Systematic Elimination of the Holy Bible

By Ron Graham

 

“All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16. Some of your Bibles may translate the phrase given by inspiration of God” as “God breathed”. I’m more inclined to agree with the later.

 

I’ve incorporated some of A.W. Pinks writings into this commentary. Using Pinks words to review and assess mans attempt to completely eliminate the Bible from our time/space continuum is, in my opinion, insightful. Who is A.W. Pink? “Arthur Walkington Pink (1886-1952) was an evangelist and Biblical scholar born in Scotland he devoted his life to God.” 

 

“The survival of the Bible through the ages is very difficult to explain if it is not in truth the Word of God. Books are like men — dying creatures. A very small percentage of books survive more than twenty years, a yet smaller percentage last a hundred years and only a very insignificant fraction represent those which have lived a thousand years. Amid the wreck and ruin of ancient literature the Holy Bible stands out like the last survivor of an otherwise extinct race, and the very fact of the Bible’s continued existence is an indication that like its Author it is indestructible.”

A.W. Pink

 

The apostle Paul wrote his last letter from prison just before his death. It was addressed to Timothy, and he makes it plain that we must believe all scripture is God breathed. As we read the above quote we see that A.W. Pink puts an awesome perspective on the longevity of the Bible. Over the centuries, many men have tried quite unsuccessfully to eliminate the word of God, or at the very least make it out to be just a myth full of false claims and ideas, allegories and such. Guess who’s been behind this all out effort to systematically eliminate God’s word from existance?

 

“When we bear in mind the fact that the Bible has been the special object of never ending persecution the wonder of the Bible’s survival is changed into a miracle. Not only has the Bible been the most intensely loved Book in the entire world, but it has also been the most bitterly hated. Not only has the Bible received more veneration and adoration than any other book, but it has also been the object of more persecution and opposition. For two thousand years man’s hatred of the Bible has been persistent, determined, relentless and murderous. Every possible effort has been made to undermine faith in the inspiration and authority of the Bible and innumerable enterprises have been undertaken with the determination to consign it to oblivion. Imperial edicts have been issued to the effect that every known copy of the Bible should be destroyed, and when this measure failed to exterminate and annihilate God’s Word then commands were given that every person found with a copy of the Scriptures in his possession should be put to death. The very fact that the Bible has been so singled out for such relentless persecution causes us to wonder at such a unique phenomenon.”

A.W. Pink

 

If we study the history of the Bible, we should come away with a new and more appreciative opinion of the word of God. After all these years why is it still the bestselling book of all time? Why? Ask yourselves that question and then stand back because the answer will come screaming back to you, “It’s God’s Word……God’s Word. How can man ever expect to delete, erase, rub out, or obliterate God’s Word from history past, present, or future? God’s word was given to God’s people for us to profit from. We profit from the word of God by studying it continually. We grow in our maturity and in our walk with God as followers of Jesus Christ as He opens our minds and hearts to what has been breathed into His Word. The Holy Bible will be scrutinized, disparaged, and reviled, as long as it is the bestselling book of the ages, and as long as it is so exclusive in its boast of one God, one Savior, and one way to Heaven.

 

I find it interesting that so many non-believers assume the Bible to be a work of fiction and base their conclusions on what others tell them without actually going to the source for themselves. Why are people so easily led? Because the truth convicts them and even condemns their sinful lifestyles. Sinful man would rather live in darkness and continue to go about their sinful lives than believe the truth of God’s Word and leave their sin behind. As such, they will accept the word of their fellow man over that of the one and only true God, Jesus Christ.

 

“Although the Bible is the best Book in the world it has produced more enmity and opposition than has the combined contents of all our libraries. Why should this be? Clearly because the Scriptures convict men of their guilt and condemn them for their sins! Political and ecclesiastical powers have united in the attempt to put the Bible out of existence, yet their concentrated efforts have utterly failed. After all the persecution which has assailed the Bible, it is, humanly speaking, a wonder that there is any Bible left at all. Every engine of destruction which human philosophy, science, force, and hatred could bring against a book has been brought against the Bible, yet it stands unshaken and unharmed today. When we remember that no army has defended the Bible and no king has ever ordered its enemies to be extirpated, our wonderment increases. At times nearly all the wise and great of the earth have been pitted together against the Bible, while only a few despised ones have honored and revered it. The cities of the ancients were lighted with bonfires made of Bibles, and for centuries only those in hiding dare read it. How then, can we account for the survival of the Bible in the face of such bitter persecution? The only solution is to be found in the promise of God. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

A.W. Pink

 

God says everything shall pass away but not His word. Astonishingly as witnessed throughout the history of the written word of God, this won’t stop the onslaught of evil being brought against this most venerated book. Man is determined. He’s tried in every way possible to put a stop to the spread of the Gospel; he stands resolute in his attack.

 

The new focus of attacks is to eliminate the Bible through legislation aimed at declaring anything or anyone who teaches against homosexuality as “Hate Speech”. Mark my words, this new assault will greatly affect each and every born again believer in Christ. While the unconcerned Christians remain in that state of apathy evil men will push forward with their attacks, and the direction in which we see the U.S. heading will continue undeterred. All believers must make the decision to stand up for God and His word; we must never allow legislation to be passed that would affect our lives in such an adverse manner.

 

“The story of the Bible’s persecution is an arresting one. During the first three centuries of the Christian era the Roman Emperors sought to destroy God’s Word. One of them, named Diocletian, believed that he had succeeded. He had slain so many Christians and destroyed so many Bibles, that when the lovers of the Bible remained quiet for a season and kept in hiding, he imagined that he had made an end of the Scriptures. So elated was he at this achievement, he ordered a medal to be struck inscribed with the words, "The Christian religion is destroyed and the worship of the gods restored." One wonders what that emperor would think if he returned to this earth today and found that more had been written about the Bible than about any other thousand books put together, and that the Bible which enshrines the Christian faith is now translated into more than four hundred languages and is being sent out to every part of the earth!”   

A.W. Pink

 

Standing on God’s word has never been easy. While we stand we are attacked, and as we preach the Gospel many will not hear, and many who hear will attack us for our belief. Persecution isn’t pretty and isn’t anything we should be looking forward to, but we should be prepared for its eventual arrival. As for our brothers and sisters who went to be with the Lord through martyrdom, I’m sure it wasn’t something they aspired to. If you’ve ever read “Foxes Book of Martyrs you’ve been confronted with a different type of Christian, Christians that stood up for Christ and His word. Persecution was common place for them; they lived knowing any day they could be caught and burned at the stake or fed to the wild beasts. They held onto their faith through some of the worst persecution anyone has ever had to endure. And through it all, the Bible and the followers of Christ, not only survived but increased to become a worldwide phenomenon. 

 

“Even in our day the persecution of the Bible still continues, though the method of attack is changed. Much of our modern scholarship is engaged in the work of seeking to destroy faith in the Divine inspiration and authority of the Bible. In many of our seminaries the rising generations of the clergy are taught that Genesis is a book of myths, that much of the teaching of the Pentateuch is immoral, that the historical records of the Old Testament are unreliable and that the whole Bible is man’s creation rather than God’s revelation. And so the attack on the Bible is being perpetuated.”

A.W. Pink

 

What we see happening at some of our greatest Christian Colleges across this country is the systematic elimination of the inerrancy of God’s word. It is being replaced by a feel good, materialistic, Christ deleted gospel so perverse in its teachings that the only reason and source of its continued success is without a doubt Satan. The future leaders of our Christian Churches graduating from these colleges will merely add to the already growing apostate church.

 

When we read about the newest and brightest Christian leaders in our country being sucked into the emerging church movement as well as our established Christian Churches embracing these same false doctrines one must conclude the last of the last days are upon us.

 

Prophetically speaking we’re told in God’s word that there will be a famine in the land, a famine for knowledge obtained only through our Bibles. This makes me think that there will be some success in Satan’s attempt to eliminate the Bible. It won’t be eliminated completely, you understand, but it will be difficult to lay one’s hands on an uncorrupted copy.

 

 

“Now suppose there was a man who had lived upon this earth for two-thousand years, that this man had oftentimes been thrown into the sea and yet could not be drowned; that he had frequently been cast before wild beasts who were unable to devour him; that he had many times been made to drink deadly poisons which never did him any harm; that he had often been bound in iron chains and locked in prison dungeons, yet he had always been able to throw off the chains and escape from his captivity; that he had repeatedly been hanged, till his enemies thought him dead, yet when his body was cut down he sprang to his feet and walked away as though nothing had happened; that hundreds of times he had been burned at the stake, till there seemed to be nothing left of him, yet as soon as the fires were out he leaped up from the ashes as well and as vigorous as ever — but we need not expand this idea any further; such a man would be super-human, a miracle of miracles. Yet this is exactly how we should regard the Bible! This is virtually the way in which the Bible has been treated. It has been burned, drowned, chained, put in prison, and torn to pieces, yet never destroyed!

 

No other book has provoked such fierce opposition as the Bible, and its preservation is perhaps the most startling miracle connected with it. But two thousand five hundred years ago God declared, "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall abide for ever." Just as the three Hebrews passed safely through the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar unharmed and unscorched, so the Bible has emerged from the furnace of satanic hatred and assault without even the smell of fire upon it! Just as an earthly parent treasures and lays by the letters received from his child, so our Heavenly Father has protected and preserved the Epistles of love written to His children.”

A.W. Pink

 

Pink looked at what had happened in the past to eliminate the Bible from our midst, and in my opinion, delivered to us an excellent treatise of fact, but what should we look for now? We can be assured that Satan, through deception and his unabated influence on evil men, will promote the continued attacks on God’s Holy Word ‘til the end.

 

From the beginning of time Satan has attempted to pervert God’s word. This satanic attack had one purpose to it and that was to pervert the genealogy of Jesus Christ and ultimately the whole of God’s creation. Satan, through all his deceptions, lies, and false prophets, wants only to be worshiped as god. Get rid of the Bible and he walks into his place in history without any hindrance of any kind.  

 

Throughout all the years that we’ve had the Bible to read and study, there have only been two eternal destinations, Heaven and Hell, promoted between its pages. Bible scholars agree two destinations and that’s it. The apostle John records many of Jesus’ words for us in his Gospel. One verse stands out as arguably the most politically incorrect statement Jesus ever made. In chapter 14, in verse 6, Jesus says, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life no one comes to the Father but by Me.” John 14:6. There is no other name under Heaven in which one might be saved. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Stand firm on His word and when you get to Heaven you will hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant …enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:23.

 

Know this all roads will not lead to Heaven. If you’ve listened to the satanic lies laid down by the father of all lies (Satan) and you die in that lost state, you will not hear Jesus saying “Well done my good and faithful servant” but what you will hear Jesus saying is “Away from me you evil doer I never knew you”. On the other hand if you say yes to Jesus while still living and breathing here in His creation, well that’s a different story.

 

Certainly we understand that Satan’s future is set, cast in stone so to speak. I know this because I’ve read the end of the very book Satan’s been trying to eliminate for the past 2000 years. Yes, he’s all set for eternity. Hell is his destination and what’s more, he knows it. Satan has no intention of spending eternity in Hell alone. Many have already made the decision to spend eternity with their good friend Lucifer.

 

Heaven awaits all those who say yes to Jesus. What awaits you?

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

 

 

 

Email:  twotug@embarqmail.com