THIS SITE WILL GIVE YOU AN
INSIGHT INTO
THE WORD OF GOD THROUGH
THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS BOOK:
"Between Light and Grace,
A History of the English Bible"
by Stephen Jay Grisham
Do you use a
plagiarized Bible? Are you sure? In most cases you are using a plagiarized
Bible! What is a "Plagiarized" Bible? It is a Bible that is not
"God Breathed" (authorized) and therefore not "made Holy".
Take up this "Challenge" and read this writing to see, as well as,
prove for yourself. Is there a "God Breathed" Bible? Yes! And it is
HOLY!! Is this Holy Bible the one you use? Read on and see!
PREFACE
Our Eternal, Merciful and Gracious Creator God inspired King David’s prayers of praise that reveal how important His word really is. David prayed, “I will worship…and praise thy Name…for thy TRUTH: for thou hast magnified thy WORD above all thy NAME!” (Psalm 138:2)
God’s HOLY WORD is paramount to His plan of salvation. David prayed, “My soul fainteth for thy Salvation: but I hope in thy WORD.” (Psalm 119:81) Our HOPE for Salvation is given through God’s Holy Word. David further prayed, “FOREVER, O LORD thy WORD is settled in heaven!” (Psalm 1 19:89) In Hebrew, “is settled” means literally, stands firm. Jesus Christ affirmed, “Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but My WORDS shall not pass away.” (Mathew 24:35 and Luke 21:33)
The Holy Word of God is where we can put our “TRUST!” (Psalm 119:42) Also, it is “Very Pure,” (Psalm 119:140) and is dependable as it is “TRUE from the beginning ” (Psalm 119:160). We, with David, should “stand in awe” and rejoice in God’s WORD (Psalm 119:161-162). Again, with David, pray, “Thy WORD is a lamp unto my feet, and a LIGHT unto my path” (Psalm 119:105), so that we are given an “Understanding according to (His) WORD” (Psalm 119:169).
“ The LORD gave the WORD: great was the company of those that published it!” (Psalm 68:11) We explore “the Company” and how they came about to “publish” the HOLY SCRIPTURES into the English language. That resulted in the Holy Bible, Authorized Edition of 1611, which has been THE driving force of Western Civilization since the early 17th century until 1986! What happened in 1986? The New International Version (N.I.V.) outsold the King James Bible (K.J.B.) for the first time since records were kept. How and why did this happen? What difference does it make, if any? There are now many marketed variations of the Bible, called versions. Yet, they are all compared to the K.J.B. Why is this? Are they all just different versions of the 1611 K.J.B. based on the same foundation? These variations in its diversity are made to appeal to youth, women, those of various cultures, those highly educated, and for the common person. Is this of God? Is our civilization better for this? Is the church better for this? Or, is the confusion and crisis of today’s world directly affected? These and many other questions will be addressed and clearly answered in this book of the history of the English Bible.
How did the Holy Bible come to be? Who is responsible? Why is it “Holy?” These are important questions of “Faith.” Paul tells us “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Timothy 3:16) And Jesus Christ commands that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Mathew 4:4) So we need a reliable source that is written down correctly and preserved as it was inspired. How do we know that there is only one “Word of God” that He has inspired and preserved? Because God promised that this is what He would do. This promise is recorded in Psalm 12:6-7: “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.”
How important is this to us? We are “sanctified” (made Holy) by God’s Word. Jesus Christ prayed to His and our Father, “Sanctify them through thy Truth. Thy WORD “is Truth ”. (John 17:17) Earlier, the Apostle John revealed in chapter 14 and verse 6 that Jesus Christ said, “I am the Way, THE TRUTH, and the Life.” Also, we are promised that the Holy Spirit “…will guide (us) into all Truth…” (John 16:13). Putting this together as one minister noted, “Through prayer, when we read the Word of God, we have the Author present with us always!”
So the verifying of which Bible is the true Holy Word of God in English for today is truly important. Yes, it is also important to verify the correctly inspired Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Notice that God used more than one language to inspire, in His written word. There is no “Sacred” language! The question of “translation” is raised to prove that there are “errors” in God’s Holy Word. If this is possibly true, then God’s Word cannot be trusted! The question is does God approve of, guide, and preserve one translation of different languages? Indeed, yes He does, as God was the First Translator of His own Word! In Acts 2:6 through the Holy Spirit, God made it possible because on the Day of Penticost, “…every man heard them speak in his own language.” So, to hear (and read) God’s Holy Word in your native tongue is approved by God’s example. And yes, God used men to record the originals and to translate them. The Apostle Peter assures us of this “for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by The Holy Ghost.” (II Peter 1:21) And, therefore, “we have also a more sure Word of prophecy.” (II Peter 1:19)
So what is the English Bible that God oversaw the translation and has given his approval as well as His blessing of preservation? Which English Bible was “…tried in a furnace of Earth, purified seven times”? (Psalm 12:6) Remember that God only wrote and preserved “One True Word” no matter
to which language is
referred. This volume is focusing on the English language - which happens to still be the language of the 21st Century!
In the early 1600’s when 54 Englishmen were appointed by the king, less than 2% of the world’s population spoke English. The translators did not realize that God was using them to prepare a standard Bible in the “universal language of the future” (a quote from Timothy S. Morton in his booklet, Which Translation Should You Trust?). But God knew. “Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.” (Acts 15:18)
Also, it is recognized that the English language reached its height at the end of the 16th Century and at the beginning of the 17th Century. “The English language achieved a richness and vitality of expression that even contemporaries marveled at during Elizabeth I’s and James I’s reign” (quoted from The Story of English by McCrum, Cran and MacNeil).
This present writing is set out on a course to prove beyond any doubt that the HOLY BIBLE that God authorized and preserved is the edition of 1611. The story that is rich in adventure and suspense, as well as the sobering of persecution and treachery, is here set out for your exploration; to answer your questions; to relieve your doubts; and to SET your FAITH and TRUST in our Almighty God and His Word!!
By
Stephen Jay Grisham
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved
Steve and Lola Lee Grisham
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