When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said to the Jews:
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:29 – 34, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice all three persons of the Godhead are mentioned in these few verses of Scripture:
1. God the Father who sent John the Baptist to baptize with water.
2. The Lamb of God who is Jesus Christ the Son of God.
3. The Holy Spirit, like a dove, descended upon Jesus and remained on Him.
The two creatures singled out are the Lamb and the Dove. God gives us a picture of the nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus has the nature of the Lamb and the Holy Spirit has the nature of the Dove. In a certain sense God also gives a picture of what He wants us to be like.
The Lamb’s nature which is the nature of Jesus speaks of purity, meekness and a life laid down in sacrifice. The Dove’s nature which is the nature of the Holy Spirit speaks of purity, gentleness, timidity and holiness. I believe that is how God presented Himself in the Gospel according to John.
The Nature of the Lamb in Jesus
God told John when he saw the dove descending upon Jesus and remaining on Him He is the Messiah. The Messiah came in the likeness of a lamb and not some other fearful creature like a tiger, a lion, wild dog or any other wild beast.
It is important for us to note that the Holy Spirit in the likeness of a dove remained on Jesus throughout His ministries. Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit has the nature of the dove. Jesus never did anything to scare the dove away.
The Nature of the Lamb in Christians
Christians who desire to be like Jesus must cultivate the nature of the Lamb. We must be baptized in the Holy Spirit to order to receive power to fulfill the Great Commission (Act 1:8). But, the dove nature of the Holy Spirit will never descend upon you because of what you are, who you are and what you do. But, when He sees the nature of the lamb brought out in you through Jesus Christ, He is willing to settle on you. If you want the anointing of the Holy Spirit you need to have the dove remain upon you, as you continue to walk in the nature of the lamb.
Many Christians are praying for supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in their ministries. But power is not the real issue. The issue is the nature of the lamb. Many ministers of the Gospel failed to do God’s will because they do not maintain the nature of the lamb.
The Nature of the Wild Beast
In the Book of Revelation two major animals are mentioned – the Lamb and the Beast. In fact, the Book of Revelation describes the war between these two animals. The Lamb is mentioned 29 times in the New King James Translation and the Beast 38 times. The Beast is the antichrist.
According to Revelation 5 only one person is worthy to open Scroll. This person is the slain Lamb. John heard the voice of many angels around the throne of God saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12)!
According to Revelation 14, the 144,000 with the Father’s name written on their foreheads, follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). These are God’s people with the nature of the Lamb and “in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Rev. 14:5). The Beast and the false prophet with the nature of the beast are finally defeated by the Lamb and “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). The New Jerusalem is built for those with the nature of the Lamb:
“Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14).
There are two natures, and only two natures. If a believer does not have the nature of the Lamb then, he has the nature of the Beast! Christians have to determine which nature will control them. The spirit of the beast is actively at work to take control of humanity. We have never seen so much violence and hatred as we see in the world today. If we do not cultivate the nature of the lamb we will come under the power of the wide beast.
The natural man’s fallen nature is the nature of the wild beast. There is a pressure or natural tendency in the natural man to take control, to rule and to dominate. This natural desire is put in the natural man by the creator. He commanded Adam and Eve to rule and dominate the earth. But through Adam’s sin and fall, the original direction from God has been corrupted. Therefore, now the natural man wants to dominate others. He wants to control and to rule over others. Look at the history of world with one war after another. The motive of each war is to dominate and to control others. The spirit of the wild beast is fully responsible for this.
The spirit of the beast is also at work in the business world. It is common for a large business corporation to take over other smaller corporations. They call this taking over as a “merger”.
Nature of Wild Beast at work in the Church
When the spirit of world comes into the Church, the elders of the Church act the same way of as the people in business organizations. The main aim is to take over. Christians are talking about great ministries, expanding the existing ministries, about power and forming larger Churches. We use our own plans and effort. We manipulate others until we get what we want!
But the Spirit of the Lamb works differently:
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
The Spirit of the Lamb is the Spirit of servant-hood:
Jesus, the Lamb of God said, “… whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26 – 28, NKJV).
Jesus laid down a simple principle in the Body of Christ – the higher up you want to go, the lower down you have to start. If you want to be great you have to be slave first.
This Lamb’s principle is the exact opposite to the principle of the world. The nature of the Lamb the exact opposite to man’s nature.
The Nature of the Lamb in Paul’s ministry
Paul, being a servant of God to the Corinthians said:
“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:2, 3, NKJV, emphasis added).
I would like to consider the above two verses of Scripture as Paul’s doctrinal statement. He ministered by the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of the Dove) directly to the human heart.
“On tablets of stone” means “things written by the letters”. “Tablets of flesh” means “The human heart”. The only way to write on the human heart is through the Holy Spirit. What is written in the human heart will not be forgotten. To Paul the result of writing on the heart is much deeper that the emotion and the intellect (the soul realm). Paul’s teaching goes directly into the heart of men and women!
“My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, …” (Gal 4:19, emphasis added)
In other words, Paul labored in his ministry until the believers have the nature of the Lamb (Christ is formed in you).
Paul’s desire of having the nature of the Lamb formed in the believers he ministered to can be seen by his statement:
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteems others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3, 4).
The “foolishness” of the Cross
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).
For believers who are saved, the Cross is the power of God. But to the natural man, the Cross is the ultimate of weakness and foolishness. In other words, the Lamb of God laid down His life for humanity is the power of God for those who are being saved.
“… but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:24, 25).
Notice the phrase, “To those who are called”. It means those who called by God to follow the Christ. Those who are saved by following Christ must allow the Cross to work in them. Only the Cross will reveal the nature of the Lamb. Then the power of God will rest on those who follow the Lamb. This is exactly how Paul sees it:
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” ( 2 Cor. 12:9, 10, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul’s strength comes from cultivating the nature of the Lamb. He found strength in infirmities, in reproaches, in distresses for the sake Christ, the Lamb of God!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
The Root of Pride
Contrary to what many Christians believed, the first sin committed in the universe was not rebellion but pride. Pride was an inner attitude; but rebellion was the external outworking of pride. Pride leads to rebellion; the inner comes before the outer. Pride is the inner core that is responsible to the outer act of rebellion against God.
The first sin of pride took place in heaven and not on earth. It was committed by an angel and not a human being. Ezekiel’s description of the king of Tyre was that of Lucifer, a created archangel of immense beauty. Because of pride and rebellion against God Lucifer was cast out of the heaven where God dwells (Ezekiel 28:11 – 18).
God spoke through Isaiah concerning Lucifer:
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:12 – 15, emphasis).
Lucifer said “I will” five times. This was a strong indicate of pride. Notice the progression of Lucifer’s pride. Ultimately, he would like to be equal with the Creator. As a result he was brought down by God “to the lowest depths of the Pit”!
The Root of Pride
In this message we take a look at the root of Pride. God always deal with the root. When we focus on the root we will understand that God sees Pride differently. Therefore, there is a need to redefine what Pride is.
God sees pride in His people when they act and walk in independence of Him. The opposite of pride is humility which means dependence on God. A person with spiritual pride is someone who is unwilling to let God act in His own time and in His own way. He takes matters in his own hands without a clear mandate from God. The greatest temptation a Christian faces is to get ahead of God. He might walk in holiness and righteousness, but very often because of the lack of patience and long-suffering, he tends to believe God is acting too slowly. He could be a prayerful, fruitful and productive person, but he fails to wait upon the Lord and allow God to take full control of the situation.
David knows the importance of waiting upon the Lord:
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass, cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:5, 7 – 9, emphasis added).
“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14, emphasis added).
A Christian who waits upon the Lord is a humble person. He has the spirit of humility.
The Pride of King Saul
After Saul was anointed as King of Israel Samuel said to him:
“You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do” (1 Samuel 10:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Samuel’s instruction to Saul was very clear. He should do nothing but to wait for Samuel for seven days until he bring God’s word to him.
But, before Samuel came as promised, the Philistines gathered with 30 thousand chariots and 6 thousand horsemen and multitude of people (1 Sam. 13:5) to fight with Israel. Saul was still in Gilgal and all the people with Saul were trembling with fear and many were scattered from him. Saul could not wait anymore for Samuel and so he said to his people:
“Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me” (1 Sam 13:9).
And he offered the burn offering. As soon as this was done Samuel came and said to Saul:
“You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be a commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (Verse 13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Saul failed to keep the commandment of God and took matters in his own hands. He took control of the situation himself and failed to wait upon the Lord. The serious implication was that Saul charged God of deception. To Saul, God sent him out to do his work but let himself figured out how to get it done. He could not sit and watch and let the Philistines destroy Israel! Samuel might not be coming to bring the Word from the Lord anyway!
Consequently, God rejected Saul and David was chosen to replace Saul.
The Humility of David
The Lord has chosen David as king of Israel because of his humility – “a man after His own heart”! The man who is after God’s own heart would be obedient to God and waits upon Him and listens to His commands.
As soon as the Philistines heard that David was anointed as king over Israel, they went up to search for David (2 Sam. 5:17).
“So David inquired of the Lord, saying ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand’” (2 Sam. 5:19, emphasis added).
David did not take matters into his own hands. He humbled himself and “inquired of the Lord”. David was obedient and let the Lord takes full control of the situation. He did not act presumptuously but waited upon the Lord until he heard Him said:
“You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:23, 24).
The Philistines were defeated because of David’s obedience to the Lord’s command.
“And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer” (Verse 25).
David knew the benefits of waiting upon the Lord:
“I will wait for You, O You his Strength; for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies” (Psalm 59:9, 10).
Humility and Servanthood
Pride repels the concept of servanthood. Most Christians want to be masters and not servants. Christians are sons of God (Galatians 4:5) and no longer slaves (or bondservants). But most of the Epistle writers called themselves bondservants – Paul (Romans 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Titus 1:1), Peter (2 Peter 1:1), James (James 1:1).
Jesus Christ though being in the form of God chose to be a bondservant:
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and become obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5 – 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus said to the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19, emphasis added).
Jesus was in total dependence on the Father. He never took matters in His own hands and waited for the Father to show Him what to do.
The Humbled and the Exalted
Jesus used the two Parables to illustrate a Spiritual Law that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9 – 14)
The Pharisee was self-righteous and trusted only himself. He was proud and despised the Tax Collector. He thought he could impress God by his “righteous” acts – fasted twice a week and gave tithes. He mentioned all these in his prayer. On the other hand, the tax collector not only humbled himself but also repented and asked for God’s mercy in his prayer and supplication.
Jesus said, “I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts him will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Parable of the Lowly Place (Luke 14:7 – 11)
A person who is invited to a feast should not sit at the best place but the lowest place to avoid being asked by the host to let someone more honorable than him to take his place. But, if he chose to sit at the lowest place he might be asked by the host to move up to a higher place of honor. In this case, he would receive glory in the in the presence of those who sit at the table with him.
Jesus said, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
The first sin of pride took place in heaven and not on earth. It was committed by an angel and not a human being. Ezekiel’s description of the king of Tyre was that of Lucifer, a created archangel of immense beauty. Because of pride and rebellion against God Lucifer was cast out of the heaven where God dwells (Ezekiel 28:11 – 18).
God spoke through Isaiah concerning Lucifer:
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:12 – 15, emphasis).
Lucifer said “I will” five times. This was a strong indicate of pride. Notice the progression of Lucifer’s pride. Ultimately, he would like to be equal with the Creator. As a result he was brought down by God “to the lowest depths of the Pit”!
The Root of Pride
In this message we take a look at the root of Pride. God always deal with the root. When we focus on the root we will understand that God sees Pride differently. Therefore, there is a need to redefine what Pride is.
God sees pride in His people when they act and walk in independence of Him. The opposite of pride is humility which means dependence on God. A person with spiritual pride is someone who is unwilling to let God act in His own time and in His own way. He takes matters in his own hands without a clear mandate from God. The greatest temptation a Christian faces is to get ahead of God. He might walk in holiness and righteousness, but very often because of the lack of patience and long-suffering, he tends to believe God is acting too slowly. He could be a prayerful, fruitful and productive person, but he fails to wait upon the Lord and allow God to take full control of the situation.
David knows the importance of waiting upon the Lord:
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass, cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:5, 7 – 9, emphasis added).
“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14, emphasis added).
A Christian who waits upon the Lord is a humble person. He has the spirit of humility.
The Pride of King Saul
After Saul was anointed as King of Israel Samuel said to him:
“You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do” (1 Samuel 10:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Samuel’s instruction to Saul was very clear. He should do nothing but to wait for Samuel for seven days until he bring God’s word to him.
But, before Samuel came as promised, the Philistines gathered with 30 thousand chariots and 6 thousand horsemen and multitude of people (1 Sam. 13:5) to fight with Israel. Saul was still in Gilgal and all the people with Saul were trembling with fear and many were scattered from him. Saul could not wait anymore for Samuel and so he said to his people:
“Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me” (1 Sam 13:9).
And he offered the burn offering. As soon as this was done Samuel came and said to Saul:
“You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be a commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (Verse 13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Saul failed to keep the commandment of God and took matters in his own hands. He took control of the situation himself and failed to wait upon the Lord. The serious implication was that Saul charged God of deception. To Saul, God sent him out to do his work but let himself figured out how to get it done. He could not sit and watch and let the Philistines destroy Israel! Samuel might not be coming to bring the Word from the Lord anyway!
Consequently, God rejected Saul and David was chosen to replace Saul.
The Humility of David
The Lord has chosen David as king of Israel because of his humility – “a man after His own heart”! The man who is after God’s own heart would be obedient to God and waits upon Him and listens to His commands.
As soon as the Philistines heard that David was anointed as king over Israel, they went up to search for David (2 Sam. 5:17).
“So David inquired of the Lord, saying ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand’” (2 Sam. 5:19, emphasis added).
David did not take matters into his own hands. He humbled himself and “inquired of the Lord”. David was obedient and let the Lord takes full control of the situation. He did not act presumptuously but waited upon the Lord until he heard Him said:
“You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:23, 24).
The Philistines were defeated because of David’s obedience to the Lord’s command.
“And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer” (Verse 25).
David knew the benefits of waiting upon the Lord:
“I will wait for You, O You his Strength; for God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies” (Psalm 59:9, 10).
Humility and Servanthood
Pride repels the concept of servanthood. Most Christians want to be masters and not servants. Christians are sons of God (Galatians 4:5) and no longer slaves (or bondservants). But most of the Epistle writers called themselves bondservants – Paul (Romans 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Titus 1:1), Peter (2 Peter 1:1), James (James 1:1).
Jesus Christ though being in the form of God chose to be a bondservant:
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and become obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:5 – 8, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus said to the Jews, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner” (John 5:19, emphasis added).
Jesus was in total dependence on the Father. He never took matters in His own hands and waited for the Father to show Him what to do.
The Humbled and the Exalted
Jesus used the two Parables to illustrate a Spiritual Law that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9 – 14)
The Pharisee was self-righteous and trusted only himself. He was proud and despised the Tax Collector. He thought he could impress God by his “righteous” acts – fasted twice a week and gave tithes. He mentioned all these in his prayer. On the other hand, the tax collector not only humbled himself but also repented and asked for God’s mercy in his prayer and supplication.
Jesus said, “I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts him will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Parable of the Lowly Place (Luke 14:7 – 11)
A person who is invited to a feast should not sit at the best place but the lowest place to avoid being asked by the host to let someone more honorable than him to take his place. But, if he chose to sit at the lowest place he might be asked by the host to move up to a higher place of honor. In this case, he would receive glory in the in the presence of those who sit at the table with him.
Jesus said, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
The Only Unshakable Foundation
We are living in the last days – or rather the last of the last days. Bible prophecies are being fulfilled right before our eyes. The great shaking (both physical and spiritual) as prophesied by the Prophets that will happen just before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is happening now! If your faith is being put to the test and shaken because of the much talked-about false “gospels” of “The gospel of Judas” and “The Da Vinci Code” this message is for you. I believe this is the beginning of the “spiritual storm” which is part of the great shaking. This message concerns only spiritual shaking.
The writer of Hebrews said that our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) and this is what He declared:
“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven” (Heb. 12:26).
“Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:27, NKJV, emphasis added).
“A kingdom which cannot be shaken” is a spiritual Kingdom where Jesus is the Lord and King. Those who serve God with reverence and godly fear will not be shaken!
A Message for the Church
God is shaking everything so that Jesus is the only unshakable power left on earth. Those who are truly His and live in Jesus Christ and maintain an intimate relationship with Him will not be shaken.
Jesus is warning us, the Church, with the parable of “Building on the Rock” that there will be a flood of iniquity, a flood of apostasy and a flood of demonic activities in the days to come. The false “gospel of Judas” and “The Da Vinci Code” are just the beginning of the flood.
All Christians must take heed of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount found in The Gospel According to Matthew Chapters 5, 6, 7. At the close of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave a warning in the form of a parable in Chapter 7.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 7:24 – 27, emphasis added).
Two Kinds of Christians
Jesus said there are two kinds of Christians who build their house on different foundations. The house they build could be the same. The difference is the foundation. One builds his house on the rock and the other on the sand.
We are here talking about the spiritual life of Christians. We are talking about the spiritual house that Christians built. We are talking about the condition of the heart and our walk with the Lord. Christian life is never static. We are always building something one way or another; on the rock or on the sand. If you are busy in your Church life, you are busy building something!
Building on the Rock
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24, emphasis added).
Jesus was talking about obedience here. He was talking about Christians who are walking in total obedience; who are doers of His Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).
There are two kinds of obedience – one, out of the love of God and the other, out of the fear of consequences of the wrath of God. For example when Israel was under the Law, they obeyed (tried to anyway) God’s Law because of the fear of breaking God’s Law which would bring death. Therefore, it is possible to obey God and His Word and still grieve God! This is the kind of obedience that is born out of the wrong motive. This is the kind of obedience that makes God weeps instead of pleasing Him!
It is possible for the Church to have this type of obedience. Churches have man-made religious and denomination laws. Christians obey God legally, according to technicality. True Christians must allow God to show them what He wants them to do without relying on man-made rules and regulations. We must do away with legalism. We should not forget to obey and to please the Head of the Church – Jesus Christ. It is impossible to please God by obeying man-made rules. It is impossible to find the will of God by following legalistic laws.
God is looking for people with whole-hearted obedience to Jesus. Jesus Himself obeys the Father with total commitment and does things that please Him.
Jesus said, “….that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus also said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34, emphasis added).
A Christian who pleases Jesus and does His will is the one who builds his house on the rock. Jesus is the Rock (Exodus 17:6). The Foundational Rock (God the Father) is what Jesus Himself built on – to love the Father and to please Him with all His heart and nothing else matters. We build on the rock because we want to please Jesus and do His will.
We are building on the Rock when we cultivate and maintain an intimate relationship with Him. If we do that we are able to walk through fire, through flood, storm and rain without being shaken. We will not be shaken by false Christs and false gospels.
But, you can’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus unless you are willing to obey Him and do His Will. This is how I define the will of God – His will is His pleasure and His pleasure is His will. We give Him pleasure when we please Him by doing His will.
Enoch was taken by God without seeing death because he pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).
Paul said, “… even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4).
Building on the sand
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who build on the sand” (Matt. 7:26, emphasis added).
Jesus was talking about disobedience here. Now, who is this foolish man? He is a believer, a so-called Christian, who fails to do the will of God. Jesus talked about such a person a few verses earlier:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in You name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7: 21 – 23, NKJV, emphasis added).
The following is my observation:
1. I do not believe the people who made these claims of working miracles in the Name of Jesus were lying. They had actually done what they claimed. But being able to prophesy, cast out demons and work wonders in the Name of Jesus does not necessarily prove that a person is one of God’s elect.
2. There are many such people in the Church – Pastors, preachers, evangelists, and teachers of Scripture. It is easy to pick them out. They are always busy laying hands on the sick, casting out demons and working miracles. They are busy because Church members seek after them!
3. We need to be reminded that there is Power in the Name of Jesus. The Scripture says, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:9). This is logical because if these gifts are revocable, they will not be called a gift, but a loan! People got healed and received miracles because God answered their faith and not the “faith” of the one who laid hands on them!
4. These people have the formula. They come to Jesus for deliverance, for power but they do not come to know Him. They are very busy people and very active for Jesus. You see them running all over local Churches. They appear to be full of compassion for human needs. Outwardly, these miracle workers have been serving the Lord, but in their innermost character God had discerned something described as “lawlessness”. This expressed itself in attitudes such as pride, arrogance, self-seeking, covetousness and personal ambition.
5. They don’t know how to wait upon the Lord. The idea of producing Christian character and waiting upon the Lord and to get ready for the coming spiritual storm is foreign to them.
6. They have not given Jesus their heart. They give Him their mind. They have a concept of Jesus; but they have not been broken and yielded to Him completely.
Conclusion
The fearful statement made by Jesus is:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice Jesus has given us the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. The condition is:
Christians must be obedient and do the will of God. The Kingdom of heaven is meant for those who obey God and His Word. Christians who build their house on the Rock will enter the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, those who build their house on the sand will not be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Not only they are not Christians but they are lost as well. In the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ these people are not saved! They were saved at one time, but failed to remain being saved.
Jesus said, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:23)!
The writer of Hebrews said that our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) and this is what He declared:
“Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven” (Heb. 12:26).
“Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:27, NKJV, emphasis added).
“A kingdom which cannot be shaken” is a spiritual Kingdom where Jesus is the Lord and King. Those who serve God with reverence and godly fear will not be shaken!
A Message for the Church
God is shaking everything so that Jesus is the only unshakable power left on earth. Those who are truly His and live in Jesus Christ and maintain an intimate relationship with Him will not be shaken.
Jesus is warning us, the Church, with the parable of “Building on the Rock” that there will be a flood of iniquity, a flood of apostasy and a flood of demonic activities in the days to come. The false “gospel of Judas” and “The Da Vinci Code” are just the beginning of the flood.
All Christians must take heed of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount found in The Gospel According to Matthew Chapters 5, 6, 7. At the close of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave a warning in the form of a parable in Chapter 7.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matt. 7:24 – 27, emphasis added).
Two Kinds of Christians
Jesus said there are two kinds of Christians who build their house on different foundations. The house they build could be the same. The difference is the foundation. One builds his house on the rock and the other on the sand.
We are here talking about the spiritual life of Christians. We are talking about the spiritual house that Christians built. We are talking about the condition of the heart and our walk with the Lord. Christian life is never static. We are always building something one way or another; on the rock or on the sand. If you are busy in your Church life, you are busy building something!
Building on the Rock
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24, emphasis added).
Jesus was talking about obedience here. He was talking about Christians who are walking in total obedience; who are doers of His Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).
There are two kinds of obedience – one, out of the love of God and the other, out of the fear of consequences of the wrath of God. For example when Israel was under the Law, they obeyed (tried to anyway) God’s Law because of the fear of breaking God’s Law which would bring death. Therefore, it is possible to obey God and His Word and still grieve God! This is the kind of obedience that is born out of the wrong motive. This is the kind of obedience that makes God weeps instead of pleasing Him!
It is possible for the Church to have this type of obedience. Churches have man-made religious and denomination laws. Christians obey God legally, according to technicality. True Christians must allow God to show them what He wants them to do without relying on man-made rules and regulations. We must do away with legalism. We should not forget to obey and to please the Head of the Church – Jesus Christ. It is impossible to please God by obeying man-made rules. It is impossible to find the will of God by following legalistic laws.
God is looking for people with whole-hearted obedience to Jesus. Jesus Himself obeys the Father with total commitment and does things that please Him.
Jesus said, “….that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:28, 29, NKJV, emphasis added).
Jesus also said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34, emphasis added).
A Christian who pleases Jesus and does His will is the one who builds his house on the rock. Jesus is the Rock (Exodus 17:6). The Foundational Rock (God the Father) is what Jesus Himself built on – to love the Father and to please Him with all His heart and nothing else matters. We build on the rock because we want to please Jesus and do His will.
We are building on the Rock when we cultivate and maintain an intimate relationship with Him. If we do that we are able to walk through fire, through flood, storm and rain without being shaken. We will not be shaken by false Christs and false gospels.
But, you can’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus unless you are willing to obey Him and do His Will. This is how I define the will of God – His will is His pleasure and His pleasure is His will. We give Him pleasure when we please Him by doing His will.
Enoch was taken by God without seeing death because he pleased God (Hebrews 11:5).
Paul said, “… even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4).
Building on the sand
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who build on the sand” (Matt. 7:26, emphasis added).
Jesus was talking about disobedience here. Now, who is this foolish man? He is a believer, a so-called Christian, who fails to do the will of God. Jesus talked about such a person a few verses earlier:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in You name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7: 21 – 23, NKJV, emphasis added).
The following is my observation:
1. I do not believe the people who made these claims of working miracles in the Name of Jesus were lying. They had actually done what they claimed. But being able to prophesy, cast out demons and work wonders in the Name of Jesus does not necessarily prove that a person is one of God’s elect.
2. There are many such people in the Church – Pastors, preachers, evangelists, and teachers of Scripture. It is easy to pick them out. They are always busy laying hands on the sick, casting out demons and working miracles. They are busy because Church members seek after them!
3. We need to be reminded that there is Power in the Name of Jesus. The Scripture says, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:9). This is logical because if these gifts are revocable, they will not be called a gift, but a loan! People got healed and received miracles because God answered their faith and not the “faith” of the one who laid hands on them!
4. These people have the formula. They come to Jesus for deliverance, for power but they do not come to know Him. They are very busy people and very active for Jesus. You see them running all over local Churches. They appear to be full of compassion for human needs. Outwardly, these miracle workers have been serving the Lord, but in their innermost character God had discerned something described as “lawlessness”. This expressed itself in attitudes such as pride, arrogance, self-seeking, covetousness and personal ambition.
5. They don’t know how to wait upon the Lord. The idea of producing Christian character and waiting upon the Lord and to get ready for the coming spiritual storm is foreign to them.
6. They have not given Jesus their heart. They give Him their mind. They have a concept of Jesus; but they have not been broken and yielded to Him completely.
Conclusion
The fearful statement made by Jesus is:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice Jesus has given us the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. The condition is:
Christians must be obedient and do the will of God. The Kingdom of heaven is meant for those who obey God and His Word. Christians who build their house on the Rock will enter the Kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, those who build their house on the sand will not be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Not only they are not Christians but they are lost as well. In the sight of our Lord Jesus Christ these people are not saved! They were saved at one time, but failed to remain being saved.
Jesus said, “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness'" (Matthew 7:23)!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Reliability of Bible Translations
No, I am not questioning the reliability of the Bible which is the Word of God. Neither am I talking about reliability of Bible interpretation or hermeneutics. What concerns me most is the unreliability of some Bible Translations. All Bible-believing and God-fearing Christians must be able to trust the accuracy and reliability of any versions or translations of the original Biblical texts. In other words, all Bible translations must be trustworthy. The question is, are all versions of Bible Translations be trusted?
By careful study of various versions and translations of the Bible it becomes obvious to me that there are serious inconsistencies between them. More importantly, some versions contain more facts and verses than others. And without apparent reason certain verses are removed or added in when compared with others. Certain verses carry entirely different meaning when compared with others.
It is beyond the scope of this message to discuss different Bible versions and translations. You may refer to any good Bible Dictionary. For clarity sake I shall use the King James Bible (KJB) or the New King James Version (NKJV) as reference in comparing with other versions like the New International Version (NIV), New Living Bible (NLB), The New American Standard Bible (NAB), Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the Amplified Bible (AB).
For easy comparison we shall confine our discussion with the above mentioned few popular translations. This is not a comprehensive study; but rather what I have discovered so far.
The Lord’s Prayer
Please read Matthew 6:9 – 13. Let me just quote the last verse of the Lord’s Prayer:
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Verse 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
The highlighted phrase is intact in the KJB, NKJV, NAB and AB, but totally removed from the NIV, RSV and the NLB! This last sentence is “doxology” or ascription of praise connected with the Prayers by the word “For”.
Is it shameful to praise the Lord according to some Bible translators? Or is it good to praise the Lord? My Bible says only the dead do not praise the Lord (Psalm 115:17)!
Is Joseph the paternal father of Jesus?
After Simeon took the Child Jesus in his arms and blessed Him, Luke recorded:
“And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken to Him” (Luke 2:33, NKJV, emphasis added).
Both the KJB and the NKJV say “Joseph and His mother”. The NLB says “Joseph and Mary”. AB says “His (legal) father and (His) mother”. The RSV and NAB say “His father and mother”. But the NIV says “the Child’s father and mother”!
If you believe the virgin birth and that Jesus is the Son of God, then Jesus’ Father is God the Father and not Joseph!
The Blood of Jesus
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase “through His blood” has been removed from the NIV, NAB and the RSV! Surprisingly, it is found intact in the NLB.
The writer of Hebrews says, “… without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).
Jesus Christ is the only BEGOTTEN SON
Let us look at the all familiar John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only BEGOTTEN Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word “BEGOTTEN” has been removed from the NIV, RSV and NLB.
Christians should know that there is a great difference between “His only begotten Son” and “His only son”.
The Scripture makes it clear that some sons of God are created, some are adopted and some are angels.
1. “… the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38, NKJ, emphasis added).
In the above verse Adam is the created son of God. (Read Gen. 5:1, 2).
2. Christians are call “sons of God”
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26, NKJV, emphasis added).
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1, NKJV, emphasis added)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Clearly, Christians are “adopted” sons of God through Jesus Christ. We are the children of God in the New Covenant.
3. In the Book of Job “sons of God” are angels of God:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6, NKJV, emphasis added).
Read also Job 2:1 and Job 38:7 you will realize that these “sons of God” are celestial beings. There are created angels of God.
It is true that what NIV say “the one and only Son” is sufficient to indicate that there is only one Son (capital S). But then the NIV is supposed to be read by Christians young in the faith. The NLB simply says, “his only Son”!
Words removed from the Mouth of Jesus Himself!
1. After Jesus was baptized by John, He was led by the Spirit to into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
Jesus answered the Devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4, NKJV, emphasis added).
The important phrase “But by every word of God” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. As far as I know only the KJB, the AB and the NKJV have this phrase intact.
Notice that Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3;
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (NKJV, emphasis added).
Amazingly, all the versions mentioned above have the highlighted phrase intact.
2. The Devil desired Jesus to worship him. But Jesus said to him:
“Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Luke 4:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase, “Get behind Me, Satan!” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. Only the KJB, NKJV and the AB have the phrase intact.
3. Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and was reading from the Book of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me the heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set all liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase, “He has sent Me the heal the brokenhearted” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. Only the KJB, NKJV and the AB have the phrase intact. Therefore, according the some translators, God did not send Jesus to heal emotion or inner hurt! The healing virtue of Jesus is not complete. Christians should know that Jesus came to heal the whole person – Spirit, soul and body. It is true that “By whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
4. Jesus was explaining to His disciples regarding His departure to the Father:
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” (John 16:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
Similarly, the phrase, “Because I go to the Father” has been removed from the same versions of the Bible. Why would Jesus withhold this important truth from His disciples? More importantly, without going to the Father implies no resurrection of Jesus. Then our faith is futile and we are still in our sins (Romans 15:13 – 19)!
Actually there are many more verses of the sayings of Jesus have been removed without valid reasons from the same translations of the Bible as I have mentioned above. It is quite a tedious exercise to search out what have been added and removed.
The following verses are also removed!
Matt. 15:8, Matt. 19:9, Matt. 20:7, Matt. 20:16, Matt. 20:22, Matt. 25:13, Matt. 27:35, Mark 6:11, Matt 10:21.
Verses of Scripture removed from the Epistles
I will quote only two important verses:
1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, NKJV, emphasis added).
The same translations removed the phrase, “Who do not walk according to the Spirit”.
This phrase is important because it indicates that true Christians (who are in Christ Jesus) do not walk according to the Spirit.
2. “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on you part He is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The same translations removed the highlighted phrase. This phrase explains further how a believer is blessed by being reproached for the name of Christ.
The following verses are also removed:
Rom. 13:9; 1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Cor. 10:4; Gal. 3:1; Eph. 5:30; Phil. 3:16; 1 Tim. 6:6; Heb. 7:21; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 4:3; 1 John 5:13.
Verses from the Book of Revelation
The verses removed are: Rev. 1:11; Rev. 5:14; Rev. 14:5 and Rev. 21:24.
Conclusion
From the above study I discover that the most reliable translations of the Bible are The King James, The New King James and The Amplified Bible. As far as I know (based on my present Bible Research) nothing has been taken out of the Original Bible Texts.
The Bible warns against taking away and adding to the Words of God!
“Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6, NKJV).
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deu. 4:2, NKJV).
God’s last warning is, “… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall unto him the plagues … And if any man shall take away from the word of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life ….” (Rev. 22:18, 19, KJB).
Notice that the phrase “the book of this prophecy” means the entire Bible and not just the Book of Revelation. The Bible is a prophetic Book.
By careful study of various versions and translations of the Bible it becomes obvious to me that there are serious inconsistencies between them. More importantly, some versions contain more facts and verses than others. And without apparent reason certain verses are removed or added in when compared with others. Certain verses carry entirely different meaning when compared with others.
It is beyond the scope of this message to discuss different Bible versions and translations. You may refer to any good Bible Dictionary. For clarity sake I shall use the King James Bible (KJB) or the New King James Version (NKJV) as reference in comparing with other versions like the New International Version (NIV), New Living Bible (NLB), The New American Standard Bible (NAB), Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the Amplified Bible (AB).
For easy comparison we shall confine our discussion with the above mentioned few popular translations. This is not a comprehensive study; but rather what I have discovered so far.
The Lord’s Prayer
Please read Matthew 6:9 – 13. Let me just quote the last verse of the Lord’s Prayer:
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Verse 13, NKJV, emphasis added).
The highlighted phrase is intact in the KJB, NKJV, NAB and AB, but totally removed from the NIV, RSV and the NLB! This last sentence is “doxology” or ascription of praise connected with the Prayers by the word “For”.
Is it shameful to praise the Lord according to some Bible translators? Or is it good to praise the Lord? My Bible says only the dead do not praise the Lord (Psalm 115:17)!
Is Joseph the paternal father of Jesus?
After Simeon took the Child Jesus in his arms and blessed Him, Luke recorded:
“And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken to Him” (Luke 2:33, NKJV, emphasis added).
Both the KJB and the NKJV say “Joseph and His mother”. The NLB says “Joseph and Mary”. AB says “His (legal) father and (His) mother”. The RSV and NAB say “His father and mother”. But the NIV says “the Child’s father and mother”!
If you believe the virgin birth and that Jesus is the Son of God, then Jesus’ Father is God the Father and not Joseph!
The Blood of Jesus
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13, 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase “through His blood” has been removed from the NIV, NAB and the RSV! Surprisingly, it is found intact in the NLB.
The writer of Hebrews says, “… without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Heb. 9:22).
Jesus Christ is the only BEGOTTEN SON
Let us look at the all familiar John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only BEGOTTEN Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
The word “BEGOTTEN” has been removed from the NIV, RSV and NLB.
Christians should know that there is a great difference between “His only begotten Son” and “His only son”.
The Scripture makes it clear that some sons of God are created, some are adopted and some are angels.
1. “… the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38, NKJ, emphasis added).
In the above verse Adam is the created son of God. (Read Gen. 5:1, 2).
2. Christians are call “sons of God”
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26, NKJV, emphasis added).
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1, NKJV, emphasis added)
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
Clearly, Christians are “adopted” sons of God through Jesus Christ. We are the children of God in the New Covenant.
3. In the Book of Job “sons of God” are angels of God:
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6, NKJV, emphasis added).
Read also Job 2:1 and Job 38:7 you will realize that these “sons of God” are celestial beings. There are created angels of God.
It is true that what NIV say “the one and only Son” is sufficient to indicate that there is only one Son (capital S). But then the NIV is supposed to be read by Christians young in the faith. The NLB simply says, “his only Son”!
Words removed from the Mouth of Jesus Himself!
1. After Jesus was baptized by John, He was led by the Spirit to into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.
Jesus answered the Devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4, NKJV, emphasis added).
The important phrase “But by every word of God” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. As far as I know only the KJB, the AB and the NKJV have this phrase intact.
Notice that Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3;
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (NKJV, emphasis added).
Amazingly, all the versions mentioned above have the highlighted phrase intact.
2. The Devil desired Jesus to worship him. But Jesus said to him:
“Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Luke 4:8, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase, “Get behind Me, Satan!” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. Only the KJB, NKJV and the AB have the phrase intact.
3. Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and was reading from the Book of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me the heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set all liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, NKJV, emphasis added).
The phrase, “He has sent Me the heal the brokenhearted” has been removed from the NIV, NLB, RSV and NAB. Only the KJB, NKJV and the AB have the phrase intact. Therefore, according the some translators, God did not send Jesus to heal emotion or inner hurt! The healing virtue of Jesus is not complete. Christians should know that Jesus came to heal the whole person – Spirit, soul and body. It is true that “By whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
4. Jesus was explaining to His disciples regarding His departure to the Father:
“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father” (John 16:16, NKJV, emphasis added).
Similarly, the phrase, “Because I go to the Father” has been removed from the same versions of the Bible. Why would Jesus withhold this important truth from His disciples? More importantly, without going to the Father implies no resurrection of Jesus. Then our faith is futile and we are still in our sins (Romans 15:13 – 19)!
Actually there are many more verses of the sayings of Jesus have been removed without valid reasons from the same translations of the Bible as I have mentioned above. It is quite a tedious exercise to search out what have been added and removed.
The following verses are also removed!
Matt. 15:8, Matt. 19:9, Matt. 20:7, Matt. 20:16, Matt. 20:22, Matt. 25:13, Matt. 27:35, Mark 6:11, Matt 10:21.
Verses of Scripture removed from the Epistles
I will quote only two important verses:
1. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, NKJV, emphasis added).
The same translations removed the phrase, “Who do not walk according to the Spirit”.
This phrase is important because it indicates that true Christians (who are in Christ Jesus) do not walk according to the Spirit.
2. “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on you part He is glorified” (1 Peter 4:14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The same translations removed the highlighted phrase. This phrase explains further how a believer is blessed by being reproached for the name of Christ.
The following verses are also removed:
Rom. 13:9; 1 Cor. 6:20; 2 Cor. 10:4; Gal. 3:1; Eph. 5:30; Phil. 3:16; 1 Tim. 6:6; Heb. 7:21; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 4:3; 1 John 5:13.
Verses from the Book of Revelation
The verses removed are: Rev. 1:11; Rev. 5:14; Rev. 14:5 and Rev. 21:24.
Conclusion
From the above study I discover that the most reliable translations of the Bible are The King James, The New King James and The Amplified Bible. As far as I know (based on my present Bible Research) nothing has been taken out of the Original Bible Texts.
The Bible warns against taking away and adding to the Words of God!
“Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6, NKJV).
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you” (Deu. 4:2, NKJV).
God’s last warning is, “… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall unto him the plagues … And if any man shall take away from the word of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life ….” (Rev. 22:18, 19, KJB).
Notice that the phrase “the book of this prophecy” means the entire Bible and not just the Book of Revelation. The Bible is a prophetic Book.
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