The Bible comprises 66 scrolls, better known today as books, thirty-nine composed of the Old Testament and twenty-seven of the New. They are also broken down into seven divisions, but there is no consensus here among the scholars and laypeople; it appears to be another pick and discard according to personal preferences. So, at this time, I will refrain from placing them in any arbitrary manner. Man has also put all the books into chapters and verses. Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 to 1228, was the first to break them into chapters. Rabbi Mordecai Nathan formalized the Old Testament in 1448, and around 1558, Robert Estienne developed the New Testament verses. [Bethany Verrett] The chapters and verses we see today are the results of their work. The order of the books is another point of contention among scholars, with several Bible versions in print declaring that this is the correct order or that way. Sowing a bit of confusion along the way, I will add.
That being said, God will not be mocked; again, God will not be mocked by any man or woman alive, past, present, or future. His written word shall go out into the entire world so that every man will know and have the opportunity to believe and be saved from their sins, no matter how often man attempts to rearrange that written word. I hold firm to the King James Version for two reasons. One, it has not changed in over four hundred years except for a few minor spellings, and two, almost every English-Speaking home has one, and that is an excellent foundation for me to begin with as I work to strengthen the faithful in Christ.
Don’t spend time running here and there, reading this commentary or the other, pursuing YouTube presentations, and so on, as each publisher presents their versions wrapped in attractive bindings and colors and given fanciful names with “famous” teacher endorsements. You do not need a man to endorse the Word of God any more than their commentaries for the word speaks for itself. Amen. But what you do need is a humble heart and a desire to know the truth, and the Bible will do just that, it will speak the truth. Not as the world defines it, but as God reveals it to the discerning heart.
And it is here that many believers fail most miserably. They receive the truth watered down through their personal interpretations and those of their unbelieving shepherds, whom our Lord Jesus calls hirelings. The Word is not a free-for-all as so many seem to think, they cannot pick apart scripture and rearrange it according to their views, and the Law of God was never abolished except by the blindness and disobedience of the rebellious and unbelieving heart. And sadly, many believers have fallen for this despicable lie, and as a result are ever learning but not able to come to the truth. And their spiritual lives are as lukewarm coals in a fire that is giving off more shadow than light. Think for a moment, if you will - when God commanded us to keep the Sabbath that He ordained for all men everywhere, and a believer chooses to not keep it, what happens over time to the other commandments? They will be discarded in lieu of personal preferences as multiple reasons and out-of-context scriptures are reassembled to justify their disobedience to the Word. In effect-denying the Word which in turn means denying the Lord Jesus Christ before all men. And you should know the severe penalty of doing that. Being denied by the Son of God before the Father and all the Holy Angels.
Now, the writings of God contain truth, not lies and fables but truth. The words were penned by the hands of men empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, and there are no discrepencies though many claim that there are, but that is because they have leaned on their own understandings as filtered through their minds and the teachings of others and not the Spirit of Christ. Still others look back to the so called “Church fathers” which they should not do for those men did much to sow the seeds of discord that are so evident today. The “church fathers” are first and foremost the apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus who established and built up the body in the first one-hundred years. After they all passed away, their disciples took up the work followed by their disciples. And today, only the Word is truth, the rest is man originated. So, when you hear a church make their boasts of being an apostolic body, or Bible believing, or one giving themselves titles such as bishop or apostle, then please, turn away from such men and women. Even the demons believe, knowing the truth of Jesus, and shake in fear, for they know what is going to happen to them. Foolish men don’t. Do not trust the words of men nor place any of their teachings above the written Word to be found within the pages of your Bible. When they teach things contrary to sound scripture, rebuke them in love and show them the way back, if they are willing to receive, and if not, let them be—pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.
Evolution has found a home in the hearts of many believers, and that should’nt be, but it is a known fact and a terrible witness to the decaying state of their faith. For God is a jealous God and there are none beside Him. Evolution is a religion with atheism as its god, and there is no compromising the flood and creation with evolution and time. It is a satanic religion seeking to replace the truth with a lie, and it has been proven very successful in the minds of compromising believers as they strive for intellectual recognition. All forms of religion that man has brought forth from brutish minds and philosophical reasonings have birthed a plethora of demonic worshippers around the world. And the Word makes it very clear that this is another reason for the upcoming vials of tribulation about to befall this world, the worshipping of demons through religion. The only true religion is based upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and Him alone. Every other religion is based upon demon worship and there are no exceptions, and absolutely no compromises to be made by the faithful in Christ, come what may.
Can you see why you need to count the cost of being a follower of Jesus Christ? It is a very high price indeed. Jesus has already told us that all faithful believers will be persecuted for His name’s sake, and that persecution is already feeling the tremors here in America. This nation is godless and wicked and has already been judged and will fall from her lofty perch because of her ongoing wickedness and acts of violence. Do not listen to the false prophets and do not look unto a man for salvation. Read the written Word and receive understanding, knowledge and wisdom. Learn to discern the times. Learn to become faithful to His Word even when it means standing against the floods of modern teachings. Hold firm as a rock, immovable, noncompromising.
All those who place their trust in Jesus Christ will be persecuted for His names’s sake. The Word makes that very clear. Read the first three chapters of Revelation to glean an understanding of what causes believers to stumble, and listen! Do as he commands and turn away from any and all who teach the opposite of what our Lord commands. Faithfulness and obedience are the keys to being a disciple and a true servant because by so doing, you are walking in love.
In closing, I must repeat it once again, hold firm to what the Lord Jesus teaches and believe every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and His written Word. We are living in a world built upon lies, but to those who have their refuge in Christ, they are upon the truth, and that is a sure foundation.
I remain a brother in the Lord Jesus Christ to the faithful in Christ.
Edward L Ordway