Evangelism in the New World

King James and the King James Bible

By Prophet Jacob R. Blandford

It would seem God chose English to be the language to evangelize the people of the New World (America) with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. King James commissioned the translation of the Holy Bible in 1604. It would be completed by 54 scholars seven years later in 1611. Before the translation was complete however, the King’s first voyage of three ships carrying 144 men settled in Virginia in 1607 and named the settlement after their King ‘Jamestown’. In the first charter of Virginia King James expressed his sentiment that this would be a “Christian” evangelistic effort. James wrote the following, “We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government”. That clearly describes the evangelistic fervor of the King; coupled along side with his fresh translation of the Holy Bible. The pilgrims who came over to the New World acknowledged their Lord King James and their desire to propagate the Gospel in their Mayflower Compact, we read the following: “In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia”.

Can it be said (with historical accuracy) that our country was founded by Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching Christians? Yes, of course, that’s the truth of the matter! And we today, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, will continue what they set out to do. Viz. propagate the Christian faith—and do it with the exact same Holy Bible—the Authorized (King James) 1611 Version.

The Pilgrims came over to America in 1620 A.D. with the Geneva Bible (1560) and their Calvinistic Christianity. They landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts with the Mayflower Compact as their governing document. Plymouth was the second permanent settlement in America—Jamestown, Virginia was in first in 1607.

According to the Book of Judges, the reason why the time of judges was such a wild time was because: “In those days there was no king in Israel...” (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 21:25). And actually, the last verse of the Book goes on to say “...every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” That was why that time in Israel was a disaster. However, in colonial and early America there was a successful and prosperous time period. That’s because there was a King—and it was King Jesus ruling with His King James Bible. And by way, James is the Greek rendering of Jacob, and Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. So there was an Israeli King in America’s early days (1600’s–1800’s). That’s how America quickly became the most powerful nation on the face of this earth. That’s just the material prosperity: the spiritual prosperity far outweighs that.