A Study of the Bible (Part Three) - HISTORY OF THE PRESERVATION AND CORRUPTION OF THE WORD OF GOD

LESSON III. THE INCORRUPT WORD AND THE CORRUPT WORD (HISTORY OF THE PRESERVATION AND CORRUPTION OF THE WORD OF GOD)

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of
sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 2:17)

Anyone with the ability to read and a little spiritual sense can see two things from these two verses. The first thing is that the word of God is incorruptible. That one thing proves preservation of God’s words without need of help from any other verses at all. God’s word is incorruptible. Do you get that? The second thing is that people corrupt the word of God. So, obviously, there are two lines of Bibles (or the word of the Lord) from the beginning to now --- one that is incorruptible and the other that is corrupt. Now, we will trace the history of both lines as given in the word of God.

Preservation has already been explained and proven with scripture in Lesson I.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:12-15)



When Lucifer said, “I will be like the most High”, his intention is to imitate and replace God himself. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The Devil has a corrupt spirit (1 John 4:3). He has a kingdom (Matthew 12:26). Satan has a son (John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

God wrote one book:

“Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed
in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!” (Job 19:23-24)

The devil wrote another book:


“Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.” (Job 31:35)

“Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.”

The Incorrupt Word:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” (John 1:1-2)

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psalm 119:160)





The Corrupt Word:

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:1-6

1. Eve omitted the word “freely”.
2. Eve added to God’s word --- “neither shall ye touch it”.
3. Eve translated from “thou shalt surely die” to “lest ye die” [watered down the word of God].
4. The serpent blatantly denied and contradicted God’s word. (“Ye shall not surely die” instead of “thou shalt surely die”.)







The word of the LORD:

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” (Genesis 15:1-9)

Notice that when the word of the LORD came unto Abram, it came “in a vision” (Verse 1). Abram saw the word of the LORD. Then, when he answered, he addressed the word of the LORD as “Lord GOD” (Verse 2). Verse 4, again, says, “the word of the LORD came unto him”. In verse 6, the word of the LORD is called “the LORD”. Then, in verse 7, the word of the LORD said, “I am the LORD”.
Now, I realize that equating “the word of the LORD” with the “Lord GOD” himself may seem a little strange. But you must remember John 1:1 and the fact that Genesis 15 took place at a time when there was no written scripture.



Paul said something like this a couple of times:

1. “For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.” (Romans 9:17)

In Exodus 9:13-16, the LORD told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews (vs. 13), for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth” (vs. 16). Paul here just used the term “scripture” instead of God. Why would Paul do that?

2. “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:8)

The scripture foresees? The scripture preached the gospel unto Abraham? Galatians 3:8 is a reference to Genesis 22:18, where “the LORD” said, “in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”. Also, in this passage (Genesis 22:15-16), notice that the angel of the LORD is the LORD.

Again, these are both cases when there was no written scripture. Paul uses the word “scripture” both times when it was God that spoke.

Another case like this is Hebrews 4:12-13 where there is no creature that is not manifest in the sight of “the word of God”. And “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of the word of God, who is “him with whom we have to do”.




Now let’s get this down to an exact Biblical definition.

“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit,
to enquire of it;” (1 Chronicles 10:13)

Notice the definition in this verse ”against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD”. The word of the LORD is the LORD.

“And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD
came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:” (1 Kings 18:31)

According to this verse, the word of the LORD came to Jacob and said to him, “Israel shall be thy name”. This exact phrase “Israel shall be thy name” is what God said to Jacob in Genesis 35:10. This confirmed what the angel of the LORD said to Jacob in Genesis 32:28.

This all is why Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick” … “and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. The word of God is alive. Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”. The word of God is God.

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalms 33:4-6)

All the works of the word of the LORD are done in truth. All the host of the heavens were made by the breath of the mouth of the word of the LORD.

Is “the voice of the words of the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:1) the same “voice of the LORD God” that walked in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8)?

[1 Samuel 3:1, 7, 21; 1 Kings 13:9, 17, 18; 19:9; Psalm 33:4, 6; 56:4, 10; 103:20; Micah 1:1; Acts 6:7/12:24/19:20; Acts 13:48/ 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Hebrews 11:3; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 2:14; John 1:1, 14/ Revelation 19:13]

God Opened Her Eyes

“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.” (Genesis 21:12-20)



The Water Is Ours

“And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.” (Genesis 26:17-20)

[well of springing water  “But whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14) “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)]

" And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.” (Genesis 26:32)

Jacob Watered The Flock

“Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. And thither were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep. And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.” (Genesis 29:1-10)

He Sheweth His Word Unto Jacob

“He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments
unto Israel.” (Psalm 147:19)

[Jacob  James: equivalent names]

“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” (Genesis 32:24-30)

[Prince Jacob  Prince James (Epistle Dedicatory)]

Psalm 16:1 “Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.”

Psalm 16:6 “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 119 is 176 verses about the word of God. It is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is about God’s word. The chapter is split into sections of 8 verses each. 22 sections of 8 verses = 176 verses. Or 176 verses divided by 11 = 16. 1611 is the year that the King James Bible was translated. God put his mark of identity on his word.

Did God Ever Write Anything?

“¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” (Exodus 24:12)

“¶ And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” (Exodus 32:15-16)

“¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.” (Exodus 34:1)


“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.¶ And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” (Exodus 34:27-28)

“At that time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.” (Deuteronomy 10:1-5)

Balaam Corrupts God’s Word (Numbers 22)

In verse 8, Balaam claimed that he would deliver the “word” of God as he received it. Balaam received God’s word (verse 12) and then omitted two thirds of it (verse 13). Then, the LORD is taken out of his own word (verse 14).

By Craft (Joshua 9)

“And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy: And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.” (Joshua 9:3-15)

“made as if they had been ambassadors”  pretended to be “Christians”.

“all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy”  they can only provide ‘dry and mouldy’ Bible studies (instead of real edification).

“And they said, We are thy servants”  they claim to be serving the Christian people.
They lied about the bread, their wine, their garments and shoes, and where they came from.

The Christians who follow them take of their victuals without asking counsel of the LORD.