I found that the intervals of the final 30% are too large to be of any practical benefit, so now any verse that reaches 50-70%, I reset so it doesn't disappear into the long review periods. I figured out early on that I don't need a computer to tell me if I have 'fully learned' something, and it's better to have more control over what verses I want to review.
I appreciate all your prayers. Some days I struggle very much, but I have noticed an improvement the last few days. I believe the Lord hears our prayers and can heal me fully.
I have another prayer request. I had heart surgery over a year ago but have not recovered back to normal, and my O2 sats have been lower than usual. All the tests cannot find anything. As a result of the heart problem, my energy is sapped most of the time. Could you please pray for healing of my heart and lungs and energy? I know the Lord is able to heal. And the more people who pray, the better. If you would take the time to pray, that would mean so much to me. Thank you!
Yes, Australia. Thank you for your prayers. Just a few days ago, I confirmed a house-sit which will give me 5 months of free accommodation, looking after some fish! Praise God!
Some of the big advantages I found were: 1. Being able to study at my own pace, and learning how to learn for myself which was a valuable life skill. This saved me two years of time. 2. No bullying (which I had in public school), not wasting time listening to the teacher yelling at naughty students. 3. No influence of ungodly world views (which have become much worse since then). 4. Time flexibility to learn scripture and do extracurricular activities. 5. Positive family atmosphere. Peace and quiet being able to learn without distractions. 6. No influence of ungodly friends.
I could go on, but I want to encourage homeschoolers that anything you think you're missing out on is far outweighed by what you gain by homeschooling.
From what you've said about your mother, she sounds like a wise and loving person, who has made a big impact on you and your faith in Christ. I can see your love for the Word of God as evidence of that. I am thankful that my mother was "convicted" (her words) to homeschool us. We did ACE, which has a heavy emphasis on Bible memorization and gives certificates (Silver Apple Award and Golden Apple) for memorizing books of the Bible. My mother also gave us a dollar for each chapter we learned. Of course I didn't do it for the awards, but for the spiritual benefits and how it brought me closer to God. Still it was nice being fully supported in the process.
I am thankful that so many mothers are homeschooling today, and hope that they also take the opportunity to foster a love of the Word of God in their children.
And I hope the homeschooling children put in the effort when it comes to Bible memorization. It's certainly easier to memorize when you're younger, and the benefits are beyond understanding.
If you know that one already, how about this one: Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Also can you please pray for me. About 2 weeks from now, I will need to leave my apartment (lease ending) and there are no units available for rent in my budget. (there is a severe rental shortage in my area) So I will need a kind homeowner to let me stay with them (preferably a Christian). I would appreciate your prayers.
I don't know who came up with the arbitrary and rubbery yardstick that it's ok to remove words and verses from the Bible, as long as "core doctrines" are not affected. We have been conditioned for too long that this is acceptable. I, too, fell into the trap of accepting it, so I'm not pointing the finger at anyone.
Any kind of tampering with the Word of God should be viewed seriously, and removing the word "Lord" from the title of the Lord Jesus Christ is disrespectful.
Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." and also, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt 5:18.
So from this we know that God cares very much about the accurate preservation of His Word, which we can find in the Byzantine/KJV text.
So, in summary these important Christian doctrines are weakened or in some way affected by the changes made to the manuscripts: 1. The Trinity, with Jesus Christ as the Alpha and Omega. 2. Baptism and the Great Commission 3. The title of the Lord Jesus Christ 4. Hell
There's probably more, but these are just the ones that come to mind.
Hi Onfire, My comment was in relation to this: "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." I can't see this proviso in any of the verses you mentioned, and it seems like a very logical requirement.
And, yes, repentance is required, but paedobaptists would say that an innocent baby doesn't need to repent.
And if a baby cannot even talk, how can the baptizer know that they believe with all their heart?
It's a very inconvenient verse for a church system that teaches the necessity of infant baptism. So, not surprisingly the verse was removed from the three famous manuscripts, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, and Sinaiticus.
Unfortunately even Protestant academics have been tricked into believing that these are the best manuscripts we have, and forsaken the Byzantine ones which include Acts 8:37 and are consistent with believers baptism.
Also, as I mentioned, Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Nothing that Paul said cancels this out. And Paul does speak of the people he baptized, although that was not his primary objective, of course.
Acts 2:38 highlights the importance of baptism even more.
And, speaking of burning, I did a search today and found that "Hell" is mentioned 54 times in the KJV, but only 17 times in the ESV. And JWs don't believe in hell, however it's a very important theological subject, and we need to be trying to save people from going there.
Yes, Evangelism is important, and I recommend to everyone that we should be sharing the gospel as often as possible. In my attempts to share the gospel with JWs, the version used is important, for the reasons I have mentioned.
Here is another one: Revelation 1:11 KJV starts with, "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: ESV omits this.
Why is this important? Because it's Jesus speaking. In verse 13 it says he is the Son of Man.
This is linked to 1:8 which says, 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
If you were trying to convince a JW that Jesus Christ is God and used this verse, you would want to have a KJV, not an ESV.
That's one thing they teach - Almighty God = Jehovah. But they won't believe Jesus Christ is Almighty God or Jehovah.
From my perspective, these omissions are an attempt to remove Jesus Christ from the Trinity. (combined with removal of 1 John 5:7)
You would be familiar with Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
So if these words were removed deliberately from ancient manuscripts, those scribes will be in trouble.
It shows how important the role of copying manuscripts was, and from what I've heard, most scribes took it very seriously. If they made a slight error, they were trained to start over again, as ink could not be erased.
Take another look at Sinaiticus and all the alterations seen on a single page.
Onfire, I may be in the minority opinion compared with modern day theologians, but I join in the tradition of historical KJV preachers and theologians, such as John Wesley, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, William Carey etc. So I'm not feeling too lonely!
I understand your position though. I used to hold it. But I would encourage you to prayerfully consider the KJV again, as now you're mature, you should be able to handle the Old English. Perhaps just try it for a while and see what difference it makes? I think you'll adapt quickly, as you seem pretty smart!
FinalAsgard, take a look at Acts 8:37. Do you think it was added in the KJV or removed from ESV and the others. It is the answer to a question, which if not answered, seems strange. Also, what motive would a church, such as the Catholic Church have for removing this verse? Note that it's removed from Codex Vaticanus, kept at the Vatican, as well as Alexandrinus and Sinaiticus.
It requires a profession of faith for Baptism, which babies cannot do. This excludes Paedobaptism and is the only verse in the Bible which clearly does that.
Is Baptism an important doctrine?
It's part of the Great Commission in Matt 28, and obedience to Jesus Christ is of major importance.
Also, do you think fasting is important? Well strangely is was deleted from 1 Cor 7:5 and Matthew 17:21. If you want a successful exorcism, KJV is the way to go!
The ESV is a literal translation (compared to others such as the NIV) and when I was at Bible College, I compared all the translations with the Greek text (UBS) and ESV was the best. So that's the version I used for years afterwards. And yes, you can derive the doctrine of the Trinity from it, however the clearest presentation of the Trinity is 1 John 5:7 which in the ESV just says, "For there are three that testify." KJV says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
Usage of 1 John 5:7 dates all the way back to 200 AD by Tertullian who obviously had an even earlier manuscript of the Byzantine type. https://www.scionofzion.com/1_john_5_7.htm
If thou knowest not the meaning of a word, thou canst search for it in many sites. eg. https://www.kingjamesbibledictionary.com/ Which shall render the meaning unto thee immediately.
FinalAsgard, I have found that after switching from other versions to the KJV, my walk with the Lord and effectiveness for Him has improved substantially.
I am sure that everyone on this site wants to be closer to the Lord and more effective for Him.
And yes, there are major theological differences at stake, the Trinity being one of them. (eg. 1 John 5:7) It's important to know that God himself, as God the Son, experienced life and suffered for us. So He understands how difficult things are as humans. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Also, if you talk to any JW (who don't believe in the Trinity) about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they won't have one and usually don't want one because the don't believe Jesus Christ is God. They don't know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and this stems from their faulty Bible "Translation".
I use the standard 1769 KJV which is close to modern English, and far easier to read than the 1611 version.
Sure, you have to learn the meanings of a few archaic words, but this small inconvenience is outweighed by all the benefits, and I won't list all of those here.
With a little research I came across something interesting today. Have you heard that Codex Sinaiticus may be a fake? On this page: https://www.chick.com/information/article?id=sinaiticus-wastebasket-story Is the ‘World’s Oldest Bible’ a Fake? "...it is clear that someone stained all the Sinaiticus pages that Tischendorf brought to Cairo in 1859, and that Tischendorf never said a thing about it. They were all witnessed as white before then (and the Leipzig CFA pages still are), but after that the 1859 pages were stained and aged-looking.
I used to believe the story that Tischendorf was the hero who saved the best manuscript in the world from being burned by foolish monks. However, I have since spent more time watching documentaries on how rigorous Orthodox monks are in their work and discipline, and how seriously they take their responsibilities. One of their most important responsibilities is preservation and copying of Bible manuscripts, and they are also scholars of the ancient texts. I don't believe now that not a single Eastern Orthodox monk (for over 1000 years (including those who received the manuscript) in Saint Catherine's Monastery had any idea of its origin or contents.
Also, I don't believe that true believers were deprived of the best copy of the Word of God until 1850. Remember that the Great Reformation occurred prior to this using the KJV and Bibles from the Byzantine text.
Onfire, I do sympathise with your opinion as you're in the academic mindset where I was 15 or more years ago. And I'm well aware that my KJV preference would be unpopular in most Theological colleges today. However, I'm encouraging you and others to reconsider the KJV as the best version for English speakers.
It's not for my own benefit, it's for yours. As God's Word is a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path, we want the best light. My comments are meant to bring light, not heat.
I have many friends who are Bible Translators and they are among the nicest, most sincere people I know. As I mentioned, they have good motives, but they believe the Alexandrian line of texts is better, simply because that's what they were taught.
When I was referring to people who seem to have deliberately introduced changes (corruptions) to the text, I'm referring to Westcott and Hort - of whom you can assess their character from their own words in the link I provided, and of course the nameless people who produced the Alexandrian line of texts and other variants.
As you would know, Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest complete manuscript and this is of the Alexandrian text family. However, it's still very late in the scheme of things, dated in the 4th century. So there was plenty of time prior to this for people with less-than-holy intentions to make modifications. There is a gap of several hundred years where we don't have the copies of the original autographs. And the copies of the copies. So this is where academia fails.
God did preserve His word through the Byzantine line of manuscripts which were copied accurately and extensively until the time of Erasmus, from whose work the KJV was derived.
God knows the truth about all of this. I made the mistake of trusting academic scholars and not asking the Lord. I'm encouraging people not to make the same mistake I did, because I want the best for them, and the KJV is the best. I love you all and am trying to help you.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find. Matt 7:7.
There are some other important considerations to bear in mind regarding KJV vs other versions. KJV is public domain and thus free of copyright. Other versions hold copyright and require payment to publishing companies for use of quotations (in certain circumstances). These publishing companies make hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue.
Do you think it's right for an owner of a publishing company to be making money this way?
Another thing to consider is the character of those behind the new versions. For example, you can easily find quotes from people such as Eugene Peterson, the author of the "Message" (which is very popular and I've seen used in Churches). https://www.dennyburk.com/eugene-peterson-will-always-exist/
Thanks for that Final Asgard. He certainly sounds confident in his assertions, but doesn't provide any references to back them (and I might take the time to read them if they were provided). Whole books have been written about many of his statements which either argue for or against such claims.
He has chosen to present the claims of one point of view (which happens to be the most popular view in modern day scholars). These kinds of talks remind me of my Bible College days where well-educated and convincing speakers cast doubt on the strength of the KJV. Since I now know better, I don't just accept what someone says, but seek the truth for myself. As Jesus said, "Seek and ye shall find."
It's a great explanation of the history of Bible texts and it strengthens our faith that God has faithfully preserved His Word since it was first written by the apostles and prophets. It also explains why the Majority Text (over 90% of discovered NT manuscripts) represent the original autographs and how these match the copies that Erasmus was working with when he translated the Greek into English (which was used in the KJV).
I think any time spent studying this subject (and even learning Greek to arrive at an informed conclusion) is worthwhile and spiritually beneficial.
15 years ago, I was using other versions and that was because it was the best of my knowledge at the time. But since then, I've learned more and encourage others to also keep learning about the subject, which is truly fascinating.