A Godly Heritage

At our 43 church Anniversary Sunday, we had a guest preacher who has a ministry of the history of the English Bible. He had a display of very very old bibles and some old parchments and other documents. It was fascinating! 

Hearing the facts and things about how the English bibles came about and about how our nation got started made my heart swell with love and conviction about how precious my KJV bible is. Men gave their lives to get the Bible into the English language and ultimately bring about the King James Version. 

Bob and I purchased an envelope with a passage of scripture from Deuteronomy chapter 32 in both the KJV 1611 and the Geneva Bible to compare with our current kjv bible. 

John Wycliffe was the first to start translating the bible into the English language. This was in 1382. In 1408 the Catholic church made it illegal to translate the bible into the English language without their permission. He was killed for translating the bible into English.

In 1526 William Tyndale began to translate the bible into English from the original languages instead of the Latin bible like John Wycliffe did. In 1535 the New Testament was completed. Persecution began for Tyndale and King Henry the VIII would not grant him permission to print in England, so he went to Belgium and smuggled the Bibles back to England so the common man could have access to scripture in their own language. He was strangled and burned for printing and smuggling bibles into England. 

Next came the Coverdale Bible written by Miles Coverdale. King Henry allowed him to print it in England. Coverdale used Tyndale's translation for the NT and then translated the Old Testament himself (also from original languages). This was the first whole bible in the English language. 

Next came the Matthews Bible written by John Rogers and nicknamed the Wife Beater's Bible because of side notes made on one of the verses by Rogers. John Rogers was the first martyr under "Bloody Mary" queen of England. She tried to bring England back into the catholic church and away from the Church of England (which basically followed the same doctrines but was just created by Henry the VIII so he could get a divorce and marry his mistress to produce a male heir).

Next came the Great Bible also known as the "Chain Bible" because it was very large and chained to the pulpits so that the people couldn't steal them to read for themselves. 

Next was the Geneva Bible. It was printed in Geneva, Switzerland. The reformers were responsible for printing this bible. This is the bible that the pilgrims used and also William Shakespeare. It became very popular.

The Church of England decided it needed to come up with their own English bible and made the Bishop's Bible. It never became popular with the people like the Geneva Bible. In side notes of this bible, Christopher Columbus is mentioned by Psalm 45:9 thinking that Ophir was the land that Columbus had discovered. 

Next was the King James 1611 version. Was commissioned and printed in England. It took 7 years to complete. 

Now I want to talk about our nation's Godly heritage which so many try to deny these days. I remember learning about the Mayflower Compact when I was in grade school but didn't remember too much about it. I looked it up this morning and I do not know how anyone can read it and deny what this country was founded on! Here is what it said....

In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic; for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. 

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, 1620. 

In the name of God and for the Glory of God! How does one deny that right from the beginning it was founded upon God? When the Declaration of Independence was being prepared, Benjamin Franklin called for prayer.

The New England Primer was used in schools all across the nation and used verses to learn the alphabet. A - all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. B - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.

Then in 1962 public prayer was removed from school. 

In 1973 abortion was legalized and millions of babies have been murdered ever since.

Since 1980 there have been more than 12 attempts (some successful) to remove public displays of the 10 commandments. 

Over the past several years, Christian's rights have been stripped, while more and more immoral laws are crammed down our throats. Yet, it is our fault for not taking a stand and fighting more for what God says! 

I know this was a very long post but I wanted to share some things I've learned over the past day or so. My Bible is precious and I need to delve into it every single day! This country was built upon the premise of God and can still be spared and turned to him with enough prayer, and standing on His Word if Christians would only do it!