Two Christian views about Bible passages about Heaven, Hell, Annihilation, etc 3 0 One has to go back to the original Hebrew and Greek texts to fully understand that nature of "Hell." The King James Version of the Bible translate three different words as "hell": Sheol: A Hebrew word which is found 65 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is a place located under the surface of the Earth. where everyone goes after death - those who have led good lives and those who have been evil. Its inhabitants lead a sort of shadowy existence, without energy, and isolated from God. They stay there forever. Hades: A Greek word which is found 10 times in the Christian Scriptures. It is a type of transitional word. Sometimes it means a place under the earth where everyone ends up after death. Other times, it is a place where evil people are punished after death. Gehenna: A Greek word which is found 13 times in the Christian Scriptures. It refers to a place of punishment or destruction for the wicked. It is based on an actual geographical location: a burning garbage dump in the Valley of Phnom. This is a deep and narrow valley where the garbage from the city of Jerusalem was thrown in ancient times.

It is also believed to have been a place of human sacrifice; infants where thrown into the fire by worshipers of the Pagan gods Moloch and Baal. Later, the Roman occupying army discarded the bodies of all victims of crucifixion there. Bible translators are faced with a quandary over "hell." They have to deal with 3 words (one Hebrew and two Greek) which Biblical writers have used to describe very different destinations after death: They want to translate the Bible so that it appears to be consistent to the reader. That is, an ancient Hebrew author's description must match that of the 1st century author's writings. Otherwise, the Bible will be seen to teach very different beliefs about Hell, in different passages. The concept of Biblical inerrancy (freedom of error) would become meaningless. They want to be true to the original text, which describe some very different destinations for the dead. The translators of the King James Version (KJV) tended to translate all three words: Sheol, Hades and Gehenna, as Hell. This had the advantage of making the Bible appear internally consistent.

But many theologians believe that it disguises the variety of beliefs of the ancient Israelites who were under the influence of Greek culture and the writers of the Christian Scriptures. Some religious conservatives criticize the translation because it treats two different places as if they were a single location. In 31 locations, the KJV translates Sheol as grave. This obscures the meaning of the passages. It sometimes produces very different images, as in Genesis 37:36 where: The KJV describes Jacob going "down into the grave onto my son." This gives the impression of Jacob digging down into the earth, uncovering his son's body. The NIV has Jacob going "down to the grave to my son." This implies that Jacob was visiting the location where his son is buried. The RSV has him go "down to Sheol to my son." This has Jacob going into the caverns under the earth where his son would be living in a type of shadowy existence. In 3 cases, the KJV translates Sheol as Pit. The writers of the RSV, NRSV and other versions tried a different approach. They transliterated Sheol and Hades into English.

So, the reader is able to see the original Hebrew and Greek words mixed in with the English text. They translated Gehenna as Hell. B eliefs among the American public: The Barna Research Group continually monitors religious belief and practice in the United States. 1 In a survey that they conducted in 1996, they found, American adults held the following beliefs, sorted according to decreasing percentages: 86%: God will eventually judge everyone. 57%: A person can get to heaven by doing good works. 45%: Religious beliefs do not have an impact on one's afterlife. 45%: Religious beliefs do have an impact. 39%: All persons who have not trusted Jesus as savior will go to Hell . This would include about 70% of Americans, and perhaps 85% of the rest of humanity. 37%: Hell is not a place but a condition of separation from God. 31%: Hell is a real place where sinners go to be punished. 21%: Hell is a symbolic concept, not a place. A similar survey in 2003 found that: 81% believe in life after death, in some form.

79% believe that everyone has a soul that continues to live after death. 76% believe that Heaven exists. 71% believe that Hell exists. 64% believe that they will go to Heaven after death. 39% believe that Hell is "a state of eternal separation from God’s presence." 34% believe that that it is possible for people to communicate with the dead. 32% believe that Hell is an actual place of torment and suffering where people’s souls go after death. 24% say they have no idea what will happen after death. 18% believe in reincarnation -- that they will be reborn as another life form. 13% believe that "Hell is jut a symbol of an unknown bad outcome after death." 10% deny that life exists after death. 9% believe that life may exist after death but they were not certain. 5% believe that they will simply die and will not exist after death in any form. Only 0.5% expect to go to Hell after death. 2 The average pastor would probably be amazed at the range of beliefs among the people in his congregation. G.

Barna, "The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators," Word Publishing, Dallas TX, (1996), Pages 71-76. "Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death," Barna Group, 2003-OT-21, at: Copyright � 1997 to 2012 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance Latest update: 2012-OCT-15. Sponsored link Go How many times does "love" appear in the Bible? | Reference.com How many times does "love" appear in the Bible? A: Quick Answer The word "love" appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 348 times in the New American Standard Bible, 551 times in the New International Version and 538 times in the New Revised Standard Version. The extremely varied numbers for the usage of the word "love" are due in part to translation. What Are the Unicorns and Satyrs Mentioned in the Bible? : Christian Courier What Are the Unicorns and Satyrs Mentioned in the Bible?

by Wayne Jackson Why does the Bible contain references to such mythological creatures as the ‘unicorn’ (Num. 23:22), and the ‘satyr’ (Isa. 13:21)? How can such allusions be harmonized with the claim that the Bible is the infallible word of God? The “Unicorn” of the Bible The term “unicorn” is found nine times in the King James Version of the Bible (Num. 23:22; 24:8; Dt. 33:17; Job 39:9-10; Psa. 22:21; 29:6; 92:10; Isa. 34:7). However, unicorn does not appear at all in the American Standard Version, nor in most other more modern versions. This should be a signal that the “problem” is one of translation, rather than a problem with the original, biblical text. In ancient mythological literature, the unicorn was a horse-like animal with a prominent horn protruding from the center of its forehead. There is no evidence that this creature is alluded to in the scriptures.

In the Hebrew Old Testament, the word that is found in the texts referenced above is re’em, which is translated “wild ox” in the later versions. Most scholars believe the term refers to a large, fierce ox of the ancient world — a beast that now is extinct. The translators of the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) rendered re’mes by the Greek term monokeros (“one horn”), on the basis of certain pictographs which were among the ruins of ancient Babylon. The carvings depicted the “wild ox” in profile form, thus seeming to suggest that the creature had but a single horn (Pfeiffer et al, 1999, p. 83). Out of this background derived the “one horn” perception. Biblical evidence, however, indicates otherwise. Note that in Deuteronomy 33:17, the re’em is described as having “horns” (plural), not a single horn. No mythology can be charged to the Bible in connection with the term unicorn. The Satyr In Greek and Roman mythology, the satyr was a half-man/half-beast god, a companion of Bacchus.

There is absolutely no relationship between this pagan concept and any passage in the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word sa’ir is found about fifty-two times. It is related to the term se’ar (“hair”), which means a “hairy one.” Mostly the word is used of the male goat that was employed as a sin-offering — especially that solemn sin-offering of the day of atonement (Lev. 16). In two cases, sa’ir is translated “satyr” in the King James Version (Isa. 13:21; 34:14). In those passages it clearly alludes to wild goats of the sort that lived among the ruins of Babylon and Edom. Twice the term is rendered “demon” (Lev. 17:7; 2 Chron. 11:15 — KJV), where it actually signifies a pagan god that takes the form of a goat (see ESV — 2 Chron. 11:15). Of this latter passage, noted scholar J.

Barton Payne wrote: “Far from being mythological ‘satyrs,’ as claimed by ‘liberal’ criticism, the sirim appear to have been simply goat idols, used in conjunction with the golden calves” (Pfeiffer et al, 1969, p. 400). And so, once more, careful investigation demonstrates that the writers of the Bible have not lowered themselves to the superstitions of paganism. Critical charges ever destruct upon the shoals of truth.

References Bible FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about the Bible Love is patient, love is kind...- 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 Love of money is the root of all evil...- 1 Timothy 6:10 Man shall not live by bread alone...- Matthew 4:4 Many are called, but few are chosen.- Matthew 22:14 Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.- Matthew 7:7 , Luke 11:9 Seek ye first the kingdom of God...- Matthew 6:33 The Golden Rule- Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 The Lord is my shepherd...- Psalms 23:1-6 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 How many times is the word "faith" used in the bible? | Reference.com How many times is the word "faith" used in the bible? A: Quick Answer The word "faith" appears 336 times in the King James Version.

Other bible versions have varying counts: Faith appears 458 times in the New International Version, 389 in the New King James Version, 378 in the New American Standard Bible and 521 in the Good News Bible (GNB). How many times is hell mentioned in the Bible? The HyperTexts How many times is "hell" mentioned in the Bible? How often does the word "hell" appear in the Bible? As the table below demonstrates, according to the consensus opinion of modern Bible scholars, the word "hell" as a place of eternal suffering was never mentioned, not even a single time, in the Hebrew Bible! In fact, the Hebrew language lacks any word that means "hell." That's a very curious omission, if an all-wise God gave the Bible to the ancient Hebrew prophets! And while some Bible translations still contain a small handful of cryptic references to "hell" in the New Testament, those references raise a perplexing question: Why does "hell" suddenly pop up in a few stray verses here and there in the later-written books of the Bible, when in earlier biblical chronologies covering thousands of years there had never been any mention of "hell" or any possibility of suffering after death?

Other questions addressed here include: Where is hell located, according to the Bible? Is hell on earth, underground, or somewhere else? Is hell eternal? Will human beings go to hell forever? Will Satan and other fallen angels go to hell forever? When was hell added to the Bible? Why was hell added to the Bible, if God and the Hebrew prophets never mentioned it at all? Is there any proof of hell in the Bible? If these questions interest you, they are answered below the table. According to the consensus opinion of modern Bible scholars, the word "hell" did not appear a single time, not even once, in the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament (OT). And the word "hell" is very hard to find in the New Testament (NT) as well. You can easily confirm this fact yourself, by using an online Bible search tool to scan various Bible translations for the word "hell." Or you can save time and effort by referring to the table below, which was produced by Gary Amirault, a Bible scholar who has extensively researched and written about the question of "hell" as a biblical teaching.

I have added two translations to his original list: the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), sponsored by the famously literal and conservative Southern Baptist Convention, and the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), produced by more than a hundred Bible scholars working for the Roman Catholic Church. The word "hell" does not appear in the Bible because: (1) The Hebrew word Sheol clearly means "the grave," not "hell." Everyone went to Sheol when they died, not just the wicked. Sheol was not a place of suffering, because in Job 14:13, a much-beset Job asked to go to Sheol to escape suffering! He clearly meant that if he died, his suffering would end in the grave. Sheol was not a place where God was absent, because King David said in Psalm 139:8 that when he made his bed in Sheol (i.e., when he died and was laid in his grave), God would still be with him.

And Sheol was not an eternal inescapable prison, because in Psalm 49:15 the Sons of Korah said that God would redeem them from Sheol, by which they meant that they would be resurrected from the grave to new life. Furthermore, the prophet Ezekiel and the apostle Paul agreed that all Israel would be saved, and yet in Genesis 37:35, Israel himself said that he would be reunited with his son Joseph in Sheol. How can all Israel be saved if Israel himself is in "hell"? In each case Sheol clearly means "the grave" or "the abode of all the dead, good and bad" and cannot be interpreted as "hell" unless "hell" is heaven! (2) The Greek word Hades also clearly means "the grave" not "hell." Everyone went to Hades when they died, not just the wicked. Hades contained heavenly regions like the Elysian Fields and the Blessed Isles. The Greek hell was Tartarus, which is discussed below, in section 4.

(3) The place name Gehenna does not mean "hell" because Gehenna is a valley in Israel also known in Hebrew as Gehinnom, or the Valley of Hinnom. Today Gehenna is a lovely park and tourist attraction. Wonderful archeological discoveries have been made there, such as the healing pool of Siloam and the oldest Bible verses ever discovered, inscribed on small silver amulets. Those verses are the benediction "The LORD bless thee and keep thee; the LORD make his countenance to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee." Those are wonderfully comforting words to have been discovered in "hell," don't you think? (4) The Greek hell was Tartarus. This is the only word in the Bible that actually means "hell" in either Greek or Hebrew. But the word Tartarus appears only one time in the entire Bible, in 2 Peter 2:4. And that verse is about fallen angels awaiting judgment, so its hell is not eternal and is not for human beings. The only verse in the Bible that contains a word that actually means "hell" seems to be about a place where Satan and other fallen angels await judgement.

The bottom line is that only one major translation of the Bible, the King James Version, contains the word "hell" in the Old Testament. As you can see below, the New King James Version cuts the number of Old Testament references to "hell" almost in half. But all the remaining OT verses are mistranslations, according to the Bible scholars who produced the other translations. And if there really is a "hell," how is it possible that none of the Hebrew prophets knew anything about it, and never mentioned any possibility of suffering after death? Why were hell and the possibility of suffering after death never mentioned to Adam, Eve, Cain, Noah, Abraham, Lot, the people of Sodom, Moses, the Pharaoh who defied God repeatedly, Job, Jonah, David, Solomon, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, or any of the other Hebrew prophets? If this subject interests you, I have created a simple, logical proof that there is No Hell in the Bible , which you read without annoying ads by clicking the hyperlinked title. TIMES THE WORD "HELL" APPEARS IN THE BIBLE OT 0 Q: Where is hell located, according to the Bible?

A: The Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades were both located beneath the earth, because both words mean "the grave" or the "abode of the dead." But as explained above, these words clearly do not mean "hell." The Hebrew Gehenna was a physical valley in Israel, and also does not mean "hell." The Greek Tartarus does appear to mean "hell" but as explained above, was not eternal and was not for human beings. Its location is nonspecific. Q: Is hell eternal? A: According to the Bible, there is no reason to believe in an eternal hell, or in unremitting suffering after death. Q: Will human beings go to hell forever? A: No, not according to the Bible when it is translated correctly. Q: Will Satan and/or fallen angels go to hell forever? A: Not according to the only Bible verse that contains a word that actually means "hell." The verse (2 Peter 2:4) says that fallen angels will await judgement in Tartarus. So that hell is not eternal. Q: When was hell added to the Bible?

A: Since there is no mention of "hell" or suffering after death in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), the most likely source of the idea of "hell" is the silent period between the writing of the last books of the Old Testament, and the first books of the New Testament. During that silent period, Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East. The ancient Greeks, according to the Greek philosopher Celsus, used the threat of "hell" to control the ignorant masses, but Celsus said that no wise man believed in "hell." Ironically, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, the only Jews who believed in "hell" were the Pharisees! Perhaps they saw how the Greeks and later the Romans used "hell" to control human behavior, and deliberately added "hell" to their warped religion (which Jesus Christ strongly and angrily criticized). In his parable of Lazarus and the rich man (presumably a rich Pharisee), Jesus seems to have been ridiculing the pagan Greek vision of the afterlife. We can clearly see the Greek vision of Hades, with its heavenly region separated from the hellish Tartarus by an impassable abyss.

The "saved" and the "damned" could chat with each other across the abyss. Jesus mocked the Pharisees by putting a beggar they considered "unclean" in the "bosom of Abraham," because they claimed they would be saved by their relationship to Abraham. Jesus put the rich Pharisee who claimed that he alone would be saved in the dark pit of Tartarus. But that doesn't mean Jesus believed in such an absurd afterlife. What he did would be like me telling a flat-earther: "Please be sure not to fall over the edge of the world when you get there!" Q: Why was hell added to the Bible, if God and the Hebrew prophets never mentioned it at all? A: Please see the answer immediately above. The most likely answer is that the Pharisees adopted the myth of hell because it suited their evil purposes. But it is also possible that they were foolish enough to fall for the con game, and actually believed in hell, as many Christians do today. Q: Is there any proof of hell in the Bible? A: No, none at all.

To confirm this, just start reading the Bible from the beginning, and you will see that no one was ever threatened with "hell" or any possibility of suffering after death, in thousands of years of Bible chronologies. If there really was a "hell," God and the prophets would have had to warn human beings about such a terrible place, and how to avoid it. They would also have had to warn human beings about the terrible risk of bringing children into the world, if the children could end up suffering in hell for all eternity when they grew up. But of course there are no such warnings anywhere in the Bible. And God would have had to warn the entire planet about the existence of hell. But of course Native Americans and multitudes of other people never heard a word about "hell" because they never had a chance to read a Bible until 1,500 or more years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. If any of those people woke up in hell after death, God could not claim to be loving, wise or just. Thus, the idea of "hell" has always been incompatible with the idea of a loving, wise, just God who is able to save.

A God who is able to save does not need a "hell." Only a God who is unable to save would need such an infernal place. The "CHURCH" of the Bible The Myth of The "CHURCH" of the Bible The English word "church" should not be in the New Testament (NT) Scriptures at all! That is why it is put in quotation marks in the title. That English word is not a translation of the Greek word "ekklesia" Modern use of the word "church" almost always has reference to (1) a religious institution or organization, or (2) to a material building called a "church." That was not the meaning of the common Greek word "ekklesia" in the time the Scriptures were written. In the day of Christ and His apostles, the word "ekklesia" was an everyday word that simply meant "assembly," "congregation,' or "gathering" of people. Any gathering of people, whether religious, political, or even criminal in purpose, was called an "ekklesia." The word itself gives no indication of the kind or the purpose of the assembly (ekklesia).

In Acts 19:32, 41, ekklesia is translated "assembly" and refers to an unlawful gathering, a mob. In the same context it has reference to a "lawful assembly" in Acts 19:39. The word ekklesia appears more than 100 times in the Greek NT Scriptures, but only in these three instances in Acts 19 is the word actually translated! Isn't that incredible? Why? If the Greek word "ekklesia" really means the same thing as the English word "church," why did not the translators render it "church" in these three cases? There is a reason why the word "church" is substituted for a translation of ekklesia, but it is without any justification whatever. To put it simply, the word "church" appears in the King James Version (KJV) because King James ordered it there.

He demanded that the word ekklesia not be translated by the word "congregation" or "assembly!" Thus the translators were forbidden to render the true meaning of the word, except in the three above instances and were required by the King to substitute the word "church." In fact, Rule 3 of the "Rules to be observed in the Translation of the Bible" specifically says: "The old Ecclesiastical words [were] to be kept, viz. the word church not to be translated congregation, etc." The translators obeyed the King and that version is rightly called the King James Version! The English word "church" does not belong in the Scriptures! Hopefully you can now understand the reason for the heading of this article: The myth of the "church" of the Bible. The Lord does not have a Church! In the February 1987 Examiner Dusty Owens dealt extensively with this subject under the heading: "CHURCH: From God or Man?" Read and study it. In all instances where the word "ekklesia" appeared, if it was in a religious connection or had to do with the Lord's people, the word "church" was substituted.

Hence, in Acts 19 the three times the word appears it has no reference to the Lord's disciples and the word "assembly" is given as a true translation. This egregious error of substituting the word "church" rather than providing a proper translation has been a source of untold problems giving apparent justification for the institutional church as we know it today, from the Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church, Baptist Church, Church of God, Church of England, and such like on down to the Church of Christ and the Christian Church. These are all religious institutions/organizations or churches, something foreign to the divine record. The "Assemblies of God" is a far more scriptural name than any of the above. Now you can see how the religious institution called a "church" seems to be justified in the Scriptures. Certainly you can read about the church and churches in the Scriptures. But in reality there is no such thing as "the church" in God's word. Jesus did not build a church institution! He did not purchase a church organization with His blood. He is not the Head over all things to a church. Jesus does indeed build His assembly, His people, upon the rock (Matt.

16:18) He certainly did purchase the assembly - the redeemed - with His blood (Acts 20:28). He is definitely the Head over all things to His congregation of people (Eph. 1:18, 23). There is as much in the Scriptures about a Roman Catholic Church (institution) as there is about a Church of Christ (institution) or even an Independent Christian Church (institution), local or universal! Absolutely nothing is said about any church organization! We Live In a Church World Millions belong to a church organization of one brand or another; and they love their church. They support their church. They want to be faithful to their church. They resent anyone who speaks against their church. To most of them "one church is as good as another," but each one likes his church best. They are right about it - one church is as good as any other church; one church is as acceptable to the Lord as any other. None of the churches originated from Him and not a one of them comes as a result of obeying the Lord! The idea of the institutional church is well established in the mind of most church people. Nearly everyone believes the church is from the Lord.

It would greatly shock most church members to hear anyone even raise a question about there being no church in the Scriptures. Any opposition to the church would be repudiated outright before and without any serious consideration of the matter. Church people are very secure in their belief in and acceptance of the church. Just look at all the churches in the world. Look at the multiplied millions who belong to a church and there is a great variety of them. They trust and hope in their church. It is vital in their lives even if many of them have a very casual relationship with the church of their choice. Now comes someone trying to tell us that there is no church in the Bible! He is a fanatic, a heretic worthy of being burned at the stake. The reaction to the "no church in the Scripture" idea is always strong, usually violent. But the truth still remains even if church adherents refuse to honestly and seriously consider the matter. There is no church in the Scripture. The church institution concept was born in the apostasy that led to the oldest and greatest ecclesiastical organization of all, the Roman Catholic Church. It is the "mother" of all institutional churches.

Remember: The word Church appears in your Bible only because of the decree of King James of England. That is a fact that cannot be successfully disputed. After all, he was the head of the Church of England. An Interesting Question: But someone says, "If what you say is true, then why do all the later translations have the word 'church' in them? Why didn't the other translators correct the error?" That is a fair question. Let me give some reasons why that word has been retained in most translations since them. Perhaps if you stopped to think about it seriously you could come up with a few motivating reasons on your own. Though not all translations use the word "church" the primacy of the KJV has cemented that word into religious thought. The KJV has had greater circulation among English speaking people than any other version before or since. It is called the "common version" and it found its way to the people throughout the world, made possible by the invention of the printing press. It was the translation officially "Appointed to be read in Churches." It did not take long before it was established as the translation for English speaking people, even though there was considerable opposition to it.

It had some very worthy critics who saw it as flawed and slanted, which it really was and still is. The style is one of its greatest appeals. Written in the stately and beautiful Elizabethan language, it is perhaps the easiest of all translations to commit to memory. It came to be regarded as the one and only true translation, even venerated as sacred. To speak critically of "the blessed KJV" is close to the sin against the Holy Ghost in the view of some. There are some Church of Christ preachers who revere it as the only reliable translation. All over the country there are churches, under the pressure of the Pulpit Minister, w, here the eldership has made a "law" forbidding the use of any other translation in the pulpit or classes except "the old King James Version." Some will allow the use of the American Standard Version if desired.

Considering the above, can't you see why most later translations retained the word "church?" When the influence, popularity, and hold of the KJV is considered, when millions cling to it as if it were delivered from heaven, when the masses oppose any newt translations, and when one looks at the religious world with all the churches, who would dare publish a Bible and leave out the word church? Who would buy a translation if the word church was not in it? Would you? "Church" is a dear and beloved word and Church people are not going to give it up, nor their beloved Church. How dare anyone publish a Bible without Church in it? For sure it will be a publication failure. So, for obvious reasons, the majority of the new versions have retained the precious word church. Most have also transliterated the Greek word for baptism and have not translated it by immersion as it should be. The same is true of the word deacon which is not translated. Only three times does the word "deacon" appear, all in I Timothy 3 where many erroneously conclude that Paul is speaking of church officials.

Every other instance the original Greek word is translated as "minister" or "servant." It was transliterated, that is, the Greek word was given an English spelling, to manufacture some semblance of proof for a church office called "Deacon." Would you buy a Bible that did not have the word "church" in it? No good, faithful member of any church would have a Bible in his home that did not have the word "church" in it. It would border on blasphemy to leave church out of the Bible, desecrating that holy institution, the church! Most Examiner readers have never seen a translation that does not use the word "church" The few translations that have done this have not sold well. But a few publishers have issued translations that do not use the word "church" It is good to have at least one for comparative study. It will lead you to some new insights. One is "Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible," by Robert Young, author of the popular "Analytical Concordance to the Bible." He uses "assembly" as the translation of "ekklesia," and the word "church" is not found in it. It is published by Baker Book House.

He dared to give us a translation of the word "ekklesia" rather than substituting the word "church." He destroys "the myth of the church" - there is no such thing in the NT Scriptures! Another one is "The Simple English Bible - New Testament;' published by International Bible Publishing Company in New York. The word "congregation" is used to translate "ekklesia." There is no "church" in this N.T. (I think one or two of our own brethren were involved with this translation.) There are others like these. The Living Oracles In 1826 Alexander Campbell provided for a translation of the New Covenant Scriptures. He recognized the errors and inadequacies of the KJV and a new translation was needed to correct such. In the Preface of the Living Oracles he offered several vital reasons justifying the need for a new, more accurate translation. Campbell argued that the "constant mutation in a living language" makes this new work necessary; that language changes and the changes in English "which have taken place since the reign of James l, do now render a new translation necessary." He offered several valid reasons for his position.

Also, Campbell correctly charged: "..that the common version was made at a time when religious controversy was at its zenith; and the tenets of the translators whether designedly or undesignedly, did, on many occasions give a wrong turn to words and sentences bearing upon their favorite dogmas." Campbell recognized the greatest obstacle to a better translation was the devotion or near-worship of the old KJV; the same type of thinking some devotees have to that translation even to this day. Note how Campbell put it: "But some are so wedded to the common version, that the very defects in it have become sacred; and an effort, however well intended, to put them in possession of one comparably superior in propriety, perspicuity, and elegance, is viewed very much in the light of 'making a new Bible' or of altering and amending the very word of God.

Nay, some are prepared to doom every attempt of the kind, to the anathema, in the conclusion of the Apocalypse, upon those who add to the word of God, or subtract from it." That same spirit that Campbell identified then is alive today, finding its voice in a hard-core group of Church of Christ ministers who adamantly hold to the "blessed old King James" as the most accurate translation ever made. They urge that it be the required version for use in the pulpits and in the Sunday School classes in all "sound, faithful churches:' As I have mentioned, there are many churches controlled by a dictator-type eldership where that authoritarian body has forbade the use of any other version except for the KJV or perhaps the ASV if one desires it. No pulpit minister will be hired who does not comply with this law and no teacher is allowed a class who does not bow the knee to this human decree. Note carefully Campbell's statement that "some are so wedded to the common version, that the very defects in it have become sacred..." How wise his observation; how true it is today.

For example, perhaps the greatest "defect" in the KJV is the unjustified substitution of the English word "church" rather than giving a true translation of the word "ekklesia." Church of Christ people like all other church people are "wedded" to this great defect in the translation. Perhaps no other group of pulpit ministers anywhere are more dedicated to the church than our clergy unless it is the Roman Catholic clergy. Our preachers are church preachers. They are hired by a church to preach for and to that church; and they are paid by that church. Most of them would reject any version of Scriptures that does not have the dearly beloved, all-important "church" in it. This is one of the main reasons you can't find many copies of Campbell's translation, The Living Oracles, since it does not have church in it! It effectively removes the church from God's Word, where it never had any right to be at all. Can you imagine the world without the church? Perish the thought! Condemn as the vilest of heretics anyone who would proclaim that there is no such thing as our beloved Church of Christ institution! This denominational church institution is no better than any of the other denominational church institutions!

Today's well-entrenched Church of Christ church and the Independent Christian Church stand as the main reason the proclamation of undenominational/non-denominational service to the Lord has died from our hearts and preaching. How can members and promoters of these institutional churches consistently oppose denominationalism and proclaim a non-denominational message? They can't and by and large have stopped making any pretense at such. How can those who belong to a denomination condemn that practice in others? Gone is the day of our forceful plea - "Let us be Christians only, only Christians." That is not enough. The preaching is that people must be a "member" of one of our Church of Christ Churches to please God and go to heaven! The disciples of Christ are required today to "join or place membership" in some organization or institution called "the local Church of Christ." Also to be seriously considered are our essential and elaborate, beloved church buildings. Up to $10 million is now being paid for a headquarters building for each Church of Christ church. In modern practice, each Church of Christ must have a professional, hired employee called a "Pulpit Minister." All the other churches have a pulpit minister (pastor) and a church building.

Someone has to run and control the business affairs of the corporate institution named the Church of Christ, so the Board of Elders has been fashioned for this authoritarian role. The Presbyterians and others have their Board of Elders or Presbyters, so the Church of Christ Church is in good company. The Baptist Churches are said to be in error since their churches are controlled and operated by the Pastor and a Board of Deacons. The Church of Christ has arrived at last. Its adherents can make it without Christ (He is not enough!) but they can't make it without their Church of Christ church! More About the Living Oracles In bringing about a new translation of the Scriptures, Campbell selected three able scholars to do the work. They produced an excellent translation that was published by Campbell. It is worthy of serious note that Campbell did not call it by the erroneous title - New Testament, but called it "Living Oracles" a more appropriate title for that collection of documents. Campbell understood that the 27 letters and historical records that we call the "New Testament'' is not the new testament (covenant) referred to in Scripture.

For that matter, the 39 books and historical records that we call the "Old Testament" (covenant) is not the old testament/covenant. Such erroneous labeling has been the source of great religious error through the ages. The 27 letters or histories relate to the new, covenant to be sure; but they are no part of it at all. The new covenant that God has made with us is not found on parchment or paper. It is written on our hearts, as an agreement between the Father and each individual who claims through faith in Jesus Christ the salvation provided in Christ (II Cot. 3:3; Heb. 8:6-13). Our people need desperately to learn this vital truth and understand what it means. The old covenant was the 10 commandments given by God at Sinai. Have you ever seen a copy of The Living Oracles translation? It is my guess that 75% of Church of Christ members and Christian Church members have never heard of it, much less read any of it. What a shame. A. Campbell - The Heretic The word "church" does not appear in The Living Oracles! Imagine that! Isn't that terrible?

If Campbell were alive today he would be banned from teaching at any Church of Christ or Independent Christian Church. Campbell did not believe in the church. There is no church in his translation. He took it out! If he were alive today, can you imagine what our pulpit Ministers and Elders would do to him? He would denounce authoritarian elderships with the same severity and lash of "The Living Oracles" that he did the clergy of his day. Sectarianism and denominationalism were wrong then and they are wrong now. The scholars who did the translating, along with Campbell, knew that the English word "church" does not translate the Greek word "ekklesia." This is a fact that is universally acknowledged by language authorities and scholars. The word "church" is totally misleading. Inherent in the word "church," as it is commonly used, therefore lies all the apparent justification for the institutional Church of today, by whatever name it is called, with all its trappings. Put this down as fact: In the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by His apostles there was no such thing as a church, a religious institution.

There was no "universal church" nor a "local church" There was no religious institution or organization. The early saints did not build, establish, join or hold membership in a church of any kind. Dear brother or sister, if you are a member of a church, meaning a religious organization or institution, then you have joined something that Jesus did not build, something of which He is neither the Head nor the Saviour. Jesus did not die for a church. He died for lost people. He died for you and me, individuals, not some corporate structure. There is, therefore, no Church, no religious organization of Christ in God's plan. We are not required to find the right Church organization and get into that institution in order to be saved or do the will of God in any way. Salvation is not in some church; salvation is in Jesus Christ our Lord. The world without the church! Perish the thought! This is the feeling of church people. Christians without a church? Yes, that is the way it was in the beginning. There is no church in the Scriptures. There should be no church today. Dear brother and sister, shocking though this truth may be to many of you, it is clear and certain.

There is no church in the Bible! It is a vicious myth! Understand it and act upon this truth - now! - CAH.

Question: How many times does the word ‘Christian’ appear in the King James version of the Bible?
Answer: Three