In this final article on the importance of the Bible, we want to answer the question “IS THE BIBLE A FINAL AND COMPLETE REVELATION FROM GOD IN WRITTEN FORM?” If that statement is true, then the Quran is NOT a revelation from God and neither is the Book of Mormon, nor any other writing claiming to be inspired of God as the Bible is.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF A PERSON IS SPEAKING FROM GOD’S REVELATION OR NOT? That is an excellent question since so many religious leaders claim that God speaks directly to them as He did in the Bible. The following issues need to be addressed whenever you run into such a claim:

1. If what is predicted does NOT happen, then God did not tell them it would, no matter what they say! Read carefully Deuteronomy 18:21-22.

2. If the gospel that is preached is NOT the gospel of Jesus Christ found in the Bible, then God did NOT speak to them! Read Galatians 1:6-10.

3. If what they say does NOT agree with the Bible, then God did NOT speak to them! Read Isaiah 8:19-20; II Peter 3:2.

4. If they add any additional truth to what the Bible already says, then God did NOT speak to them! Read Revelation 22:18-19.

WHY DO WE BELIEVE THAT THE BIBLE IS A COMPLETE AND FINAL REVELAATION FROM GOD?

1. A THEOLOGICAL reason – “nothing is omitted that believers need to know!”

2. A LOGICAL reason – “early church leaders were closer to the issue. They consistently rejected claims by other writings.”

3. A FACTUAL reason – “no attempt was made to change this completed Bible unto the Council of Trent (1540-1546 AD).” That council was a reaction to objections by the reformers regarding church tradition being more important than the Bible itself, and the failure of many church teachings to be supported by Biblical authority.

4. AN EXPERIENTIAL reason – “it has the proven power to save and change lives who believe its message and obey its teachings.”

5. A BIBLICAL reason – THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ARGUMENT OF ALL! God indicates that His written Word would be a complete and final revelation!

FOR YOUR DILIGENT STUDY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES:
Exodus 20:1; Deuteronomy 4:2; 8:3; Psalm 19:7; 119:89, 152, 160; Proverbs 30:5-6; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Luke 16:31; John 10:35; 16:13; Romans 10:17; I Corinthians 14:37; 15:1; Galatians 1:9; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2:2-4; Jude 3; Revelation 1:1; 22:18-19

Hebrews 1:1-2 makes the clear argument that in the “last of these days” (correct Greek grammar) in which God spoke directly, there would be a final revelation concerning His Son, our Lord Yeshua. That final revelation is the last book of the New Testament which calls itself “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” – it is an uncovering or unveiling of His Person and majesty like no other portion of God’s Word. It is in that book (in its last chapter – 22:18-19) that deals with the future – clear into eternity – that we have the warning against adding to its words or taking away any of its words. God’s revelation ended with the Book of Revelation! We are no longer hearing God’s direct and audible revelation – He is finished and now holds us accountable for all that He revealed to us about the past, the present, and the future!

MAY GOD RESTORE IN OUR HEARTS THE ABSOLUTE SUFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE! IT IS THE INSPIRED AND INERRANT WORD OF THE ONE AND ONLY GOD, THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, AND IT IS A COMPLETE AND FINAL REVELATION FROM GOD HIMSELF!

Special thanks to all of you who have appreciated the last article we gave concerning the manuscript evidence for the Bible. It is quite obvious to many believers that the Bible itself is under attack. The Bible was the textbook for America for over 100 years and we produced the greatest generation of scholars, scientists, lawyers, judges, doctors, teachers and preachers that the world had ever seen! Now, we are more sophisticated (we think!) and have become “judges” and “critics” of the Bible. Its historicity and accuracy is being challenged by many people, both secularists as well as religious people. We continue to question the authenticity of the Bible and the majority of Americans doubt that the Bible IS the Word of God and that it is inspired of God.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “INSPIRATION”?

Inspiration does NOT refer to the writers, but rather to the writings. The Greek text of II Timothy 3:16 has three words that are translated as “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” The word “all” (or “every”) and the word “writing” (graphics) and the word “God-breathed” (or “inspired”). II Peter 1:20-21 insists that the writers were controlled by the Holy Spirit so that what was written was accurate and exactly what God wanted to communicate to us.

There is “external evidence” (like manuscripts, historical and archaeological facts, geographical information, etc.) as well as “internal evidence” (what the Bible claims about itself) that affects what we mean by “inspiration.” Here is a possible definition:

INSPIRATION IS THE ACT OF GOD BY WHICH HE COMMUNICATED HIS WORD IN WRITTEN FORM AND DIRECTLY CONTROLLED THE WRITERS SO THAT WHAT WAS WRITTEN (original autographs) WAS FREE FROM ERROR!

The Bible is not only “inspired of God” – it is also inerrant (without error in the original autographs). It is the most translated and distributed book before the invention of printing (1450 AD) in the history of the world! No other writing is close to its manuscript evidence. Over 5500 Greek manuscripts, 10,000 Latin manuscripts, and over 1000 manuscripts in other languages – all before the invention of printing! Incredible to say the least!

Inspiration refers to ALL that was written – not just parts of it. If you can’t trust the Bible’s historical facts, then how can you trust its moral and spiritual teachings? The Bible is the most amazing book of all history – actually it is a library (integrated software system!) of 66 books. The Old Testament has 39 books in the Protestant Bible (exactly the same as the Jewish Bible, the Tanakh, but organized differently in three major sections – the torah, the prophets, and the writings.) The New Testament contains 27 books. The Catholic Bible has added some 14 Jewish apocryphal books, but the early church never considered them inspired of God even though some of them contain valuable history. There have been some modern attempts (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Judas, etc.) to add books to the Bible as though they were on the level of the authorized canon of the Scriptures – but it won’t work! These “pseudo-graphic” writings clearly reveal that they are outside the realm of Biblical authority and authenticity.

The Bible itself will bring a person salvation (Romans 10:17; II Timothy 3:14-15; I Peter 1:23-25) and give discernment to the believer as to what is right and wrong (Hebrews 5:11-14). Through the Bible we gain effectiveness in prayer (John 15;7; I John 5:14) and we are enabled to live victoriously over sin (Psalm 119:9, 11; John 15:3; I Peter 2:2-3). Through the Bible the true believer can be equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17).

BUT, HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THE BIBLE IS A FINAL AND COMPLETE REVELATION OF GOD IN WRITTEN FORM?

Stay tuned! In a few days, we will answer this question!

This is a difficult issue to address in one simple article, but because of the continual questions we receive on this matter, we have included a brief explanation of the evidence behind the King James Version of the Bible. We believe that in spite of certain so-called “archaic” words and in spite of what some have called “difficult English” for today’s contemporary generation, the King James Bible (as well as the New King James Version) is based on solid manuscript evidence, and that most modern English versions are based on manuscript evidence that varies greatly from the King James tradition.

We are not saying that the King James Bible is the ONLY English Bible that should be used. We are in favor of “updating” the English of the King James whenever possible as long as the manuscript evidence is not altered or ignored. We do not possess any so-called “original autographs,” but the manuscript evidence that we do have is greater than any other piece of literature in the history before the invention of the printing press. May the Lord use these simple facts to guide us all in getting the Word of God into the language of the people of this world!

INFORMATION ON THE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE BEHIND THE KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE (called “textus receptus”) – our focus will be on the New Testament where most of the arguments come – it was originally given to us in the Greek language, the largest language in the history of the world!

The first edition of the Greek text to be published was that of Desiderius Erasmus in 1516 AD, followed by his edition in 1519 AD which was used by Martin Luther for his German translation of the Bible. Erasmus also published editions in 1522, 1527, and 1535 AD, the last two of which contained some changes from the Complutensian Polyglot printed in 1514 AD, but not circulated until 1522 AD. This Complutensian Greek text was reprinted with only a few changes in 1571, 1572, 1573, 1574, 1583, 1584 AD, and in Geneva, editions were put out from 1609 to 1628 AD.

Simon Colinaeus, a printer in Paris, published an edition of the Greek text in 1534 AD based upon those of Erasmus and the Complutensian Greek NT. It was superseded by the famous editions of his step-son, Robert Stephens, who printed editions in 1546, 1549, and 1550 AD, the last one known as the “royal edition.” This was the primary Greek text used by the King James translators, along with additions by Theodore Beza, especially the one of 1598 AD.

The Elzevir partners, Bonaventure and Abraham, published editions of the Greek text in 1624, 1633, and 1641, following primarily the 1565 edition by Theodore Beza. The preface to the 1633 edition gave the name to this historical tradition of manuscript evidence and called in “Textus Receptus.” In the course of time, it was applied to the Stephens text of 1550 AD and those which followed. The primary edition behind this Greek text is that of F.H.A. Scrivener that was published by Cambridge University Press in 1894 and 1902 AD.

About two-thirds of the NT Greek text was discovered in the 20th century AD – manuscripts that preceded 300 AD and the famous Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Alexandrinus.

Codex Vaticanus differs greatly from the Textus Receptus throughout the NT. The great Greek scholar Dean Burgon published in 1881 that in the gospels alone, Codex Vaticanus omits 2877 words, adds 536, substitutes 935, transposes 2098, and modifies 1132 – making 7578 total changes! Codex Sinaiticus has 8972 changes from the Textus Receptus.

The popular Greek texts of today are dependent upon two ecumenical institutes in Germany. To illustrate, the 26th edition of the Nestle Greek text was done according to Kurt Aland “in cooperation with the appropriate agencies of the Roman Catholic Church.”

Codex Vaticanus is the Greek text used by the Emphatic Diaglot which is behind the Watchtower Bible of the Jehovah Witnesses.

Codex Vaticanus ends at Hebrews 9:14 and excludes the Pastoral Epistles and the book of Revelation. It contains all 14 Apocryphal books – contains 7579 changes from the Textus Receptus.

Codex Sinaiticus has one-half of its NT leaves missing, and contains the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermes. It has 9000 changes from the Textus Receptus.

Tischendorf, the one who found Codex Sinaiticus, made 3369 changes in his 8th edition from his 7th edition.

In English, the above two MSS make over 30,000 changes.

Today we have over 5500 Greek MSS, over 10,000 Latin MSS, and over 4000 in other primary languages. We also have over 86,000 separate references in the writings of early church leaders.

The King James Bible was translated by 54 men who labored from 1607 to 1610 AD – spent hours in prayer and insisted on unanimous decisions on the readings of the text. It was indeed a remarkable effort and has been the Bible of the English speaking world for over 350 years.

Most importantly – this generation needs to return to the reading and study of the Bible itself! May our pastors and churches reemphasize the importance of the Bible in everything we say and do!

The Apostle Paul warned us in II Timothy 3:1-17 that “perilous times” would come in the future. He said they would come “in the last days” – a term used seven times in the Bible. The words “the latter times” are used once in I Timothy 4:1, and the term “the last time” is found four times. The phrase “the Day of the LORD” is used 25 times, five of which are in the New Testmanet.

The Greek word translated “perilous” is the word “chalepoi” – it is found in Matthew 8:28 where it is translated “exceeding fierce” and refers to two who were “possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs.”

ARE WE LIVING IN PERILOUS TIMES?

What Paul described can certainly fit what is going on in the world at present!

THE PURSUIT OF SELF-LOVE WILL DOMINATE THE CULTURE!

Paul wrote in II Timothy 3:2-4a – “men shall be lovers of their own selves.” He then gave an extensive description of what kind of culture that would be. Ephesians 5:29 makes it quite clear that “no man ever yet hated his own flesh” – yes, it is our natural tendency to love ourselves. Our Lord Yeshua pointed out in Matthew 22:37-40 that it is the problem in loving God and loving others. He told us that the greatest commandment was an intense and thorough love for God, and that the second commandment was like it – “love your neighbor AS yourself.” He did NOT command us to love ourselves; The little word “as” shows that it is a simile and emphasizes that this is what we all do. Luke 9:23 tells us that if we want to follow our Lord Yeshua, we must “deny ourselves.”

THE PASSION FOR PLEASURE WILL REPLACE OUR LOVE FOR GOD!

In II Timothy 3:4b we read – “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.” The emphasis on “pleasure” is overwhelming! James 4:1-4 teaches that if this is your goal in life, you will become the “enemy” of God! II Peter 2:14-22 clearly shows that the pursuit of pleasure will control your life through the “lusts of the flesh.” I Peter 2:11 reveals that it will cause emotional turmoil in your heart. Hebrews 11:24-26 makes it clear that seeking the “pleasures” of life can bring temporary enjoyment but it will destroy godly priorities in your life!

THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION WILL INCREASE WITHOUT THE POWER OF GOD!

II Timothy 3:5-9 emphasizes that people will have a “form of godliness” but they will deny the “power” of it. The mention of Jannes and Jambres at the time of Moses (they are mentioned in the Targum of Jonathan) makes it clear that these “magicians” were able to perform miracles up to a certain point (read Exodus 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18-19). Matthew 24:24 teaches that miraculous signs are what will be used by false prophets and teachers to deceive the believers.

THE PERSECUTION OF THE GODLY WILL INTENSIFY!

A part of what will make these days so difficult is that persecution will intensify. II Timothy 3:10-12 tells us that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution.” We will not be able to escape it. John 15:18-27 reminds us that our Lord Yeshua was hated and persecuted, and so will the believers in Him. But, always remember that our reward will be in heaven (Matthew 5:10-12) and that we should rejoice over the privilege and opportunity that our suffering will bring – Acts 5:40-42 and I Peter 3:14-17. I Peter 4:12-16 also tells us that we should not be surprised when the persecution (whether verbal or physical) comes!

THE PRESENCE OF WIDESPREAD DECEPTION WILL ACCELERATE!

II Timothy 3:13 tells us that deception and seducers are going to increase, NOT diminish – as we draw closer to the return of our Lord. Our Lord Himself warned us that deception was going to come – Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24. Paul warned us as well in I Timothy 4;1-2 and II Timothy 4:3-4; The Apostle John also warned us that it was coming – I John 4:1-6; II John 7-11.

THE PRIORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES WILL BE THE MAJOR ISSUE OF GENUINE FAITH AND PRACTICE!

II Timothy 3:14-17 lays out the importance of the written Word of God for all of us in facing the “perilous times” that are coming.

We will need the Bible for STRENGTH in dealing with persecution and deception – II Timothy 3:14.

We will need the Bible for SALVATION – II Timothy 3:15.

We will need the Bible for SANCTIFICATION – II Tiimothy 3:16.

We will need the Bible for SERVICE – II Timothy 3:17.

The drifting away from expository Bible teaching in our churches is one of the most serious trends of our day. The teaching and preaching of the Bible must remain at the center of all we say and do. Pastors need to return to the systematic teaching of the books of the Bible, and stop trying to entertain the people for whom they are responsible before God! May God open our eyes!