Why Trust King James?

Backing the KJV 1611 as the Word of God in English


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The Attack on the Bible

PART TWO

by Terry Watkins and James L. Melton (Edited by Tom Mack)
  1. God promised to preserve His words (Psa. 12:6-7; Mat. 24:35). There has to be a preserved copy of God's pure words somewhere. If it isn't the KJV, then what is it?
  2. It has no copyright. The text of the KJV may be reproduced by anyone for there is no copyright forbidding it's duplication. This is not true with the modern perversions.
  3. The KJV produces good fruit (Mat. 7:17-20). No modern translation can compare to the KJV when it comes to producing good fruit. For nearly four hundred years, God has used the preaching and teaching of the KJV to bring hundreds of millions to Christ. Laodicean Christians might favor the new versions, but the Holy Spirit doesn't.
  4. The KJV was translated during the Philadelphia church period (Rev. 3:7-13). The modern versions begin to appear rather late on the scene as the lukewarm Laodicean period gets underway (Rev. 3:14-22), but the KJV was produced way back in 1611, just in time for the many great revivals (1700-1900). The Philadelphia church was the only church that did not receive a rebuke from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it was the only church that "kept" God's word (Rev. 3:8).
  5. The KJV translators were honest in their work. When the translators had to add certain words, largely due to idiom changes, they placed the added words in italics so we'd know the difference. This is not the case with many new translations.
  6. All new translations compare themselves to the KJV. Isn't it strange that the new versions never compare themselves to one another? For some strange reason they all line up against one Book--the A.V. 1611. I wonder why? Try Matthew 12:26.
  7. The KJV translators believed they were handling the very words of God (I Ths. 2:13). Just read the King James Dedicatory and compare it to the prefaces in the modern versions. Immediately, you will see a world of difference in the approach and attitude of the translators. Which group would YOU pick for translating a book?
  8. The KJV is supported by far more evidence. Of over 5,300 pieces of manuscript evidence, ninety-five percent supports the King James Bible! The changes in the new versions are based on the remaining five percent of manuscripts, most of which are from Alexandria, Egypt. (There are only two lines of Bibles: the Devil's line from Alexandria, and the Lord's line from Antioch. We'll deal with this later.)
  9. No one has ever proven that the KJV is not God's word. The 1611 should be considered innocent until proven guilty with a significant amount of genuine manuscript evidence.
  10. The KJV exalts the Lord Jesus Christ. The true scriptures should testify of Jesus Christ (John 5:39). There is no book on this planet which exalts Christ higher than the King James Bible. In numerous places the new perversions attack the Deity of Christ, the Blood Atonement, the Resurrection, salvation by grace through faith, and the Second Coming. The true scriptures will TESTIFY of Jesus Christ, not ATTACK Him!

  1. Since you're smart enough to find "mistakes" in the KJV, why don't you correct them all and give us a perfect Bible?
  2. Do you have a perfect Bible?
  3. Since you do believe "the Bible" is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice, could you please show us where Jesus, Peter, James, Paul, or John ever practiced your terminology ("the Greek text says...the Hebrew text says....the originals say...a better rendering would be....older manuscripts read...." etc.)?
  4. Since you do not profess to have a perfect Bible, why do you refer to it as "God's word"?
  5. Remembering that the Holy Spirit is the greatest Teacher (John 16:12-15; I John 2:27), who taught you that the King James Bible was not infallible, the Holy Spirit or man?
  6. Since you do believe in the degeneration of man and in the degeneration of the world system in general, why is it that you believe education has somehow "evolved" and that men are more qualified to translate God's word today than in 1611?
  7. There is one true God, yet many false gods. There is one true Church, consisting of true born-again believers in Christ, yet there are many false churches. So why do you think it's so wrong to teach that there is one true Bible, yet many false "bibles"?
  8. Isn't it true that you believe God inspired His holy words in the "originals," but has since lost them, since no one has a perfect Bible today?
  9. Isn't it true that when you use the term "the Greek text" you are being deceitful and lying, since there are MANY Greek TEXTS (plural), rather than just one?
  10. Before the first new perversion was published in 1881 (the RV), the King James Bible was published, preached, and taught throughout the world. God blessed these efforts and hundreds of millions were saved. Today, with the many new translations on the market, very few are being saved. The great revivals are over. Who has gained the most from the new versions, God or Satan?

The King James Bible is supposedly written in an "old and archaic language" that people today have trouble understanding, but please notice how so many of our modern sayings come from between it's covers. Hundreds could be presented, but we'll limit ourselves to seventy-five:

1. Genesis 4:2-5: can't get blood from a turnip

2. Genesis 7: don't miss the boat

3. Genesis 11:7-9: babbling

4. Genesis 15:5: teller

5. Genesis 43:34: mess (of food)

6. Exodus 19:16-18: holy smoke

7. Exodus 28:42: britches

8. Exodus 32:8: holy cow

9. Leviticus 2:14: roast ears

10. Leviticus 13:10: the quick (raw flesh)

11. Leviticus 14:5-6: running water

12. Leviticus 16:8: scapegoat

13. Leviticus 25:10: Liberty Bell

14. Numbers 21:5: light bread

15. Numbers 35:2-5: suburb

16. Deuteronomy 2:14: wasted him

17. Deuteronomy 24:5: cheer up

18. Deuteronomy 32:10: apple of his eye

19. Judges 5:20: star wars

20. Judges 7:5-12: under dog

21. Judges 8:16: teach a lesson

22. Judges 17:10: calling a priest father

23. I Samuel 14:12: I'll show you a thing or two

24. I Samuel 20:40: artillery

25. I Samuel 25:37: petrified

26. II Samuel 19:18: ferry boat

27. I Kings 3:7: don't know if he's coming or going

28. I Kings 14:3: cracklins

29. I Kings 14:6: that's heavy

30. I Kings 21:19-23: she's gone to the dogs

31. II Chronicles 9:6: you haven't heard half of it

32. II Chronicles 30:6: postman

33. Nehemiah 13:11: set them in their place

34. Esther 7:9: he hung himself

35. Job 11:16: It's water under the bridge

36. Job 20:6: he has his head in the clouds

37. Psalm 4:8: lay me down to sleep

38. Psalm 19:3-4: he gave me a line

39. Psalm 37:13: his day is coming

40. Psalm 58:8: pass away (dying)

41. Psalm 64:3-4: shoot off your mouth

42. Psalm 78:25: angel's food cake

43. Psalm 141:10: give him enough rope and he'll hang himself

44. Proverbs 7:22: dumb as an ox

45. Proverbs 13:24: spare the rod, spoil the child

46. Proverbs 18:6: he is asking for it

47. Proverbs 24:16: can't keep a good man down

48. Proverbs 25:14: full of hot air

49. Proverbs 30:30: king of beasts

50. Ecclesiastes 10:19: money talks

51. Ecclesiastes 10:20: a little bird told me

52. Song Solomon 2:5: lovesick

53. Isaiah 52:8: see eye to eye

54. Jeremiah 23:25: I have a dream (MLK, Jr)

55. Ezekiel 26:9: engines

56. Ezekiel 38:9: desert storm or storm troopers

57. Daniel 3:21: hose (leg wear)

58. Daniel 8:25: foreign policy

59. Daniel 11:38: the force be with you (star wars)

60. Hosea 7:8: half-baked

61. Jonah 4:10-11: can't tell left from right

62. Zephaniah 3:8-9: United Nations Assembly

63. Matthew 25:1-10: burning the midnight oil

64. Matthew 25:33: right or left side of an issue

65. Matthew 27:46: for crying out loud

66. Mark 5:13: hog wild

67. Luke 11:46: won't lift a finger to help

68. Luke 15:17: he came to himself

69. Romans 2:23: breaking the law

70. Philippians 3:2: beware of dog

71. Colossians 2:14: they nailed him

72. I John 5:11-13: get a life

73. Revelation 6:8: hell on earth

74. Revelation 16:13: a frog in my throat

75. Revelation 20:15: go jump in the lake

If you've checked these references, then you can easily see how our all-wise God has played a beautiful joke on the modern revisionists. People who do not even believe the KJV quote it every day! Furthermore, if you'll grab yourself a NIV, a NCV, a TEV, or anything else, you'll find that many of these modern sayings have been destroyed by the "better language" of the Laodiceans.

For example, I always thought that when I was a young boy my father and I crossed the Mississippi on a ferry boat (II Sam. 19:18), but I guess we must have crossed at the ford instead (NIV). Then there were times when I got out of line and dad would really set me in my place (Neh. 13:11). Too bad he didn't have a NIV, for he could have stationed me at my post. I guess there was nothing dad loved more than going out early on Saturday mornings and catching a mess of fish (Gen. 43:34). It's a good thing we didn't have a NKJV in those days, for he would have only caught a serving. We usually had hushpuppies with that fish dinner, but sometimes we just had light bread (Num. 21:5). That is, until the neighbors came over with their New American Bible. Then we had wretched food. Then dad would always say, "Cheer up, son, it'll be better next time!" (Deu. 24:5) Too bad he didn't have a NKJV, for I'm sure he would have said, "Come on, boy, bring happiness to yourself!"

So you get the point: the new versions don't stand a chance when competing with the KJV to use the most "modern" speech! Go ahead, have yourself some fun. Learn to appreciate God's sense of humor! Grab a new translation and see first hand how the modern versions are still stuck in the Dark Ages when it comes to keeping up with modern speech.

If we are to believe what we hear from the critics, then we must accept the notion that the italicized words in the King James Bible do not belong. We are told that the words were added by the translators and are not the words of God. If this is true, then please explain why Luke, Paul, John, Peter, and even the Lord Jesus QUOTE them! The column on the right shows how New Testament writers and speakers QUOTE the King James italics of the Old Testament:

OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE NEW TESTAMENT QUOTE
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. (Psa. 16:8) For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: (Acts 2:25)
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. (Deu. 25:4) For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? (I Cor. 9:9. Also see I Tim. 5:18)
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. (Deu. 8:3) 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. (Mat. 4:4)
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psa. 82:6) Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? (John 10:34)
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isa. 28:16) Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (I Pet. 2:6)

Did you notice that the New Testament writers QUOTE the words in italics? This means they WERE actually in the originals! When Jesus said, "It is written..." (Mat. 4:4), he was saying that the word "word" was also written--even if the King James translators didn't have it in the Hebrew Old Testament! Like it or not, the Holy Spirit led them to use the word anyhow! If He didn't, then why did Jesus quote it?

Also, we have the case of WHO killed Goliath? II Samuel 21:19 in the KJV says: "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." The words "the brother of" are in italics. If these words were omitted, then the Bible would say that Elhanan slew Goliath, instead of his brother, which would contradict the fact that David killed Goliath. (In fact, this is exactly how the New World Translation reads!) If you'll check I Chronicles 20:5, you'll see that the italics of II Samuel 21:19 are well justified. Moral: The English sheds light on the English--WITHOUT "the Greek."