While Men Slept
(The Transition From The KJV to The Modern Translations)
Matthew 13:24,25 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
When I confessed the Lord Jesus as my Savior in 1974, every Christian that I was in contact with read the King James Bible. There was no talk of other translations. Starting in the late 1970's and then accelerating in the early 1980's, there was a dramatic shift away from the KJV to the modern translations. In the late 1970's, the move was to the NASB, while in NIV followed in the 1980's.
I lived through this transition from the KJV, to eventually, many other modern translations. Looking back at this dramatic shift, what stands out is that it happened without any resistance from the pastors and church leaders. The pulpits were silent. I am sure there was a pastor here or there who spoke out, but I never heard anything about this revolution from the pastors I had contact. I spoke with others who lived through this transition, and they also said the pastors and church leaders were silent. I would say in a space of a mere 15 years, from 1980 to 1995, the vast majority of the believers abandoned the KJB for the modern translations. This was a very short time, when you compare it to the 400 year life of the KJB.
I can remember the first time a believer showed me the NASB. I was attending a Baptist church in Long Island, NY. He was all excited and went out of his way to show me this translation. I was not interested, and the conversation did not last long. I am telling you this to show how nearly everyone read the KJB, and it was odd to see a different translation.
Many of the old time pastors continued to preach from the KJV, but right under their noses the believers were abandoning it. When these pastors passed on, for the most part, they were replaced with preachers using the modern translations.
I can vividly remember the release of the NIV. It was published by Zondervan, who backed it with huge amount of funds for advertising. It was a first rate "Madison Avenue" advertising blitz! There was no mention of how much this translation deviated from the KJV. The NIV was promoted as easy to read backed by the latest biblical scholarship, and now today it is the most popular translation. The majority of the pastors preach from it.
NIV Bible Tops List by Evangelical Leaders 04/08 "The New International Version of the Bible is by far the most preferred translation of the Scripture, according to a new survey of U.S. evangelical leaders. More than 65 percent of the participating leaders named the NIV as their preferred Bible in a survey conducted by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in light of the NIV's 30th anniversary this year. New Bible translations face large competition to gain a foothold in churches and homes but once established they have long staying power," commented Leith Anderson, president of the NAE, which claims to represent 30 million evangelicals. "And, the NIV has maintained popularity and influence since it was published in 1978."
Literally the church slept while the enemy sowed tares amongst the wheat. It fell for the "Madison Avenue hype" and abandoned the KJB. The believers were not warned of the vast differences in the modern translations compared to the KJB. The vast amount of deletions were not mentioned. The difference between the underlining Greek and Hebrew manuscript from the KJB were never mentioned. The fact that most modern translations dropped that the Lord Jesus is the "only begotten Son of God" was altered without any warning or protest. The list of deletions and alterations goes on and on. The church failed to stand for the word of God. It surrendered really without much of a fight. I think this is at the root why the church is so powerless today.
I found it very easy to memorize the KJB and spent a great deal of time memorizing the word. During the late 1970s, many people showed an interest in memorizing, and I used my technique to teach how to both memorize and meditate upon the word of God. In the beginning everyone used the KJB, and my seminars went very well. Then the people started to use the NASB, and I noticed a drop off. I encouraged everyone to use the KJB, but they did not listen to me. Now I realize that they were unable to memorize this translation and the people lost interest. I discontinued my memorization seminars.
I think one of the casualties of the modern translations is memorizing the word of God. The only scriptures I ever hear quoted today are still the KJV, and I NEVER hear the modern translations quoted. This is also a major reason why the church is so powerless. The word is not hidden in the heart.
Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
As my seminars were winding down, I had an ugly confrontation with an assistant pastor of a large church. People from his church were attending the seminar, and he came to observe my teaching. He sat quietly until I told everyone to memorize from the KJB. At this point, he interrupted and said he tells everyone to use any translation but the KJV. He actually shocked me, and I confronted him. He would not back down and neither would I. He showed outright disdain for the KJV. We had this confrontation out in the open in front of the class. This pastor was not asleep while the enemy was sowing tares but was helping.
A few years later, I had a major confrontation with a professor from Oral Roberts University. I had shared the differences between the KJB and the modern translations with a new friend. He got back to me, and it turns out he spoke with a professor friend at ORU, who wanted to speak with me.
I spoke with this professor, and all I can say it was war. He was in the attack mode from the start. He told me all about his degrees in Greek, and he was working on Hebrew. He immediately began to attack the KJV from every angle. I was not as well versed as I am now, and when I could not answer his question he would mock me. He told me that he looked for freshmen who believed like I did about the KJV and went right after them! This was from a professor at ORU, and Oral Roberts preached from the KJV! This professor was a wolf among the sheep.
I began to ask him if the deleted verses in the NIV were the word of God. He said he did not know, so my comeback was you are a Greek scholar and do not know whether Mark 16:9-20 is the word of God! How can you be a professor and not know what is the word of God.? I must have told him this 20 times. I told him I was not a Greek scholar but knew that Mark 16:9-20 was the word of God because I accept it by faith. He was furious with me.
This man was in utter confusion, yet he wanted to attack the KJB! How could a man like this be allowed to teach at ORU? While they slept at ORU, satan was sowing tares amongst the wheat.
Several years later, the church I was attending officially went to the NIV. The week they did this the pastor was preaching from Acts 8. When he got to verse 37, he skipped to 38. The reason he did this was verse 37 is not in the NIV!
Acts 8:37 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.
The key verse of this section of scriptures, which shows a testimony for salvation was omitted. After the service, I spoke to the pastor about verse 37, and I asked him if it was the word of God. He could not speak with me at this time, so we made an appointment during to week to follow up. When I went to the meeting, he had a member of the church with him and said he wanted to take me to meet with Robert Morey, who was better versed in this issue. Morey is a nationally known Bible scholar, who lived in Pennsylvania at the time. He requested that the meeting be tape recorded to which I agreed.
My simple question turned into a taped meeting with a Bible scholar. The meeting did not go well. Right away Morey began attacking the author, Gail Riplinger who had nothing to do with the meeting. Riplinger is one of the leading defenders of the KJB. Morey said he used to believe like me until someone in the church gave him a NASB. He immediately left the KJV and began to preach from the NASB. He said from the pulpit he tells the people what had been added to the KJB, and they are to disregard it if they read the KJB.
My response was that he was dangerous as he thought he was the final authority on what was the word of God. It sounded to me like Jimmy Jones. I told him that I would not sit for one minute under his teaching. My pastor completely backed Morey against me and agreed that Mark 16:9-20 along with many other verses were not the word of God. I requested a copy of the tape recording but was told it had been destroyed. I soon left that church.
I have spoken with many pastors, who said they first preached from the KJV, but switched to the modern translations. I shared many things with them about the deletions in the modern translations. I never had one pastor repent and turn back to the word of God. It seems that these pastors are sealed into these translations.
I believe that the main reason the church is so powerless in America is because there is a famine for the word of God. The modern translations are like eating food devoid of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. It might look like food, but it contains nothing to sustain life. The modern translations are spiritually like food devoid of nutrients. So many people are spiritually weak and powerless and have no idea that they are feeding on translations that lack power.
Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
Most of the modern church is living off the memory of the KJB, but as this older generation goes to be with the Lord Jesus, what is going to happen to the church? Young people raised in an NIV church have no idea what is missing in this translation. Now they will be reading a politically correct Bible! What will the next revision be like?
Satan knew he could not gut the Bible in one edition, as it would be too obvious, so in the first edition he deleted key verses and words that weaken the faith. Now, 25 years later the NIV is gender-neutral and politically correct. The next edition will be even worse as there is no restraint on the evil "Bible scholars" along with publishers who only care about money.
In addition to my postings on the changes in the modern translations, I want to show two scriptures to show how even "little" changes can be very serious. The Lord's prayer is found in Luke 11. There were subtle but significant changes that make it a generic prayer rather than one that is unmistakably Christian. Look at all the words that are left out. This prayer was gutted in the modern translations. It could fit right in with the New Agers
KJV: Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
(3) Give us day by day our daily bread.
(4) And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
NIV: Luke:11:2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come
(3) Give us each day our daily bread.
(4) Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
Years ago I was learning about the New Age religion not as convert, but I wanted to learn about its belief system. I was reading an article, which was commenting on the NIV. The author was delighted with this translation as Lucifer was removed from falling from heaven in Isaiah 14:12, and that Lord was removed from 1 Corinthians 15:47! The NIV created a generic Jesus who could fit right in with reincarnation! The removal of "the Lord" changed the impact of this verse which made it very easy to fit with the New Age. The Lord Jesus was not merely from heaven, but He was the Lord, the only begotten Son of God, from heaven.
KJV: 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
NIV: 1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven
It may not be obvious at first the danger of deleting words, sentences and paragraphs from the Bible, but God placed them there for a reason. There is a reason behind why satan removed all these words from the modern translations. While men slept, the enemy sowed Bibles full of tares right before the eyes of the church. If the believers cannot discern this, then they are open to all deceptions. If believers will not stand for the integrity of the word of God, they are in trouble with the Lord and in the end will be powerless. This is spiritual warfare on the highest level.
May you stand for the KJB, which God gave the church 400 years ago as the word of God.
Matthew 13:24,25 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
By John McTernan
Defend and Proclaim the Faith
Blog: John McTernan’s Insights at www.johnmcternan.name
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PRO-LIFE
