Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The translators of the King James version of the Bible deserve lot of credit. Their translation efforts were not just a job to them, but a passion motivated for their love of the Word, Truth, and the Lord Jesus.

When new translations replace a word wholesale with a subsitute, it ought to raise a caution flag, and cause us to ask ourselves why the word was dropped in favor of another. Often the replacement is a vague, commonly used term that really has lost all meaning. In this case, however, most understand that the word demon means fallen angel. But is this correct?

Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary definitions:

Devil: In the Christian theology, an evil spirit or being; a fallen angel, expelled from heaven for rebellion against God; the chief of the apostate angels; the implacable enemy and tempter of the human race. In the New Testament, the word is frequently and erroneously used for demon.

Satan: The grand adversary of man; the devil or prince of darkness; the chief of the fallen angels.

According to the Bible, the spiritual realm is made up of created beings, called angels. Two-thirds of the angels serve God; one-third went along with Lucifer’s rebellion, and are fallen angels. According to the Bible, these fallen angels are devils. Satan is the chief of the devils.

The King James uses the word “devils” to describe these fallen angels. The Greek word is “daimonizomai,” which sounds like demon in English. I don’t know if the word demon was in use in 1611, but the translators didn’t use it. Look at the definition of “demon:”

Demon: A spirit, or immaterial being, holding a middle place between men and the celestial deities of the Pagans. The ancients believed that there were good and evil demons, which had influence over the minds of men, and that these beings carried on an intercourse between men and gods, conveying the addresses of men to the gods, and divine benefits to men. Hence demons became the objects of worship. It was supposed also that human spirits, after their departure from the body, became demons, and that the souls of virtuous men, if highly purified, were exalted from demons into gods. The demons of the New Testament were supposed to be spiritual beings which vexed and tormented men. And in general , the word, in modern use, signifies an evil spirit or genius, which influences the conduct or directs the fortunes of mankind.

So a demon is a third class of spirit being that is not described in the Bible, and therefore does not exist. The word is pegan, and is used to describe pegan ideas. New-Age occultism. It’s no wonder that the new translations use “Demon.” It dovetails perfectly with their New-Age agenda.

Maybe that is why the translators of the King James Bible used “Devil” instead of “Demon.” It specifically describes exactly what Jesus cast out, and clearly helps us understand the nature of Satan’s kingdom.

Compare these two passages:

“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.—Acts 7:51–60

“Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee. Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die.”—John 18:29–32

Hold it. Wait a minute. The Jewish religious leaders were concerned about not violating Roman law when it came to the murdering of Jesus. But they didn’t have any hesitation in murdering Stephen without Roman involvment.

I won’t go into the hypocrisy of the illegal mock trial they put Jesus through and violated many Mosiac Laws in the process. That’s another study.

The difference between the murder of Jesus and the murder of Stephen was this. Jesus was a very popular figure, and they needed a co-conspiritor to help perpitrate the crime and share blame and responsibility. They manipulated Pilate by threatening to cause problems with Rome if he didn’t cooporate with their plans to execute Jesus.

“And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.”—John 19:12

Pilate knew why they wanted to get rid of Jesus. They were jealous of His popularity, and saw Him as a threat to their authority and power.

“Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.”—Matthew 27:17,18

Therefore, in the case of Jesus, they used the legal system to accomplish what they dared not do on their own. But in the case of Stephen, he must not have been well-known, and they had no reservations whatsoever in just killing him themselves. They had total contempt for both Mosaic and Roman law. They were a law unto themselves. They were lawless.

It should be pointed out that the Jewish Leaders, in frenzied hatred, tried to take Jesus on several occasions and would have stoned Him then and there, but He passed through their midst. But that was before He became so popular.

My point is that those in power will use whatever means might be expedient to accomplish maintaining control and power. If they need to use the legal system, they’ll use it. If all it takes is to engage in a clandestine operation, then that’s what they’ll do. It makes no difference.

Do you feel like a victim?
Have you ever been told God is sending you to hell because Adam and Eve sinned, and that you inherited their sin nature? 
 We’ve all heard that. There must be something to it, though, as man has tried for centuries to correct his fallen condition and appease his guilt by his own religious efforts. If religious endeavors would have worked, there would no longer be a sense of the need to rid ourselves of the awareness of sin.

What is sin? Sin is rebellion against God.
We’re like rebellious children who defy the guidance their parents give them for their own ultimate benefit, stubbornly insisting on doing what they want, even to their own hurt.
 If religion has been unsuccessful in removing our awareness and guilt of sin, and if indeed God is going to 
judge sin, then we are trapped with no way out.

We are victims. We didn’t ask to be born into this.
What do victims of an injustice do to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs? They cry for an attorney to plead their case before the judge. An attorney will defend his client in order to try to get his defendant acquitted.

Jesus is our attorney, called our advocate in the Bible.
Jesus took our hopeless case. He doesn’t attempt to declare our innocence or reduce our sentence, because we are indeed guilty of rebellion against God. We stand condemned before God, and without some way out, we are destined to spend eternity separated from God. Our crime against God is so bad that after an eternity in Hell we would be no closer to paying for our own sin than when we began.

Jesus, my advocate, paid for my sin.
The judge declares that I am guilty and that the penalty must be paid. I am condemned, but Jesus has provided for my release. He tells the judge that by shedding His blood at the cross, He has already paid the penalty for my sin. The judge accepts His payment for my sin, and then asks me if Jesus’ payment for my sin is acceptable.

Jesus payment for sin satisfied God’s justice—sufficient to pay for all of the sin ever committed.
It’s now up to me. Do I take advantage of my attorney’s offer, Jesus payment for my sin? I could say, “No way. I don’t believe you’d do that. It’s not possible. I’d rather spend eternity in hell paying for my own sin.” Or you could say, “What? You did that for me? I’ll take it! I’m free from the consequences of sin and no longer condemned before God! Thank you, Jesus!”

But wait. There’s more. There is a bonus gift for trusting in Jesus.
Jesus died in my place, taking God’s judgment upon sin. But before He died, He wrote me into His will. He made me the co-beneficiary of His inheritance.

It may sound too good to be true, but it is true.
In spite of what you may have been told, the Bible says that God doesn’t send people to Hell, but by His grace He beckons us to trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ and to be rescued from going to Hell. That is what being saved means.

How do I receive Jesus’ payment for sin in my life? 


“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
—Romans 10:13

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”—Romans 10:9–10

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
—Matthew 11:28

You can pray right now wherever you are and accept God’s free gift of salvation.
Use these words to guide your prayer. The exact words aren’t important. 
“Heavenly Father, I believe that You sent Jesus to die on the cross, paying for my sins. I also believe that You raised Jesus from the dead, and through His resurrection, I can look forward to eternal life. Forgive me for all I have done wrong that I may be born again. “I trust Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for coming into my heart and giving me a new life. Amen.”

What do I do after becoming a Christian?
1. Find a church where you can hear the preaching of the Word and rejoice in the fellowship of other Christians.
2. Read the Bible.
3. Pray to your Father in Heaven to strengthen your faith and increase your love toward Him.
4. Enjoy the blessings given by God in the only Biblically ordained ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
5. Share your faith with others.

You were created to have a relationship with a loving God. Welcome to the family!

I didn’t make this up. It’s all in the Bible.

We are all guilty. ”They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”—Romans 3:12

We are all judged: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” —Romans 6:23

Our self-righteousness is insufficient to pay for sin. We accept the gift of salvation through faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”—Ephesians 2:8-9

Jesus is our Advocate. ”And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:1–2

Jesus paid the penalty for us for our sin. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”—Isaiah 53:6

We are no longer condemned by God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”—Romans 8:1

Our inheritance: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”—1 Peter 3:4–5

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
—Revelation 21:7

God wants to rescue us from Hell, not send us there. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”—John 3:16–17

The Manasseh Effect testifies of the far-reaching consequences of sin. King Manasseh’s actions foreshadow the coming age of the Antichrist and his dealings with Israel. His actions in the past set in motion a series of judgments that will change the world.

The book presents a Biblical case for the Rapture or Redemption of the church.

Back cover copy: Is tomorrow’s history a result of decisions made 2,680 years ago? Have ancient prophets accurately foretold the future? The evidence that the planet is a powder keg and the world’s leaders are about to light the fuse is undeniable. What will happen next?

Will the decisions you make today be correct as tomorrow unfolds? The choice you make determines one of two destinies. One leads to Redemption; the other to Judgment.

This book will help unravel the past and prepare you to make a decision today that will determine your future.

Jesus said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”—Luke 21:28

Soft cover, 128 pages. Originally published in 1993, the book has been extensively revised and re-published in 2007. ISBN: ISBN-13 978-0-9793653-0-0.

Includes color chart that can be removed from the book for study. Fully indexed, with Scripture reference charts.

The book can be read for free online. Visit The History of Tomorrow to read the book for free online, download the chart, or for information to purchase the book.

Did you know that you were created to have a relationship with a loving God?
He is patiently and lovingly waiting for you to respond to His invitation of salvation. Yes, you can receive forgiveness for your sins and assurance of eternal life through faith in His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”—John 3:16-17

“And this is life eternal, that hey might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”—John 17:3

You may be asking yourself: “How can I know God?”
Man is able to know the true and living God through His Word (that is, the Bible). The Bible reveals God’s character and His plan for mankind. It is through reading His Word that we come to a knowledge of the righteousness of God and what He requires of us.
What is it that prevents us from personally knowing God? Our sin has separated us from God—our corruption is to such a degree that we cannot know Him personally and cannot experience His love.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”—Jeremiah 17:9

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23

Man was created to have fellowship with God, but because of his sin (i.e., anything that is against the righteousness revealed in God’s Law) he is prevented from that fellowship. This includes anything less than perfect obedience to God’s commands.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”—Romans 6:23

The ultimate result of this death is an eternity in Hell. This spiritual death forces a separation from God. Since people are sinful and God is holy, it is impossible for us to have the relationship and fellowship with the Lord as He originally intended.

What’s the solution? The only solution is Jesus Christ.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”—Romans 5:8

”For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”—2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus became sin for us and took the punishment we deserved. Because of His sacrifice for our sin, we now have available to us a way to have fellowship with Him. He is the only way.

“Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ ”—John 14:6

What must I do to be saved?
God made provision for and judged your sin through the sacrifice made by Jesus in your place. But to take advantage of God’s provision, you must receive this gift of God by faith, the faith that God is granting to you right now. The goodness of God is leading you to repentance, to turn from darkness (the power of Satan) to God, and place your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. It is by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and repenting of your sins that you can have the sin issue settled and enjoy peace with God. What a joy it is to know God personally, to walk with Him, and to look forward to spending eternity with Him.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”—John 1:12

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”—Ephesians 2:8-10

“Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ ”—Acts 2:38

Receive Jesus right now by faith and be reconciled with God forever

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”—Romans 10:9-10

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
—Luke 18:13

Use these words to guide your prayer. The exact words aren’t important.
“Heavenly Father, I believe that You sent Jesus to die on the cross, paying for my sins. I also believe that You raised Jesus from the dead, and through His resurrection, I can look forward to eternal life. Forgive me for all I have done wrong that I may be born again. “I trust Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for coming into my heart and giving me a new life. Amen.”

Welcome to God’s family!
If you believed God’s Word and placed your faith in His Son, congratulations—welcome to His family. All of His children share in His heavenly inheritance! We are heirs to heaven and are promised the eternal pleasure of glorifying God. As our life here on earth progresses, God will continue to work in our hearts. We are daily being conformed to the image of Christ Himself. We will begin to live lives of righteousness. Obedience to God will not be a burden to us, but rather a joy. You may wonder, now that you are a Christian, “What now?” Our greatest recommendation for believers, new and old, is fourfold:

1. Find a church where you can hear the preaching of the Word and rejoice in the fellowship of other Christians.

2. Read the Bible, to learn about God. Download a yearly reading schedule from The History of Tomorrow. You can learn about Jesus by enrolling in Pastor John Higgin’s FREE Jesus Life and Ministry course, and receive a two-hour study DVD each month to study the life of Jesus in the order the events happened.

3. Pray to your Father in Heaven to strengthen your faith and increase your love toward Him.

4. Enjoy the blessings given by God in the only Biblically ordained ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

5. Share your faith with others.

May God richly bless you.

From The Manasseh Effect, by John Higgins, available from The History of Tomorrow.

Global Warming is talked about in the Bible. The isn’t a political agenda, but the real thing.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.“—2 Peter 3:9–10

You can tell it’s the real thing because the warning is encased in God’s grace, not padding someone’s pocket.

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”—2 Peter 3:11–12

What God is telling us here is since the world and all of our accomplishments and all of our stuff will be consumed, perhaps we might do better if we rethink our daily activities and what seems to be so important.

If God has called you to be really like Christ in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others can brag on themselves, and their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all you good works.

The Lord will let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His glory, which can be produced only in the shade.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, but it is likely God will keep you poor because he wants you to have something far better than gold and that is a helpless dependence on Him; that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day - out of an unseen treasury.

God will let others be great, but He will keep you small. He will let others do a great work for Him and get credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when He comes.

The Holy Spirit will put strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do what He pleases with His own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealing with you. He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say.

Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that others are not dealt with.

Now, when you are so possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this particular personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.

–G. D. Watson

VICTORY
When you are forgotten or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you smile inwardly, glorying in the insult or the oversight, because thereby counted worthy to suffer with Christ—that is victory.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your taste offended, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you take it all in patient, loving silence—that is victory.

When you are content with any food, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God—that is victory.

“Lord Jesus, make thyself to me
A living, bright Reality,
More present to faith’s vision keen
Than any earthly object seen;
More dear, more intimately nigh
Than e’en the dearest earthly tie.”

Jesus was tortured to death. Was His torture the acceptable payment to satisfy God’s wrath upon sin?

Under the Law of Moses, once a year the High Priest would offer animal blood on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. This offering attoned for the sin of the nation of Israel, and made it possible for the individual faithful Israelite to be able to offer sacrifices for his own sin. Then the blood of innocent animals was shed as a substitute for the sin of the believer. This was a temporary fix, however, since the offerings were repeated over and over. In the New Testament we read that these sacrifices could never permanently remove sin, only cover it temporarily.

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”—Hebrews 10:4

If the sacrifices had taken away sin, then people would have stopped offering, because there would no longer be any conscience of sins:

“For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.”—Hebrews 10:1-2

But look at what Jesus did, once and for all. Jesus, our High Priest, is a type of this atonement that the High Priest did once a year, in that through His sacrifice for sin all men have the choice to accept that sacrifice for their own sin.

“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
—Hebrews 9:12

Mercy Seat is the word propitiation in 1 John:

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”—1 John 2:1-2

So we have established that Jesus sacrificed Himself once and for all, and that His shed blood was sufficient to pay the sin debt owed to God by every person who has and will ever live.

But what is the nature of His sacrifice?
When an animal was sacrificed, it was quickly slain and its blood drained and caught for purging and as an offering for sin. Mark this: The animal was not tortured to death.

Unlike animal sacrifices under the law, Jesus was tortured to death. The whole point of this post is to understand if His being tortured is what paid for our sin, or if it was His shed blood alone. And why, then, was He tortured? And what was the manner of the transaction that took place with God the Father that satisfied His wrath against sin?

The religious Jewish leaders, responsible for conspiring against Jesus and having Him killed (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16), had to get the Romans to kill Jesus for them, because they did not have the authority living under Roman rule to carry out capital punishment. Additionally, the method of execution under the Law was stoning. But that manner of execution would not do here anyway, because stoning would not shed the blood of the condemned.

In the days in which Jesus was sacrificed, the Romans cruely crucified condemned prisoners, as a deterrent to those contemplating crimes against the state. However, it was not common to nail the prisoner to a cross, but to tie them to it. The condemned would eventually die of suffocation.

So Jesus was tortured, beaten, and then the Romans nailed Him to a cross. Lastly, His side was pierced, releasing blood and water. Without question Jesus shed His blood in death.

Remember that animals where killed instantly, and their blood drained. If Jesus had been killed without torture, but his blood shed in the process, would that have been sufficient for payment for our sin? It would follow the Old Testament type that it would have been.

Let’s conclude here by stating that Jesus shed blood was offered as a sacrifice for sin and accepted by God, proven by His resurrection.

Consider for a moment the idea that sin must be judged of God. His wrath must be propitiated for. In a sense there are two parts to this. Part one is God’s judgment of sin, and part two is the payment of the penalty satisfying His judgment. We clearly can’t make payment for our own sin. If we spent an eternity in hell to pay for our sin debt before God we’d be no closer than when we’d started. That’s how large the debt is. But Jesus’ shed blood was sufficient payment for sin. That’s how valuable it is. But what about God’s judgment of sin? Was that the torture to death of Jesus? No. The Bible states otherwise. So what was the torture all about, other than the necessity of shedding the blood of Jesus? We’ll get to that later.

Jesus is judged for sin in our place
The Bible clearly states in Hebrews that Jesus tasted death for every man. The word taste is very interesting. It means to try the flavor, to feel, make a trial of.

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”—Hebrews 2:9

“Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.”—John 8:52

In what sense did Jesus taste death? Certainly not physically at the cross. He suffered a horrible death. Besides, people don’t taste physical death. We all will die for real, unless we as believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

It must mean some other kind of death. Something worse than physical death.

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”—Revelation 20:6

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
—Revelation 21:8

What is the second death? It is to be eternally separated from God. We may refer to the earth as a “God forsaken place,” but it is certainly not. Believers and unbelievers alike enjoy the grace and bountiful provision of God every day. Additionally, unbelievers have the opportunity to come to know Jesus and be with Him forever. But the second death is not like that. It is a God forsaken place, prepared for the devil and his angels. His presence is not there. All opportunity has been lost. Just eternal contempt. You don’t want to be there. There is no hope there.

So what is the second death? It is to be eternally separated from God. That is what Jesus tasted for all of us, so that we don’t have to.

Jesus’ death had three facets:
1. He was tortured to death. This, I believe, had nothing to do with His payment for and God’s judgment of sin. The Bible does not emphasize or elaborate on the cruel way He was murdered. It does speak volumes about the devil’s contempt for Jesus, and how he humiliated Him. It also testifies of man’s hatred for the truth, and his hatred for God. He endured the full fury of devil’s hatred for all of us.

2. His physical death shed His blood, which fulfilled the Old Testiment type, and made payment for the sin of man. He had to be killed in such a way that his blood drained from Him.

3. But at what point did God judge sin on Jesus? God judged sin upon Jesus be separating Himself from Jesus. In that way Jesus tasted God’s separation, which is the ultimate horror.

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
—Matthew 27:46

“And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—Mark 15:33-34

Forsaken means being abandoned. No one looked upon Jesus for 3 hours. That is the horror of being forsaken of God Jesus experienced, being judged for the sin of the world. Physical death is not the thing to fear, but separation from God.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”—Matthew 10:28

The movie “The Passion of The Christ”
“The Passion of The Christ” trivializes Jesus’ death. The idea presented there is that God tortured Jesus as payment for sin. So we need to feel really bad and guilty for the pain that we inflicted upon the Lord, and beat ourselves down trying to relate and somehow pay for His suffering. Dwelling on His physical sufering trivializes the huge price paid for sin.

I’m not saying that His physical death was trivial; I’m saying that how bad it was cannot be compared to his separation from God. Movies like “The Passion” play to our heart strings, but the movie is a horrible devilish deception and distraction from the truth of God’s Word.

In the garden Jesus asked the Father to let this cup pass from Him. What was He referring to? I believe it was primarily the cup of separation, to taste of hell for every man.

“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”—Luke 22:42

One of the reasons Christians are so lukewarm in their walk with the Lord, and can so easily embrace false Bibles and deceptive teaching, is that they do not understand what is cost God to save us. We don’t understand how valuable it is. We reduce it to beatings and torture that just don’t mean anything to us. TV and movies depict far worse horror than the crucifixion, and audiences are unmoved.

But God’s grace is the gospel in its entirety. Paul said that if he preached rules, law, organization, formalism, then he would no longer have any opposition from man.

“And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.”—Galatians 5:11

But he preached grace, and nobody wanted to hear it, and still don’t. If we have unmerited favor, that means that we are totally undeserving, depraved, and deceived. We don’t believe we are that bad. We don’t believe that there is no good in us. We don’t believe it. So we reduce what was paid for us to terms we can deal with. We reduce the price paid to match the value of the thing purchased. It’s one thing to think that His torturous death paid for our sin; it’s quite another to think that He had to go to hell for us.

“They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”—Psalm 14:3

“Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”—Psalm 53:3

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”—Psalm 3:10

“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”—Psalm 3:12

To the extent that we react to God’s grace is directly dependent upon our awareness of how depraved we are and our sense of being lost.

“There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”—Luke 7:41-43

Judge righteous judgment.

“People of the Book” take the Bible literally. They believe that God said what He meant and meant what He said.

“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”—Psalm 119:89

God’s Word may be settled in heaven, but it doesn’t seem to be settled down here.
Or is it?
There are so many Bibles available today it is difficult for anyone to be able to determine if one Bible is better than another, or if they are all more-or-less the same. To confuse the issue further, most new versions use commonplace language that can have vague meanings, forcing the Bible reader to depend on men for interpretation and understanding. Relying on men’s abilities to be able to distinguish what is accurate and what is error is foolhardy, because men are fallen sinners and cannot possibly know. They must have some ulterior motive for their claim to have this knowledge. I want to encourage you to read the Bible with full assurance that you do have the Word of God in your hands, preserved the way God intended. It is a wonderful thing when talking to someone about the Lord to be able to hand them the Bible to read instead of a tract or a denominational book. I’m never worried that a seeker of truth will get confused and be lead astray by God’s Word. No one ever became a Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, Mormon, Mason, or Roman Catholic by reading the scriptures alone. It’s not the intention here to present an in-depth study of Bible preservation, but merely an overview. You are encouraged to do your own study and to come to your own conclusions.

Did God really preserve His Words?
Preservation of the Words of God is crucially important to our understanding of God’s revealed will to us. If we do not have God’s Word intact and without error, then we have no reliable source of information about what we must do to be saved. It would also speak rather poorly of a God that claims to have created the universe and yet is unable to preserve His Word. Without His revealed Word, No one has any hope. We’ll perish. Besides, how can anyone be judged by His Word if we don’t know what it is, or if it is no longer available?

If we have a Bible that has errors, then who could possibly be qualified to say what is correct and what is not? If I didn’t believe the Bible was true, I would have no reason to be a Christian, since my faith is based on the very Words of the Bible.

What does the Bible say?
The first step to determine if God preserved His Word is to study what the Bible says about itself. One might argue that basing the reliability of the text on the text itself is circular reasoning, but that is not the case. God proclaims in His Word that His very words are true and unchanging.

According to the Bible, God has guarded and kept His Word.

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”—Psalm 12:6, 7

Peter walked with Jesus, and was a witness to His transfiguration. Yet Peter states that the Word of God, which is backed by fulfilled prophecy, is more reliable than his first-hand account.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”—2 Peter 1:19

In John chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father to set apart believers with the truth of scripture.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”—John 17:17

The Bible is inspired of God.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”—2 Timothy 3:16

Jesus also states in all three gospels that His Word is eternal and unchanging. By contrast, new modern translations are copyrighted, continuously being updated, and re-published.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
—Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33

Is the Bible completed?
The first verse of Revelation starts out, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…” With that in mind, Hebrews shows us that the Bible is complete, and that Revelation is the last book.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
—Hebrews 1:1, 2

“In these last days” means the last in succession, or at the end. The last days began with the Church Age. So what it is saying in Hebrews is that Jesus has spoken in the last of the last days. You will remember from Chapter 1: The Foundational Truth that all scripture is prophecy, and it all testifies of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Words of Jesus as recorded by John in Revelation must be the conclusion.

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 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.”
—Revelation 22:18,19

Satan’s attack on the Bible
It comes as no surprise that Satan would do everything in his power to eliminate or undermine the Bible. In the third century A.D., a version of the text was even intentionally altered to conform to the ideologies of the world’s philosophers in Alexandria, Egypt. And for centuries the powers in Christianity at Rome intentionally kept God’s Word from the common people. They added their own dogmas to keep people in ignorance, preserving the power the church had over them.

But Satan’s plan to keep the Word of God from man was defeated by the efforts of faithful men, many of whom were martyred, and by the invention of the printing press. At that very unique point in time, an English translation of God’s Word, the Authorized or King James Version, was written. It was a unique time because the translation was pivotal in solidifying the English language, and was translated by an unparalleled group of scholars who were committed to the authority of God’s Word. The King James Bible is also unique in that it is the culmination of a line of Bibles based on God’s true Word preserved though uncorrupted manuscripts. Additionally, many great men of God gave their lives working to get God’s Word into the hands of the common man.

King James did not translate anything; he just licensed the scholars to do the translation. They in return honored the king by naming the translation after him. The influence of the King James Bible on the world has been remarkable, as evidenced by unprecedented revivals in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

In the late 1800s, Satan started his relentless campaign to flood the world with Bibles based on the intentionally corrupted manuscripts which had originated in Alexandria, Egypt. His intent was and continues to be to undermine the believer’s belief in the Bible as being preserved and reliable. When believers lack confidence in the inerrancy of God’s Word, the result is a weakened testimony to an unbelieving world.

“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?”—Genesis 3:1

Satan is a liar. The first thing he said in the Bible undermined God’s Word to Eve. He’s never bothered to change his tactics because they are very effective.

The originals are long gone
Have you ever read a statement of faith from a church or ministry that says something like this: “We believe that the Bible is inerrant in the original autographs.” That sounds good, but the statement reveals that whoever wrote it doesn’t believe that they have the Bible, and whatever they use is subject to a great deal of interpretation and manipulation. Why? Because the original autographs are long gone. So what their statement implies is that we need a scholar to help us figure out what’s left of whatever God might have written. But does it matter if the original autographs are gone? Consider the account of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.

“And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”—Exodus 31:18

God Himself wrote on the tables of stone! That was an original autograph if there ever was one. But when Moses descended from the presence of God to deliver the Word to the people, he found them in rebellion and idolatry. Moses became angry and broke the tables. Then God did something most remarkable.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.”—Exodus 34:1

So Moses brought down from the mountain a copy of the Ten Commandments, again written by the finger of God. The copies were identical to the originals, and therefore just as reliable. God preserved His Word. He does not depend on man to preserve it for Him.

Here’s another example. In Jeremiah 36:18, Jeremiah dictated God’s Word to Baruch who wrote the words down with ink in a book. The book was eventually taken to the King, who cut it up with a penknife as it was read and burned it. But that didn’t prevent God’s Word from being preserved. God just had Jeremiah and Baruch repeat the process, making a perfect duplicate.

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.”—Jeremiah 36:27, 28

Jeremiah couldn’t have recomposed the text the second time any more than he could have composed it the first time; God dictated it to him both times. Even today, a notarized or authenticated copy is used as a substitute for the original. So an accurate copy is equal in authority to the original. God states in Psalms 12:7 that He will preserve His Word.

King James Bible “revisions”
The 1611 King James Bible went through four editions in the first 27 years after it was printed. These editions included changing the font style from German Gothic to Roman, and fixing typographical errors that found their way into the printing because of human error. Keep in mind that early printing presses were very primitive by today’s standards. The type was set by hand, one letter at a time, and the Authorized Version has a lot of letters. In spite of its primitive printing method, corrections of these typographical errors were only needed in about 400 places.

As an example of how errors can get into a manuscript, the books you read are created with the aid of a computer and sophisticated software. They go through many rewrites and proofing stages. They are spell-checked repeatedly, and looked at by many people carefully prior to its going to press. Yet in spite of all of this effort, more than likely you run across typographical errors. So, it’s easy to understand how these kinds of errors could be introduced with hand-set type.

Copyrights
Another thing to keep in mind is that all of the modern translations and paraphrases are subject to copyright. That means that the text can’t be copied or redistributed without a royalty paid to and permission from the copyright holder. The Derivative Copyright Law states in part: “To be copyrightable, a derivative work must be different enough from the original to be regarded as a ‘new work’ or must contain a substantial amount of new material. Making minor changes or additions of little substance to a pre-existing work will not qualify the work as a new version for copyright purposes.”
Therefore, there must be many text changes, including both additions and deletions, in order to secure a new copyright. Yet new Bibles are being continually developed. Why? Bible printing is big business, and it is quite conceivable that the desire to make money could override concerns for the integrity of the original text.

“And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”—2 Peter 2:3

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”—Isaiah 8:20

If you are reading another translation, that’s up to you. We just want you to be aware of the controversy that surrounds God’s truth. I hold to the King James Version, for it is the translation that men have given their lives and reputations to preserve. Additionally, it continues to be attacked today by progressives that present their world-changing plans along with their new translations, versions of what they call “God’s Word.”

It’s the message of God’s Word that is inerrant. The King James Bible, more than any other translation, best communicates the central theme of the Bible by emphasizing our redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ.

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”—Colossians 1:13, 14

”But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”—Ephesians 2:13

Written for The Manasseh Effect, by John Higgins, available from The History of Tomorrow.