Where Is the Word of God?
One of the most successful tricks the Devil has pulled on man is to cause doubt that the very words of God are available and accessible.
The devil has been at this from the beginning as indicated by the first words recorded in scripture as coming from his mouth: "Yea, hath God said...?"
These are the words he spoke to Eve in the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3, verse 1 (Gen. 3:1).
It should make sense to those who have functioning brains (which may exclude religious lemmings, robots and fanatics) that if the devil does not want us to know what God says, that the opposite is true with God - God wants us to know with certainty what He says.
Here are some scriptures that back this up:
Psalm 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God...
Proverbs 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
Since man is, by nature, a liar and self-serving (parents have to teach their 2-year-olds to share; and the Bible says man goeth forth from the womb speaking lies, Psalm 58:3), he cannot be the source of the words of truth. Only a holy God can be the source of truth. (See the article What Is Truth? for more on this. Use the back button of your browser to quickly navigate back to this page.)
Only words from God, the Creator, can be deemed "certain".
The apostle Peter, reminding us of his experience when he was with James and John on the mount where Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes, said this:
2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. [See Matthew 17:1-5]
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed...
What can be "more sure" than an eye witness experience with two other witnesses? The answer is: the Word of Prophecy - the Word of God, which He gave to us through holy men of God.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
God has taken great care to ensure that we have His words and not just the words of men. Who would want to trust in man for truth, anyway? Not me!
For those who might out of weakness or fear be tempted to abdicate their responsibility to trust in God and just leave it to men they fear or even respect, God says, It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8)
God is also careful to let us know we ought not rely on men (including ourselves) to interpret the Word of God:
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
In other words, no one can claim their interpretation is the right interpretation. Scripture will interpret itself!
The devil has been at this from the beginning as indicated by the first words recorded in scripture as coming from his mouth: "Yea, hath God said...?"
These are the words he spoke to Eve in the garden of Eden in Genesis chapter 3, verse 1 (Gen. 3:1).
It should make sense to those who have functioning brains (which may exclude religious lemmings, robots and fanatics) that if the devil does not want us to know what God says, that the opposite is true with God - God wants us to know with certainty what He says.
Here are some scriptures that back this up:
Psalm 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God...
Proverbs 22:20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?
Since man is, by nature, a liar and self-serving (parents have to teach their 2-year-olds to share; and the Bible says man goeth forth from the womb speaking lies, Psalm 58:3), he cannot be the source of the words of truth. Only a holy God can be the source of truth. (See the article What Is Truth? for more on this. Use the back button of your browser to quickly navigate back to this page.)
Only words from God, the Creator, can be deemed "certain".
The apostle Peter, reminding us of his experience when he was with James and John on the mount where Jesus was transfigured before their very eyes, said this:
2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. [See Matthew 17:1-5]
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed...
What can be "more sure" than an eye witness experience with two other witnesses? The answer is: the Word of Prophecy - the Word of God, which He gave to us through holy men of God.
2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
God has taken great care to ensure that we have His words and not just the words of men. Who would want to trust in man for truth, anyway? Not me!
For those who might out of weakness or fear be tempted to abdicate their responsibility to trust in God and just leave it to men they fear or even respect, God says, It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. (Psalm 118:8)
God is also careful to let us know we ought not rely on men (including ourselves) to interpret the Word of God:
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
In other words, no one can claim their interpretation is the right interpretation. Scripture will interpret itself!
With that as a foundation, let's look at some promises of God given to us in the scriptures regarding the scriptures.
Isaiah 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
How do words get in our mouth? We have to hear them or see (read) them; which means God's Word must be written with "signs" (letters in this case) that can be understood and spoken.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Man can not be trusted to preserve God's words, but God can be trusted!
This is where many falter. They do not see how we can have the words of God and the accuracy, infallibility, purity and inspiration be preserved.
Well, if it depended on man I couldn't see it either. But my faith is not in man, it is in God. As quoted above, David (who penned many of the psalms in the book of Psalms), under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, "Thou shalt keep [guard, protect] them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."
So here we see the promise that we will have His words somewhere for ever. The promise of God that we would always have his words is also made clear in Isaiah 59:21, as quoted a few paragraphs above.
It is not up to man to preserve God's Word, it is up to the Author - God.
I believe God. So somewhere on earth God's Words have been preserved because scripture assures us and Jesus Himself assures us that they will be here for ever.
So where are they?
The scriptures reveal that whenever God gives His Word, it gets published. (Psalm 68:11)
The scriptures also reveal that when God gives His Word He gives responsibility for the fruit thereof to a nation; and that nation is to be a light to the rest of the world.
Isaiah 51:4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
When God gave His Word to Moses in Mount Sinai (the Law), He first prepared a people (nation) to receive it (Israel). Israel eventually turned away from God - to the point of crucifying Jesus Christ (the Messiah), who was God manifest in the flesh (2 Timothy 3:16), the Light of the world (John 12:46).
Jesus was the Light of the World, sent by God and revealed as such by a man named Simeon, of whom the Bible states, "the Holy Ghost was upon him" and "it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost..." (Luke 2:25-32) This man, Simeon stated that Jesus would be "a light to lighten the Gentiles" (verse 32).
Lest I be guilty of assuming everyone knows what a Gentile is, let me put it simply, that it is anyone who is not a Jew, specifically, those not physically descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel was under occupation by the Roman empire. As a nation they were not much of a light to the rest of the world. God was preparing the world for a transition. This was foretold by Jesus Himself.
Jesus told the history of the turning away of Israel from God, and as a consequence the turning of God from Israel as far as blessing them with the honour of being the nation that is a light to the rest of the nations is concerned. He then showed how God had a plan to raise up another "nation" to bring forth the fruits of the Word of God. That nation, like Israel, would have the words of God, translated perfectly, preserved, inspired by God, with power to give eternal life to all who believe its words.
Let's take a look at a parable Jesus gave that explains this:
Matthew 21:33-43
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Jesus summarizes the history of the ill treatment by the Jews against the many prophets God had sent to them throughout their history, as the Old Testament clearly documents. He goes on, unbeknownst to them, to foretell that they would kill Him, and that afterward He would raise up "a nation" (not many, just one) to bring forth His fruit.
History shows that there has never been a nation so blessed by God to be a light to the rest of the world like America has been. America has sent out more missionaries preaching the gospel of the kingdom (which responsibility was taken away from the Jews, as a nation) than any other nation by far. It is America that has been holding forth the torch of Liberty (as illustrated by the Statue of Liberty). It is America, a nation composed of people called out of Europe (Israel was called out of Egypt and Americans were called out of Europe. Both start with E's - how poetic!) that God assembled in another "wilderness" after crossing another body of water. And it is to that nation, America, that God gave His Word. The Pilgrims came to America in 1620. God gave us the King James Bible in 1611 - just in time. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, The King James Bible was "purified in a furnace of earth seven times" between 1611 and 1769 ()development of the English language), again - just in time.
God even prepared the apostles for the transition of the responsibility of the gospel of the kingdom to the Gentiles (America) as seen in the following scriptures:
Act 13:44-47
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Folks, get you a King James Bible (the only one not copyrighted) and read it, study it, and believe God's promise to preserve His Word!
Another proof:
The old saying, "The proof is in the pudding" comes to play. The proof of the Word of God is that it takes the living Word of God for someone to be born again.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
I've never known anyone in my lifetime to be born again through the Hebrew or Greek texts. God has been using the good ol' King James Bible to bring forth fruit in this great nation, which sadly, is fast following the path of Israel of old - turning away from God and His Word. The introduction of new "versions" of the Bible coincides with the decline of our nation.
But that's okay, God has a plan - His final plan:
Jesus is coming!
Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Do you have an ear for what God is trying to tell you? An ear is a receptor of sound. Do you receive the Word of God or do you turn away in disinterest. I would say if you have read this far, you likely have an ear to hear.
Jeremiah 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
Just hear and believe!
Then find an old fashioned, King James Bible-preaching, Baptist church and get involved.
Isaiah 59:21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
How do words get in our mouth? We have to hear them or see (read) them; which means God's Word must be written with "signs" (letters in this case) that can be understood and spoken.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
Psalm 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Man can not be trusted to preserve God's words, but God can be trusted!
This is where many falter. They do not see how we can have the words of God and the accuracy, infallibility, purity and inspiration be preserved.
Well, if it depended on man I couldn't see it either. But my faith is not in man, it is in God. As quoted above, David (who penned many of the psalms in the book of Psalms), under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit said, "Thou shalt keep [guard, protect] them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."
So here we see the promise that we will have His words somewhere for ever. The promise of God that we would always have his words is also made clear in Isaiah 59:21, as quoted a few paragraphs above.
It is not up to man to preserve God's Word, it is up to the Author - God.
I believe God. So somewhere on earth God's Words have been preserved because scripture assures us and Jesus Himself assures us that they will be here for ever.
So where are they?
The scriptures reveal that whenever God gives His Word, it gets published. (Psalm 68:11)
The scriptures also reveal that when God gives His Word He gives responsibility for the fruit thereof to a nation; and that nation is to be a light to the rest of the world.
Isaiah 51:4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
When God gave His Word to Moses in Mount Sinai (the Law), He first prepared a people (nation) to receive it (Israel). Israel eventually turned away from God - to the point of crucifying Jesus Christ (the Messiah), who was God manifest in the flesh (2 Timothy 3:16), the Light of the world (John 12:46).
Jesus was the Light of the World, sent by God and revealed as such by a man named Simeon, of whom the Bible states, "the Holy Ghost was upon him" and "it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost..." (Luke 2:25-32) This man, Simeon stated that Jesus would be "a light to lighten the Gentiles" (verse 32).
Lest I be guilty of assuming everyone knows what a Gentile is, let me put it simply, that it is anyone who is not a Jew, specifically, those not physically descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Israel was under occupation by the Roman empire. As a nation they were not much of a light to the rest of the world. God was preparing the world for a transition. This was foretold by Jesus Himself.
Jesus told the history of the turning away of Israel from God, and as a consequence the turning of God from Israel as far as blessing them with the honour of being the nation that is a light to the rest of the nations is concerned. He then showed how God had a plan to raise up another "nation" to bring forth the fruits of the Word of God. That nation, like Israel, would have the words of God, translated perfectly, preserved, inspired by God, with power to give eternal life to all who believe its words.
Let's take a look at a parable Jesus gave that explains this:
Matthew 21:33-43
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
Jesus summarizes the history of the ill treatment by the Jews against the many prophets God had sent to them throughout their history, as the Old Testament clearly documents. He goes on, unbeknownst to them, to foretell that they would kill Him, and that afterward He would raise up "a nation" (not many, just one) to bring forth His fruit.
History shows that there has never been a nation so blessed by God to be a light to the rest of the world like America has been. America has sent out more missionaries preaching the gospel of the kingdom (which responsibility was taken away from the Jews, as a nation) than any other nation by far. It is America that has been holding forth the torch of Liberty (as illustrated by the Statue of Liberty). It is America, a nation composed of people called out of Europe (Israel was called out of Egypt and Americans were called out of Europe. Both start with E's - how poetic!) that God assembled in another "wilderness" after crossing another body of water. And it is to that nation, America, that God gave His Word. The Pilgrims came to America in 1620. God gave us the King James Bible in 1611 - just in time. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, The King James Bible was "purified in a furnace of earth seven times" between 1611 and 1769 ()development of the English language), again - just in time.
God even prepared the apostles for the transition of the responsibility of the gospel of the kingdom to the Gentiles (America) as seen in the following scriptures:
Act 13:44-47
44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Folks, get you a King James Bible (the only one not copyrighted) and read it, study it, and believe God's promise to preserve His Word!
Another proof:
The old saying, "The proof is in the pudding" comes to play. The proof of the Word of God is that it takes the living Word of God for someone to be born again.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
I've never known anyone in my lifetime to be born again through the Hebrew or Greek texts. God has been using the good ol' King James Bible to bring forth fruit in this great nation, which sadly, is fast following the path of Israel of old - turning away from God and His Word. The introduction of new "versions" of the Bible coincides with the decline of our nation.
But that's okay, God has a plan - His final plan:
Jesus is coming!
Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Do you have an ear for what God is trying to tell you? An ear is a receptor of sound. Do you receive the Word of God or do you turn away in disinterest. I would say if you have read this far, you likely have an ear to hear.
Jeremiah 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.
Just hear and believe!
Then find an old fashioned, King James Bible-preaching, Baptist church and get involved.