IT'S
A BLOOD SPRINKLED BOOK
By Bro. Nic Kizziah
An article published in the The Believers Newsletter - December 2003
IT'S A BLOOD SPRINKLED BOOK
(Commentary) Through process of time our Bible has been sprinkled with blood. In order to examine this truth let’s start at the beginning:
(Genesis 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(John 1:1-2, 14) In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the
beginning with God.
(John 1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(Commentary) The Word was God from the very beginning. Then God was manifested in the flesh (1Timothy 3:16.) Thus we have the only begotten Son of God in a flesh and blood body. Then he was crucified on the cross, shed his blood, died for our sins, was buried, rose again the third day, and ascended up into heaven so that believers in him might have everlasting life.
(Genesis 3:1-11) 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?
2 And
the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the
garden:
3 But of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not
eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said
unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that
in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the
eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them
both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig
leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the
voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam
and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees
of the garden.
9 And the LORD God called
unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And
he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was
naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told
thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I
commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
(Commentary) The serpent, also called the devil and Satan, tells Eve that ye, meaning Adam and Eve, shall not surely die if ye eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The serpent cast doubt upon the word of God. He is a liar and the father of it. So Adam and Eve fell for it hook, line, and sinker and in so doing fell into sin and passed it on to all of us. And when sin is finished it brings forth death.
The serpent is still using the same tactics to day, getting people to doubt God’s word. Yep, many are still falling for the same ploy that they can’t believe Adam and Eve fell for way back in the garden. Satan is slick. I’ll give him credit for that because boy is it ever working!
The Bible is the word of God and the King James Bible is the Bible in the English language. It is a pure language. Many people have a hard time seeing that and because you have liberty, you have a right to doubt it if you choose. But let me ask you a question. If you reject the standard traditional text of the Holy Bible as the supreme written authority, do you have anything besides your own reasoning that you can be sure of? And if that’s all you are counting on, do you think that will be enough when you face the Almighty at the great white throne judgment?
(Genesis 4:1-11)
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have
gotten a man from the LORD.
2 And she again bare his
brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the
ground.
3 And in process of time
it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto
the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also
brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had
respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to
his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance
fell.
6 And the LORD said unto
Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well,
shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with
Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain
rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the LORD said unto
Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my
brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast
thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the
ground.
11 And now art
thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy
brother's blood from thy hand;
(Commentary) Why did the LORD have respect unto Abel’s offering and not unto Cain’s? It no doubt was a sin offering. Abel’s offering possessed something that Cain’s offering did not have: blood! The blood of the sheep did not wash away the sin of Abel. However it did cover his sin and rolled it toward the cross at Calvary. As you shall soon learn, almost all the things of God are purified by blood.
So Cain kills Abel his brother. Then in verse 10 the LORD ask Cain “what hast thou done?” Then the LORD says “the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the ground.” This is the first time the word blood is mentioned in the Bible. Notice the blood cries. Then in verse 11 The LORD curses Cain for shedding his brother’s blood upon the earth.
(Genesis 5:1) This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
(Commentary) This is the book of the generations of Adam. Notice the text says the book. This is talking about a single book. Though there are many copies and translations, they are all copies and translations of one book, the book of the generations of Adam. And it is kept pure by the blood. Nevertheless the devil has inspired corrupted copies and translations of his so called versions of the word of God. But the scriptures will soon shew that the LORD shall preserve his pure words forever. How does he keep his words pure? The same way he keeps us sinners pure who believe in the Lord, by the blood! How do you know which Bible is the real Bible? Follow the blood. If it’s not a blood sprinkled book then it’s not from God.
(Exodus 12:12-13) For
I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.
13 And the blood
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see
the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to
destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
(Commentary) Pharaoh of Egypt held the LORD’S people in bondage and would not let them go. Then the LORD tells the children of Israel by Moses to put blood upon the houses which they were in. The LORD was coming to execute judgment upon the land of Egypt. And it was the blood that would save the children of Israel from the wrath of God. When the LORD saw the blood he passed over their houses.
Practically all new modern English versions of so called bibles are translated from manuscripts which originate from this nation, Egypt. The rest of the new modern versions have been influenced by Egypt to some degree. Come on people, do you really think God would inspire his pure words from this geographical location? On the other hand the manuscripts from which our King James Bible came from originated where the disciples were first called Christians. It was a city called Antioch. In the first century God loved Antioch. This is where God established Barnabas and Paul in the early days of the Christian Church.
(Exodus 24:4-8)
And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning,
and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the
twelve tribes of Israel.
5 And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt
offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.
6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of
the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people:
and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said,
Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you
concerning all these words.
(Commentary) Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. In the New Testament Jesus said that what Moses wrote was scripture. If it’s scripture then it’s the written word of God. So Moses wrote the words of the covenant which is all the words of the Old Testament which the LORD had given to him up to this point in time.
Now the text tells us that Moses sprinkled the blood upon two things: the altar and the people. Sprinkling the blood upon the altar was for purification, but why did he sprinkle blood upon the people? The reason is because the LORD’S people are a blood sprinkled people. They needed to be purified also. I don’t understand it all, but it seems as if the blood was covering their sins until the emergence of Christ, then the blood of Jesus would actually wash away sin even for those who lived during the Old Testament days if they trusted in the Lord. In the book of Revelation, in the holy city, all the New Testament saints are there and all the Old Testament saints are there. And there is only one way to get there and that’s to have your sins washed away by the blood of the Lamb.
It is easy for us to see that the blood of Jesus washes away sin for those under the rules of the New Testament. That’s what applies to us to day. But the people in the Old Testament had a different set of rules because Jesus Christ had not yet come to the cross and shed his blood. The blood shed in the Old Testament was only a substitute until the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Exodus 29:20-21)
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the
tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons,
and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right
foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about.
21 And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the
anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his
sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and
his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.
(Commentary) Blood sprinkling is the purifying process of those anointed by God. Almost all things were purified by blood. A pattern was being established from generation to generation.
Psalms 12:6-7) 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.
(Proverbs 30:5-6) Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
(Commentary) The words of the LORD are pure words. Every word of God is pure. How does God keep every word pure? He keeps his words pure the same way he keeps sinners that are believers pure, by the blood.
(Isaiah 1:11) To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
(Commentary) The LORD says here that he no longer delights in the blood of these beasts. This blood could not wash away the sin. It was only a substitute until the sinless blood of the only begotten Son was shed.
(Matthew 1:1) The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
(Commentary) This is the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. There it is again folks. How many times does the Bible say the book, or this book, or a book? When it comes to the Bible, it is only one book. It consists of sixty-six books but collectively they all make up one single book. Now here comes the one with the blood that can wash away sin and purify the sinner and the book. This will be explained in further detail when we get to Hebrews 9:19.
(Matthew 23:29-31) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
(Commentary) Jesus unloads on the great religious leaders of that day, the scribes and the Pharisees. He calls them hypocrites! He lets them know that they are the children of them which shed the blood of the prophets.
(Matthew 24:35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
(Commentary) Jesus declares that his words shall not pass away. Why won’t they pass away? The reason they won’t pass away is because his blood will be upon them. So they will last forever and they will always be pure.
(Matthew 26:26-28) And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
(Commentary) This is the Lord speaking in the upper room. In verse 28 he says this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. This is also recorded in Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:20. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
(Romans 3:23-26) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
(Romans 5:6-9) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
(Commentary) These are the words of Paul who was writing under the inspiration of God. Therefore these are the words of God. And they say all have sinned but we have a Redeemer who paid the price for our sins. God set him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. Propitiation meaning he made an atoning sacrifice to God the Father in order to pay our sin debt and to appease the wrath of God.
Remission of sins means that you have been pardoned. You are forgiven. You receive this after you confess your sins to God and repent. To repent you must turn your back on your sins. There is a deep sorrow for your past conduct in which you dishonoured God. After you repent you put your faith in Jesus Christ. If you have never done that then you can do it right now. Then you will realize it’s the blood of Jesus that purifies you and gives you the right to enter into the holy city. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18.)
(Hebrews 9:1-7) Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.
3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
(Commentary) During the days of the first covenant, that would be in the days of the Old Testament; the high priest took the blood of beasts once a year and offered it for himself and for the errors of the people. This blood did not wash away sins. It only covered them until the next year rolled around. Then the process would have to be repeated again the next year.
(Hebrews 9:8-14) The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9 Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 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.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
(Commentary) Here is Jesus Christ, the High priest of high priests. He took his own blood and entered into the holy place once and for all. Now by the blood of Christ our sins can be washed away. The Son offered himself without spot to the Father so that those who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life and serve the living God.
(Hebrews 9:15-22) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.
19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
(Commentary) Jesus is the mediator of the New Testament. By dying, he redeemed those of the Old testament that were sprinkled by the blood of beasts that they also might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
So this was the purpose of Moses sprinkling the people with blood in the Old Testament. But did you notice what else Moses sprinkled? He sprinkled THE BOOK! We are never told this in the Old Testament. It is not revealed until we read Hebrews 9:19. Moses sprinkled both the PEOPLE and the BOOK with the BLOOD! So now we learn that God’s book is a blood sprinkled book!
Now the book that Moses sprinkled with the blood was just a small portion of the Old Testament. It was all that God had given to his people up to this point in time. It was like a grain of mustard seed sprinkled with blood and eventually grew into a great tree. The word of God was still growing and multiplying until all the thirty-nine books of the Old testament and all of the twenty-seven books of the New testament were sealed with the blood of Jesus, who was God manifested in the flesh.
So to day we have sixty-six books, 1,189 chapters, 31,102 verses, and 789,651 words within those verses sealed with the blood of its author. It’s a blood sprinkled book!
There are many verses that could have been used in this article which point to the holiness of the blood of Christ and of the word of God. The verses used are by no means all inclusive. However I think enough has been shewed to get the point across. In conclusion we shall look at some verses in the last book of the Bible, THE REVELATION of Jesus Christ by St. John the divine:
(Revelation 1:5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
(Revelation 1:11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
(Revelation 5:1-9) And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
(Revelation 6:9) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
(Revelation 7:14) And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
(Revelation 12:9-11) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
(Revelation 17:5-6) And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
(Revelation 18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
(Revelation 19:13) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
(Revelation 20:4) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
(Revelation 20:12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
(Revelation 22:18-21) 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.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
(Commentary) This is the end of the book of Revelation, and the end of the HOLY BIBLE. The writing, copying, translating, and editing of the Bible was an operation of God. No doubt if it had been left up to man he would have botched it up beyond repair. God cares about his words. There was never a point in history when God decided to relinquish the responsibility over to mere mortal men. I know he spoke through holy men of old, but they were still sinners. Yes, he works through men but the Bible is not of men, it is of God. And God keeps it pure through process of time by the blood.
So how do I know that the King James Bible is the pure word of God? It is saturated in the blood of the saints; they were martyrs for the Word of God. Consider William Tindale: his New Testament was the first English New Testament ever put in print. The year was 1526. People were converted from the reading of this text and some of them paid the ultimate price.
According to the “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” there were many such men. One was Thomas Bilney. He was cast into prison, whipped, chained by his neck to a wall, tortured, and finally burnt.
Another on the list was a man named John Tewksbury. He was reported to have been a plain simple man. The “holy mother church” charged him with the crime of reading Tindale’s translation of the New Testament. He was imprisoned, tortured and almost dead before he was finally executed.
Then there was James Baynham, a well respected citizen of London. As he was chained to the stake with the fire lit, “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” quotes him saying, “Oh ye papists behold! Ye look for miracles; here now ye may see a miracle; for in this fire I feel no more pain than if I were in bed: for it is as sweet to me as a bed of roses.”
These people represent the common men who died for Tindale’s New Testament. Those that were actually part of the translating were in much more serious jeopardy. Tindale’s close associate John Frith was burned at the stake in 1533. Then Tindale himself was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. Also fellow English translator and close personal friend, John Rogers was martyred under the rule of Queen Mary in 1555.
This persecution goes all the way back to the days of John Wycliffe. He lived almost 200 years before the Reformation. In 1382 he and his followers translated the first complete Bible into English. These were the days when everything was written by hand. Wycliffe’s Bible was translated from the Latin Vulgate instead of the Hebrew and Greek. Therefore it was faulty in some places. However it laid the groundwork for William Tindale a century and a half later. John Wycliffe’s attempt to put the word of God into English was not appreciated by many in authority. 44 years after he died, the pope ordered his bones exhumed and both he and his Bibles were burned.
The translation of much of our early English Bibles was the work of martyrs that shed their blood so that the common ordinary reader could have the word of God in a language that would become the global language of our time. No doubt God has used it in a peculiar way to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world.
Originally God spoke and wrote in Hebrew because that was the language of his chosen people. In the New Testament he wrote in Greek because that was the global language of that day. To day the global language is English and God has put all 66 books of the Bible into that language. It is a pure language. There is no doubt about it, the Bible is the word of God and the King James Bible is the Bible.
Now let’s look and see what the King James translators actually did. For seven years they diligently revised a translation that was already in existence. It was not a new translation where they sat down from scratch, without any previous English translations, and attempted to translate from one language to another. In other words they entered into other men’s labours.
The Authorized Version of 1611 (to day called the King James Bible) was simply a revision of the English Bible that pre-existed it, known then as the Bishop’s Bible. In order to do this, former translations were diligently compared and revised. All these were compared with the manuscripts of the Hebrew, Aramaic (Chaldee,) Greek, and those of other languages. However they were not trying to make a new translation. They were just trying to make a good translation better.
For example let’s take Revelation, Chapter 22, the last chapter in the HOLY BIBLE and see what was happening during the revision process: Starting at Tindale’s translation (1526,) and comparing the other English Bibles to it. There was Tindale’s revision (1534,) one word was changed. Then there was Coverdale’s Bible (1535,) three words were changed. Then there was Matthew’s Bible (1537,) it was the same as Tindale’s revision of 1534. Then there was Cramer’s Great Bible (1539,) one word was changed. Then there was the Geneva Bible (1557,) thirteen words were changed. Then there was the Bishop’s Bible (1569,) unknown as of this writing how many words were changed. Then finally there was the Authorized Bible, to day known as the King James Bible (1611,) thirty-eight words were changed. What was driving all these men to produce such a work as this over such a long period of time? It should be obvious. I’ll give you a hint; it didn’t have anything to do with money. The Holy Spirit was moving upon this work just as sure as scholars make dollars.
It should be noted that the word changes mentioned were usually only synonyms and did not affect the doctrine being taught. It is not to be compared to the radical changes being made by modern day translators to day who translate from the wrong family of manuscripts. These Egyptian manuscripts are old but they are not the ones that were sprinkled with blood. Before these Bible critics came along with their Egyptian manuscripts, the manuscripts used originated from Antioch, Syria, Christian headquarters of the Apostle Paul, and they were kept pure because the blood of the martyrs were upon them. Their blood is linked to the blood of Christ much the same way as the blood of Christ is linked to the blood of beasts that was sprinkled upon the book by Moses in the beginning!