The Fullness of the Gospel -Corrupted

Transcription

1 1 The Fullness of the Gospel -Corrupted The purpose of the gospel of Christ is to instruct mankind on the exact points of His doctrine that they might know how to come unto Him to be saved into His Kingdom. What could be more important? That is the reason from the beginning, Satan has sought to distort this message and alter the Lord s written word. Fullness: Completeness; Gospel: To announce good news, a revelation of grace of God to fallen man through a Mediator including the whole scheme of salvation, as reveled by Christ and his 12 apostles. (1) Those of Christ s Church have been given a great commission to spread the plain and simple truth of the Lord s Gospel to the World. To do this, we must understand what His gospel is and what it is not. We must also be aware that Satan s disciples have once again perverted the right ways of the Lord. For the first time since the Reformation movement, Roman Catholics, leaders of the Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Churches have received a common, corrupted edition of the Bible.(2) The stage is now set for the abominable church to become united under one common book and ultimately, one leader. After all, this was in fact the goal of several of the leaders on the revision committees. (3) And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God. Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God. And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them. 1Ne 3: When the gospel of the Lord proceeded from the hand (written record - DLT) of the Apostles it contained the fullness of the Gospel in its purity. As we can see from the above text, before these records were sent to the world, Satan s church took away the most plain and most precious parts. By doing so, he could freely spread his lies thus blinding the people s eyes and hardening their hearts leading countless to their destruction. For over a thousand years, this abdominal church simply killed anyone who opposed their doctrine or authority. The Bible itself was forbidden to own. This came to an end with the Protestant Reformation movement when a few brave individuals

2 2 translated the Bible into the modern languages of their day. As in the past, several paid with their lives in bringing forth these new Bibles. Although these Bibles were much improved over the Latin Vulgate of the 5 th century, because of the changes already made to the text in the first few centuries, deletions in the Greek text were passed on to these new translations. As a consequence of these alterations, we are told that the Gentiles stumbled and that priestcrafts thrived, teaching their own doctrines. See 1 Ne 3: ; 2 Ne 11:80-106; 2 Ne 12:1-12. As we know, this all changed with the coming forth the Book of Mormon. Since that time the very points of His doctrine 1 Ne 4:19 are again known through this second witness. One may wonder as I, why the Lord would allow this corruption to take place to His sacred scriptures. As I pondered this, I remembered Paul s words to the church at Thessalonica when he told them that the second coming of Christ would not come except there be a falling away first And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, 2 Thess 2:3, 10, 11 It was because wickedness entered into His church, that He allowed this perversion to His Gospel. It appears from Jacob s account this very thing happened to the Jews of the Old Testament (OT) first. We are told that the Jews were a stiff-necked people who despised the words of plainness. So the Lord took away his plainness from them that they may stumble. See Jacob 3: When He used these words and phrases to describe what happen to the Gentiles (1 Ne 3), He was talking about removing part of the gospel from the written word. Accordingly, we have numerous examples of missing books and verses in the OT as well as the New Testament (NT). For instance, the OT does not have the words of Zenos, Neum or Zenock. The Bible authors themselves quote or paraphrase about 20 other writings that are not found in the Bible. (4) In addition to these, early Christian writers also said they were quoting scripture, but these words are missing from the OT we have today. For instance, Irenaeus quotes an unknown Jeremiah text (AH 4.22, Dem 78), Justin Martyr said psalm 96:10 use to read The Lord Reigns from the tree, and Barnabas of the first century quotes 6 additional passages. Barn 2, 6, 7, 11, 15, 16. And both Irenaeus and Clements quote the following omitted verse. Note the similarity between this lost verse and the reading in Nephi: The sacrifice to God is an afflicted heart Irenaeus 1 p. 483 Clements III chap. 12 Def: afflicted 6031 in Hebrew - humble (self) And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 3 Ne. 4:49 Within just a few years of Christ s death, the Apostles record the beginnings of the abominable church and the changing of the gospel. In his Epistle to Galatians (48-53 A.D.), Paul wrote: I am amazed that you are quickly being transported away from him who has called you by grace of Christ, to a different Gospel, which is not another, except there are some troubling you and desire to pervert the gospel of Christ. GAL 1:6,7. In about 52 A.D., Paul wrote his second Epistle to Thessalonians about the "falling away," and that "the mystery of iniquity doth already work. "2 Thess 2:3, 7. A short time latter (circa 58 A.D.), he had gathered together the Ephesian Elders to give them this warning: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Acts

3 3 20:30, 31. Around 64 A.D., Peter wrote:...even as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given him among which things are some thing hard to understand, which the ignorant and the unsettled ones pervert, as also the other Scriptures, to their own destruction 2 PET 3:15,16. With the other Apostles already martyred, John stood alone as the central authority of the Church of Christ. Between 85 and 95 A.D. he wrote: Many false prophets have gone out into the World. 1 JOHN 4:1 By the time he wrote Revelations (Circa 96 A.D.), there were already false Apostles (Rev 2:2) and of the Churches of Asia Minor had of considerable problems. See Rev Ch We learn from Paul s prophecy in Acts, that after his death (he was martyred between A.D.), men were to arise in the minister ranks that would change the gospel. Paul was not the only Apostle to be killed during this period of great persecution against the Church. According to history and tradition, between 60 and 72 A.D., 8 Apostles were martyred! By 80 A.D., the Apostles Philip and Barnabas were also murdered and with the martyrdom of Simon in 90 A.D., it appears that John stood alone in the office of an Apostle. So, from about 72 A.D. on, with the central authority of the Church of Church removed, the abdominal church was free to coexist and to make alterations of their choosing. Early witness and modern scholars agree that changes to the scripture took place very early. Many times deliberately! Still we fail to understand our Bible of today if we do not take full account of the many passages where, in spite of all the care of the scribes rather; should we say, occasionally because of such care? Changes did find their way into the text. For the astonishing fact is that in some cases deliberately and with full knowledge they altered the text they had received. (5) "It is no less true to fact than paradoxical in sound, that the worst corruptions to which the New Testament has ever been subjected, originated within a hundred years after it was composed;"(6) Eusebius quotes a second century father as writing: "Wherefore, they have not fear to lay hands on the divine Scriptures under pretence of CORRECTING them... As for their denying their guilt, the thing is impossible, since the copies were written in their own hand; and they did not receive the Scriptures in this condition from their teachers, nor can they show the originals from which they made their copies." (7) Wherefore also Marcion and his followers have betaken themselves to mutilating the Scriptures, not acknowledging some books at all; and curtailing the Gospels according to Luke and the Epistles of Paul, they assert these are alone authentic, which they themselves thus shortened. (8) (circa 185 A.D.) As a side note, Marcion taught that Jesus was not the Messiah. Tertillian called him the Beast (202 A.D.) Nowadays, as is evident, there is a great diversity between various manuscripts either through the negligence of certain copyist or the perverse audacity shown by some in correcting the text, or through the fault of those who, playing the part of correctors, lengthen or shorten it as they please (circa 185 A.D.)(9) Almost all the first century Christians expected the return of Christ; furthermore the early Christians did not necessarily treat the NT text as a sacred text i.e. as a fixed canonized text, sacred to the very letter. Some scribes may have considered themselves to be inspired by the Spirit, making some adjustments (10) In the late first and early second century, the oral traditions and the written word existed side by side with equal status especially with respect to the

4 4 material of the Gospels. Often, the text was changed by scribes attempting to conform the written message to the oral tradition Other scribes, however; felt free to make improvements in the text either in the interest of doctrine or harmonization or due to the influence of a competitive oral tradition. (11) Speaking of changes immediately following the Apostle John s departure around 100 A.D.: Eusebius is witness to this fact. He also relates that the corrupted manuscripts were so prevalent that agreement between the copies was hopeless; and that those who were corrupting the Scriptures, claimed that they really were correcting them. (12) One final quote comes from Jerome, compiler of the early 5 th century Vulgate Bible: for there are almost as many forms of texts as there are copies. (13) When the books of the Apostles were put to paper, they were circulated throughout the Church as individual epistles or books. As seen in the movie the Passion of Christ, Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic which was very similar to Hebrew. Scholars still debate how many of the original (NT) books were pined in Aramaic as opposed to Greek, which was the world language of the time. For the purpose of this study, I would only add that there is much evidence of an Aramaic beginning: it was rare for a Jews to speak Greek in Israel in those days (14); the awkward verse Matt 19:24 makes sense when translated from the Aramaic since camel and rope are the same word It is easier for a rope to go through an eye of a needle ; the earliest Christian record that we have says Matthew composed the words in the Hebrew dialect, each translated as he was able (15); other Jewish books of the time including the Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus' book on the Jewish Wars were written almost entirely in Aramaic and Hebrew; Paul s name change only make sense if the translation came from Aramaic, I.E. Saul s name means he who asked whereas Paul s name means he who was answered. One of the first textual critics of the NT was Origen of Alexandra. In 245 A.D., he published a work known as the Hexapla in which he compiled and revised the Greek manuscripts that he had in his possession. Unfortunately, he either had bad copies to work from or he himself made incorrect decisions or both. Many accuse him of being influence by Neo-Platonism and Gnosticism. In 331 A.D., the first Christian Emperor Constantine commissioned Eusebius to make 50 copies of the Bible to spread throughout the empire. It is important to note that Eusebius used Origen s Hexapla for the basis of these copies. Two manuscripts, the (SINAITICUS (Alpha) and the VATICANNUS (B)) have come forward in the late 19 th century are believed to be 2 of the original 50. The Alpha was found in a trashcan in Saint Catherine s Monastery and the Vatican conveniently provided B to textual critics. These two manuscripts have been used for the foundation of the modern English versions of the Bible as well as the first official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vulgate. To ensure a Catholic translation resulted in the new English translations, the Vatican was able to place Carlo M. Martini on the world-renowned United Bible Societies textual revision committee. Is it any wonder then that the Vatican, fully endorses the new Revised Standard Version Common Bible! Another Greek text type referred to as Syrian, Byzantine, or Koine came to us via the area of Antioch. After the persecution of 311 A.D. passed, Lucian carefully compared all readings of the NT to produce what is now called the revised text. This revise text rapidly grew in popularity and spread throughout the Roman Empire. It is this

5 5 version that became the Greek standard from 350 A.D. until 1882, when the first modern English Translation was published based the Alpha and B manuscripts. Of the over 5000 ancient Greek manuals in existence today, percent are of the Antioch reading. And of these 5000 Antioch Bibles, they agree with each other 99 percent of the time. So while the Alexandra translations faded into obscurity, the Antioch translation became the translation that was accepted by the local churches. In 382 A.D., the Bishop of Rome, by now one of the most powerful leaders in the Church, commissioned Jerome to produce a Latin version of the Bible for the purpose of becoming the Church standard. This action had a monumental effect on the Christian religion because, very simply, a church s doctrine is determined by the scriptures which that Church holds to be true! Although there was already a Latin version called the Vetus Itala that largely agreed with the Antioch readings, Jerome chose to utilize the corrupt Alexandra texts to produce his Vulgate, which he completed in 405A.D. Within two hundred years, the Roman Church s power and authority shifted entirely to Rome and it s Bishop. The papacy was born. With this, the Antioch Greek as well as all other translations were outlawed. For the next 1000 years, with the full force of the Roman church behind it, the Vulgate remained unchallenged. This all changed in the 16 th century when reformers such as Martin Luther, William Tyndale, Miles Coverdale, John Rogers and others challenged the Roman Catholic authority by publishing new Bibles in the language of their day. As in the past, many of these men paid with their lives. These new translations were based on the old Greek transcripts, of which, a vast majority were of the Antioch type. In 1610, being faced with the fact that they could not stop the Reformation movement from publishing these English Translations, the Catholic Church published its own English version called the Douay-Rheims (DR). As this version was based on the Latin Vulgate, it also inherited the missing scriptures.(16) Another key difference between it and the Protestant Bibles was that the DR, having come to us from the additional Latin stage, mistranslated references of repentance and translated them as penitence. So, in this Roman Church version of the Bible that is still being used, one of the six principal doctrines listed in Hebrews is now changed. not laying again the foundation of penance from dead works and of faith towards God, Heb 6:1 DR There s a huge difference between the doctrine of saying Hail Mary s and the doctrine of repentance! The DR also supports the doctrine of Confession to a priest which first gained prominence in the 7th or 8th centuries. Instead of Confess your faults, the DR has Confess your sins. James 5:16 Another problem with this Catholic translation is how it mistranslates verses related to graven images and idle worship. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven THING, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth. Ex 20:4 DR The word thing in the above text is not to be found in the original Hebrew. The definition of the original word in Hebrew means: An Idle - graven (carved) image. The verse reads correctly in the KJV, NIV, NAS and is confirmed by Mosiah 7:97. God places a ban on making ANY image to be worshiped, prayed to, honored or an image thought to have spiritual properties giving it the ability to protect someone. To be clear, this restriction includes treating an image of Christ, His mother or any other saint as if it represents, in any way, the true person. While Reformation Bibles often translate the Hebrew or Greek word image, the DR consistently substitutes the word Idol. Sometimes the original sentence uses this word twice restricting both Idols and

6 6 graven images. In these cases however, the DR translators choose to translate the sentence idols and things, totally making up the second word. Two scriptures is Nephi confirm the translation graven Images or molten images in Isa. 10:10 and in Isa. 48:5 against the DR Bible. 1Ne 6:12, 2Ne 9:91 The reason they substitute another word for image is that they want the reader to think that it is only images of other God s that the Lord is restricting. Again, this is not so. The DR is famous for purposely confusing the text for their purpose. The early Church of Christ shunned images of the Divine: Ages before, Moses expressly commanded that neither a carved, nor molten, nor molded nor painted likeness should be made. This was so that we would not cling to things of sense but pass to spiritual objects. For familiarity with the sense of sight disparages the reverence of what is divine. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, B) Since 1910, almost all modern translations have been based on faulty Alexandra texts whereas early Reformer Bibles were based on the majority or Revised Text. Because these Reformers all translated from a majority based Greek text, there are only minor differences between them. These translations include the Tyndale, the Cranmer, the Geneva and the Authorized KJV. If there are no original manuscripts surviving today, how do we know that it is the Alexandra type texts that are the more corrupt? First of all, when the Book of Mormon has a common verse with the Bible, it almost always agrees with the KJV. Secondly, there are many occasions when the doctrine has been changed compared to the Book of Mormon and the Authorized KJV. Another way is by comparing these Greek manuscripts with quotes from the early Christian writers. These writings are extensive and the authors themselves date back as far as 90 A.D. The Traditional Text receives more support from the early Church Fathers that does the Critical text. (at a ratio of 2:1 before 350 A.D. and 3:1 for important passages.) (17) Lastly, there are several manuscripts that predate the Alpha, B, and the Vulgate that support Traditional Text readings. Amongst them are the Peshitta Syriac Version, the Sinaitic Syriac Version and the Old Latin Version (Vetus Itala) that dates back to 157 A.D. Another error within the modern English translations is that they add words out of thin air! That is to say that they add or subtract words not because of an alternate reading in some obscure Greek manuscript but because they wish to promote the Theology of the translators. Unknown to most, the Vulgate and the New English translations omit about 3000 words to about 200 verses from the New Testament. As we would expect, collectively these versions prepare the way for the unity of the churches and pave the way for an Anti-Christ. Accordingly, they remove numerous verses that claim Jesus is a deity, that He is the Christ, they change or remove 8 verses that say that Jesus is THE Son of God and make him merely A Son of God, they remove a verse that tells us that Jesus was the creator of all things, they diminish the commandments of Christ to merely suggestions by replacing the word doctrine with teaching 30 times, fasting is removed 6 times, pray/prayer is removed 8 times, they replace references to specific sin such as fornication and adultery with immorality 21 times, to be proud or to take pride in is actually added 8 times, and to give the appearance that the souls of the wicked are destroyed, all references to everlasting fire/chains/destruction/ habitation/punishment are replaced with eternal.. No wonder an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

7 7 Much could be said about each one of these alterations but here are a few specific examples. After each verse, I have first listed the Bibles that omit the scripture followed by the early work that supports the KJV reading. It is important to note that every reference listed, unless otherwise stated, date earlier than the Alpha and B Alexandra readings that were used as the basis for the Modern day translations. Much of the reference material below comes from O Biblios The Bible : They remove Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and despiteful use you Matt 5:44 KJV (omitted by RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, LB, AMP, NASV, NEB, NWT, JB3 Spanish - LBLA, NVI, DHH, NVI, RVA) (included in Nephi 5:90, Peshitta Syriac, Ethiopian and Gothic versions 2nd Century: Athenagoras, Clemens Alexandrinus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Theophilus Antiochus; 3rd Century: Apostolic Constitutions, Origen). They remove For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen Matt 6:13 KJV (omitted by DR, RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, LB, NSRB marg., NEB, NWT, JB. AMP italicises the words, NASV places them in brackets, indicating "words probably not in the original writings (sic)" Spanish NVI, DHH) (this verse is included in 3 Nephi 5:106, 1st Century: 2 Timothy 4:1 8b (cross reference); 2nd Century: Didache (document of Apostolic Teaching, discovered 1875, (38) p 117), Tatian's Diatessaron, Old Syriac version (Peshitta); 3rd Century: Coptic and Sahidic (i.e. Egyptian) versions). They remove God from But seek ye first the kingdom of God, Matt 6:33 KJV (omitted by RV, Ne, NIV, RSV, LB, AMP, NASV, NWT, JB; Spanish LBLA, DHH) (appears in the 3 Nephi 6:11, Old Latin and Old Syriac of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and Didache (2nd Century)). They remove to repentance from call the righteous, but sinners to repentance Matt 9:13 & Mark 2:17 KJV (omitted DR, NIV, NAS, AMP; Spanish - RVR 1909, 1960; LBLA, RVA, NVI, DHH) (appears in Moroni 8:9, Barnabas ANF p.139 (1 st Century), Justun Martyr ANF p. 167, Clemens Alexandrinus ANF p. 602; (2nd Century)). Out of thin air, the NEB adds the words the rock after Peter, so that Peter becomes the Rock on which we are to build Christ s church, they changed Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my church KJV to You art Peter, the Rock, and on this rock I will build my church. Matthew 16:18 NEB Por eso te llamaré Pedro, que quiere decir "piedra". Sobre esta piedra construiré mi iglesia, y la muerte no podrá destruirla. Biblia en Lengeaje Sencillo Mateo 16: 18 (BLS) (For that reason I will call Pedro to you, that it means "stone". On this stone I will construct my church, and the death will not be able to destroy it.)(i find no ancient writing whatsoever that supports the NEB or BLS claim. II Nephi 12:34, Jacob 3:26-28; Heleman 2:74-75; 3 Nephi 8:43-44, all other Bible translations including DR are against this NEB translation). Peter himself says that Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church. 1Pet 2:6,7 They say that the last TWELVE verses of Mark s gospel are not in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. However the truth is that these verses can be found in virtually every old source with the exception of the extremely flawed Alpha and B from the fourth century. Their first source, the Vatican Manuscript (B), has a large gap where these verses were cut. As for the Sinaiticus manuscript, it is written in the same-size

8 8 letters throughout until you come to the place where the last twelve verses of Mark belong, then the letters become large and spread out, taking up enough extra space to allow the last twelve verses of Mark to appear in the smaller letters that had been used up until this time. Probably fearing a drop in sales, only the 1946 RSV edition has dared to actually omit these verses. Again, this is an attack directly on His gospel. Here are four of the twelve disputed verses: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:15-18 KJV (appears in Mormon 4:86, 87; 2nd Century: Old Latin and Peshitta Syriac versions, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian; 3rd Century: Coptic and Sahidic versions, Hippolytus, Vincentius, 'Acta Pilati'-by an unknown author, Apostolic Constitutions) They change Only begotten Son John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9 KJV to One and Only whatever that means. (NIV or similar in RSV, GN, LB, NEB) (the phrase only begotten Son appears in Jacob 3:6, 16, Alma 9:54, 55, 68; Irenaeus - Book III, XI, 6; Tertulian - Against Praxeas, XV; Origen - Against Celcus, LXXI; Hippolytus - Against Noetus, Archelaus - Disputation with Manes, 32; Alexander of Alexandria - Epistles on the Arian Heresy) They change that Christ, the Son of the Living God John 6:69 KJV to the Holy One of God or similar meaning (RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV; Spanish LBLA, NVI, DHH; BLS - Christ). This reading demeans Jesus the Christ, The Son of God to only a holy person from God! (supporting the KJV reading are 3 Nephi 14:1; Mormon 2:41, 4:95; the Peshitta and Hardean Syriac and some copies of the Old Latin; Cyprian - Epistle LXVIII Twelve more verses in John (John 7:53-8:11) are either bracketed or removed depending on the modern translation claiming once again that these verses are not in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. These verses include the famous account of the woman caught in adultery where Jesus writes in the sand. (Early writings which include these scriptures are several Old Latin codices, the Didache (3rd century document of Apostolic Teachings), Apostolic Constitutions (4th century) and Eusebius (324 AD) citing Papias (150 AD) as recognizing the passage. The Montanists (2nd century) were also aware of the passage. Jerome (385 AD), who included it in the Vulgate after surveying older Greek copies, stating it was found "in many copies both Greek and Latin", before 415 AD) They change Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you John 16:23 KJV to if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. The new translation for this verse teaches that it is no longer necessary for us to pray in Christ name! (changed in the NAS, ASV RSV, NASB, NJB; Spanish LBLA, NVI, DHH, BLS) (works that support the KJV reading are 3 Nephi 7:27, 8:3, 51, 54, 61, 69, 13:6 Moroni 7:26; Papyri 22 and Cyprian - ANF p.448 both (3rd century)) They remove "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" Acts 8:37 KJV In this verse, Philip is telling the eunuch what more was required of him before he could be

9 9 baptized. One can see why Satan would oppose this verse. It shows us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and it does not allow for infant baptism. Once again, they remove a fundamental teaching of the gospel of Christ. (omitted by RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, LB marg., NEB, NWT, JB. AMP italicises the words, NASV brackets the verses; Spanish NVI, DHH, BLS) (supported by Old Latin (2nd century), Tertullian (2nd century), Irenaeus (180 AD) and Cyprian (250 AD) Treatise XII, Book III, 43; Pacian (370 AD) and the Vulgate (5th century)) They alter the judgment seat of Christ Rom 14:10 KJV to judgment seat of God or similar reading by (RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, LB, AMP, NASV, NEB, NWT, JB; Spanish LBLA, NVI, DHH, BLS) which removes Jesus as the judge (in favor of the KJV reading is 3 Nephi. 13:43, Mormon 1:86,89, 3:22; Polycarp (1st/2nd century), Tertullian and Marcion (both 2nd century)) They omit unworthily from For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord s body. 1 Cor11:29 KJV (omitted by the RV, NE, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, AMP, NASV, NEB, NWT, JB; Spanish LBLA, NVI, DHH, BLS) (for the KJV reading 3 Nephi 8:60; Old Syriac versions, Gothic versions; Apostolic Constitutions ANF p. 470 (3rd Century) They change Confess your faults KJV James 5:16 to Confess your sins or similar in the (Spanish LBLA, NVI; DR, RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV, RSV, GN, NASV, NEB, NWT, JB. AMP has "sins" as one of a range of possibilities) Ruckman (2) p 100-1, (24) p 79-80, indicates that "paraptomata" ("faults") is in ALL existent Greek manuscripts containing the passage and states that "hamartias" ("sins") has NO manuscript authority whatsoever. This example shows how the progenitors of the modern textual critics (Westcott, Hort, Nestle) will willfully (see comments on Col. 2:23) alter the words of God to accommodate Roman Catholicism-in this case the heinous Confessional. They remove in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth" 1 John 5:7 KJV (omitted by the RV, Ne, NIV, NKJV marg., RSV, GN, LB, NASV, NSRB marg. (insisting that the words have no manuscript authority and are an interpolation), NEB, NWT JB. AMP italicises the words; Spanish NVI, DHH, BLS) (supporting the KJV reading are: 3Nephi 5:38 which has a very close reading; the Old Latin text of the 2nd century, including manuscript r (5/6th cent.) and the "Speculum," a treatise containing the Old Latin text, and several fathers. Fuller (4) p 213, citing Wilkinson, states that the passage was found in the Old Latin Bibles of the Waldenses, whose text pre-dated Jerome's Vulgate. See also Ray (15) p 98, who states that this "Italic" Bible dates from 157 AD. Also supporting the KJV: Tertullian - Against Praxeas XXV, Cyprian - Epistle LXXII, 12, Cyprian - Treatise I, 6; Priscillian (385 AD), Idacius Clatus (385 AD) Here is the quote from Cyprian (250 AD.): "He who breaks the peace and concord of Christ, does so in opposition to Christ; he who gathereth elsewhere than in the Church, scatters the Church of Christ. The Lord says, I and the Father are one; and again it is written of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, And these three are one." The name Lucifer is removed from these translations and almost all new Bible dictionaries. In these versions, he also becomes the morning star, a title that is Christ alone. How art thou fallen from heaven. O Lucifer, son of the morning!...yet thou shalt be

10 10 brought down to HELL. Is 14:12, 15 KJV Notice also that his fate is now the grave and not hell. How you have fallen from heaven O MORNING STAR, son of the dawn. But you are brought down to the grave. Here is another example where there are no original Hebrew manuscripts that give the translators authority to make these changes. The KJV reading is also found in 2 Nephi 10:34. Spanish NVI, RVA RVR 1995 have grave So we see by the above examples that KJV is far superior when compared to the earliest witness and the Book of Mormon. But when the Book of Mormon came forth, was and is the KJV perfect? The answer is unfortunately no. Don t get me wrong, they did a fantastic job with the manuscripts they had to work with. And I do believe the KJV with it s Antioch majority type scriptures will be established in one 1 Ne 3:196 with the Book of Mormon. That said however; remember that many scriptures were lost in the first and second century that are causing people to stumble to this day. This was the reason we were given the Book of Mormon in the first place. Did you know for instance that KJV Bible of 1830 taught that "If the Devil, or an evil spirit troubles anyone, they can be driven away by making a smoke of the heart, liver, and gall of a fish...and the Devil will smell it, and flee away, and never come again anymore." Tobit 6:5-8. Or that, when Christ returns it appears from the reading that He will reign for 400 years not 1000 years and then must die again before the Judgment. (2 Esdras 7:28-36) Or that, the basis for the doctrine of purgatory, and collecting moneys from the surviving relatives is found in 2 Maccabees 12: Wherein Judas takes up a collection of 2000 pieces of silver for an offering for someone that had died while worshipping idols so that they might be set free from sin. Also we find "Whoso honoureth his father maketh an atonement for his sins...water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sin. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 3:3, 30 Similarly, Tobit 12:9 states that alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin. Sirach 12:4-7 advices, Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner. Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly; hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him...give unto the good, and help not the sinner. The Catholic Church references the following verse as proof that Mary entered into the world holy. "And I was a witty child and had received a good soul. And whereas I was more good, I came to a body undefiled." Wisdom 8:19,20, DR Finally, in 2 Maccabees 15:12, Judas relates a dream in which Jeremiah the dead prophet is continually praying for the people of the holy city and helping them. The Roman Catholics often site this passage as authority for invoking the dead to intercede for them, and promoting the doctrine of the mediation of Mary and other saints. There are also historical errors as well to deal with. For example, Tobit claims to have been living when Jeroboam revolted (circa 931 B.C.) and still living when Assyria conquered Israel (circa 722 B.C.). He would have had to have lived over 200 years to see both events. (Tobit 1:3-5; 14:11). Also, it is hard to understand how Judith could twice identify Nebuchadnezzar as the king of Assyrians (1:1, 7). Another error in the book of Judith, has Holofernes as a General of Nebuchadnezzar who again ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh (Judith 4:1). Holofemes was actually a Persian General. I ve no doubt confused some on where these verses are but these very verses and the doctrines they support were contained in every new Bible translation through almost the end of the nineteenth century. As seen above, these 14 books known as the Apocrypha include several abominable doctrines of the Roman Catholic. What s more, the new English

11 11 translations are once again starting to include these books. As I said in the beginning of this study, Roman Catholics, leaders of the Protestants and Eastern Orthodox Churches have now agreed to include these books and more in an expanded Apocrypha incorporated into the Revised Standard Version. Where this is all heading is becoming clear to even nonrestoration scholars out there! This is concerted drive to have Protestant churches return to the Roman Catholic fold is the reason that many (including The United Church of Canada, the Lutheran Church and now, many evangelical churches as well) are including some apocryphal passages in their 'scripture' readings these days. Of course, they have declined to reveal their agenda at this point, perhaps feeling that it's a little too early in the game to risk a negative reaction by their congregations. The word 'Apocrypha' comes from the Greek root word apokruphos meaning 'hidden'. It was generally accepted to include writings whose origins is doubtful (spurious) or known to be false and heretical. It was not until 1880 that the American Bible Society voted to remove the "Apocrypha" Books from the King James Version. Five years later, the Anglican Church officially removed the Apocrypha from their English printings of the KJV by the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The books of the Apocrypha are believed to be written between 200 BC and 100 A.D. but are not part of the Jewish Hebrew version of the Old Testament. Like the numerous other spurious writings of that day, the Jews officially rejected these books in 90 AD. Sidney Collett says: Although there are in the New Testament about 263 direct quotations from, and about 370 allusions to, passages in the Old Testament, yet amongst all these there is not a single reference, either by Christ or His apostles, to the Apocryphal writings. Although many of the early church did in fact quote from these writings, many leaders spoke out against them, as they did not regard them as inspired. For the first four centuries of the Christian Church, these books were not to be placed among the sacred books. Rufinus, Hilary, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Cyril, Athanasius, Origen, Tertullian, Melito and Jerome, all rejected them. Athanasius clearly declared the canonical Scriptures alone were to be used for determining doctrine, while the apocrypha were sanctioned for reading only, but were not considered part of the canon. (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers," Second Series, vol. IV, St. Athanasius, "Letter 39.7" (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), p. 552) Despite Jerome s disapproving feelings regarding these writings, he nonetheless intermingled these books within the Old Testament in his Vulgate compilation. Since the Bishop of Rome regarded these works as divine scripture, it seems likely that the rising Bishop was the one who insisted upon their inclusion. During the Reformation period, many spoke out against these books pointing out that they were historical rather that inspired writings. Among these, most notable were Luther, the 1571 Church of England and King James himself. A compromise was reached in these cases whereas these books would be separated out and placed in between the Old and New Testaments. Even the Roman Catholic Church did not officially recognize any of them as canon works until the Council of Trent held on April 8th, At that time 12 of 14 books were accepted. But the fact remains, that every new translation through the entire Reformation period first included these books. The next known problem with the KJV is an error in Matt 5:22 addressed by Apostle Donald McIndoo in ch.22 of his book A Book of Mormon Companion. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the

12 12 judgment: The words without a cause is not found in 3 Ne. 5:70 as it was not said by Jesus. One of the oldest papyri in existence, P67 ( A.D.) found and reprinted in 1957 also leaves out these words. Also in this chapter, Apostle McIndoo lists several prophecies found in the Plates of Brass but missing in our Bibles. They include Jacob s prophecy (Alma 21:56-57), the prophecies of Zenos and Zenock and the specific commandment that teaches the Holy Ghost is given through the laying on the hands by those whom Jesus had called and given such authority. Compare 3 Ne 8:70-71, Mi 2:1-2 with Acts 8:17 and 19:6. Because this plain and precious ordinance of the Lord has been removed from these sacred texts great confusion exists in the minds of many concerning one of God s greatest promises to mankind. With regard to salvation issues, there is no doubt that much of the plainness that is found in the Book of Mormon is missing in the Bible. Several of these essential elements are almost completely lost. The doctrine of faithful/faithfulness or endure unto the end is a good example. The word faithfulness is conspicuously absent from the entire NT of the KJV but it is found 11 times in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is very clear that a person must be faithful ( endurance of faith ) to the Lord until the end of ones life. The term endure/endureth to the end is found only 3 times in the KJV NT (Matt 10:22, 24:13, Mark 13:13). J. Vernon McGee, one of the leaders of the baseless doctrine once saved always saved says that these verses are referring to His sealed Christian s in the great tribulation period and therefore Jesus would loose none of these. What an imagination but this is the type of doctrine we have because of the plainness being removed from the Bible. This false doctrine is one of the great stumbling blocks in the world today. It not only teaches people to be slothful but it also promotes the idea that committing sin doesn t matter. As we know, millions believe that after a person is saved by saying a short prayer, this person cannot be lost no matter what they say or do. Here s what the Book of Mormon says: After that ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of Angels, and after this, should deny me, it would have been better for you, that ye had not known me. And I heard a voice from the Father, saying, Yea, the words of my beloved, are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this, that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved; It would be pretty difficult to put a tribulation spin on this or the multitude of other references in the Book of Mormon that speaks to faithfulness until the end. I would like to give one final example of a salvation doctrine that is abundantly plain in a multitude of Book of Mormon scriptures but that is all but missing in the Bible. It is the sin of pride and the necessity of humbling our self to our God. When comparing the two books, there appears to be many missing references to pride and humility in the Bible. The word pride is only mentioned 3 times in the entire NT but a staggering 61 times in Book of Mormon. And as I covered previously, the New English translations have actually added that it is good for a Christian to be proud or to take pride in (8 times). When comparing the same sermons that Christ gave and recorded in the two books, it appears that the verses at the beginning and end of Matt 5:3-18 may have been omitted from the Bible. Suspiciously, principal parts of the gospel are absent. Note that we are to enter into our baptism covenant

13 13 in the depths of humility, or said another way, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Compare the two accounts: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (KJV Matt 5:3) Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your word, and come down into the depths of humility, and be baptized; for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. 3 Ne 5:49,50 Both accounts then parallel each other for 16 verses with only minor differences, but then the record in Nephi adds the following: And behold I have given unto you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and contrite spirit. 3Ne 5:66 Neither of these terms Broken heart and contrite spirit or contrite spirit are found in the NT of the KJV but are included in the Book of Mormon 9 times. Humble, and words with humble as the root are only found 16 times in NT but 82 times in the Book of Mormon. We have many prophetic accounts in the Book of Mormon that speak out against the churches of our day. They paint a picture of a pride filled people unwilling to listen to the gospel truth. Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up. They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up. They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; 2 Ne 12:14-16 Here are some scriptural examples of what is either entirely missing from the NT or are not being taught in the worldly churches today: We are told that to remain pure before the Lord, we must continually humble ourselves to Him. Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Alma 3:47-50 Those of the early Church of Christ considered pride gross sin those which were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous; Alma 4:4 Our sins are not forgiven at our baptism or in our daily lives unless we continually humble ourselves to Him. And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not. 2 Ne. 8:25 His grace only covers the humble follower of Christ. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; Ether 5:28 The Lord only hears the cries of the truly humble. It is the fervent prayer that he answers! And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, Mos 7:37 Brothers and sisters, while it is true that Satan and his followers continue to do great damage to the gospel of Christ within the Bible, it is also true that he will not win. Many

14 14 scriptures tell us that this pure gospel will go forth to the House of Israel and to the world. For us to be apart of it, we must remain humble, listen to Him as He speaks to us, and hold fast to the fundamentals of the gospel. We cannot get sidetracked away from our mission. We must be unwavering, uncompromising and unafraid to confront in teaching these simple truths! God bless. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matt. 24:14 1. Webster s Dictionary The Bible in Translation by Bruce M. Metzger 3. NASB progenitor Phillip Schaff The changes far are in the right direction and should contain the germs of a new theology Ever age must produce it s own theology such a theology will prepare the way for the reunion of Christendom. Quoted by G. A. Riplinger New Age Bible Versions p Jude 3?, 14; Num 21:14; 1 Sam 10:25; 2 Sam 1:18; 1 Kings 4:32,33, 11:41; 1 Chron 29:29; 2 Chron 9:29, 13:22, 12:15, 20:34, 26:22, 33:19; Jer 36:2, 32; Hosea 8:12; 1 Cor 5:9; Col 4:16; Eph 4:8, 5:14; 1 Tim 5:18 5. M Price, M. Price, The ancestry of our English Bible page Scrivener, Introduction to the N T Criticism, 3 rd Ed. P Eusibius, Eccesiastial History, Vol. 1, p From The Last Word Jay P. Green, Sr 8. Irenaeus 185 AD Against Heresies Book 3 ch 11:12 p Origen Circa AD. 185 In Matth. Tom. 15, Philip Comfort, Early Manuscripts and Translations 11. Philip Comfort, The origin of the Bible, Benjamin G. Wilkinson Our Authorized Bible Vindicated Eusebius Eccles. History, book 5, chap Letter to Rome Bishop, Damasus 383 AD 14. Josephus, wrote: "I have also taken a great deal of pains to obtain the learning of the Greeks, and understand the elements of the Greek language; although I have so accustomed myself to speak our own tongue, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness. For our nation does NOT ENCOURAGE those that learn the language of many nations.there have yet hardly been two or three that have succeeded herein"(42 A.D.) (Antiquities XX, X1 : 2). 15. Papias AD quoted from Eusebius 16. Some of the verses are missing only words, other have been completely deleted: Matt 5:22; 6:13; 16:3; 20:22,23; Mark 6:11; 13:14; Luke 4:8; 11:2-4; John 8:6; 10:14-16, 29; Acts 1:3; 2:30, 47; 17:26; 18:7; 23:9; 1 Cor 10:28; 15:47; Eph 3:9; 5:9; Col 2:23; 1Tim 3:16; 2 Tim 3:16; James 5:16; 1 Pet 1:22; Rev 22: New Age Bible Versions, Riplinger p. 488; The Revision Revised, Burton p. 377