Have you ever wondered? What's so great about the Bible?
Here are some facts about the Bible that few people know:
There are a few teachers, who teach things about the Bible that simply aren't true. Some even use their pronouncements as a litmus test to determine whether or not a person is a true christian.
We believe that the original manuscripts were accurate renderings of what God wanted us to know, but over the years, there have been a few textual critics and translators, who have managed to introduce minor errors into the various texts. None of these minor errors are significant, and would prevent a seeker from learning what God wants us to know.
The most significant problem, is a tendency of some New Testament texts, to diminish the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was " God in the flesh " and that's what 1 Timothy 3:16 should say. If it says " He " or " Who ", the Bible has been put together using one or more corrupted manuscripts. In most modern New Testaments, like the NIV, NASB, TEV, RSV, ASV, NRSV, etc., there are about 130 places where words have been changed, or omitted.
At this point I need to mention a particular " Bible ". THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES is not a reliable Bible. No serious Bible study should be done using that Bible. It is based upon the most inferior of the Greek texts, the one known as the " Wescott and Hort text ". The " translation " is frequently adjusted to match the beliefs of a particular religion. It differs from legitimate Bibles in many places.
It sounds very religious to say that the Bible is infallible or inerrant, but those who study the Bible know that this is simply not true. For an example of this, go to Matthew 27:9 You find there a quote supposedly from Jeremiah. Jeremiah never said it. It is found in Zechariah 11:12. Does this make a difference? No!
The King James Family of Bibles is much more accurate, and contains far fewer errors. The old King James Bible is quite accurate, but it is not written in the language of today. The only reasonably accurate popular Bible in modern English is the New King James Version, and that is the one that we use.
Translating from Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, or Syriac, or Latin, into English, and sorting through thousands of manuscript fragments, is no easy task. But, when a person reads the whole Bible, rather than concentrating on one or two verses, these rare errors don't change any teaching or doctrine.
Unlike most books, the Bible has about 40 different God inspired authors, each originally writing in his own language. Each writing is usually called a book. In the Bible, there are 66 different writings ( books ) that were written over a period of about 2000 years. It is only in the last few centuries that they have been bound together into what looks like a regular book. Before that time, the writings existed as collections of pieces of paper, or scrolls or inscribed leather, or clay tablets or in some other form.
The English language Bibles, which we have today, contain the 66 books, broken down by a 13th century monk, known as St. Bernard, into 1189 chapters. Later, in the 15th or 16th century, a man known as Stephanus, broke down those 1189 chapters into 31,173 verses. It is obvious, to people who read the Bible regularly, that the division, into chapters and verses, was in a few cases, not the way it should have been. Both St. Bernard and Stephanus were sincere men, and the division into chapters and verses are certainly useful, but few scholars today claim that the breakup into chapters and verses was controlled by God. A prime example of a problem break, is the break between 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and 1 Thessalonians chapter 5.
The Bible answers dozens of questions about who we are, where we came from, why we are alive, how we should live, who God is, and what He is like, how the universe came into being, etc. While other books have come and gone, the Bible is such an automatic best seller, that it no longer appears on the best seller lists.
I have yet to meet a person, no matter what the background, who has read the Bible from cover to cover a few times, and says he doesn't believe it.
The Bible says that there is an eternity, and that we will spend it, either with Him in heaven, or in the lake of fire with Satan. Isn't that enought reason to want to read it?
The author of this website has read the Bible straight through over 20 times, and has an understanding of the Bible which few attain. He and his family would like to help you understand the Bible and make your peace with God.
Would you like to know more about the return of Jesus Christ? Check out this site: Jesus Is Coming Soon!
If you have questions, or comments, feel free to e-mail us, by clicking on the link below.
Our Sunday morning services are being held at the Mexico Beach Civic Center. In accordance with federal laws, we have permission to use this beautiful, heated and air conditioned, facility on Sunday mornings at 9:30 AM central time. The Mexico Beach Civic Center is at 105 N. 31st Street. It is the white building with the dark green roof, which is just behind that new Mexico Beach restaurant, Mango Marley's. It is behind Parker Realty, and is on the northeast side of Rte 98. It is about 7/10 mile south of the Mexico Beach Welcome Center. For a map showing the Mexico Beach Civic Center, click here:
Map of Civic Center Area Have a wonderful week. May God bless you, and your family!
