The Wiles of the devil Part 1


We are given a stern warning in Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

What does it mean to stand against the devil? How are we to achieve this task? Jesus tells us in the book of Luke that we are to watch and pray always against the evil of this world that we might be able to stand before Him on that day. Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. We are instructed to study God's Word that we may be able to stand in the coming days ahead. Here is scripture instructing us to stand on the Word of God.

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We stand on the Word and faith in God not on the foolishness of man.

1Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

1Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

2Corinthians 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

1Thessalonians 3:8 For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.

2Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

1Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

In Exodus God instructed Moses to stand before Pharaoh. Reading in Exodus 8:20 And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

So what are the wiles of the Devil? How are we supposed to stand against a power greater than our own? We know from the world around us that satan likes to create a false, or an opposite to God's instructions.

For instance God has setup a hierarchy for man to follow, satan has also setup his own hierarchy that is the direct opposite to God's plan.

Let’s take a detailed look at some of the wiles of the devil and his deception upon the sons of men.

Bible Version:

Let's starts with the Bible itself. Which is the correct Bible? How can we tell which one to use?

Does it really matter which bible you use?  There is a law that prohibits a writer from making a copy of a book and sell it under a different name.  This means that I can't copy the King James Bible and call it the NIV for instance.  This law is called the Derivative Copyright Law

US Copyright Office Circular 14: Derivative Works notes that:

A typical derivative work registered in the Copyright Office is a primarily new work but incorporates some previously published material. The previously published material makes the work a derivative work under copyright law. To be copyrightable, a derivative work must differ sufficiently from the original to be regarded as a new work or must contain a substantial amount of new material. Making minor changes or additions of little substance to a preexisting work will not qualify a work as a new version for copyright purposes. The new material must be original and copyrightable in itself. Titles, short phrases, and formatting are not copyrightable. (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf)

This law alone should tell you something about the new so called bible versions.  If your bible carries a copyright notice then it must contain sufficiently and a substantial amount of new material then the King James Version or it could not have it's own copyright.

Many if not all of the new versions contain a copyright. You need permission from the copyright holders if you intend to quote from these bibles. Here is what the New International Version states on their website:

Fair Use: Text from the NIV Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic or audio), up to and inclusive of 500 verses or less without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible, nor do verses quoted account for 25% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work. This permission is contingent upon an appropriate copyright acknowledgment.  (http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Company/Policy/Rights/Bibles.htm?QueryStringSite=Zondervan)

Zondervan holds the copyright to the NIV bible. Zondervan is owned Harper Collins which is owned by Rupert Murdoch. Rupert had been in the news lately about his scandal-laden British newspaper news of the world. One must wonder why a man like Rupert Murdoch would want to hold the exclusive rights to a bible?

Here is a partial list of bibles that contain copyrights:
 
New Living Translation (NLT)
New International Version (NIV)
New King James Version (NKJV)
English Standard Version (ESV)
Reina-Valera 1960 Version (RVR)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
American Standard Version (ASV)
Darby Translation (DBY)
Hebrew Names Version (HNV)
Webster's Bible (WEB)
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
Latin Vulgate (VUL)
Morphological Greek New Testament (mGNT)
Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC)

Here is a list of bibles that do not have any copyrights and can be freely read or made copies of.

King James Version (KJV)
Textus Receptus (TR) also known as the Received Text which is where the KJV comes from.

So what are these changes? We could spend many hours on the changes which were made in the new versions.  Some of them are very minor and some are salvation issues. Even though some are small changes we are told that we are not to alter the Word of God.

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.

Deuteronomy 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

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:


Revelation 22:19 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.

2Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Let's take a look at 25 major changes that the new bibles are saying.  There are 100's of other changes but in the interest of time we will only look at 25.

With over 200 different English versions available and a new one coming out every 6 months, it’s difficult to individually separate Satan’s counterfeits from the Word of God.

Check your Bible and see if it is a counterfeit.
 
1. Genesis 22:8
The counterfeit bibles change ". . . My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:. . ." to distort the prophesy that God would become the Lamb. The counterfeits read as, "God will provide for Himself the lamb. . ." or "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering". The fulfillment of Genesis 22:8 is found in John 1:29.

2. Isaiah 14:12
Most counterfeits confuse the Lord Jesus Christ with Lucifer. They replace the word "Lucifer" with "morning star, day star, star of the morning". Morning star is a title reserved for the Lord Jesus in Revelation 22:16 . This is also the only time the word "Lucifer" is found in the Word of God. In Isaiah 14:15 the counterfeits do not send Lucifer to "hell" but only to the confusing "Sheol", or the "grave".

3. Matthew 20:20
Many counterfeits remove the words "worshipping him" and rob worship from the Lord Jesus Christ. Some will replace "worshipping him" with "kneeling down" or "kneeling before", but just simply "kneeling" is not worship.

4. Matthew 26:28
Many counterfeits replace the phrase "new testament" with the generic phrase "new agreement" or "new covenant". This is an obvious attack on the written Word of God. It’s interesting, even though the counterfeits remove the phrase "new testament", they do not title their New Testaments as "New Agreement" or "New Covenant". Why? The counterfeiters know they could not sell their counterfeit bearing the title "New Agreement" or "New Covenant" on the cover, so like any good counterfeiter, they disguise it.

5. Mark 3:29
The counterfeits change the serious consequences of blaspheme against the Holy Ghost from "eternal damnation" to "eternal sin" or "eternal condemnation".

6. Luke 4:4
Many counterfeits remove the last half of Luke 4:4, ". . . but by every word of God" This is another assault on the Word of God. In Luke 4:4, the Lord Jesus Christ is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. Do the counterfeiters believe the Lord Jesus does not know what Deuteronomy 8:3 says?

7. Luke 4:8
Many counterfeits remove the words "get thee behind me, Satan". Here the Lord Jesus Christ openly rebukes Satan – but the counterfeits do not rebuke Satan.

8. Luke 16:23
Many counterfeits refuse to translate the Greek word "haides". Rather than translate "haides" to the word "hell", the counterfeit will transliterate the Greek word "haides" into the English "hades". By this trick the counterfeit attempts to extinguish the flames of hell. Hades is not "hell". Hell is flames, torments, weeping and wailing, complete darkness – forever. Hades is a new-age place of purification, or a fantasy place in Greek mythology. The Assyrian Hades is an abode of blessedness with silver skies called Happy Fields.

9. John 4:24
Many counterfeits change "God is a spirit" to "God is spirit". By removing the critical article "a", the counterfeits teach an impersonal, formless, esoteric, new-age "spirit god".

10. John 14:16
Many counterfeits change the Holy Spirit from a loving, concerned "Comforter" to simply another "Helper, Counselor".

11. Acts 2:47
Many counterfeits change the completed act of "saved" to the working, in progress "being saved". With this change, the counterfeits deny the complete and finished salvation in the blood of Jesus Christ to a progressive, salvation by works. You are no longer "saved" but in the process of "being saved". See also in 1 Corinthian 1:18 and 2 Corinthians 2:15.

12. Acts 4:27
Many counterfeits abandon the Lord Jesus Christ as the Father’s "holy child" to His "holy servant". A subtle (see Genesis 3:1) and clever denial of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The counterfeits do this again in Acts 4:30.

13. Acts 8:37
Some counterfeits completely remove this wonderful verse (and several others). Acts 8:37 is the Ethiopian eunuch getting saved. The counterfeits stop him from getting saved. Some counterfeits are a little more subtle. They do not remove the verse from the text, but will add a footnote questioning the verse and plant a seed of doubt. Sound familiar? "Yea, hath God said. . .?" Many counterfeits also remove: Matthew 17:21, 18:11, 23:14, Mark 7:16, 9:44, 9:46, Mark 11:26, 15:28, Luke 17:36, 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:28, Romans 16:24 and 1 John 5:7!

14. Acts 17:29
The counterfeits change "Godhead" to the new age doctrine of "Divine Nature" or "Divine Being".

15. Romans 6:22
Many counterfeits demote Christians from the voluntary, loving "servants of God" to cruel "enslaved" or "slaves of God". The counterfeits describe my Father as a "slave owner" and His precious children as "slaves". Oh how contrary and wicked to the character of my loving and wonderful Heavenly Father! This is done many times in the counterfeits. It's amazing because the first part of Romans 6:22 reads ". . . being made free from sin,. . ." and according to the counterfeits we now are slaves!

16. 1 Corinthians 1:21
Many counterfeits change ". . .the foolishness of preaching. . ." to the "foolishness of what was preached" or "foolishness of the message preached". The deceitful counterfeits change the object of "foolishness" from the act of "preaching" to the "message" of preaching – the gospel of the Lord Jesus. There’s nothing "foolish" about the "message" of Jesus Christ – it’s the greatest and most reasonable message in the history of the universe! 1 Corinthians 1:18, shines some eye-opening light on the counterfeiters. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says ". . . the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." It makes you wonder. . . are the publishers of these counterfeits saved?

17. 1 Corinthians 6:9
The counterfeits change the word "effeminate" to "homosexual" or "male prostitutes". This dilutes the serious warning of just the appearance or mannerism (effeminate) to the sexual act of homosexuals.

18. 2 Corinthians 2:17
The counterfeits change the word "corrupt the word of God" to "peddling (or selling) the word of God". An apparent attempt by the counterfeiters to hide the fact they are "corrupting the word of God". It won’t work. . . God knows what they are doing.

19. 2 Corinthians 10:5
The counterfeits change "imaginations" to "arguments" or "obstacles" or "speculations". This change lines the counterfeit up with the new age religion, as the new age is built upon "imaging" and "imaginations". It also removes the spiritual identification to where sin begins – in our imaginations.

20. Colossians 1:14
Many counterfeits remove the phrase "through his blood". Salvation is only "through his blood". Without shedding of blood is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22)

21. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
The counterfeits change "all appearance of evil" to "every form (or kind) of evil".

22. 1 Timothy 3:16
Many counterfeits change the crucial word "God" to the unmodified, vague pronoun "he". This is the clearest verse in the Bible stating that Jesus Christ was "God manifest in the flesh" and the counterfeits destroy it.

23. 1 Timothy 6:10
The counterfeits add the words "kinds of". This addition dilutes the conclusive statement, ". . .the love of money is the root of all evil" to the subjective ". . .the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil".

24. 2 Timothy 2:15
The counterfeits remove the word "study". The counterfeits do not want you to study your Bible. You might just find out they are mutilating it.

25. Revelation 1:5
Many counterfeits change the wonderful words "washed us from our sins in his own blood," to "loosed" or "freed" us from our sins. Revelation 1:5 is the only verse in the Bible that says you are washed in the blood – and the counterfeits destroy it. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
 
Again this is a small sample to the changes that the new version have changed and promoted as the written word of God.

So what about all of the changes to the KJV.  You will find that this is a argument that some will try to use when discussing this topic. 

I realize that most King James Bibles published today are based upon the 1769 Oxford text (an edition of the 1611 version). The authorized 1611 King James Version has never been revised, only edited. The main purpose of the 1762 and 1769 editions was the standardization of spelling. This in no way altered the meaning or preservation or inspiration of the 1611 King James Bible. We can trust our King James Bible.

Here is a sample of changes to the original 1611 King James Bible. Lets take a look at these:

1611:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the Heauen, and the Earth.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darkenesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God diuided the light from the darkenesse.
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light, Day, and the darknesse he called Night: and the euening and the morning were the first day.

1769:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
 
So the question is, how great were these "revisions"? How much has the wording really changed? Some claim there are 40,000+ changes, you would think we don't have anything like the original today.

The changes, though, are largely related to spelling "corrections" as seen in the above sample. This type of change doesn't affect the ear in the pronunciation. The sound is the same.

Counting only the changes that could be heard from Genesis to Revelation produced only 421 changes that were pronounced differently. A large part of these 421 changes, were just changes in spelling.

There were only 136 substantial changes that were different words. The others were only 285 minor changes of form only. Of these 285 minor changes there are 214 very minor changes such as 'towards' for 'toward'; 'burnt' for 'burned'; 'amongst' for 'among'; 'lift' for 'lifted'; and 'you' for 'ye.'

These kinds of changes represent 214 out of the 285 minor changes of form only. So you're talking about only 136 real changes. So implying that the King James Bible is completely changed from what they had in 1611, that there are thousands of differences is being deceitful at best. 

A question that comes to mind is why would God need to translate a new bible when we already have a Bible that can be easily read?

I hope this was helpful in strengthening your walk with the Lord of Lord and King of King.

Until next time this is Rick Funk