Bible Versions

The New International Version!

Is this the Word of God?

SBS Home   Vital Topics     NASV

INTRODUCTION
Though this article deals primarily with the New International Version (NIV), the information provided here is relevant to most modern translations of the Bible published since the year 1881. This means that no matter which English Bible translation you may be studying, it would be in your best interests to look up the texts listed in this article to see if your version is true or false. The reader should also study our first article Bible Versions ... Which is the real Word of God?
It gives a lot more detail concerning the history of the Bible than this article does.

It is no secret that the Protestant Reformation was greatly accelerated by the publication of the Authorised King James Version (AV or KJV) in the year 1611. Since that time well over 800,000,000 copies of this sacred book have been printed in some 800 languages and dialects. The KJV is still the accepted Holy Bible in many countries of the world and hymns based on its verses are still sung by believers everywhere. The KJV is of course, 'the' Protestant Bible. Because of this fact, during the dark ages, many millions of Protestants were persecuted for possessing, reading and believing its sacred pages. No one knows the exact number of Bible-believing Christians who were martyred over the centuries, but the number certainly runs into many millions. It is also a well known fact that the KJV has never been accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. The reasons go far deeper than any of us can remotely imagine. In this article I will briefly point out why true Christians should return to the study of the Authorised Version (AV).

1. PROVIDENTIAL PRESERVATION
The first reason is because the AV is the providentially preserved Word of God; divinely preserved through the ages in direct fulfilment of Jehovah's promises to do so. Our faith in providential preservation is based on Bible texts such as:

Textus Receptus
The Authorised Version, like all the early Protestant Bibles of countries such as Switzerland, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Italy etc. was translated from a Text called in the early Reformation days the Received Text (Textus Receptus). Before that time this Text, also known as the Majority Text, was used by the early church in Israel, the Middle East, Asia Minor and Greece. In those lands we see the Almighty preserving His inspired Word as He promised to do. Because of its purity the Received Text was then used by all the early Protestant Reformers of Europe for their translations. Textus Receptus also became the basis of the Authorised Version.

The Westcourt / Hort / Nestle / Aland Greek Text
But a strange and dangerous development began to occur towards the end of the 19th century. New translations of the Bible, based on a vastly different Greek text, known initially as the Westcourt/Hort (W/H) Greek text, began to appear. This text later became the basis of the Nestle/Aland Text which underlies virtually every modern translation of the Bible published since 1881.

According to the Rev. Jack. A. Moorman's book Missing in Modern Bibles - Is the Full Story Being Told? the Nestle/Aland Greek Text is shorter than Textus Receptus by 2886 words! Those 2886 words are equivalent to the books of 1st and 2nd Peter. Pause and consider that stunning fact!

Rev. D.A. Waite writes the following on page 42 of his masterful book Defending the King James Bible: (ISBN #1-56848-000-8).
"No matter how you try to translate the New International Version, let us say, or the New American Standard Version, since they're based on in the New Testament on the Nestle/Aland Text that differs from the Received Text in over 5,600 places, involving almost 10,000 Greek words -there's no way in the world you could make them equal to the King James Bible which is based on the Received Text. The NIV and NAS are perversions of the Word of God because they are based upon a Greek text that is false to the truth and improper in every way. The FOUNDATION IS FAULTY."

The Nestle/Aland Greek Text is, I understand, now in its 26th edition. Roman Catholic Cardinal Carlo M. Martini, who many believe may be the next Pope, was a member of its editorial committee!

From the above we can see that W/H Nestle/Aland Greek Text, which is now gladly accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, differs greatly from the Textus Receptus on which the Reformation Bibles were based. Keep these facts in mind as we now turn our attention to the New International Version (NIV) which is based on the W/H Nestle/Aland Greek Text.

What's The Difference?
The difference between Textus Receptus (TR) and the W/H Nestle/Aland texts is caused by two ancient manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus (Aleph) and Codex Vaticanus (B)). The TR excludes these two manuscripts. The Nestle/Aland text includes them. Codex Sinaiticus was retrieved from a wastepaper basket in a convent at the foot of Mount Sinai in A.D.1844. Codex Vaticanus, a 4th century document, was found in 1481 in the Vatican library in Rome, where it had lain virtually unused for over a thousand years. These two ancient manuscripts, both of which were considered unfit for use even by their own custodians, were seized upon in the later half of the 19th century and foisted on the unsuspecting Christian church in place of the trusted Textus Receptus. The following reference from page 554 of G.A.Ripplinger's book New Age Versions (ISBN 0-9635845-0-2) refers:

  1. "Metzger says that Sinaiticus and Vaticanus do not agree with the majority of manuscripts.
  2. Not only do they disagree with the Majority of manuscripts , but they do not agree with each other. The 8000 changes in B and the 9000 changes in Aleph are not the same changes. When their changes are added together, they alter the Majority text in about 13,000 places. This is two changes for every verse. Together they omit 4000 words, add 2000, transpose 3500, and modify 2000.
  3. They disagree with each other a dozen times on every page.
  4. Colwell says they disagree 70% of the time and in almost every verse of the gospels. Burgon says: 'It is easier to find two consecutive verses in which these manuscripts differ than two in which they agree."

The NIV, as do most modern translations, draws heavily from Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, hence its corrupt character.

2. A DIVINE WARNING
No one will doubt but that it is an extremely dangerous thing to produce counterfeit bank notes; because both the printer and those who knowingly trade with counterfeit currency could face severe sentences. Tampering with the Word of God is infinitely more dangerous, both for the publishers and the informed users of counterfeit Bibles. Let all who read this article pay close attention to the following divine warnings:
Deuteronomy 4: 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Revelation 22:18 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: 19: 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.

It is absolutely impossible for me to over emphasise the gravity of the above warning. Let all who read it - beware!

3. DOUBT-LADEN FOOTNOTES
The NIV, like many other modern translations, contains many doubt-laden footnotes such as:

These footnotes clearly show that the NIV translators, whilst putting on a show of apparent fairness, are really unsure of their product; they doubt whether the NIV is God's Word for today. The editors obviously don't know or don't believe it is, else they would not insert so many conflicting footnotes; which not only cast doubt on the King James Bible, but also on their own version. These dubious footnotes all imply that since there are so many disagreeing manuscripts, no one can be absolutely certain as to which is the real Word of God. In effect they say: 'Take your pick, decide for yourself which manuscript or version you want to believe; for the fact is, no one can be certain what God actually inspired His prophets and apostles to write.'

'Yea hath God said?' (Gen.3:1) was, and still is, Satan's main weapon against truth. He deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden by planting doubt concerning God's Word in her mind. Satan is doing the very same thing with the modern translations of the Bible. They all cast doubt on the real Word of God (the KJV); and those insinuating footnotes are the latest Satanic way of saying: 'Hath God said? Is it any wonder there are so few Christians who really believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God!

4. THE PROOF
With these thoughts in mind we will now turn our attention to the actual verses which have been corrupted in the NIV. Remember that these texts are from the Authorised Version (AV) and the words in bold type indicate where the NIV has omitted or corrupted the text.

In Me / On Me / Of Christ / In Christ / Through Christ

Denial of a Literal Heaven
The NIV translators also have a strange aversion to 'heaven.' Notice how in the following four verses the references to heaven have been removed.

DELETIONS FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Though the divine warning in Rev.22:18-19 applies to the whole Bible, it is particularly applicable to the book of Revelation when the book itself would be understood. The NIV editors have ignored the divine warning by omitting the words or phrases in bold type:

The title Lord identifies Jesus as God Incarnate!
This title is repeatedly omitted in the NIV. This is an inexcusable error. It dare not be overlooked or excused as an irrelevance, because that title Lord identifies Jesus as God!

MY Father changed to 'the' Father.
The NIV casts doubt on the fact that GOD, not Joseph, was the Father of Jesus Christ.
In the following four verses my Father is changed to the Father.

5. BRACKETED VERSES
[Bracketed verses] in other modern translations (i.e. NASV) are usually accompanied with misleading footnotes. In the NIV some texts are simply omitted and a footnote appears explaining why. However in large passages involving many texts, such as the two given below, brackets are not used. Instead the passage is simply separated from the main text by a bold line and noted.

Comment: Believe it or not the validity of this entire passage of 12 verses is doubted by the editors of the NIV. Unlike in the NASV these 12 verses are not [bracketed]. Instead they are separated from the normal text by a bold line and accompanied by an insinuating and totally false Note which reads as follows: 'The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.'

John Burgon's book The Last 12 Verses of Mark proves without a shadow of doubt that these verses, which contain many basic Christian doctrines, were all part of Mark's Gospel. To suggest that they were not is to cast doubt on Mark's Gospel and the entire New Testament.

6. NO DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES?
The dictionary defines the word 'doctrine' as 'a principle or set of principles and beliefs held by a religious or other group.' The NASV and NIV have replaced this meaningful word 'doctrine' with 'teaching;' a word which considerably detracts from the meaning God intended and which is a poor substitute for the 'doctrine.' In the following passages the meanigful noun 'doctrine' has been replaced by the nebulous word 'teaching.'
Matt.7:28, Matt.15:9, 16:12, 22:33, Mark 1:22, 1:27, 4:2, 7:7, 11:18, 12:38, Luke 4:32, John 7:16-17, 18:19, Acts 2:42, 5:28, 13:12, 17:19, Rom.6:17, 16:17, 1 Cor.14:6, 14:26, 1 Tim.1:10, 4:16, 5:17, 2 Tim.3:10, 3:16, 4:3, 2 John 1:9, Rev.2:14, 15, 24.

How true were the Apostles words when he wrote:
2 Tim.4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound DOCTRINE;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves TEACHERS, having itching ears;

Some believers claim that, even allowing for the above changes, no doctrinal differences can be found in the NIV. Is this the case? Are we making a mountain out of a molehill? I think not. The reader will have noticed that in the passages already quoted many basic Christian doctrines are affected. To name a few:

It is poor reasoning to justify a missing doctrine in one text by claiming it can be found in another part of the Scriptures. Who are we to decide or judge how often God specifies a doctrine? If He chooses to repeat a statement, even in the very next verse as in 1 John 4:2-3, let us beware of deleting one occurrence. There is absolutely no excuse for altering God's Holy Word.
As Rev. Samuel C Gipp once said
'Cut just one vein and you could kill a man as surely as if you had blown him to pieces!'
If Satan had altered every text concerning a single doctrine his deception would have been soon discovered by even the casual Bible student. All he needed to deceive God's people was to alter or delete a word or sentence here and another word or sentence there. That was all that was necessary; and that is what he has so successfully done with every modern translation. He has deceived millions of sincere Christians.

In his book Missing In Modern Bibles - Is the Full Story Being Told? Pastor Jack Moorman has actually counted every word in the New Testament Greek Texts, both of the Received Text and the Revised Text. He found that of the 140,521 Greek words in the Received Text, a total of 2,886 words were omitted from the Revised Text of Nestle-Aland and Westcott and Hort. These 2,886 words have affected 356 doctrinal passages! Pause and take note of that astonishing fact!

Pastor Moorman reviews these 356 passages in another of his books entitled Early Manuscripts and The Authorized Version --- A Closer Look. If you really want to ensure that the Bible you are studying every day is the very Word of God, then take steps to obtain these books and study them. Another highly recommended book is by Rev. D.A. Waite entitled Defending the King James Bible. These books, and many, many others on this same subject of Bible Versions, are published by The Bible For Today Press: 900 Park Avenue, Collingswood, New Jersey 08108. U.S.A.   See also Reference Books on Bible Versions.

7. MISSING TEXTS
Not content with amending scores of texts and tagging them with misleading footnotes, the editors of the NIV have omitted many entire verses from their work. Here is a list of missing verses:

SUMMARY

  1. Though this article deals exclusively with textual corruption found in the New International Version; the reader may compare any modern translation against the texts listed in this article. The Authorised King James Version on the other hand, is the inspired, preserved and infallible Word of God for today; just as it has been for generations of Protestants for nearly 400 years.
  2. Every single word in the Bible is vital. Any attempt to add, delete or change the text, especially in the book of Revelation, attracts the wrath of Almighty God and could even result in the loss of eternal life. (Rev.22:18-19) Alas, modern man has ignored this awesome warning and produced scores of counterfeit bibles based on corrupt manuscripts. The NIV is one of these counterfeit bibles. It is strongly influenced by the two impure manuscripts: Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. These have defiled the entire publication.
  3. Dubious Footnotes in the NIV cause one to conclude that the translators themselves do not believe the NIV (or any other translation) is the infallible Word of God! In other words they do not believe the Almighty providentially preserved His Word as He promised He would. In their opinion even the Bible is evolving; with each new translation coming somehow nearer to the inspired Masters penned by the prophets and apostles.
  4. In over 80 passages listed here, 11 of which are from the book of Revelation, the NIV translators have corrupted the Scriptures! God alone knows how disastrous their act of literary vandalism will turn out to be! Their guilt is great; but so is the guilt of Christians who, after being told the facts, continue to treat the NIV as the very Word of God, which it most certainly isn't.
  5. Bracketed Texts in other translations such as the NASV are simply omitted in the NIV. When they are included, as in Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53- John 8:1-9, they are separated from the main body of text with a bold line and commented upon in a totally false and misleading way.
  6. The idea that Vital Doctrines are unaffected in the NIV is a total fallacy; which only the naive will continue to believe. The fact is some 2,886 words that affect 356 doctrinal passages are missing from the Greek text that underlies the NIV! To suggest that these omissions make no doctrinal difference is as foolish as a mechanic suggesting that a bicycle wheel would be unaffected and remain true even were you to remove 6 of its 36 spokes! Or a space programmer claiming that deleting a few lines of computer coding would not affect the shuttle's performance; or supposing that miss-keying one alpha-character in a computer password would make no difference. The fact is, the Word of God is an infinitely precise and delicately balanced document. It is a living, spiritual entity, with which mankind interferes at its peril. Anyone who has studied Michael Drosnin's book The Bible Code will realise how important every letter and word in Scripture is. Remove just one alpha-character and a thousand meaningful sequences and links are affected. The NIV translators have chosen to infect their version with corrupt manuscripts and Christians who knowingly feed on their polluted product will not escape the consequences! Pause and take note of that terrifying prospect!
  7. The foundation text of the NIV (the NASV and most other modern translations) is the Nestle/Aland Greek Text, which is 2886 words shorter than the ancient Textus Receptus on which the KJV is based. The NIV, to my knowledge, totally omits 15 Bible texts. This is in flagrant defiance of the divine threat in Revelation 22:18-19. In the book of Revelation, with full knowledge of the warning in Chapter 22:18-19, the NIV editors omit 45 words that I know of. Pause and think about these stunning facts!

Let the reader consider over and over again what is presented in this article. Because no greater deception can be aimed at the Christian Church than to make it doubt the tried and tested
WORD OF GOD, the Authorized King James Version!

HOLY BIBLE      Bible Versions Booklet      The NASV ... Is it God's Word?


February 1999
Elder: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/vital/kjv/niv.html