What About The NKJV

'An Independent Baptist Church'
What About The New King James Version

What About The New

King James Version?

The New King James Version has been published recently and claims to be an 'Updated' King James Version, much like the other 'revisions' made on the King James Version after 1611. However, this is not true and the New King James Version is a very deceptive and dangerous imposter. We must remember that the revisions made to the 1611 King James Bible were only Lithographic and orthographic, simply meaning that changes were made in spelling of words and corrections were made in Printing errors. For example, words could have several different spellings in the 1600's and still be correct. As the 1700's approached, ways to spell words were being limited to ONE correct spelling. Other made to the KJV in the 5 revisions up to about 1789 were simply correcting mistakes made by the printers (those who printed the Bible for mass distribution). There were not the major changes in the text we are led to believe! The NEW King James Version, as we will see, actually changes the KJV text in many places and substitutes the Westcott/Hort Egyptian reading! Not only that, the New King James uses the 'paraphrase' method of Translation in many places as the NIV and other new Bibles have done! We have seen how dangerous the NIV (New International Version) is with its several thousand changes in the text using the altered Alexandrian Westcott/Hort Text from Egypt. For example, we saw how the NIV teaches that Salvation can be lost in 2 Timothy 2:12; we saw how the strongest verse teaching that Baby 'Infant' Baptism is wrong was completely 'taken out' in Acts 8:37in the NIV; and we saw in passages such as 1 Corinthians 1:18 how salvation is changed into a process rather than a one time act! The NIV teaches we are 'Being saved' instead of 'having been saved' as the KJV rightly teaches. The New King James does this same thing in 2 Corinthians 2:15 as we will see in a moment. We saw how the NIV completely removes "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14:12-15 and substitutes the 'star of the morning' as the one who fell and brought harm to the nations...a reference elsewhere in the bible to Jesus in Revelation 22:16! There is no LUCIFER in the New International Version! But perhaps even more deadly than the NIV is the NEW KING JAMES VERSION, and this is simply because it is advertised as an authentic King James Version Bible coming from the Text behind the King James Version, the Textus Receptus. The deception behind this is they don't tell you that they have taken the liberty to make 'translation changes' where they feel necessary or as they say in the preface, "..Nothing has been changed except to make the original meaning clearer.." They add, "a special feature of the New King James Version is is conformity to the THOUGHT FLOW of the 1611 Bible.." This unscholarly and unreliable practice which supposedly equipped the translator to perceive the 'thought flow' (whatever that is) of the King James Bible, is known as "DYNAMIC EQUIVALENCE." This is the same 'paraphrasing' technique that the NIV and other newer versions use! BASICALLY THIS MEANS THAT THE SCHOLAR CAN TAKE WHATEVER LICENSE HE DESIRES in 'interpreting' what the Bible writer was 'trying' to say.. Conservative estimates of the total translation changes in the NKJV are generally put at over 100,000! (This is an average of 82 changes for each of the 1219 pages of the NKJV).

For Example, let's look at just a few of the SERIOUS doctrinal errors in the New King James. While the KJV says in Matthew 7:14 "narrow is the way which leadeth unto life"...

" Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it'

The New King James has changed that verse and taken the "Alexandrian" reading and says "DIFFICULT is the way which leads to life"! Now my friend, we wouldn't want to tell a little child that it is 'difficult' to be saved would we? That is the Devil's lie! It is easy to be saved. The King James Version is right when it says 'Narrow is the way which leads to life..' which means that only through Jesus can we be saved! Not through Buddha, not through good works, not through water baptism!

In Galatians 5:22 the KJV uses the word 'faith' and the New King James the verse to 'faithfulness'. Would you agree that having 'faith' is quite different than being faithful in 'faithfulness'.

Another SLICK change is made by the New King James in 1 John 5:13 where the KJV reads correctly:

' These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.'

The NKJV changes that verse we have all memorized to read "that ye may continue to believe..." Would you say that is quite a difference?

Why did they change that verse?

Look at another MAJOR ERROR in the New James Version in 2 Corinthians 2:15..

For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

and in 1 Corinthians 1:18

'For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.'

While the KJV rightly says 'having BEEN saved', in context referring to the one time act of Justification that takes place when we trust Christ as Savior, the New King James changes the verse to read we 'are BEING saved'! These verses are clearly contrasting SAVED people and LOST people who are perishing! Wait a minute! The act of being JUSTIFIED is not a lifelong process, rather THIS salvation REFERRED to in 2 Corinthians 2:15 is an instantaneous act that occurs the moment we trust Christ as Savior! The New King James changes the verse from the KJV reading to this. Many church groups error when they teach little boys and girls that being saved is MORE than just walking the aisle and making a decision, rather we must live a holy life, and do this or do that during our lifetime! This is wrong. I was saved when I was 7 years old when I trusted Christ! Notice I said I WAS saved. I'm already God's child! I'm not being saved, I am saved now! Wouldn't that be awful to teach that to little boys and girls in Sunday School? Now while it is true that through the process of Progressive sanctification, I am becoming more and more like Jesus as the Holy Spirit helps me grow through the study of God's Word, that is not what this verse in 2 Corinthians 2:15 is talking about and it certainly doesn't give the NKJV translators the liberty to change the KJV reading and substitute the reading from the Egyptian altered text of Westcott/Hort!

Other verses in the NKJV that have been CHANGED to teach a works/Progressive salvation are:

Romans 3:3 'faithfulness' (NKJV) 'faith' (KJV)

Romans 11:30 'disobedient' (NKJV) 'not believed' (KJV)

Romans 11:32 'disobedient' (NKJV) 'unbelief' (KJV)

1 Corinthians 1:18 'are being saved' (NKJV) 'are saved' (KJV)

2 Corinthians 2:15 'are being saved' (NKJV) 'are saved' (KJV)

I don't need those changes, do you? Especially from a Bible that is advertised as a being from the 'text' behind the KJV!

In several verses the NKJV makes changes of RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE in getting ready, I believe, for the One World Religion spoken of in Revelation...The great ecumenical movement we see happening today as promoted by Promise keepers and Billy Graham and others in the ecumenical crowd. Notice in these changes in the NKJV how 'bad' reference to pagan and false religion and heresy is removed and a 'softer' word is substituted:

Acts 24:14 'sect' (NKJV) 'heresy' (KJV)

Acts 17:22 'very religious' (NKJV) 'too superstitious' (KJV)

148 times 'Nations' (NKJV) 'heathen' (KJV)

Acts 8:9 'astonished' (NKJV) 'bewitched' (KJV)

Acts 25:19 'religion' (NKJV) 'superstition' (KJV)

Titus 3:10 'reject a divisive man'(NKJV) 'an Heretic...reject'(KJV) Ouch! That 'divisive' man now would be the narrow minded Bible believing Baptist pastor who doesn't join the ecumenical crowd!

My friend, these are just two of many errors in the New King James Bible. Stay away from it. It is deceptively dangerous perhaps even more than the other new Bibles because people are led to believe it is still an authentic King James Bible based upon the King James only. It is not, and the NKJV preface even admits it! In the footnotes, the NKJV even gives you, the reader, the choice of over 774 'other readings' from the Egyptian texts! Isn't that nice to know your son or daughter in Sunday School now must be Greek and Hebrew Textual Scholars and 'make the choice' on their own of which 'reading' they prefer? Ridiculous. Stay away from the New King James Version.

Of these numerous and many changes to the KJV text in the New King James Version, many words of the words are 'harder' words. Why do you suppose that is? Let me tell you a little secret about the COPYRIGHT LAW....which states 'to be copyrightable, a derivative work must be different enough from the original to be regarded as a 'new work' or must contain a substantial amount of new material. Making minor changes or additions of little substance to a pre-existing work will not qualify the work as a 'new version' for copyright purposes." Therefore all new Bible versions MUST change those simple one or two syllable Anglo-saxon words to complex Latinized words. Consequently the KJV reads at the 5th grade level most of the time, while the NKJV reads at the 6th grade level. Because of the Copyright law, there will never be an easier to read Bible than the KJV. The KJV is the only Bible translation that doesn't have a copyright on it! The other new versions must make a certain amount of changes in the text or in the study notes before they can get a copyright and make the profit!

Another interesting point to make before closing this study concerns the NKJV logo which is on all NKJV Bibles. It is the interlocking arms symbol which if one looks back through history, this is the ancient symbol for the pagan trinity! Not the Christian Trinity! Use of number symbols (like this 666) can be traced back to Pythagoras (582 BC), initiate into the Egyptian Mysteries. The symbol was popularized again by satanist Aleister Crowley (circa 1900) for the Royal Arch (Lucifer) of the 3rd degree of the York Order of Masonry. The symbol's shape is duplicated as three initiates join arms and feet, while repeating the names of ancient the ancient pagan trinity! The NKJV' s interlocking symbol can be found on Satanic rock group albums like Led Zeppelin, as well as on New Age Bestsellers like The Aquarian Conspiracy.