Satan's Great Deception - Why The Version Of The Bible You Use Matters

Satan’s Great Deception 

Why the version of the Bible You use matters 

This podcast is called “That’s In The Bible” so it makes sense that we fully define what “BIble” we are talking about. For 200 plus years after the James Bible was published this wouldn’t even be an issue, but with the proliferation of different versions of the Bible, all copyrighted and making money for the different publishing houses it becomes necessary to differentiate why the King James Bible different from all the new versions. 

Everything we know about God comes from the Bible. The Bible is our link to God. It has been said that through prayer we talk to God and through the Bible God talks to us. Through the Bible we find out what is important to God, and as a result what should be important to us. The Bible tells us what is sin and how we should live. Jesus isn’t physically walking the Earth today, the first century Christian’s are no longer here with us, so God’s word the Bible is critical to us. It’s important then that the Bible we read and follow be without error, and we can trust it to be Gods word for us. I believe that the King James Bible is that perfect Bible without error for us today. 

Now I know that the subject of this podcast today is going to meet with some opposition. Sure, that opposition could come from you the listener, but I trust you will be fair and hear me out and withhold judgment until you have heard the facts as they are presented. I also believe there is going to be opposition from somewhere else that is not at first easily recognized, an opposition to this subject matter that is going to try in a very subtle way, to turn your attention and focus, away from the subject of this podcast today, to try and convince you that this episode on this subject is not important, that you shouldn’t listen. Not because that I am important or this podcast is in and of itself the most important thing, but the fact that you have been deceived into believing that all Bibles are the same, that any Bible is as good as any other Bible, or worse yet that there is no perfect Bible that is without error. And that my friend is a great deception brought about by Satan, and if you give me a fair hearing for the duration of this podcast, i believe we can peel back the shroud of secrecy and see the handiwork of that wicked one and the changes and the corruption he has made to the pure word of God, the Bible. 

Let me lay some ground work before we begin. The question for many will be “Can it be proven today that the King James Bible is without error and is God’s perfect Bible for English speaking people today?” To be quite honest the answer is no, because there is also an element of faith involved, just as there is an element of faith to believe that only the original writings were inspired and perfect (as many believe). Many will also have difficulty in believing that God would use another language like English to preserve his inspired word for us today. But using that logic then the New Testament should not have been written in Greek but Hebrew, since up until New Testament times the Bible had only been written in Hebrew. God used the language of the day, at the time the New Testament was written it was Greek. The worldwide language used today is English. Do you know what the most printed book in the world is? It’s the King James Bible. It has been printed not thousands of times, not millions of times but now in fact billions. What Bible has been used around the world to reach the most souls? It’s without a doubt the King James Bible. There is no other Bible that is said to be the Bible that God has preserved for us today but the King James Bible. There is no debate about the NIV, ESV or any other Bible being Gods perfectly preserved Bible for us today, the issue is and always has been the King James Bible. No one today is standing up for the NIV, the ESV or any other new modern version as Gods perfect word. The question is, is it possible that the King James Bible is Gods perfect Bible for us today? 

Those that use and prefer the new versions will tell you that only the scriptures in the originals, when they were first written down, are the inspired and perfect words of God.
But can you prove original-onlyism from the Bible? 

Let’s be honest, the early Christians didn’t have access to the originals, so did they have the inspired scriptures? Did Timothy have the originals or copies of copies of the scriptures? When Paul wrote to Timothy and said” 

II Timothy 3:15,16 (KJV) 

15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 

Timothy as a child didn’t have access to the originals, nor did his Mother. 

When the Ethiopian eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah in Acts chapter 8 did he have the originals? 

Acts 8;26-28 (KJB)
 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 

Did the eunuch have the originals of Isaiah or was he reading from copies? If the Ethiopian eunuch had the originals of Isaiah then what was Jesus reading from in the temple when he read from the book of Isaiah?  

Luke 4:16,17 (KJB)
 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 

If we look in the Bible for an emphasis placed upon the originals of the scriptures we won’t find it. This is something that modern man has devised and emphasized. 

Isaiah 55:8
 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 

Another point to consider when placing an emphasis on the originals (original-onlyism) and looking to scholarship to come up with the latest updated Bibles, means that you accept by adopting this approach that there is no perfect Bible. You can never fully trust in the new Bible that you hold in your hands to be fully Gods word, accurate and without error. Instead you are always on the look out for the next new updated Bible to hit the stores. There is no incentive to even try and memorize a new Bible since the wording of the next Bible will most likely be very different. 

So what does the Bible say about the scriptures only being found in the originals and not continuing on? 

Mark 13:31 (KJB)
 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 

1 Peter 1:23 (KJB)
 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 

The words of God are never said to be lost but to endure forever. Think about this verse. 

2 Corinthians 11:3
 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

Satan interfered at the start of human history by attempting to cast doubt on God’s word in the Garden with his questioning of Eve.  

Genesis 3:1 KJV
 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

God in fact had said, 

Genesis 2:16-17
 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

And now in the last days of the church age Satan has ramped up his questioning of God’s word with a seemingly endless flood of counter-fit Bibles, designed to obfuscate the truth of God’s word, to cast doubt on what the Lord has revealed for us, and to keep Christians lost in a state of perpetual confusion. Remember, God is not the author of confusion. (I Cor. 14:33). 

In This episode we will look at the; 

1. Differences in the new English versions of the Bible, how they differ dramatically in very important ways, ways that matter from the authorized version, the King James Bible, 
2. And what makes people susceptible to the Bible version merry-go-round. 

• The Obsession of the New 

Let’s start with that last one, what makes people susceptible to the Bible version merry-go-round. Why do people seem to be drawn to always looking for the latest ‘new” Bible? I believe one answer to that question is the emphasis in our society in having the latest and greatest new thing, lets call it, “The Obsession of the New”. The old thing can’t be as good as the new. For example, I have an iPhone 10, It does everything I need it to do, it works as a phone, it is able to text and receive emails, it takes pictures, the gps works great, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. So why in the back of my mind do i sometimes think about getting a new phone? Why do we think about getting a new car, apartment, house, some new thing when actually what we currently have is actually just fine? Its this “obsession for the new”, thinking that the new thing will somehow be inherently better and will make us happier in some way. I need to be content with what I have, 

1 Timothy 6:6 KJV
 But godliness with contentment is great gain.  

This consumerism is fed to us daily through the media thinking somehow you could be missing out, always thinking about and wanting something new. Even Paul saw this similar type of thing in action several thousand years ago when he visited Athens, 

Acts 17:21 KJV
 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) 

And now its the same with the new Bible versions, you are told you need the latest NEW Bible. In a few minutes we will see what is wrong with this line of thinking, and what is so wrong with the new Bibles, so until then, hold that thought. 

• Have It Your Way Mentality
Another reason people think they need a new Bible is the “Have It Your Way Mentality”. The old saying, what’s right for me may not be right for you but this new Bible is right for me, so i will use it for a while, and this church with the rock band and nightclub lights with the Pastor dressed like some guy off the street, thats the way I like it and thats what’s right right for me. 

Judges 17:6 KJV
 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Should it be all about you and not all about holiness and godliness? What if there were actually serious problems with the new Bibles, would that make any difference to you if you saw for yourself serious problems with the new Bibles presented in this podcast? Or are you so set on having it “your way” that you don’t care what the facts are as long as you get it your way, you do that which is right in your own eyes according to what you want, no matter what. For some of you that may be hard to hear, I understand that, but I am trying to get your attention. Would you ever allow yourself to be in subjection to a final authority? True Bible Believers are in subjection to the Bible as their final authority. You see it’s a question of final authority to God’s word and not to yourself. 

Matthew 7:28,29 KJV
 28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
 29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

Jesus taught with authority and the scribes and Pharisees rebelled to being under His authority, the living word. Will you allow yourself to be in subjection to a Bible, God’s written word that is pure and without error?  

• Preservation of the Bible 

Now some of you are thinking “Well, I would allow myself to be in subjection to a Bible if there was such a Bible today that was pure and without error, but I thought the only time the Bible was perfect was when it was first written down in the originals. How could we have a perfect Bible today?” Have you not read, 

Psalm 12:6-7 KJV
 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. 

You see the words of the Lord are pure, God has inspired his word and then preserved his word forever. When it says, Thou shalt keep them, what is being kept? The words of the LORD! When it says thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever, what is being preserved? The words of the LORD! Its not a complicated passage, its not difficult to see or understand. But now we run into the first evidence of that Wicked one and we will trace his footprint in all of the new Bibles. His goal? Remove any faith in your Bible and remove any evidence that it has been preserved for you today. 

NIV 

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, 
 like gold[a] refined seven times. 

7 You, Lord, will keep the needy safe 
 and will protect us forever from the wicked, 

ESV 

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, 
 like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. 

7 You, O Lord, will keep them; 
 you will guard us from this generation forever. 

HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible 

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times.
 7 You, Lord, will guard us; 

You will protect us from this generation forever. 

What good would it be if the scriptures were only perfect in the originals as some would have you to believe. What benefit would it be for Christians today because there are no originals in actual existence today. Are you telling me God was able to give us a perfect Bible in the originals but then wasn’t powerful enough to see to it that we have a perfect Bible preserved for us today without error? Someone is changing truth to present you with a lie. 

Okay, let’s take a further look at what makes the King James Bible so different from all the new versions on the market today. One of the things that you may hear about different Bible versions goes something like this, “All the Bible’s basically say the same thing right? I mean they all contain the word of God, maybe they say it a little different from version to version but they all are really the same. If you have heard this and believed it, you have been lied to. 

I. Entire Verses Missing - Did you know that most of the new Bible have entire verses missing from them? If you have a version of the Bible other than the King James I suggest you follow along and look to see if the following verses are in your Bible. Most of these verses have been removed from the new versions of the Bible, leaving you with an incomplete Bible. 

Matthew 17:21, (ESV, NIV, ASV) 18:11, 23:14, Mark 15:28, 7:16, 9:44,45, 11:26
 Luke 17:36, 23:17
 John 5:4 

Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7 

These new versions that have had entire verses ripped out of them but yet still retain the verse numbers of the King James Bible. For example while Matthew 18:11 isn’t in the new Bible, in the new Bibles the verse numbers in Matthew 18 go from verse 10 to verse 12, I guess hoping that you won’t notice the missing verse 11. Another point to make on these missing verses from the new Bibles is why? Why are they not there? Is it because they are unimportant and don’t matter. Matthew 18:11 which has been completely removed, what does it say? 

Matthew 18:11 KJV
 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 

Who would not want you to know the reason for Jesus Christ coming to save that which was lost? These verses are incredibly important! 

Do you enjoy singing the precious hymns about Calvary? You won’t find any mention of the word Calvary in the new Bibles like you will in Luke 23:33 in the King James Bible. 

The Bible says in Luke 4:4 (KJV)
 ...That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 

Did you get that? Not some of the words of God but we need every word of God to live by. 

Proverbs 30:5 (KJB) says Every word of God is pure:..  

And we shouldn’t be adding or taking away the words of God. 

Deuteronomy 4:2 (KJB) 

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. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJV
 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. 

You need ALL scripture to learn doctrine. Maybe its just me but the fact alone that the new versions are missing verses is enough to steer me clear of using any of the new Bibles. So we can see right from the outset that the new Bibles are not
 all the same, and certainly not the same as the King James Bible. The new Bibles are missing verses. 

II. The New Bibles Attack Major Doctrines 

What about Important doctrines, do the new versions mess up any of the major doctrines of the Bible? 

<<The Blood OUT>> 

Colossians 1:14 (KJB)
 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

NIV, ESV, NASB,
 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins HCSB
 14 We have redemption,[a] the forgiveness of sins, in Him. 

<<Virgin Birth Attacked>> 

Luke 2:33 (KJB)
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. NIV, ESV, HCSB, NASB, ASV and others
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 

The Bible says in John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth” and saying that Jesus’ father is Joseph is not truth. 

Isaiah 7:14 (KJB)
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
RSV, ERV (Easy To Read Version), GNT (Good News Translation), NET (New English Translation) and others.  

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman[a] shall conceive and bear[b] a son, and shall call his name Imman′u-el 

A young woman having a child is not a miracle or a sign to look for, it happens every day! This attacks the Virgin Birth. The miracle is that a virgin would conceive and have a child. 

<<Casting Doubt On the Diety of Jesus Christ>> 

Acts 2:29,30 KJB
 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 

NIV, ESV, HCSB, NASB, RSV and more
 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 

<<Salavation By Water Baptisim>> 

We looked at the beginning portion of scripture before but let’s look at it one and see how the new versions have perverted it. 

Acts 8;26-30, 35-38 (KJB)
 26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
 28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
 29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
 30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 

Skip down to verse 35, 

35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 

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.  

38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 

So Philip makes sure that this man has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ with his whole heart, he has saving faith. The new Bibles take out verse 37 and go right to verse 38 which is him being baptized! The NIV, ESV, NASB, RSV and many more remove verse 37 so it teaches Baptisim without believing on Jesus Christ. 

III. Completely Different Meanings - Now you may say, “but the rest of the verses that are in the new Bibles say basically the same thing as the highly respected King James Bible.” Again we will find something startling in the new Bibles, in many passages they say something completely different or in fact the opposite from the King James Bible. They are not the same. 

Proverbs 18:24 KJV
 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. 

You want friends? Then the instruction is that you have to show yourself friendly, you have to be friendly. As a counselor in the public school system for 27 years this was good instruction for those students that were struggling to make friends. 

Proverbs 18:24 (NASB)
A person of too many friends comes to ruin,
 But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 

So as a counselor I would be telling the young student, “Listen if you get to many friends they will only bring you to ruin!”. 

Proverbs 18:24 (ESV)
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 

Proverbs 18:24 (HCSB)
A man with many friends may be harmed, 
 but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother. 

Here is another verse that most Christians are aware of and its admonition. 

Proverbs 26:22 KJV
 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.  

So we can learn from this verse in the King James Bible that someone who is a tale bearer or one who gossips, the words that they speak are harmful and cutting like wounds. A very clear and instructive verse on how our words can hurt others. 

Let’s see what the new Bibles say in the exact same verse, 

Proverbs 26:22 (NIV)
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts 

Proverbs 26:22 (ESV)
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body 

Proverbs 26:22 (HCSB)
A gossip’s words are like choice food that goes down to one’s innermost being 

So as we have seen, the idea that is often put forth that all Bibles basically say the same things is a lie, not to mention that the new Bibles also remove entire verses. 

IV. New Bibles Are Easier To Read and Understand? 

Another falsehood that you will hear to promote the new versions of the Bible is that they are so much easier to read and understand. Let’s examine the King James Bible with the new versions of the Bible and see which is easier to read and understand. 

Job 6:6 KJV
 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 

Job 6:6 (RSV)
Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the slime of the purslane? 

Job 6:6 (ESV)
Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow? 

Job 6:6 (NIV)
Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow? 

So to make the new Bibles easier to read “the white of an egg” is changed in the RSV to read “the slime of the purslane. Try that the next time you are out and you order breakfast, “lets see I’ll have an order of wheat toast, bacon, and some slime of the purslane.” Wonder what they would bring you? Or use the NIV rendering and say please bring me with my bacon and toast, and the sap of the mallow. Or as the ESV puts it, the juice of the mallow. Seriously, are the new Bibles really helping you out by  making it easier to read and to understand? No. If you were honest you would have to say no. 

We haven’t mentioned the New King James Version as compared to the King James Bible yet, which again some think its just the King James Bible with just updated easier to understand words, which is another lie, the New King James Version is not easier to read and understand. 

Ephesians 5:18 KJV
 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 

Ephesians 5:18
 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 

Yes, be careful about getting drunk on wine, you might get into dissipation. Is that easier to understand? So the new Bibles remove entire verses, in many verses they have completely different meanings from the King James Bible which do not make sense within the context of the verse in the new translation, in many verses the new Bibles are in fact not easier to read or understand as compared to the King James Bible. 

V. Accuracy and Errors In the New Versions 

What about accuracy in these new Bibles? As every Christian knows the account of David and Goliath, how David slew Goliath as a youth with a sling, but did the new Bibles in fact get it wrong? Seriously something as well known as this? Yes, the new Bible get it wrong. 

II Samuel 21:19 HCSB
19 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jaare- oregim the Bethlehemite killed[a] Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. 

II Samuel 21:19 ESV
19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 

II Samuel 21:19 NASB
19 And there was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare- oregim the Bethlehemite [a]killed [b]Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 

Fortunately the King James Bible as always is completely accurate without error, while the new Bibles have Goliath being killed twice by two different people, thus causing a contradiction within their very own Bibles.  

II Samuel 21:19 KJV
19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 

There are many other errors in the new versions, but due to time I will stop and summarize here. Now I could continue on with the many problems with all of the new versions, and they are serious problems. We have seen in this short study that the new versions have missing verses, attack major doctrines, are not easier to read, words and passages have been changed to have opposite meanings, new versions by the fact that they are constantly being changed and revised prove that these versions are not reliable let along without error and are not to be trusted. We have seen that the idea that only the “originals” were inspired or perfect and without error is a position that is not supported anywhere by anyone in the Bible. To be honest I can’t begin to understand why anyone would use a new version when the King James Bible has a proven track record of authenticity and accuracy since the 1600’s. 

For more information and more examples on this subject check out our other episodes, 

Episode 11 - Which Bible Is The Right One?
 Episode 25 - The Superiority of the King James Bible
 Episode 54 - The King James Bible 400th Anniversary Tribute.