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CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
~ The Received Text ~
ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it [‘The Received Text’] not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” ~ I Thessalonians 2:13
in the KJV-ONLY Camp
When we first took a stand for the King James Bible many years ago, it never occurred to us that “King James-Only” meant “no Greek and no Hebrew.” It was upon reading Gail Riplinger’s most recent book, IN AWE OF THY WORD, that we discovered that the term “KJV-Only” was to be taken literally. It means that the King James Bible alone is divinely inspired, perfect and superior to all other translations and texts, including the Greek Textus Receptus and the Hebrew Masoretic Text.
We have been, and always will be “Textus Receptus Only,” and we mistakenly assumed that this was also the position of the leadership of the KJV-Only movement. Our discovery that this was not the case compelled us to write this lengthy expose of the heresy in Gail Riplinger’s book and other false teachings in King James Onlyism which we now understand is an important component of the Sionist conspiracy. With this understanding, certain events of the past few years have come into clearer focus. David Bay’s attack on the King James Bible and Gail Riplinger’s assault on the Textus Receptus were not spontaneous, mutually exclusive events from rival factions, but well-timed and coordinated deceptions in the overall plan to eliminate the Christian Bible, especially the New Testament, in all of its expressions.
Gail Riplinger’s latest book, In Awe of Thy Word, is both a broadside attack on the Greek Textus Receptus and an introduction to Kabbalism. Yet the heretical nature of Riplinger’s book has gone undetected by many in the King James-Only community probably because her previous book, New Age Bible Versions, seemed to uphold the Textus Receptus as the standard text for all translations of the New Testament. When it became apparent that Gail Riplinger had done a volte face on the superiority of the Greek Textus Receptus, it was time for us to reexamine her teachings and to confront many false teachings of King James Onlyism; for there appears to be a “conspiracy of silence” among KJV-Only leaders as Gail takes the movement to a new level of heresy.
This extensive and long overdue expose reveals the multitude of outright lies in Gail Riplinger’s books, her shameless misquoting of sources and manipulation of data, her revision of Church history, her subtle teaching of Kabbalism and her lack of a personal Christian testimony. Mrs. Riplinger also promotes Bible translations that are not based on the Byzantine text she pretends to champion, but based on the corrupt Alexandrian manuscripts she purports to condemn. She also misrepresents the heretics who used these corrupt bibles as the “true Christians” who preserved the Traditional Text. As she legitimizes corrupt bibles and false religions, Gail trashes the Greek Textus Receptus as well as Greek and Hebrew resources that help Christians to understand Scripture and determine the accuracy of various Bible translations. Instead of encouraging the use of Greek and Hebrew resources to determine the meanings of the words in Scripture, Gail teaches her readers how to divine letter meanings Kabbalistically.
Having investigated the endtime deception for well over a decade we thought we had seen everything; however, the sophisticated web of lies, manipulated data and false teachings put out by Gail Riplinger surpasses them all. We urge the reader to read each section of this important report, and to “prove all things” by checking our documentation of Mrs. Riplinger’s false teachings and the massive fraud that is King James Onlyism.
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:21)
Grail Riplinger’s “Rosicrucian Masterpiece”
Chapter 1. A Primer on Kabbalah
Chapter 2. The Tetragrammaton
Chapter 3. “Christian” Kabbalah
Chapter 4. The KJV Bible Codes
FEAR & LOATHING OF GREEK RESOURCES
Chapter 5. No Greek Resources!
Chapter 6. The Ruckmanite Heresy
Chapter 7. The Translators’ Preface
Chapter 8. Revision of the 1611 AV
Chapter 9. The Mark of the Beast
Chapter 10. The New King James Version
Chapter 11. Cooking the Data
THE real HISTORY of “King James Onlyism”
Chapter 12. Origin of KJV-Onlyism
Chapter 13. The Albigenses & Cathari
Chapter 14. Baptist Successionism
Chapter 15. Anabaptist Unitarianism
Chapter 16. Old Latin & Gothic Versions
Chapter 17. Anglo-Saxon Version
Chapter 18. The Wycliffe Translation
Chapter 19. The Lollard Movement
Chapter 20. Christian Rosenkreuz
APPENDICES
OCCULT SYMBOLISM IN Grail Riplinger’s “Rosicrucian Masterpiece”
Translation Errors in the KJV Which Affect the Interpretation of Bible Prophecy
Scrivener’s Appendix A. “Wrong readings of the Bible of 1611 amended in later editions.”
The Translators’ Preface to the 1611 King James Version has not been included in King James Bibles for nearly two hundred years, ever since the British and Foreign Bible Society and the American Bible Society assumed responsibility for the translation and worldwide distribution of the Bible. The American Bible Society was founded by Baptists in 1816 and funded by the British and Foreign Bible Society which was directed by prominent members of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge of the United Grand Lodge of England. Although founded for the ostensible purpose of circulating the Word of God, the Baptist founders of the British and Foreign Bible Society and the American Bible Society took it upon themselves to exclude the Translators’ Preface and marginal notes from King James Bibles, a policy which became the defining article in the Constitutions of both Bible societies.
Petitions to restore the Translators’ Preface to the King James Bible have been rejected by modern publishers. The removal of this historical document has made possible the emergence of a movement that is in every respect at variance with the stated beliefs and principles of the King James Translators, as well as the King James Bible. It is the purpose of this report to present the facts with regard to many false teachings that have arisen as a result of the removal of the Translators’ Preface from the King James Version.
The KJV Translators set forth many of their beliefs and principles of Bible translation in their Preface, “The Translators to the Reader.” Among these are the following:
The Translators believed that all serious translations of the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures may be read as the Word of God, with the understanding that all translations contain some errors:
“Now to the latter we answer; that we do not deny, nay we affirm and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession,...containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God. As the King’s speech, which he uttereth in Parliament, being translated into French, Dutch, Italian, and Latin, is still the King’s speech, though it be not interpreted by every Translator with the like grace, nor peradventure so fitly for phrase, nor so expressly for sense, everywhere. For it is confessed, that things are to take their denomination of the greater part; and a natural man could say,...A man may be counted a virtuous man, though he have made many slips in his life, (else, there were none virtuous, for in many things we offend all) [James 3:2] also a comely man and lovely, though he have some warts upon his hand, yea, not only freckles upon his face, but also scars. No cause therefore why the word translated should be denied to be the word, or forbidden to be current, notwithstanding that some imperfections and blemishes may be noted in the setting forth of it.”
The Translators distinguished between the quality of English translations of the Byzantine Received Text and translations of Alexandrian text-type manuscripts, such as the Latin Vulgate.
“For by this means it cometh to pass, that whatsoever is sound already (and all is sound for substance, in one or other of our editions, and the worst of ours far better than their authentic vulgar) the same will shine as gold more brightly, being rubbed and polished; also, if anything be halting, or superfluous, or not so agreeable to the original, the same may be corrected, and the truth set in place.”
The Translators believed that only the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts were inspired by God and therefore inerrant.
“For whatever was perfect under the Sun, where Apostles or Apostolic men, that is, men endued with an extraordinary measure of God’s spirit, and privileged with the privilege of infallibility, had not their hand?... So, by the story of Ezra, and the prophecy of Haggai it may be gathered, that the Temple built by Zerubbabel after the return from Babylon, was by no means to be compared to the former built by Solomon (for they that remembered the former, wept when they considered the latter) [Ezra 3:12] notwithstanding, might this latter either have been abhorred and forsaken by the Jews, or profaned by the Greeks? The like we are to think of Translations.”
King James I of England may have “authorised” the translation that bears his name, however, the Greek Received Text is the only “Authorized” Word of God for the New Testament, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles.
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it [‘The Received Text’] not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (1 Thess. 2:13)
“And they were astonished at his [Jesus’] doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority [‘The Authorized Version’], and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22)
Treatment of this most important subject has required an honest assessment of King James-Onlyism, which professes to defend the Greek Received Text, but has relegated it to a subordinate position relative to the King James Version. This report does not represent the departure of Watch Unto Prayer from the King James Version, but a realistic look at its proper place in God’s plan of Bible transmission with an objectivity and attention to facts that is tragically absent in the King James Only movement. The English translations of the Textus Receptus in use today – the King James Version, the New King James Version, the Geneva Bible, the Tyndale Bible – are based on an uncorrupted Greek text. They are good translations, but not perfect translations despite the claims of King James Onlyism. However, “notwithstanding that some imperfections and blemishes may be noted in the setting forth of them,” these English translations are light years ahead of the horde of modern versions based on corrupt Alexandrian text-type manuscripts.
This report is focused mainly on the Greek New Testament rather than the Hebrew Old Testament, for it is the Greek Textus Receptus that is under attack and slated for extinction. Our constant prayer is that our reports will be accurate so that we neither bear false witness nor add to the deception which already abounds in the Church. Every attempt has been made to insure accuracy, however human fallibility dictates that perfection is impossible: “For whatever was perfect under the Sun, where Apostles or Apostolic men, that is, men endued with an extraordinary measure of God’s spirit, and privileged with the privilege of infallibility, had not their hand?” The goal of our endeavor has been to arrive at the truth concerning the English Bible translations; therefore, any corrections, suggestions, new information and insights will be appreciated.
“If we be sons of the Truth, we must consider what it speaketh, and trample upon our own credit, yea, and upon other men’s too, if either be any way an hindrance to it.” (“The Translators to the Reader”)
Barbara Aho
May, 2008
Keywords: New Age Bible Versions, Gail Riplinger, G.A. Riplinger, King James Only, King James Only Controversy, AV Publications, avpublications.com, King James Version, King James Bible