cross reference, questions would still arise...
It's been 2000 years, how can we really be certain it hasn't changed throughout all the years? The final generation, would inherently be the most doubtful. The Dead Sea Scrolls were delivered to the world coincidentally the same time Israel was declared a nation. In 1947-1956, over 900 "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found in a series of caves. They contained portions and complete texts from all the books of the Bible, except Esther. It also included the Apocrypha, and Enoch.
Except for a few exceptions, these are the earliest known documents we now have. They have been compared against what we have in use today, and they have been deemed unchanged. Even by the skeptics, eagerly waiting to lead the headlines with the findings of major differences, disproving the Bible once and for all, leading to the change in the foundations of our faith as we know it. Alas, no such headline was ever printed.
Visit the digital Library and explore The Dead Sea Scrolls:
"Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls_ Dr. Craig Evans" 26:55
The Dead Sea Scrolls
"Patterns of Evidence"
"The Dead Sea Scrolls - Patterns of Evidence “The Moses Controversy" 4:00
When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, they pushed back the earliest known scripture of the time, all the way back to 200B.C. Obviously this is a very large confirmation that the Bible has not changed over the years, even after all of this time.
The Silver Scroll
"Patterns of Evidence"
"The Silver Scroll Amulet - Patterns of Evidence “The Moses Controversy" 1:15
Going back even farther, 400 years earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls is the "Silver Scroll" that was kept in an amulet. The amulet was worn as a necklace, and the scroll was kept inside of it with an inscription engraved onto it.
This scroll dates back to 600 years before Christ, and it quotes the blessing that Moses gave to the priest from Numbers 6:24-26. Even that, is word for word matching the modern translations of today's Bibles.
Again I would like to encourage you to go to:
https://patternsofevidence.com
and either download, or buy the dvd's for an amazing documentary on the Exodus, Moses, the Red Sea Crossing and more.
History of the Writings
Continues With Part 2
How to get ETERNAL LIFE
according to the Bible
Believe in your heart Jesus is The Lord, and that God raised him from the dead.
Declare it with your mouth, and you will be saved.
If you believe Jesus is your savior, be thankful! We're going home to place where 1 Corinthians 2:9 happens!
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
If you aren't quite sure Jesus is your savior, put your heart out on a limb. Nobody even needs to know you said it, God knows. It doesn't cost you anything, it is very easy, the reward is eternal life, just take a moment to believe,
Jesus is who he said he is.
Even if nothing happened, you are still in the same place you were before. The risk vs. reward here is an easy decision.
John 3: 12-21
If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are worked in God.
Acts 11: 16-18
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
Acts 19:1-5
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
What is the will of The Father?
John 6:39-40
“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”