APPALLING TIDBIT’S FROM THE (DAV) TRANSLATION

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

February 18, 2007

 

 

 I don’t know about you, but one of my pet annoyances is having our dinner interrupted by someone either trying to sell me something or wanting me to participate in a survey. Although I don’t give them a hard time, I do manage to get rid of the caller very quickly. Actually I feel sorry for the person because I believe he or she has a miserable job. I wouldn’t want to have to make my living the way those folks do.

 

 You can imagine my surprise when it dawned on me recently that I had been conducting an informal survey of my own for a couple of years now. However, mine was unique because no one had ever refused to take part. I assure you their willingness had nothing to do with my power of persuasion, because none of them even had a clue they were participants. 

 

 A few weeks ago the thought occurred to me to go public. After explaining I was doing some Bible research for my sermon’s, I asked folks to do me a favor and read several consecutive Bible verses and then answer one simple question. I explained that parts of what they read would be difficult to understand, but that I knew the answer to my question would be “a piece of cake” for them to come up with. So much so, that I had already written their answer on a sheet of paper in a sealed envelope I was holding in my hand. Sure enough, every one of them came up with the same answer I had written on that piece of paper.

 

 Would you believe I was having so much fun that I decided to conduct another survey? Well I did. The participants in this survey would be divided into two groups. On separate occasions, folks in the first group (A) would be asked one question about the Bible, and then to provide a couple of Bible verses to justify their answer. I told them I had already written their answer on a sheet of paper, and placed it in the sealed envelope I was holding in my hand. Guess what? Every one of them did.

 

 Folks in the second group (B) were given those Bible verses the people in the first group (A) came up with as their answer to my question, and I asked these folks one simple question about those verses. I also told them the answer they would come up with was already written on a piece of paper inside the sealed envelope I was holding in my hand.

 

 Now I’d like to share my results with you folks. The question I asked the people in the first group (A) was:  “Is it OK to change what is written in the Bible such as adding to or taking away from what God has inspired men to write in it? Every one of the folks in that first group (A) said no. Then they went on to cite a couple of Bible verses to justify their answer, which were the two verses which I had already written on that piece of paper and placed in the sealed envelope. Let’s take a look at them.

 

Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV) ¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

 That’s it for the first group of people. Next I told the second group of folks (B) the Bible says we shouldn’t change what is written in it, such as adding to or taking away something from it. Then I asked them to read verses 18 & 19 from Revelation 22, and tell me if they thought those verses made my point. Every one of them answered with an emphatic no, just as I expected them to.

 

 At this point you folks ought to know I had cherry-picked the participants in both groups. I had reason to believe the folks in the first group (A) were fairly well versed in Bible prophecy while those in the second group (B) weren’t. Nevertheless, it was the folks in the second group; the ones who weren’t all that knowledgeable that answered correctly. Allow me to show you what those folks in the first group had done. Words with a line through them are the actual Biblical words. Those words that have been bracketed and highlighted are taken from the new (DAV) Translation. (When I read I will be omitting those words with a strikethrough and replace them with those that are bracketed and highlited.)

 

Revelation 22:18-19 (ESV) ¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book [the Bible]: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, [the Bible] ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,[the Bible] God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book[the Bible].

 It’s the prophecy contained in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to His servant John that these passages are referring to. They are not speaking about the entire sixty six different books which make up the Bible. I had a strong hunch those folks who are familiar with Bible prophecy would cite these verses. Some also cited Proverbs 30:6 and Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32 which do make the point, but over the years it’s been my observation that the Revelation verses are the first preference of people very interested in Bible prophecy.

 Now I would like to return to my first survey, the one I had been secretly conducting for a couple of years and then did an informal survey where I asked folks to read certain passages of Scripture and then answer one simple question which I assured them would be “a piece of cake.” When they got back to me I asked them if they were absolutely certain of their answer and they said yes. Sure enough, they acknowledged they didn’t understand everything they had read, but were adamant with their answer to my question. 

 Would you believe every single one of the folks who were not all that familiar with Bible prophecy answered correctly while the ones who were knowledgeable didn’t, just as I thought they would. What’s even more  remarkable is that in order to come up with the incorrect answer, decent folks whom I love and respect, Christian’s who cherish the authority and inerrancy of the Bible had automatically and unconsciously added to and taken away some the words of the Bible. In doing so, they changed the meaning of what God had said. Now let’s take a look at some powerful prophetic passages that were written by the Apostle’s Peter and Paul, and spoken by our Lord Himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

2 Peter 3:10-12 (ESV) ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

Matthew 24:29 (ESV) ²⁹ "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 I don’t know about you, but it sure seems as though these passages are speaking about the end of the world. That’s certainly the conclusion most of today’s evangelical Christians have arrived at. But this poses a problem. And that is exactly what I addressed in my first survey with those folks who weren’t all that knowledgeable about Biblical prophecy. I asked them to read the first 35 verses in Matthew 24 and let me know what they thought the bottom line was concerning what the disciples Christ was speaking to were going to experience. In so many words, every one of my survey participants said the disciples Christ was speaking to were going to experience real difficult times some time in their future but that they could depend on Christ to sustain them.

 

 I had also asked those same folks to read the first three verses in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation, and tell me what they thought the bottom line was concerning the man who stood up to read the prophecy, and the men who were about to hear it read to them, and all those men who kept what they were about to hear? Again, in so many words, my survey participants all said those men would be blessed and that the time was near.

 

 As I said earlier; I don’t think that perhaps most of today’s evangelical Christians would agree with the conclusion my survey participants came up with. To the best of my knowledge, the Scriptures we are about to look at, more or less, expresses the current popular view. (Once again I will ignore the words with the strikethrough and replace them with the bracketed highlighted words.

 

 2 Peter 3:1-14 (ESV) ¹ This is now the second letter that I am writing to you [about those 21^st Century Christians who are My], beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your [their] sincere mind by way of reminder, ² that you [those 21^st Century Christians] should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. ⁴ They will say [to them], "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." ⁵ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

⁷ But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. ⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, [21^st Century followers of Christ] that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you [21^st Century Christians], not wishing that any [of you] should perish, but that all [of you] should reach repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. ¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you [21^st Century Christians]to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!

¹³ But according to his promise we [the 21^st Century Christians] are [will be] waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. ¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, [21^st Century Christians, when you read this and] since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Matthew 24:1-31 (ESV) ¹ Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." ³ As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?["the end of the world?] ⁴ And Jesus answered them, "[Those future Christians must] see that no one leads you [them] astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many [of those future Christians] astray. ⁶ And you [they] will hear of wars and rumors of wars. [They must] See that you [they] are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.

⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. ⁹ "Then they will deliver you [those future Christians] up to tribulation and put you [them] to death, and you [they] will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

¹⁵ "So when you [those future Christians living in Jerusalem] see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those [Christians] who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ [They should] pray that your [their] flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, [those 21^st Century Christians] 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not [any of them future Christians] believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you [will tell them] beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, [those Christians] 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do [they should] not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do [they should] not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

²⁹ "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³² "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you [those 21^st Century Christians will] know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you [they] see all these things, you [they will] know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this [distant] generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 The other three verses I asked those folks to read

Revelation 1:3 (DAV) ³ Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy [in the 21^st Century], and blessed are those who hear [it at that time], and who [in the 21^st Century] keep what is written in it, for the time is near [for you folks who are living in the 21^st Century].

 Now if these are the truths the Holy Spirit wanted to communicate to those first Christians through all the passages we have just looked at in Matthew, I Thessalonians, 1 Peter and Revelation; why do you suppose He just didn’t say it the way the (DAV) does? Isn’t this translation a whole lot easier for you and me to understand? Do you appreciate its clarity?

 Conduct your own survey sometime. I’ll bet you a year’s supply of “Twinkies” to a dollar bill that your results will be the same as mine. Folks not all that familiar with Bible prophecy will always conclude that those words in the Bible mean what they say, period. And if the truth be known, everyone without exception and regardless of their current persuasion, arrived at the same conclusion when they first read these passages. To come up with what I have been illustrating this morning, someone had to previously invent it just as I did with the DAV Translation, which in case you have been wondering stands for the Devil’s Amplified Version. I hope I none of you folks have deceived yourself into believing such a bizarre interpretation.

In case you’re wondering when all this celestial activity is going to happen and the world come to an end; Lord willing, in a couple of weeks…..

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