ARTICLES

There were the originals. Then there were copies. Then there were translations. The Alexandrians claim the only writings you can trust as perfect, inspired, and infallible were the originals. The Bible says something different. Let’s see what it says:

6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD; thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

Commentary

These are the words of David the psalmist, who was writing under the inspiration of God. Therefore these are the words of God. David says the words of the LORD are pure words. Then he tells us how pure… as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. What is God’s number of perfection? Seven, that’s as pure as it gets. It doesn’t get any purer than that!

Now verse 7 tells us the LORD keeps his pure words and preserves his pure words FOR EVER! David was saying that the LORD shall preserve his pure words from this generation to the next generation to the next generation to the next generation for how long? FOR EVER! Now friend that’s a long time!

Also notice this. The word of God was growing and multiplying under the direction of the Holy Ghost, therefore the psalmist words were being added to the book of the LORD, but how about the scripture that David held in his hands, was that the originals? No! For example the writings that Moses actually penned had long faded away. The scripture that David had was a copy of a copy of a copy etc. Nevertheless he said it was pure and he said the LORD shall preserve it forever!

¹   Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
²   And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
³   And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
⁴   But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Commentary

The very first words the New Testament records Jesus telling the devil were “It is written.” He keeps repeating it to the devil, “it is written” in verses 7 and 10. He did not say “it was written.” He did not say “it was written in the originals only.” He did not say “it was written in the originals only and it got lost.” In order to be a Bible critic, that is what you have to believe. “It was written in the originals only and it got lost so we have the right to tamper with it because nobody really knows for sure what Jesus said anyway, just as long as we convey the message with love.” Hogwash! Jesus said “the scripture can not be broken” (John 10:35.) Jesus said ‘my words shall not pass away.” Jesus told the devil “It is written.” Notice the present tense of the verb is. It is written. Today it still is written!

What is written? “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Where do you find every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God? Jesus just told you. “It is written.” You find every word of God in that old black book that we call the Holy Bible. It is written. It is pure. It is preserved. It can not be broken and it shall never pass away!

Now let’s look at the nature of the written word of God from the beginning…

¹² And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

¹⁸ And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

¹⁵ And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.
¹⁶ And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

³¹   And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
³²   Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
³³   And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

¹ And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

Commentary

The first two tables of testimony had been broken when Moses cast them down when he witnessed the children of Israel worshiping the golden calf. There goes original # 1. Now the LORD instructs Moses to make two more tables like unto the first. Then the LORD writes the same words that were in the first tables. THIS IS A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL! Even though it is just a copy, it’s still pure and it’s still holy.

⁴ And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

Commentary

Moses is following the commandments of the LORD. They are working together putting the words of the LORD in writing. Even though man is involved, and he has already broken the originals, the LORD will not allow him to botch up the preservation process.

²⁷ And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
²⁸ And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

¹ Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
² Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Commentary

This is Moses speaking to the children of Israel. He is teaching them. Then in verse 2 he gives them a strong warning: don’t tamper with the word of God as it is written. Don’t add to it and don’t take away from it. God commands them to keep the word the way they received it. Remember now this is just a copy of the original.

¹² And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
¹³ And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Commentary

Moses is reminding the children of Israel that the LORD spake to them out of the midst of the fire. The children of Israel heard the voice but they could not see him. Then the LORD wrote what He had said on two tables of stone and called it the ten commandments.

So really and truly what the LORD said was the original and what He wrote was a copy of what He said. Then Moses broke that copy. Then the LORD told Moses to write another copy, so already we have a copy of a copy of the original. So we see God keeps his word pure and preserved even though it was written and re-written.

The commandments, the law, the statutes, and the judgments are all part of the word of the LORD. Keep that in mind as we move along.

²²These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

⁹   When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
¹⁰   And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.
¹¹   And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant.

¹   At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood.
²   And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
³   And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand.
⁴   And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.

¹⁸ And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
¹⁹ And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

Commentary

These are the commandments addressed to the first king of Israel which was yet to come. He is told to write him a copy of this law in a book. In verse 19 he is commanded to read therein all the days of his life! This copy, which is now a copy of a copy of a copy, etc… is it the word of God or not? Of course it is. The LORD will not allow man to mess it up because the LORD cares about his words. That is why the LORD himself is in charge of preserving his words!

³⁰   Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
³¹   As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
³²   And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
³³   And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.
³⁴   And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
³⁵   There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

Commentary

Joshua had just secured victory in war. So he built an altar unto the LORD God because they were commanded to do so in the book of the law of Moses. Then Joshua wrote upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses. Then he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. He read every word, even to the women and the little ones and the strangers that understood their speech. What Joshua wrote and read was the pure word of God. The LORD did not allow Joshua to make a mistake when copying his words. The hand of Joshua was being guided by the Holy Ghost!

²³ Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
²⁴ That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

Commentary

Job in his agony cries out beautiful prophecy: let my words be written! Let them be printed in a book! He goes on and talks about his words being graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! Who writes with a pen like that? Who can make something last forever? Only the great preserver, the LORD God Almighty!

¹ These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

⁵ Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
⁶ Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Commentary

Every word of God is pure. The real word of God is in a pure language! In this day in your English language that would be your King James Bible! Now at the end of verse 6 God gives a strong warning against tampering with it! The Spirit of God is breathing through that old black book. It is quick, meaning it is alive!

¹⁷ For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

²³   Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
²⁴   For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
²⁵   But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Commentary

This passage clearly states there is an incorruptible word of God that lives and abides and endures forever! Glory be to God, put it in my hand! If it’s not the King James Bible, then which one is it? That final written authority from God is out here somewhere, that is if you believe the Bible. Well I’m just dumb enough to believe it!

Now Brother Nic, don’t you know that only the originals were without error? Not according to the old black book. Now, now Brother Nic, don’t you know that all the copies are full of errors? Not according to the old black book. Now, now, now Brother Nic, don’t you know the King James Bible is just a translation? A translation could not possibly be better than the originals, could it? Well let’s see what the old black book says. The word translate in any form can only be found five times in three different verses of the Bible. Here are the passages:

⁹ So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the LORD hath sworn to David, even so I do to him;
¹⁰ To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba.

Commentary

God translates the kingdom of Saul to David. Who is doing the translating folks? Did you catch that? God translates! God uses Samuel to help translate the kingdom to David, but it is God who is doing the translating. The Lord Jesus Christ sits on that same throne of David today. It is perfect and it last forever and it was translated!

¹²   Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
¹³   Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
¹⁴   In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Commentary

Paul states that it was the Father God who delivered him from the power of darkness and translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son. There goes God doing the translating again! Well let’s see now, was Paul better off in his original condition of darkness or was he better off after he was translated?

⁵ By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Commentary

Enoch was translated by God that he should not see death. Every time in the Bible the word translated is used, it is God who is doing the translating, and what God does is perfect and it last forever! Every time God uses any form of the word translate in the Bible it reflects a positive transition. I think this proves that a translation can be better than the original.

There you have it, the original, the copy, and the translation all woven together through process of time by the LORD.