Eternal Rest

A Poem About The Loss Of Loved Ones

 
When our Father calls His children
     Heaven’s gates swing open wide.
How we stand and long to follow
     when our loved ones go inside.
 
Just a step across the threshold
     and they’re in the other room
where the sun ne’er cast a shadow
     and the flowers always bloom.
 
Where there’s never pain or suffering
     neither sorrow nor distress,
where the Savior calls His children,
     old and young alike, too bless.
 
Though our hearts are torn with sadness
     and our eyes are dimmed with tears,
we can feel our Savior’s presence
     and we know our prayers He hears.
 
So we must not mourn their passing
     for our Father knows what’s best.
He’s just called them home to heaven
     and they’ve found eternal rest.
 
     — Katheryn Brenner Bode
 

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Practical Reasons for Retaining the KJV

By Joel R. Beeke

 

Here are twelve practical reasons for retaining the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.

 

1. The Standard Text of the English Bible

 

It is wiser to choose the known over against the unknown. The weaknesses and disadvantages of a particular version of the Bible cannot really be assessed apart from a thorough trial of daily usage over several years. Many who welcomed the New International Version (NIV) with great enthusiasm when it first appeared in 1973 are now prepared to admit its serious weaknesses as a translation.

 

The KJV is well established in the market-place and in the literature of Christian scholarship. It will continue in production for years to come. Helps and reference works are commonly available. It is not likely that the KJV will fade from view and disappear as have many versions that were expected to supplant it.

 

Likewise the KJV is widely studied and commented on in the literature of biblical scholarship. It will always be a standard of reference and comparison for Bible commenta­tors. All other versions are compared to it, contrasted with it, tested by it. Campaigns to sell other versions must attack it, or else claim that a particular new version is just like it. The same cannot be said of any other Bible version.

 

2. Based on the Full Text of the Hebrew and Greek Originals

 

Based on the Masoretic Text (Hebrew OT), and the Textus Receptus (Greek NT), the KJV gives the most authentic and fullest available text of the Scriptures, with none of the many omissions and textual rewrites of modern translations such as the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the NIV.

 

The reader may suppose that such is not the case with the English Standard Version (ESV) of 2000. However, the publishers plainly state that the ESV “is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.” Those who remember the RSV can attest that few other versions made greater use of the methods and findings of “Higher Criticism.” A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.

 

a. Oldest Does Not Mean Best

 

The Westcott and Hort arguments that ‘the oldest manuscripts are the most reliable’ and that ‘age carries more weight than volume’ are not necessarily true. It could well be that the two oldest, complete manuscripts were found to be in such unusually excellent condition because they were already recognized as faulty manuscripts in their time and therefore were placed aside and not recopied until worn out as were the reliable manuscripts. This is further supported by numer­ous existing differences between the Vatican and Sinaitic manuscripts.

 

b. Volume

 

The King James Version New Testament is based upon the traditional text, sometimes called the Ecclesiastical or Majority Text. The vast majority of the more than 5,000 known partial and complete Greek manuscripts follow this textual reading.

 

c. Church History

 

The received text has been used by the Christian church throughout history. The churches of the Reformation all used Bibles based on the traditional text. For example, the Dutch Statenvertaling, produced by order of the Synod of Dort, is based upon the Eccle­siastical Text.

 

3. A More Faithful Method of Translation

 

The KJV translators employed a method of verbal equiva­lence (‘word for word’) rather than the method of paraphrase of dynamic equivalence (‘meaning for meaning’) used in the NIV. The result is, the KJV presents what biblical authors wrote, not what a translator or a committee thinks they meant.

 

4. A More Honest Translation

 

The text of the KJV uses italics to identify every word or phrase interpolated (supplied by the translator) and not given in the original. Such a practice could not be followed in the NIV, because of its “meaning for meaning” approach.

 

5. A More Precise Idiom

 

Often attacked at this very point, the KJV actually is a more accurate and helpful translation precisely because of the archaic pronouns (“thou, thy, thee,” etc.). Both Hebrew and Greek distinguish clearly between the second person singular (“thou”) and the second person plural (“ye, you”). In many statements this makes an important difference (e.g. John 3:7). In a sense it is correct to say that in praying the Lord Jesus used “Thou” – God is one, not many! – for He definitely used the Hebrew or Greek equivalent.

 

6. The Best Liturgical Version

 

The KJV excels as a version for public worship. That is why it has been used so widely in the churches. The requirements of the sanctuary are not those of the classroom. Students might read several versions, ancient and modern, but none surpasses the KJV as a liturgical version, that is, adapted to the needs and circumstances of public worship.

 

7. The Best Format for Preaching

 

The KJV traditionally has been laid out verse by verse on the page, rather than in paragraphs; though for most of the text, paragraphs are indicated by the pilcrow or paragraph mark. The Hebrew and Greek texts, of course, have no paragraphing at all. The verse-by-verse format best serves the purpose of verse­-by-verse consecutive expository sermonizing and Bible study.

 

8. The Most Beautiful Translation

 

The KJV gives classic expression to many important passages in the Bible (e.g. Ps. 23, Isa. 53, Luke 2, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son). Our seniors need to hear these passages as a comfort and help as they draw near to the end of life’s jour­ney and our children need to hear them in the KJV as part of their nurture and education. The KJV is an important part of the spiritual and cultural heritage of all English-speaking Christians, and a key to our greatest literature. Children well instructed in the KJV will be advantaged over other children, spiritually, linguistically, educationally, and culturally.

 

9. An Ecumenical Text for Reformed Christians

 

No other version has been used so widely among English-speaking Christians. The KJV is used by preference in many conservative Reformed congregations. The KJV is also used in the Christian schools these churches sponsor. Using the KJV is one way to underscore our unity and identity with other conservative evangelical and Reformed Christians.

 

10. A Version that “Sounds” Like the Bible

 

More than any other version, the KJV sounds like the Word of God, even to unbelievers. The KJV translators aimed at accuracy. They certainly did not impose a “contemporary” style on their translation, as anyone can see who reads the “Epistle Dedicatory,” or the introductory discourse of “The Translators to the Reader,” found in most pulpit editions of the KJV. Even in 1611 the KJV sounded different, ancient, as a voice from the past. This difference of voice commands a reverent hearing, and implies the timeless and eternal character of God’s Word.

 

11. The Character of the Translators

 

The fifty men appointed to translate the King James Ver­sion were not only well-known scholars, but also sound in the Christian faith. No matter what differences there were among them, they all regarded every word of the Bible as inspired by God, they all affirmed the central doctrinal truths of Scripture. Some modern versions are produced by translators whose qualifications are merely academic, and in some cases, their identity is withheld from the reading public.

 

12. A Bible for Those Who Walk in the “Old Paths”

 

Using the KJV is a clear statement that we desire to walk in the “old paths” of God’s Word.

 

Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.Jeremiah 6:16

 

In choosing this version we choose to stand with all that is best in the great tradition of historic Christianity.

 

The penchant for new translations was part of the program of change which has done such harm to many denominations over the past century. This change to new translations was often part of an effort to strip worship services of dignity, rev­erence, and beauty, in favor of the casual, the contemporary, and the convenient. It also causes a congregation to lose touch with keeping the Word in memory. Memorization of the Scrip­tures suffers when each generation uses a different translation.

 

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Forgiveness Of Sins In The False Gospel Of Catholicism

Introduction

Something tells me that Catholics think they don’t need Jesus. Look at what they think they can do to get rid of their sins.
 
Here are ten things that remit venial sins, according to the Catholic “saint” Thomas Aquinas. Bear in mind that this is a quote from a Catholic “saint” who NEVER mentioned Jesus when he mentioned how to get rid of sins.
 

Any act that confers the infusion of grace will forgive venial sins:

 
1. Receiving the Eucharist
2. The Seven Sacraments
 

Any act done in detestation of sin will forgive venial sins:

 
3. Recital of the Confiteor
4. An act of contrition
5. Beating of the Breast
6. Saying the Lord’s Prayer
 

Any act including a movement towards the reverence of God will conduce the remission of venial sins:

 
7. A bishop’s blessing
8. Sprinkling oneself with Holy Water
9. Any sacramental anointing
10. Prayer in a dedicated church
 
Source: Ten Things That Forgive Venial Sins, According to Aquinas – from uCatholic.com
 
Nowhere in the above list for the Catholic “saint” Thomas Aquinas, does it say that Jesus is needed. When a Catholic saint LEAVES OUT JESUS as they describe how to get rid of sins, they are saying – BY THE OMISSION – that there is no need of Jesus.
 

 

PART THREE
LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION ONE
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
CHAPTER ONE
THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
ARTICLE 8
SIN
CCC 1875 – Venial sin constitutes a moral disorder that is reparable by charity, which it allows to subsist in us.

 
The following Catechism paragraphs describe how the stored up “merits” of Jesus, Mary and Rome’s man-made “saints”, can be applied to dead Catholics who are supposedly in Purgatory. These merits are claimed to be able to help Catholics get out of Purgatory and into Heaven. The question for the Catholic is, if Purgatory really existed, then why in the world would anyone have to spend ANY time there, burning off their sins, if as CCC 1476 says: “treasury of the Church is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted”?
 

CCC 1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church’s treasury, which is “not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the ‘treasury of the Church’ is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy.”
 
CCC 1477 “This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body.”
 
Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church
 
CCC 1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.
 
CCC 1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.

 

 

Summary

 
Even their own “saints” incriminate the Catholic Church and its false system of salvation that has almost completely eliminated Jesus from the equation. Instead of salvation being all about Jesus and what He accomplished by HIS DEATH at the cross of Calvary, Catholic salvation is all about the sinner and how THAT SINNER can merit (or in some way contribute towards or participate in) their own salvation through their own works, sacraments and the merits and prayers of others from some fictitious “Treasury Of Merit” invented by the Catholic Church – thus degrading the value of and necessity of Jesus Christ’s atonement for sin. God provided ONE and ONLY ONE payment for sin, His precious Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you think you can contribute to that PERFECT work done by Jesus then you are seriously mistaken and at the same time, you are insulting God by trying to pay for something that His Son already paid for and that you are totally incapable of paying for even in the smallest amount. When a person truly understands the extreme holiness of God and the extreme sinfulness of mankind, then and only then, will they cry out to God for mercy as this man did here in the Gospel of Luke:
 
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” – Luke 18:13
 
Pray that God would have mercy on the Catholic people and give them ears to hear the truth – that the TRUE Gospel is by grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ and His merits alone.
 

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Catholic Relics – A Failed Attempt To Create Legitimacy

 

Introduction – Catholic Relics Are Not A Christian Practice

 
In their never-ending attempts to prove they are the “one true Church” started by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church goes to extreme lengths to try to validate that completely bogus claim[1]. One major way they do this is by promoting alleged “sightings” world-wide of their “virgin Mary” goddess. And another way they attempt to prove they are the true Church is by claiming to have preserved bodies of their man-appointed saints. Both the Mary sightings and the alleged saint corpses help promote Catholicism as well as serve as tourist attractions for many gullible Roman Catholics and others. However, neither marian apparitions nor relic veneration have anything to do with true biblical Christianity.
 

Regarding the above photo of Padre Pio: “A team of biochemists and other experts has worked since the exhumation to get the body into a fit state to be shown. Padre Pio’s face was covered with a lifelike silicone mask of the type used in wax museums.”[1]
 

Using Frauds To Dupe Their Followers

 
According to the Catholic Church, they have perfectly preserved corpses of their man-made saints. They claim those bodies are incorruptible and are therefore proof of Catholicism’s legitimacy. I don’t know about YOU but I need more proof than decorated skeletons and wax statues.
 

 

“See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” – Deuteronomy 30:15

 

Trying To Normalize A Catholic Invention

 
What a macabre religion… a religion that bears little if any resemblance to the one true Church of the first century. All the Catholic church has done – in their attempts to establish their legitimacy – has been to apply Christian terminology to their many occult, pagan and man-made religious practices, as testified by their relic collections and other ghastly things they have tried to normalize. And to add to their own damnation, they twist the scriptures to match their false gospel and their many other false teachings.
 

Christians honor the dead by burying them.
Satan and his followers mock the dead by displaying their carcasses in public.
The Jews understood this and so did Christ’s disciples when they took the body of our crucified Lord and put it in a tomb.

 

 

Conclusion – What Are TRUE Christians Preoccupied With?

 
It should be obvious that nowhere in the New Testament can you find any mention of the veneration or decoration of corpses as seen in Catholicism. It should also be obvious that only pagan religions and those who engage in occult practices would be so preoccupied with dead bodies. True Christians are preoccupied with Jesus and the Bible. What about YOU? Who or what are YOU preoccupied with?
 

“That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:31

 

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REFERENCES:
1. Exhumed body of Padre Pio goes on display
2. The claims of authenticity by the Catholic Church are obviously bogus because the Catholic Church does not even preach the true Gospel of salvation, through the merits of Jesus Christ alone. They have a false, man-centered gospel involving the keeping of certain rules and sacraments and sin purging after death in an imaginary place they call Purgatory.
 

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Rome And The Bible

by Erick Rothbeck

Out of the estimated 800 million Roman Catholics in the world today, it should be stated that over 90% do not realize what the official stand of the Roman Catholic Church is towards the Bible. Rome will tell the world she treasures the Bible and accepts it as God’s Holy Word, but history and facts speak quite the contrary.
 
In 1179 pope Alexander III forbade the Waldensians to preach, which preaching they were doing with a common-language translation of parts of the Bible.
 
In 1184, at the Synod of Verona, Italy, pope Lucius III decreed the ex-communication of all Bible-believing “heretics.”
 
In 1199, pope Innocent III condemned the translation into French of the Psalms, the Gospels and Paul’s letters. Any copies found were burned by Cistercian monks.
 
In 1211, by order of pope Innocent III, Bishop Bertram of Metz organized a crusade against all people reading the Bible in the vernacular, and all such Bibles found were duly burned.
 
In 1215 the first three canons of the Fourth Lateran Council were directed against heretics who dared to preach. The Dictionnaire de Theologie Catholique recognizes that this measure was aimed mainly at the Waldenses, who were preaching with common-language Bibles.
 
In 1229, Canon 14 of the Council of Toulouse states, “We forbid the laity to have in their possession any copy of the books of the Old and New Testament, except the Psalter, and such portions of them as are contained in the Breviary; and we most strictly forbid even these works in the vernacular.
 
In 1559 pope, Paul IV said that no Bible in the vernacular may be printed nor kept without permission of the Holy Office.
 
In 1564, pope Pius IV stated, “Experience has shown that if reading of the Bible in the vulgar tongue is permitted indiscrimately, due to the rashness of men, more harm than good arises.”
 
In 1590 pope Sixtus V stipulated that no one could read the Bible in a common language without special permission from the Apostolic See.
 
In 1836, pope Gregory XVI issued a warning to all Catholics that the fourth rule of their Index published in 1564 by Pius IV was still valid.
 
In 1897, in his Apostolic Constitution Officiorum, pope Leo XIII said, “All native language versions, even those published by Catholics, are absolutely prohibited unless they have been approved by the Apostolic See or edited under the supervision of bishops, with explanatory notes taken from the Church Fathers and learned Catholic writers.”
 
Today Catholics enjoy more freedom in reading the Bible, but lest they forget, it can still only be interpreted and understood in the light of official church teachings and forms only a part of a divine revelation, the other being held in unwritten oral church Tradition. Proverbs 30:5,6:
 
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield to them that put their trust in him. Add thou not to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
 

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