This web page is added to this site
to assist you in developing a
more perfect understanding of God's
True Word. We hope and it is our
prayer that you will be able
to utilize all of its contents as your knowledge
in the Lord increases. This web page is
assisted by the works of great men of
God whose remarks and publications
are per the Apostle's Doctrine.

The Apostolic Minister

About This Page

Our Bible Aids web page has been added to our site for the purpose of providing additional material content which will make your understanding of God's Word more complete. We will continue to add content to this page to assist your spiritual development in the revelation of Jesus Christ our only True God and Saviour. If there are things which you do not understand completely, our prayer is that you will contact the Apostolic Minister for the answer to all of your questions. As you study our Doctrine and the Word of God please use these aids to assist you in your efforts and God is sure to give to you the necessary understanding that you might be able to obtain His Salvation, or to substain you in your faith until his coming.

The King James Bible has 790,685 words, The New International Version has 64,576 fewer words, The New King James Version 19,755 fewer words, and The Revised Standard Version 30,534 fewer. The KJV had a team of fifty scholars who each translated every word. No word was final until all 50 agreed on the word choice.

The new versions have a dozen or so men with half the education who each translate only a small portion. They are inferiorly trained men, using inferior methods, to translate inferior texts.

The readings in the newly found manuscripts were available to the KJV translators and rejected.

Further, the same manuscripts were available to the churches for 1,800 years and were rejected.

68,000,000 people died to preserve the text of the KJV while rejecting the texts that scholars today call the "most reliable."

The KJV Bible is translated from the Hebrew/Greek/Chaldean manuscript, the Textus Receptus, which has been mathematically proven to be the Word of God, insofar as possible. The ultimate proof in all godly matters is faith.

Harvard professor, Ivan Panin (1855-1942), discovered the science of Bible numerics. It has been found that no word or even a letter can be added or subtracted from the Textus Receptus without destroying a God-inspired underlying mathematical pattern, called numeric features. Bible numerics proves that all the formerly disputed scripture verses found in the KJV do indeed belong in the Bible.

Hebrews, Greeks, and Chaldeans counted with their alphabets. They did not have an extra set of number figures like us. An example of numerics:

In the Greek, the name Jesus is: IHSOUS

I = 10
H = 8
S = 200
O = 70
U = 400
S = 200

The sum = 888. It is no coincidence that the number of the name of antichrist is 666.

The names of the Bible-writers are widely separated thoughout the Scriptures. It is remarkable to note that the number, "7", is found even in the scattered occurrences of these names.

The number of Old Testament writers named in the bible is exactly 21, or three 7's. The numeric value of these 21 Hebrew names is also divisible by 7. It is 3,808, or 544 7's.

Of these 21 Old Testament writers, those named in the New Testament are Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, and Joel. In all, exactly seven. The numeric value of these 7 names is 1,554, or 222 7's.

The name which appears the greatest number of times in the Old Testament is David. It appears 1,134 times. 1,134 is divisible by 7.

The name Jeremiah occurs in 7 OT books in 7 forms of Hebrew, and the number of times it is found is 147, or 3 x 7 x 7.

The number of times that the name Moses occurs in the Bible is 847, or 11 x 11 x 7. In fact, there are well over thirty numeric features regarding the name Moses alone.

Bible numerics are specific regarding word sequences. It has been revealed that when the Apostle Paul wrote down, "Christ Jesus", he meant to write exactly that. If he penned, "Jesus Christ," then that is the word-order that God intended in that instance.

The latter half of Mark chapter 16 is a passage that many persons wanted to leave out of the Bible. In these verses we see that God wants believers to participate in speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and laying hands on the sick that they might recover.

Although ALL the chapters of the Bible are crammed with numeric features, Genesis 1, Matthew 1, and MARK SIXTEEN have more discovered features than any others. --The Lord knew in advance that Mark sixteen would be under great attack from the enemy!!!

Mathematical features are involved with each isolated part of speech i.e. proper nouns, nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc. even down to the individual letters themselves. Some sentences and whole paragraphs are symmetric: They have the same numerical sequence forward and backward.

You can take any English Bible version compared to the KJV and see where the "translators" covertly or blatantly tried to conceal or erase the fact that Jesus Christ is God. These versions include the New KJ, the Amplified, and the New Am Standard (a product of the Ecumenical Council of Churches). Some editions of the RSV leave out blocks of scripture with NO footnotes as to the omission.

Compared to the KJV, other versions on the average in EACH Bible leave out the word "God" 400 times, leave out "Lord" 200 times, leave out "Jesus" over eighty times.

These textual variants are pointed out in the books listed below:

Books, etc. RE: KJV available at http://www.chick.com

-New Age Bible Versions: the Case Against Modern Versions (Also available: Video of the same)

-Which Bible is God's Word?: Answers to Common Questions Concerning Modern Versions and Translations

-"Archaic" KJ Words Defined: (They're not really archaic. They are found in newspapers, magazines, and other Bible versions.)

-If the Foundations Be Destroyed: What Does the NIV Have Against Jesus?

-Final Authority: A Christian's Guide to the King James Bible

-The History of the Bible in Plain Language

-The Answer Book: A Helpbook for Christians

-Let's Weigh the Evidence: Which Bible Is the REAL Word of God?

-Defending the KJ Bible: A Four-fold Superiority: Texts, Translators, Technique, Theology

There are over 100 English versions of the Bible. The KJ was translated from the Textus Receptus. All but the KJ were derived by comparing the Textus Receptus with two 4th century Bibles, called the "oldest" texts. (Persecutors destroyed the 1st century manuscripts.)

One of these "Bibles", the Sinaiticus, was found in a trash heap at an abandoned Orthodox Greek Monastery in Constantinople. The departing monks wisely did not want it. This book has clerical errors that even a novice linguist can detect, including crossed out words, words mistakenly copied twice in a row, and words ending one sentence and beginning the next sentence that should have been copied twice in a row but were not.

The other, "Bible", the Vaticanus, was found in the libraries under the Vatican. It had pages missing due to its antiquity. Both of these Bibles are written in the Alexandrian Greek of the Egyptian scholars, a classical dialect not spoken by Jesus or Paul and the NT writers. Therefore, the two oldest Greek NT's available are as translations themselves, not being written in the Koine Greek of the Textus Receptus NT from which the KJ was translated. Both of these "Bibles" conveniently leave out the last half of Mark chapter sixteen, the scripture portion which along with Genesis 1 and Matthew 1 contains the highest known density of numeric features.

I have barely scratched the surface on the topic of the superiority of the King James Bible in this short essay. God is not the author of confusion. The True Word of God is pure and unadulterated. These other versions are within His permissive will for you, not His PERFECT will.

By: Apostle Greg Rodman
Email: apostlerodman@juno.com

Concordance

Harmony of the Gospels

Apostolic History

2 Pet 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (KJV)

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRINITARIAN MODE OF BAPTISM

by Bro. Walter Copes

Part I In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, Jesus commanded that all believers be baptized. The necessity of baptism is again confirmed in Mark 16:16 and John 3:5. The apostles, to whom were given the authority and direction by Jesus, obeyed this commandment in the establishment of the original apostolic church, as recorded in the book of Acts. In all of the recorded cases (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5) where the baptism command is fulfilled, the actual name of Jesus, along with the titles of Lord or Christ, is used. Nowhere in the New Testament was anyone ever baptized using the formula in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Yet a study will show that the major portion of Christianity today does not baptize the way the apostles did in the book of Acts. Where did the divergency begin? What is the correct mode of Baptism? The purpose of this paper is to show the results of a historical survey completed by the authors that concluded that the original apostolic baptism was done in the name of Jesus and that the tripartite formula was a post-apostolic development.

Most church historians and theologians also agree that the baptism formula used today is not the formula used in the New Testament church. As German Scholar Edmund Schlink has stated, First of all there is the problem of the "trinitarian formula". Nowhere else does the New Testament speak of baptism "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:. It speaks only of baptism upon (in) the name of Jesus Christ (with slight variations).... In that case, the baptismal command in its Matthew 28:19 form cannot be the historical origin of Christian baptism. At the very least, it must be assumed that the text has been transmitted in a form expanded by the church. 1

How did Christian baptism originate? This historical question cannot be answered simply by referring to Matthew 28:19, since this text presents inescapable difficulties for historical thinking. Nor do the New Testament writings provide any support for the assumption that the primitive church did not at first baptize in the name of Jesus Christ.2 Although the extant writings for the period 96 A.D. - 140 A.D., which represents the first post-apostolic period, are very limited, the glimpses do show baptism in Jesus name continuing as church doctrine. Clement of Rome who was a contemporary of Paul, wrote in 96 A.D. in his Epistle to the Corinthians, And now may the all-seeing God and Master of Lord of all flesh, who chose the Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be His own people, grant to every soul over whom His magnificent and holy name has been invoked...3

Note the use and singularity of "His magnificent and holy name", which undoubtedly is the name of Jesus, that Clement refers to.

Part II

In The Shepherd of Hermas, which dates around 120 A.D., Hermas writes, Before man bears the name of the Son of God, he is dead, but when he has received the seal (baptism) he lays aside mortality and receives life.4

What was the name of the Son of God? Jesus! It's known that Hermas' writings were accepted by many of the ancient church leaders and read routinely in the church. In studying his writings, it is also obvious that he espoused only one God and not the Trinity. He writes, First of all believe that God is One, who created all things and put them in order. 5 Furthermore, Hermas writes; They are such as have heard the word and were willing to be baptized in the name of the Lord; but considering the great holiness which the truth requires, have withdrawn themselves and walked again after their wicked lust. 6

At this point in history, the extant writings continue to show baptism in Jesus name. They do not show the tripartite formula either as being practiced or written about. Many modern day historians agree with this conclusion.

Wilheim Bousset writes in Kurios Christos, "it is still essentially a baptism in the name of Jesus".7

G. R. Beesley-Murray stated: There is not one example in the whole New Testament literature of a baptism taking place in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.8

Harry Wolfsan writes: Critical scholarship, on the whole, rejects the traditional attribution of the tripartite baptismal formula to Jesus and regards it as a later origin.9

E. Lohmeyer in his book, Das Evangelium des Atthaus, writes that Eusebius, Bishop of the church in Caesarea, frequently wrote Matthew 28:19 as:

Go ye and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in my name, teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I command you.10 Lohmeyer states: The expression in my name referred to baptism in the name of Jesus.

Again Bousset writes: The testimony for the wide distribution of the simple baptismal formula down into the second century is so overwhelming that even in Matthew 28:19, the trinitarian formula was only later inserted.11

Ernest F. Scott affirms, It is abundantly clear that the primitive church knew only the simple formula and even so late as the Didache, it is assumed that this alone is necessary.12

At this point in church history the baptism formula was still in the name of Jesus. However, early in the second century the church was faced with the Gnostic controversy, which concerned the nature of Jesus and the relationship of the Son to the Father. The church leaders of this time felt that this controversy would lead to the total destruction of the Christian faith.13

Aristides, Justin Martyr, Tatian, Athenagoras, and Theophilus of Antioch were some of these men defending Christianity. These men became known as the Greek Apologists and were greatly affected by the Greek philosophies.14 The philosophy of Philo, who was a Jewish philosopher in Alexandria, identified the Logos with the platonic word of forms or archetypes. From Philo's teachings, the Greek apologists set the Logos equal to Jesus Christ in order to frame an intellectually satisfying explanation of the relationship of Christ to God the Father.15 It is during this period of the Logos doctrine debate that the first historical references to trinitarian water baptism appear. The primary source of a different baptismal formula is from the writings of Justin Martyr who writes in 140 A. D.: For in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ and of the Holy Ghost, they then received the washing with water.16

Apparently it is during this period, when the Logos-doctrine and trinitarianism were first being debated, that the first divergency away from Jesus name baptism occurs.

Part III
Although history is not clear on who first introduced the trinitarian formula, it does not appear to be coincidental that its introduction (as far as historical references are concerned) occurs during the Apologist's period, when the Godhead debate was sweeping the church. As more churches embraced the trinitarian concepts (which weren't fully developed at this point), we find more references to the triune baptismal formula.

It is interesting to note that during the Apologist's period, although the doctrine of the trinity was not fully developed, the triune formula emerges very quickly. We can only speculate that this occurred when men lost the concept of the deity and nature of Jesus Christ and contrary to Colossians 3:17 which states that, whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, began to misunderstand the meaning of Matthew 28:19. Once the concept of the Oneness of God and salvation through the name of Jesus began to be in question, the churches in the Apologist's period began to place greater importance in Matthew 28:19. This was done apparently because they could not reconcile baptism here against what the apostles actually did in the book of Acts.

The trinity of persons in the Godhead is the reason assigned for the triune immersion by Tertullian and later by Jerome, Basil and the Apostolic Canons.17 Many modern historians have recognized the destructive influence that the philosophies of the Apologist's period introduced into the church. As Adolf Harnack in Outlines of the History of Dogma writes:

...it (the church) legitimized in its midst the Hellenic speculation, the superstitious views and customs of pagan mystery, worship and the institutions of the state organization to which it attached itself and which received new strength thereby. In theory monotheistic, it threatened to become polytheistic in practice and to give way to the whole apparatus of low or malformed religion.18

As the doctrine of the trinity slowly displaced the monotheism of the Apostles, many errors and traditions of men began to creep into the church. The process was slow and frequently accompanied by strife and on occasion, bloodshed. A close look at some of the errors which spoiled the church will give some understanding of how error lead to more error. For instance, the Greek word used for baptism in the New Testament means to dip, to immerse, to sink. There is no evidence that Luke, John and Paul put any meanings upon this verb not recognized by the Greeks.19 Stanley, in his History of the Eastern Church says, ...there can be no question that the original form of baptism, the very meaning of the word, was complete immersion in the deep baptismal waters, and that for at least four centuries another form was either unknown or regarded, unless in the case of dangerous illness, as an exceptional, almost a monstrous case.20

It is likely that the practice of affusion arose out of the custom of laying on of hands and anointing with oil. J. N. D. Kelly writes that,

...the general procedure was that, on coming up from the baptismal water, the newly baptized Christian was anointed with scented oil, at the same time receiving the laying on of hands.21

Old Testament

Our generation is living at a time when there is a run-away propensity streaming out of the hearts of man for knowledge and creation. This inclination is so strong until it is bringing his treasured institutions to the bring of callapsation. However to us Apostolics there remains a clear message of hope and restoration as we prevail in a world that could never be our home, and that is the divine message contained in the Bible. Today this message is without a doubt, summarily dismissed from serious and meanful consideration as mankind maps its spiritual journey through the maize of carnal temptation. This dismissal has come about in our time due to mankind not having common knowledge and appreciation for the Bible and the divine inspiraton that gave it to us. We are using this web page to once more appeal to its readers and to the world to think again as to whether a dismissal of this magnitude is wise and logical even from a mundane point of view, or whether the absent of spiritual intellectualism in our time have predisposed us to a false judgment, and an willingness to support a verdict without true assessment of the facts before us.

Let it be stated at the outset that the Bible itself claims unreservedly to be the word of God. The prophets of the Old Testament begin many of their declarations with such phrases as "Thus saith the Lord.. " or "The Lord said unto me ...

"ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God..." When Paul. as quoted above. uses the word 'scripture', he is obviously referring to the Old Testament 'writings' because that is what the word literally means. Our word Bible is from a Greek word meaning 'books`. It is perhaps some measure of its special nature that it is usually called the 'Holy Bible' or sacred book.

This definition of the word Bible as a book, however, needs qualification. for it is really a collection of books or writings: 66 separate books. bound into one volume. They are books on widely differing topics, from law to poetry, from history and prophecy, to teaching and practice. They were written by many authors from all manner of backgrounds, including kings, herdsmen, lawyers, courtiers, fishermen. These books were brought together gradually over a period of more than 1000 years, yet all are linked in harmony by a powerful theme -- inexplicably so, apart from the inspiration of which Paul speaks.

The volume itself is divided into two distinct sections known as the Old and New Testaments, but the Old is really incomplete without the New and the New cannot be explained without the Old. The Old Testament scriptures, the holy books of the Jewish people, were further divided by them into three parts -- the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. The Law consisted of the first five books of Moses; the Writings included the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and the books of Chronicles. All the rest were classified as the Prophets

New Testament

Bible Monies

The Hebrews probably first used coins in the Persian period (500-350 B.C.). However, minting began around 700 B.C. in other nations. Prior to this precious metals were weighed, not counted as money.

Some units appear as both measures of money and measures of weights. This comes from naming the coins after their weight. For example, the shekel was a weight long before it became a coin.

It is helpful to relate biblical monies to current values. But we cannot make exact equivalents. The fluctuating value of money's purchasing power is difficult to determine in our own day. It is even harder to evaluate currencies used two- to three thousand years ago.

This monies chart below takes a current day's wage as thirty-two dollars. Though there are differences of economies and standards of living, this measure will help you apply meaningful values to the monetary units in the chart and in the biblical text.

Weights & Measures

Hebrew Calander

There are many special days in the Jewish year, some festive, some solemn. To each special day, we associate symbols for the unique activities, foods, religious observances, or community celebrations that mark it. A brief summary of the important dates in the Jewish year follows. along with the meaning of the symbols .

Choose from the following years for short descriptions of Jewish holidays with their specific dates:

Maps & Directories

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