Introduction to the Bible Part 2 by Victor Torres Hello children. Last week we learned the following things about the Bible or the Scriptures: 1) Everything in the Bible is God's Word (2Ti 3:16) 2) It is important for us to learn the Bible from a young age because it will make us wise and be saved (2Ti 3:15). 3) All of the Scriptures are useful for the following things (2Ti 3:16): a) teaching people b) helping people c) correcting people d) showing them how to live 4) To put number 3 above in less words: the Bible is an instruction book for God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds (2Ti 3:17) Now, let's look at the verses that we based these statements on: 2Ti 3:15 Since childhood, you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to make you wise enough to have faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. 2Ti 3:16 Everything in the Scriptures is God's Word. All of it is useful for teaching and helping people and for correcting them and showing them how to live. 2Ti 3:17 The Scriptures train God's servants to do all kinds of good deeds. We have also learned last week that: 5) The Bible is composed of the Old Testament and the New Testament. 6) The Old Testament is composed of 39 books from Genesis to Malachi and 7) The New Testament is composed of 27 books from Matthew to Revelations We were also taught last week that: 6) The Scriptures were written by men being guided by the Spirit of God (2Pe 1:21). They did not make these things up on their own. 2Pe 1:21 The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God. 7) The Bible is not an easy book to understand. The lessons and instruction are
hidden by God using parables (Luk 8:10) and code words or symbols (Rev 1:1). Luk 8:10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables [stories that has a hidden lesson]; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ [who is the Word of God], which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it [God used code words] by his angel unto his servant John: 8) Because the Bible is hard to understand, we will need people who understand it to explain it to us as we have seen in the story of the Ethiopian official and Philip in Acts 8:27-35. 9) The people who understand the Bible belong to the body of Christ. They are given the Holy Spirit to guide them to understand the Bible. Joh 16:13 The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen. 10) Last week, you have also seen how the Bible talks about common topics such as obedience, peace, God's sovereignty, patience, faith, joy and rewards. Now let's talk about Bible translations. The Bible was originally written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. The Old Testament books were originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The New Testament books were originally written in Greek. The Bible as it was written in those original languages has no error. Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Pro 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. This is because, if you remember, God Himself guided those men who wrote it. God does not make mistakes. Psa 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Mat 5:48 Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.
But since we don't understand Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic, we use English translations like the King James Version, the English Standard Version and the Contemporary English Version. But unlike the original writings, these translations have errors in them. These errors are mainly due to the translators' false beliefs. Because they believe in false teachings such as the trinity, man's free will, hell or eternal punishment, they have translated some of the verses to what they think they should say, and not to what they actually say. The King James Version (or KJV) for example was translated under the order of King James I of England (that's why it's called King James Version). He ordered 47 scholars to translate the original writings into English back in 1604 and they finished in 1611. That was a long time ago. That is why you see old English words in that version like thy (instead of your), thou and thee (instead of you) and howbeit (instead of however). The problem with the KJV is that King James ordered the translators to make sure the translation agrees with the beliefs of the Church of England. All of those 47 scholars also belonged to the Church of England. Jer 23:16 Don't listen to the lies of these false prophets, you people of Judah! The message they preach is something they imagined; it did not come from me, the LORD All-Powerful. So you can see how that version is tainted by their false beliefs. One example is how they translated the Greek words aion and aionios. Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever [translated from the word aion] and ever [also translated from the word aion]. 2Th 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2Th 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting [translated from the word aionios] destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Kids, look at the phrases I highlighted above: and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever and be punished with everlasting destruction. That is also how the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV) translated those phrases. The ESV and the CEV are the two versions I mostly use to make these lessons for you. Here's how those verses were translated in the ESV: Rev 20:10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 2Th 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, Here's how those verses were translated in the CEV: Rev 20:10 Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever. 2Th 1:9 Their punishment will be eternal destruction, and they will be kept far from the presence of our Lord and his glorious strength. These phrases and the verses that contain them seem to say that there will be people that will be punished forever. But is this true? Were these phrases translated correctly? If this is true, then these verses will disagree with verses that tell us that God will save all of mankind. I have pointed out a lot of these verses in our previous studies including 1Co 15:22, 1Ti 4:10, Joh 3:17 and Rom 11:32. Here are some more of them: Psa 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. Luk 2:10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good
news of great joy that will be for all the people. Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 1Jn 2:2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world's people. So again, what about Rev 20:10 which says those in the lake of fire will be tormented (tortured) forever and ever. Are we forced to accept that verse and deny Psa 22:27 which tells us that All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord? And what about 2Th 1:9 which tell us that people who don't obey the gospel will be punished with everlasting destruction. Are we forced to believe that and deny 1Jn 2:2 which tells us that Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world's people? We don't want to do that. If we deny any part of His words, that is the same as denying Christ Himself. What did Christ say about denying Him? Mat 10:33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Mar 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Actually, we don't have to deny Him or any part of His words. We just need to know that the sum of His word is truth: Psa 119:160 The sum of your word is truth... This means that we should always consider other parts of the Bible before we decide what a verse mean. The Bible will not contradict or disagree with itself. It will not tell you that God is a merciful and loving God in many verses and then at the same time tell you He will torture most people without end in some. If we know the proper translation of Rev 20:10 and 2Th 1:9, we will see that God does
not punish evil doers forever and that He will eventually save everyone. Here are the proper translation of Rev 20:10: Rev 20:10 (YLT) and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and night--to the ages of the ages. 2Th 1:9 (YLT) who shall suffer justice--destruction age-during--from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, Age (or eon) is how aion should be translated and age-during (or eonian) is how aionios should be translated. An age or an eon (aion) is a time period that has a beginning and an end, as we can see clearly from these verses: Tit 1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages [translated from the word aionios] began Mat 24:3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age [translated from the word aion]?" So you see kids, God's punishment to those in the lake of fire has a beginning and an end. He is truly a loving and merciful God! Isa 57:16 My people, I won't stay angry and keep on accusing you. After all, I am your Creator. I don't want you to give up in complete despair. Isa 57:17 Your greed made me furious. That's why I punished you and refused to be found, while you kept returning to your old sinful ways. Isa 57:18 I know what you are like! But I will heal you, lead you, and give you comfort, until those who are mourning Isa 57:19 start singing my praises. No matter where you are, I, the LORD, will heal you and give you peace. It is important to note that it is God Himself who caused these translators to make these errors (regardless of whether these errors are intentional or unintentional).
Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. Despite these errors though, the KJV, ESV and CEV are still good translations to use in our Bible studies. Knowing about these errors should tell us all the more how important it is to have the guidance of teachers when we study the Bible. This is also why it is important to study the Scriptures from a young age. The more we learn of God's truths, the more we are able to know which verses are translated correctly and which are mistranslated. Questions: 1) True or false: Everything in the Bible is God's Word 2) Fill in the blank: The Scriptures were written by men being guided by the S of God. 3) True or false: The Bible is easy to understand. 4) Fill in the blank: The people who understand the Bible belong to the b of Christ. 5) True or false: The Bible as it was written in the original languages has no error. 6) Fill in the blank: The Bible was originally written in 3 languages: Hebrew, G, and Aramaic. 7) True or false: the KJV translation has no errors. 8) Which of these is a false teaching: a) trinity b) man's free will c) hell d) all of the above 9) True or false: If we deny Christ or any of His words, He will also deny us before the Father 10) Fill in the blank: The problem with the KJV is that King James ordered the translators to make sure the translation agrees with the beliefs of the Church of E. 11) True or false: the Greek word aion should be translated into the English word age or eon, a time period that has a beginning and an end. 12) Fill in the blank. Psa 119:160 (ASV) The s of your word is truth This verse tells us that we should consider other parts of the Bible before we decide what a verse mean.
13) True or false: we don't need teachers to study the Bible, we can just study it by ourselves. 14) Fill in the blank: It is who caused Bible translators to make errors.