My Philadelphian New Testament

By Prophet Jacob R. Blandford

I have scores of copies of the National Publishing Company New Testament Psalms & Proverbs. This has a printing of the AV holy Text copyrighted from 1968. It is a most excellent New Testament; and by far my favorite. The Gideons have used this same 1968 NPC KJV printing for many of their New Testaments.

But I want to make a point about this edition published by NPC. On the top of the title page it reads “Vest-Pocket New Testament” and at the bottom “National Publishing Company Philadelphia”. This is where NPC is headquartered: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But this is also remarkable because of the fact that “Philadelphia” is the only church (of the seven) in Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 that is commended by the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason is because they “kept the word”. Most prophecy scholars and experts on the Apocalypse assert that the Philadelphia church period was from roughly 1500-1900 A.D. This was the church of the Protestant Reformation. And what is our AV 1611??? You don’t know??? It’s the Thrice Holy Polished Jewel (Proverbs 17:8, 20:15) of the Protestant Reformation! That is why my NPC AV NT is VERILY a Philadelphian Bible!

P.S. This ‘coincidence’ also is an indication to the profound impact the King James Bible had on Colonial & Early America—that cities and towns were named after places in the BIBLE. The naming of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was one example of the effects of the Biblical and spiritual revivals that were going on all across Colonial America at that time.  The State of Pennsylvania is named after the great Quaker William Penn (1644-1718 Anno Domini).