CONTENDING FOR FAITH
~ The Received Text ~
ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS
CHAPTER XI
MANIPULATING TEXTUAL DATA
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The template for many Internet exposes of the NKJV seems to be Gail’s tract, “New King James Errors & Omissions.” Also, her books, New Age Bible Versions, The Language of the King James Bible, In Awe of Thy Word, as well as her CDs and videos use the same line of reasoning found in the tract which has so effectively persuaded readers to reject the NKJV. The unstated premise of all of Gail’s so-called “exposes” of the NKJV is that the King James Bible alone is the inerrant Word of God. Every word, yea, every letter of the KJV, is divinely inspired and may never be changed. Therefore, every word and every letter in every Bible in the world, as well as Hebrew and Greeks texts, must conform to every word and every letter in the King James Version. All translations that differ from the KJV must be rejected as corrupt, even if they are faithful to the Greek Textus Receptus, which is no longer God’s standard for translation!
Of course, this premise is never stated, so the reader does not realize that all of Gail Riplinger’s charts and comparisons reflect the NKJV’s departure from the KJV, not from the Textus Receptus. So when Gail says, “The NKJV ignored the KJV Greek Textus Receptus over 1,200 times,” what she really means is ”The NKJV ignored the KJV over 1,200 times.” Notice how deftly this statement is worded, merging the KJV and the Greek Textus Receptus into the “KJV Greek Textus Receptus” as if they are one and the same, which they are not. For the King James Version differs from the Greek Received Text in many places; however, to know where they differ, the student of God’s Word would need to consult an Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Unfortunately for many KJV readers, Gail has effectively confiscated all Hebrew and Greek resources by thoroughly discrediting them. Lip service is paid to the Textus Receptus as a cover for her contempt for the Greek text as an “unnecessary” relic of the past.
“There existed a true original Greek (i.e. Majority Text, Textus Receptus). It is not in print and never will be because it is unnecessary. No one on the planet speaks first century Koine Greek, so God is finished with it. He needs no ‘Dead Bible Society’ to translate it into ‘everyday English’…”– In Awe of Thy Word, p. 956
In an Appendix to our report, “Gail Riplinger’s Misrepresentation of the NKJV,” we have analyzed the charts in Gail’s tract, “New King James Errors & Omissions,” with her tables expanded to show how each verse reads in the KJV, the NKJV, the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Textus Receptus. Researching Gail’s charts led us to the stunning discovery that nearly all of the KJV verses she cited disagreed with the Greek Textus Receptus. Conversely, in these verses the NKJV agreed with the Greek Textus Receptus against the KJV.
In her tract, Gail claims that in the NKJV, there are 22 omissions of “hell,” 23 omissions of “blood,” 44 omissions of “repent,” 50 omissions of “heaven,” 51 omissions of “God,” and 66 omissions of “Lord.” The terms “devils,” “damnation,” “JEHOVAH,” and “new testament” are completely omitted.” Because she provided no specific verses as evidence, we asked AV Publications for a list of the verses in the NKJV which omitted these “key Christian words” which are “critical to mankind’s salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” AV Publications responded with an offer to send us the NKJV tract which, of course, we already had in hand. There was no response from Gail to our second request for specific verses. We then commenced our own analysis of this tract and appended our findings as additional columns to the charts. Please see Appendix II: “Gail Riplinger’s Misrepresentation of the NKJV,”
Since Gail cited no verses as proof of the multitude of “key Christian words” omitted in the NKJV, we did our best to locate these omissions by comparing verses in the KJV with the NKJV, the Greek Textus Receptus and the Hebrew Masoretic Text. Our findings did not prove that the NKJV “ignored the Textus Receptus,” but that it is a good translation of the Greek TR. A brief summary of our research follows:
BLOOD: Of the 450 times “blood” appears in the KJV, it is also translated “blood” in the NKJV, except for 19 instances where the NKJV translated it as “bloodshed.” In most of these verses, the KJV translated the words “shed blood.” (Ex. 22:2; Lev. 17:4; Deut. 17:4, 22:8, II Chron. 19:10; Prov. 28:17; Is. 33:15; Ezek. 9:9, 19:10, 22:9, 22:13, 38:22; Hos. 1:4, 12:14; Joel 3:21; Micah 3:10; Hab. 2:12; Heb. 12:4) In I Sam. 25:26, II Sam. 16:8; 20:1, the NKJV has “bloodthirsty” instead of “blood.” In Lev. 19:16, the NKJV uses the phrase “take the life” instead of “stand against the blood” of thy neighbor in the KJV. Although the word “blood” is not used here, it is a good translation.
REPENT: There are 105 verses in the KJV where the word “repent” occurs. In most verses where the Interlinear TR renders the Greek as “repent,” it is also in the NKJV, e.g. Matt. 3:2: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” In verses in which God changes His mind, the NKJV uses a different word in keeping with the Greek, e.g. Heb. 7:21, “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” In such verses where the TR differs from the KJV, such as “regret” in II Cor. 7:8, the NKJV follows suit. “For also if I grieved you in the epistle, I do not regret it…”
Therefore, “repent” is the proper translation when referring to men changing their minds and turning from sin, however, the Holy Bible says that, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num. 23:19)Nevertheless, the 1611 KJV translated the Hebrew word “nacham” and the Greek word “metamellomai” as “repent,” even when the context pertains to God.
HELL: In verses where the word “hell” is used in the KJV, the original Hebrew word was “sheol” and the original Greek word was “hades.” The NKJV leaves the original Greek and Hebrew words untranslated. The KJV translators used dynamic equivalence by rendering sheol and hades as hell. The etymology of the word “hell” is interesting. Chambers’ Etymological Dictionary of the English Language states: “A.S. [Anglo-Saxon] Ger. hölle, old Ger. helle, Ice. hel, death; orig. A.S. hell = the goddess of death.” (p. 226) The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word hell was transferred from paganism into Christian usage. Although the KJV is mentioned here, translation of the Hebrew sheol and the Greek hades as helle can be traced to the Wycliffe Bible:
“O.E. hel, helle ‘nether world, abode of the dead, infernal regions,’ from P.Gmc. *khaljo (cf. O.Fris. helle, O.N. hel, Ger. Hölle, Goth. halja ‘hell’) ‘the underworld,’ lit. ‘concealed place,’ from PIE *kel- ‘to cover, conceal, save’... The Eng. word may be in part from O.N. Hel (from P.Gmc. *khalija ‘one who covers up or hides something’), in Norse mythology Loki’s daughter, who rules over the evil dead in Niflheim, the lowest of all worlds (nifl ‘mist’), a death aspect of the three-fold goddess. Transfer of a pagan concept and word to a Christian idiom, used in the K.J.V. for O.T. Heb. Sheol, N.T. Gk. Hades, Gehenna.”
TESTAMENT: The Interlinear Greek-English Textus Receptus and the NKJV use the phrase “new covenant” instead of “new testament.” The Greek word “diatheke” can be translated as “testament,” “will,” “compact” or “covenant.” The word “testament” does not have the same connotation as “covenant” which conveys the idea of close relationship, whereas a “testament” is a strictly legal term. Interestingly, the KJV and the Douay Rheims used the word “covenant” in verses pertaining to Jews, but “testament” in most verses pertaining to the Church.
DEVILS: The Greek word “daimonion” in the Textus Receptus is translated “demon” in the NKJV, however, the KJV transliterated the word as “devil.” King James I titled his treatise exposing witchcraft “The Daemonologie.”
DAMNATION: The NKJV uses the word “condemnation” instead of “damnation,” which is an abbreviated form of “condemnation.” The KJV used the shortened form, “damnation.”
LORD: There are 22 pages devoted to “Lord” in the Strong’s Concordance. How are we to know the 66 verses where “Lord” is used in the KJV but missing in the NKJV? Gail could have identified the verses so readers could verify her statement, but she chose not to. Why? Probably because the reader would see that these are not omissions at all, but legitimate translations. In fact, the NKJV uses the title “Lord” for Jesus Christ, but not for human masters. Example: Matt. 10:24: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” (NKJV) The KJV renders the Greek word kurios as “lord” instead of “master.”
JEHOVAH: “Jehovah” is a corruption of the Hebrew name of God, YHWH. (See Chapter 2) There are 7 instances of “JEHOVAH” in the KJV but the Hebrew word for God, YHWH, is translated “Lord” or “Lord God” in thousands of other KJV verses. In the 7 verses where the KJV uses “JEHOVAH”, the NKJV correctly translates the word “Lord” (Ps. 84:18) or “YAH, the LORD” (Is. 12:2; 26:12) or “LORD” with “Hebrew YHWH, traditionally JEHOVAH” in a footnote (Exod. 6:3). In Gen. 22:14, the NKJV translates “Je-ho-vah-ji-rah” as “The-LORD-Will-Provide” with the footnote “Hebrew YHWH Jirah”; in Exod. 17:18, “Je-ho-vah-nis-si” as “The-LORD-Is-My-Banner” with footnote “Hebrew YHWH Nissi”; and in Judges 6:24, “Je-ho-vah-sha-lom” as “The-LORD-Is-Peace” with footnote “Hebrew YHWH Shalom”
For a full, detailed analysis of this very deceptive tract, please see Appendix II: “Gail Riplinger’s Misrepresentation of the NKJV”.
COOKING THE DATA
Books have been written delineating the ethical principles governing research against which the actions of all researchers should be judged. God will also judge those who deceive His sheep:
“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the
hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully...” (2 Cor. 4:2)
“Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully...” (Jer. 48:10)
Gail Riplinger has demonstrated great skill at skewing information to promote the KJV-Only agenda and it is important that her readers understand her modus operandi so as not to be deceived by her next book which promises to be an intensification of her assault on the Greek Textus Receptus:
“My upcoming new book, Greek and Hebrew Study Dangers: The Voice of Strangers, is subtitled, The Men Behind the Smokescreen, Burning Bibles Word by Word (possibly ready in 2008). It documents the heresies held by Strong, Thayer, Liddell, Scott, Moulton, Milligan, Gesenius, Brown, Driver, Briggs, Bauer, Danker, Arndt, Gingrich and others. Their beliefs are shocking. The Bible teaches that ‘man’s wisdom’ is ‘not’ to be our tool for Bible study; spiritual things must be compared within one’s own Holy Bible.” (Riplinger Report, 10-6-07)
We have already seen how Gail misrepresented George Ricker Berry’s Interlinear Greek-English Textus Receptus by falsely stating that the Interlinear “has been drawn chiefly from Thayer” who was a Unitarian. She manipulated the facts by removing this phrase from its context—Berry’s Introduction to his Lexicon, which was an appendix—and applying it to the Interlinear as a whole, which was translated by Thomas Newberry not George Ricker Berry. She also discarded the main part of the paragraph in which Berry explained that he used Thayer’s Lexicon only to provide “some indication of the history of a word”—not the meaning of words—in his lexicon, and also as one of many other Greek resources which he consulted.
The authors of Responsible Conduct of Research explain on how easy it is to skew the data to promote an agenda. Anyone who does research knows that this is true:
“It is easy to employ experimental designs that tend to bias the data and results... Some forms of bias involve intentional deception (or research misconduct), such as ‘cooking’ the data (the practice of designing an experiment to produce a desired outcome).” (p. 29)
“Cooking the data” means retaining only information which proves the researcher’s theory and omitting anything that might disprove the theory. Other ways of manipulating the data are “trimming the data” and “forging the data,” as described in Miller and Wicker’s Handbook of Research Methods in Public Administration:
“Ethical concerns are not limited to the treatment of human subjects, but also arise during the process of the collection, analysis and reporting of...research data. Learning to design good research assumes that the methods used to collect data will have intellectual integrity and be trustworthy. Once collected, data can be manipulated in various ways that undermine the aims of...science. The expectation in...research is that the data be collected and interpreted ‘objectively.’ But interpretive objectivity can be compromised by unethical research practices.—Babbage (1969) identifies three ways this can occur during the interpretive process. One violation occurs when researchers select only those data that fit the research hypothesis — this is referred to as ‘cooking’ the data (1969). Another way that objectivity is manipulated is by ‘trimming’ the data. This refers to the practice of massaging the data to make them look better (see for example Huff’s 1954 classic How to Lie with Statistics). The third way that ‘objectivity’ can be compromised is by ‘forging’ the data—which refers to the fabrication of data...
“The ethics of scientific investigation are to observe and report all data accurately and completely, even if it means that one of the researcher’s treasured theories is threatened by such data.” (p. 16)
The authors conclude, “Research ethics present a set of principles against which the actions of researchers (and science) are judged.” Darrell Huff’s best-seller, How to Lie with Statistics, is an eye-opener which reveals how statistical data is frequently distorted to promote an agenda. The book was written to help honest people recognize the tricks practiced by professional data manipulators.
“The secret language of statistics, so appealing in a fact-minded culture, is employed to sensationalize, inflate, confuse, and oversimplify. Statistical methods and statistical terms are necessary in reporting the mass data of social and economic trends, business conditions, opinion polls, and the census. But without writers who use the words with honesty and understanding and readers who know what they mean, the result can only be semantic nonsense.
“...Like the ‘little dash of powder, little pot of paint,’ statistics are making many an important fact ‘look like what she ain’t.’ A well-wrapped statistic is better than Hitler’s ‘big lie’; it misleads, yet it cannot be pinned on you.
“This book is sort of a primer in ways to use statistics to deceive. It may seem altogether to much like a handbook for swindlers. Perhaps I can justify it in the manner of the retired burglar whose published reminiscences amounted to a graduate course on how to pick a lock and muffle a football. The crooks already know these tricks; the honest men must learn them in self-defense.” (Huff, How to Lie with Statistics, pp. 8-9)
Considering the recurring pattern in KJV-Onlyism of manipulating data, readers of KJV-Only books and articles should approach these works as critically as they read works authored by modern version proponents. Do not assume that KJV-Only authors are quoting their sources, or even Scripture verses, accurately. Take nothing for granted!!! As Jesus warned, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) “Righteous judgment” requires digging below the surface. Make it a point to check the author’s quotations, Bible verses and allegations to verify his/her claims. Carefully examine charts and tables, comparing each Bible verse with the Greek Textus Receptus. Every author makes errors, especially during the research and writing of lengthy works, and infrequent errors may be excused. However, a recurring pattern of manipulated data is an altogether different matter.
Gail Riplinger manipulates textual data using each of the above practices, including forging data. For example, here and there throughout In Awe of Thy Word Erasmus is cited to support her pantheistic/Kabbalistic scheme: “In the 1500s Erasmus said, ‘God is in every syllable’” (Awe, p. 109, et al) Gail’s reference for this quotation is The Bible Through the Ages published by Reader’s Digest. This source actually attributes the statement to Martin Luther. In Part V, in the section “The Printed Word: Luther’s Bible” is found the actual quote:
“‘God in every syllable’ Luther began with the New Testament using Erasmus’ emended Greek text as his standard. He painstakingly labored over every detail in recognition that ‘God is in every syllable. No iota is in vain.’” (The Bible Through the Ages, Reader’s Digest Association, Inc, NY: 1996, p. 306)
Why ascribe Luther’s statement to Erasmus? Martin Luther was not the textual authority that Erasmus was, but merely a translator who admitted after starting his German translation that “the task far exceeds my powers.” (Ibid.) Since Luther was a lightweight on textual issues, the source of the quote was falsified to support Gail’s agenda.
Gail Riplinger’s most effective ploy, however, is to throw the New King James Version into the mix with modern versions as having omitted, added or changed key words in verses which establish fundamental doctrine (and some which do not). Arranging charts so that the NKJV is sandwiched amongst corrupt modern versions, including the Jehovah’s Witness Version and Catholic Bible, has the subliminal effect of implicating the NKJV in the conspiracy to corrupt the Word of God. The visual effect works so well that the reader often fails to notice that the reference states “NKJV note,” which means that the omitted, added or changed words are not omitted, added or changed within the text of the NKJV, but rather a footnote at the bottom of the page annotates the omission in the NU-Text. “NU text omits...” or “NU text adds...” or “NU-Text reads...” refers to the Nestles-UBS Critical Text based on the corrupt Westcott-Hort New Greek Text which is not the Greek Text underlying the NKJV. Meanwhile, the verse in the NKJV is usually identical or very close to the KJV, but the reader has been conned into viewing the NKJV as a corrupt version no different than the NIV, NASB, TNIV, Jehovah Witness Version (New World Translation), etc.
A few examples are representative of the charts in Gail Riplinger's various publications. In these charts, “OMIT” is frequently applied to the New King James Version. However, comparison of the text of the NKJV with the text of the KJV usually reveals that all of the Greek words in the Textus Receptus are correctly translated by the NKJV, which is often identical to the text of the KJV! The following chart on page 630 of In Awe of Thy Word demonstrates the misleading “NKJV note” ploy:
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Rom. 16:24.
Gothic pre-A.D. 350
ansts fraujins unsaris Iesuis Xristaus miÞ ahmin izwaramma. amen
KJV
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen
NIV, NASB
OMIT
NKJV note
OMIT
Jehovah Witness Version
OMIT
See errors in HCSB, ESV, NLT, NRSV, RSV, NCV, etc.
The truth is that Romans 16:24 in the New King James Version is identical to the King James Version: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (NKJV) A footnote states: “NU-Text omits this verse” which means the corruption is annotated in a footnote at the bottom of the page. (See: Romans 16:24 NKJV) In this chart, Gail also misrepresented the Catholic Version which contains Romans 16:24 translated exactly as the KJV: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 16:24 Douay Rheims) And there is not even a footnote in the Douay Rheims! This chart is typical of the many other deceptive charts in Gail Riplinger’s books and pamphlets. For example, the following chart on page 631 contains even more false data.
The new versions deny that Christ is God.
“...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Romans 14:10-12
Gothic
pre-A.D. 350
Xristaus...guþa...guþa
Christ... God...God
KJV
Christ... God... God
NASB
God... God... God
NKJV note
God... God... God
Jehovah Witness Version
God... God... God
See errors in HCSB, ESV, NLT, NRSV, RSV, NCV, etc.
In Galatians 4:7, the text of the NKJV is essentially the same as the KJV: “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
A footnote states: “NU-Text reads of God.” (See: Romans 14:10-12 NKJV) This chart is all the more deceiving because Gail again misrepresents the Catholic Douay Rheims Version as omitting the verse, which it does not (see Douay Rheims Romans 14:10-12), and portrays the Arian Gothic Version, which was translated by the Arian missionary Ulfilas, as supporting the deity of Christ, which he did not. (See: Chapter 16)
“OMIT” in Gail Riplinger’s charts can also mean that words found in the KJV were omitted from the text of the NKJV because these words were not in the Greek Textus Receptus. Of course, this fact is not disclosed, leaving the reader to believe that the NKJV omits words that are in the Textus Receptus. The following example is from Gail’s tract, “New King James Errors & Omissions,”:
How the NKJV Matches Jehovah Witness Version (NWT) Demotes Jesus Christ
NKJV
KJV
Mark 2:15
OMIT
Jesus
When the NKJV is alleged to have a New Age reading, the reader should always check the Textus Receptus for the meaning of the Greek word(s). Most often the NKJV agrees with the Textus Receptus, as it does in Mark 10:30 (Awe, pp. 736) where the Greek word aiwni (“aion”) should be translated “age” and not “world.” However, “the world” is also a translation option for aiwni and was the KJV Translators’ choice for Luke 1:70. The second chart below misrepresents the NKJV and the Catholic Version, neither of which translated “aion” as “age,” although that would have been an acceptable translation. The NKJV followed the KJV reading (“world”) and the Catholic Douay Rheims’ “from the beginning” is similar to the Textus Receptus’ “since time began.” The “Creation or evolution?” chart would be another example of “forged data.”
“A new earth or a new age?”
“…and in the world to come eternal life” Mark 10:30
Anglo-Saxon pre-A.D. 700
worulde Wycliffe 1389 world Tyndale 1526-1534 worlde Geneva 1560-1599 world Bishops' 1568 worlde KJV
world NASB, NIV, TNIV
age NKJV age Catholic Version age See errors in HCSB, ESV, NLT, NRSV, RSV, NCV, etc.
“Creation or evolution?
“…which have been since the world began:” Luke 1:70
Anglo-Saxon pre-A.D. 700
worldes Wycliffe 1389 world Tyndale 1526-1534 worlde Geneva 1560-1599 world Bishops' 1568 worlde KJV
world NIV, TNIV
of long ago NASB of old NKJV age / world Catholic Version age / from the beginning. See errors in HCSB, ESV, NLT, NRSV, RSV, NCV, etc.
Textus Receptus Mark 10:30: “that shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age that is coming life eternal.” Textus Receptus Luke 1:70: “according as he spoke by [the] mouth holy prophets since time began”
CUT & PASTE %
Gail Riplinger’s charts are very deceptive because words are removed from their contexts and then misrepresented as doctrinal corruptions. Unless the reader is checking each verse in each Bible version, giving attention to the context of each word, the deception works every time. A few examples will hopefully alert the reader to the illusory nature of Gail Riplinger’s charts.
In “New King James Errors & Omissions,” titles which apply to human beings are made to apply to Jesus Christ with the misleading indictment “the NKJV Demotes Jesus Christ.” In Luke 13:8, “Sir” is properly used by a keeper of a vineyard to address the owner of the vineyard and, in Matt. 18:26, “Master” is the proper form of address used by a servant who did not “worship” but “fell down before” his human master, a human king:
How the NKJV Demotes Jesus Christ
NKJV
KJV
Luke 13:8 Sir
Lord
Matt. 18:26 fell down before him, saying, Master
and worshipped him, saying, Lord
CONTEXT OF VERSES:
“He also spoke this parable: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9 NKJV)
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” (Matt. 18:23-27 NKJV)
These verses have nothing to do with the deity of Jesus Christ yet Gail Riplinger gets away with this kind of deceit in chart after chart because few readers, if any, check the context of the words or verses. There are other verses in the same tract which are deceptively misapplied to Jesus Christ:
How the NKJV Matches Jehovah Witness Version (NWT) Demotes Jesus Christ Heb. 4:8
Joshua
Jesus
Acts 7:45
Joshua
Jesus
CONTEXT OF VERSES:
“Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience... For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.” (Hebrews 4:6, 8 NKJV)
“Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob.” (Acts 7:43-46 NKJV)
In the contexts of Hebrews 4 and Acts 7 it is obvious that the Greek name “ihsou” (“Iesous” ), which in Hebrew is “Joshua,” does not apply to Jesus Christ, but to Joshua who led the Israelites into the Promised Land in the Old Testament! Yet Gail has dishonestly applied Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45 to Jesus Christ with the misleading claim “the NKJV Matches Jehovah Witness Version (NWT)” and outright lie, the NKJV “Demotes Jesus Christ.”
“New King James Errors & Omissions” is a stellar sample of Gail Riplinger’s techniques of cooking, trimming, forging and otherwise manipulating the textual data of the KJV and NKJV to deceive Christians. A thorough analysis of this tract is presented in our addendum “Gail Riplinger’s Misrepresentation of the NKJV”.
Caveat Lector!
(Let the reader beware.)
Time and space preclude an exhaustive investigation of the manipulated data with deceptive results in all of Gail Riplinger’s books and articles. The examples we have cited are merely the tip of the iceberg, representative of many other charts and falsely documented research in her publications. The reader will hopefully be motivated to independent investigation. The lesson is that KJV-Only publications should be evaluated with the same critical approach used to analyze and refute the works of modern version proponents. Charts and tables in KJV-Only materials must be scrutinized by comparing each Bible verse with the Hebrew Masoretic Text or the Greek Textus Receptus. Quotations and their sources should be checked to verify their authenticity and the accuracy of KJV-Only claims and allegations. Of course, time does not permit the average reader to check every chart, table, source and quotation in KJV-Only publications, but careful examination of a even a portion of the documentation will reveal the fraudulent claims of KJV-Onlyism.
Checking an author’s sources is not as difficult as it may seem. The Internet has made it possible for nearly everyone to access great deal of information, including complete online books. In addition to online books, many books are now searchable using the Google Book Search engine. Amazon.com also makes it possible to “Search Inside” many books. Hard-to-find non-reference books can usually be obtained at no cost through the Interlibrary Loan department of most local libraries.
There is also a great wealth of English Bibles, Hebrew and Greek Texts and Interlinear translations which can be searched online at Olive Tree, which has the Greek-English Interlinear Textus Receptus. There are also online Interlinear translations of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. Also online is the King James Bible with Strong's Reference. A more complete list of Bible study resources is presented in Appendix IV: “How to Avoid Profane Babblings.” Please understand that we are not recommending the Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate or modern versions based on corrupted texts except for textual comparison and research purposes, and that includes verifying the information presented in our own reports.
God has commanded us to do our own research, so beware of those who steer Christians away from independent research and stigmatize those who use a broad range of resources to help them to understand His Word.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)
CHAPTER XII
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