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ARE THE APOCRYPHAL BOOKS INSPIRED SCRIPTURE?
Many Christians know that the Book of Revelation is also called the Apocalypse of John which is a transliteration of the Greek word “Apokalupsis” which means to uncover or to REVEAL. And thus, the English title of the last book of the Bible is the REVELATION of Jesus Christ. There is another Greek word that means HIDDEN and that Greek root word is “Apokruptein” which is where the English word “Apocrypha” comes from. The Greek word “Apokruphos” means to hide something away or to be hidden. So then, the simplest meaning of the term “apocryphal books” is books that were hidden away.
The Roman Catholic Church was the so-called authority that was instrumental in the decision making of what books are INSPIRED Scripture and the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church decided that the 7 books that are NOT in most Protestant Bibles should be viewed as inspired Scripture. And that is WHY the Roman Catholic Bible has 46 books in the Old Testament and the Protestant Bible has 39 books in the Old Testament.
So how can we know for SURE who is right and who is wrong? Are the apocryphal books INSPIRED by Almighty God? Or were they written by men who were NOT inspired BY Almighty God to write those 7 books?
Well, how do we know for SURE that the Book of Mormon is NOT inspired by Almighty God? We closely examine it to see if there are any CONTRADICTIONS in the book itself and also see if the book contradicts ANY other verses in the Bible that ALL Christian church denominations AGREE are indeed INSPIRED by Almighty God. In other words, if ANY of the apocryphal books contradict their self. Or if they contradict any verse in the other books of the Bible that ALL Christians church denominations AGREE that they are INDEED INSPIRED by Almighty God then we can know for SURE that the apocryphal books were NOT INSPIRED by Almighty God. And thus, they do NOT belong in the canon of the Holy Bible. The word canon simply means to measure. So how we measure whether or not a book belongs in the Bible is whether or not those books are INSPIRED by God or NOT inspired by God.
And the only SURE way to know if a book is inspired by God is to TEST the book to see if it has ANY CONTRADICTIONS or not. For you see, we all agree that God does NOT contradict himself. And, therefore, if a book that is CLAIMED to be inspired by God contradicts itself or any verse in the Bible then we can know with absolute certainty that it is NOT inspired by God and it is NOT SCRIPTURE. So now let us answer the question, “Are the apocryphal books INSPIRED Scripture?”
Please read 2 Timothy 3:10-17 which is right after the Apostle Paul tells Timothy about false brethren that were traitors to the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ who had persecuted Paul in Antioch. This ties into the beginning of the structuring of the Roman Catholic Church which I will explain further on in this study.
2 Timothy 3:10-17.
“ But you (Timothy) have fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13. But evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14. But you (Timothy) continue in the things which you have learned and have been ASSURED OF, knowing of whom you have learned them;
15. And THAT (Speaking of what Timothy was ASSURED OF as being the TRUTH) from a child you hast known the HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make you wise unto SALVATION through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16. ALL SCRIPTURE is given BY INSPIRATION OF God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
So then, any book, letter, or writing of any kind that is NOT INSPIRED by Almighty God the Father is NOT OF God. And, therefore, it is NOT SCRIPTURE! And if it is NOT Scripture that is indeed inspired by God then it does NOT belong IN the Bible. Before believers in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ were called Christians, they were called the WAY because they believed and taught the Jesus is the only WAY that leads to eternal life. This church of Antioch came to be after God turned to the Gentiles with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please read Acts 11:15-27.
“And as I (Speaking of Peter preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles for the very FIRST time) began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.
16. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.
17. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18. When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. (So then this group of believers was the FIRST Gentile believers who believed that Jesus is the only WAY that leads to eternal life. And in the next verse we see that these Gentile believers were scattered by persecution and they fled to Antioch and other places)
19. Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
20. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they had come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
21. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
22. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. (So the all Jewish church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to the Grecian Gentile church at Antioch to exhort them and to see how they were doing)
23. Who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with the purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
24. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
25. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
26. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. (So now, both Paul and Barnabas are at the Gentile church in Antioch where they stayed for a whole year to teach the Gentile believers to become disciples of Jesus Christ) And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught many people. And the disciples were called Christians FIRST in Antioch.
27. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.”
So why is this important to point out? It is because the Greeks were both philosophers and they were prone to GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE like the ROMANS. This was when the church built by Jesus Christ began to move away from the Apostles at Jerusalem being overseers of the church and other SELF-APPOINTED men exalted themselves to be overseers of the church.
You see, the Apocrypha books made canon at the council of Trent that did not take place until the 16th century a little over 1,500 years after the resurrection of Jesus.
Here is a list of the Apocryphal books, 7 of which the Roman Catholic Church then approved to be a part of the canon of Scripture. By each apocryphal book that the Roman Catholic Church has NOT found to be INSPIRED by God, I will have the words NOT approved by the Roman Catholic Church. And the fact that the Roman Catholic Church did NOT approve ALL the apocryphal books demands the question of WHY did the Roman Catholic Church NOT approve ALL of the apocryphal books? Here is the list of all the apocryphal books that I am aware of. I think that there are MORE than just two books of Maccabees.
1st Esdras --- NOT approved by the Roman Catholic Church.
2nd Esdras --- NOT approved by the Roman Catholic Church.
Tobit
Judith
The rest of the book of Esther (added to the book of Esther)
The Wisdom of Solomon
Ecclesiasticus
Baruch (added to the Book of Jeremiah)
The Song of the Three Children
The History of Suzzanna (attached to the Book of Daniel)
Bel and the Dragon (added to the Book of Daniel)
The Prayer of Manasses --- NOT approved by the Roman Catholic Church.
1 Maccabees
2 Maccabees
The Bible also mentions the book of Enoch and the book of Jashur which are also consided not part of the canon of Scripture. But for now we are focusing ony on the apocryphal books that are approved as caono of Scripture by the Roman Catholic Church. So then, the Roman Catholic Church decided that 3 of the 10 Apocryphal books were NOT INSPIRED by God but decided to approve by unanimous vote at the council of Trent that 7 of the 10 apocryphal books were to be ADDED to the canon of Scripture. The Roman Catholic Bible also has some questionable additions to the ends of the Old Testament books of Esther, Jeremiah, and Daniel which you can see in the list above.
So now, to all my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, ask yourself the question, WHY does the Roman Catholic Church defend so strongly the adding of these Apocryphal books to the Bible? Is it because they have strong sound Biblical evidence that they are inspired by God? Or is it because there are some verses in these Apocryphal books that lend support to some of the Roman Catholic Church doctrines that Protestant churches do NOT have?
Now, I myself would have to say that the Roman Catholic Church NEEDS these apocryphal books to support their doctrines of praying to the dead, offering sacrifices for the dead, and the doctrine of purgatory. And WITHOUT these apocryphal books the Roman Catholic Church would have absolutely NO support for their doctrines of purgatory, praying for the dead and offering sacrifices for the dead.
Did you know that one of the main issues that the protestors had with the Roman Catholic Church during the time of the reformation was the PAYING of indulgences for the release of the souls of loved ones who were supposedly in purgatory suffering in flames of fire for their sins? And WITHOUT those apocryphal books in the Roman Catholic Bible, then the Roman Catholic Church would have NO verse of so-called Scripture to support them being PAID to free a soul from purgatory if the PRICE was right. Please read the study “IS THE DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY BIBLICAL?” But for now, I want to show you how 2 Maccabees 12:45 CONTRADICTS what the Bible itself teaches us.
2 Maccabees 12:45.
“...Wherefore he made propitiation for them that had died that they might be released from their sin.”
Now, compare that from what the Bible ITSELF teaches us.
Hebrews 7:25-28.
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.
26. For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27. Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this, he did ONCE, when he offered up himself.
28. For the law makes men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated forevermore.”
That means when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and said “It is FINISHED” then that means that JESUS was the LAST SACRIFICE that is ever to be offered to Almighty God for the PROPITIATION of sins. The ONCE and for all time ONE sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross is ETERNAL.
Please read Hebrews 9:12.
“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in ONCE into the holy place, having obtained ETERNAL redemption for us.”
The Bible itself also teaches us that after a person dies then comes the JUDGMENT.
Please read Hebrews 9:27,28.
“And as it is appointed unto men ONCE to die, but after this the JUDGMENT:
28. So Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
So the judgment for ONLY those of us who die WITHOUT ANY sin will not come until the day that Jesus returns. And the final Day of Judgment for everyone who dies while living in a lifestyle of unrepented SIN is not until after the 1000 year reign of Jesus has ended. And on that final Day of Judgment for those who have died WHILE living in a lifestyle of unrepented sin will be cast alive into the lake of fire to be destroyed. So then, the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees CONTRADICTS what the Bible ITSELF teaches. And, therefore, the book of 2 Maccabees is NOT INSPIRED by Almighty God. And thus, the book of 2 Maccabees does NOT belong in the Bible.
The Roman Catholic Church also teaches that Roman Catholics can PAY MONEY for the priest to offer the “sacrifice” of the Mass and other types of prayers to relieve the suffering in the flames of fire in purgatory where Roman Catholicsare supposedly sent in order to pay for their OWN sins by SUFFERING in the fire of purgatory. And the only verse of so-called Scripture they have to support such heresy is the apocryphal book of Tobit.
Tobit 12:9.
“Alms doth deliver from death and it (Speaking of the alms of paying of money) shall purge away all sin.”
But yet the Bible ITSELF teaches us that salvation is the FREE GIFT of God.
Isaiah 55:1-3.
“Ho, everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has NO MONEY; come you, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? (Only Jesus is the true bread who has the teaching that will lead to eternal life in the world to come) and your labor for that which satisfies not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
3. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.”
And it was the shed blood of Jesus that established the everlasting New Covenant written in the NEW TESTAMENT which are the only words we need to follow and obey in order to receive eternal life in the world to come. The DOCTRINES of the church that Jesus built are ALL taught in the New Testament under the New Covenant.
Now, again, the number ONE reason for WHY NONE of the apocryphal books belong in the Bible is that they CONTRADICT what the Bible ITSELF teaches.
And reason number two for why the apocryphal books are NOT INSPIRED Scriptures is because God’s chosen people the Jews did NOT consider those books to be Scripture.
The historian Josephus wrote this. The emphasis is mine.
“We (Speaking of the Jews) do not have 10,000 books among us disagreeing with and contradicting one another BUT ONLY 22 books which contain the records of all time and are justly believed to be divine.”
Now, why do the Jews have 22 books and the Protestant Bibles have 39 books in the Old Testament Scriptures? Well, it is because the Jews COMBINED books together and they consider them to be one book. Here is what I mean by this.
The Jews counted the TWELVE books of the Minor Prophets as ONE book. So now we have 22 plus 11 books of the Minor Prophets which make 33 books.
The Jews also combined 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel into ONE book which brings the total to 34 books.
They also combined 1 Kings and 2 Kings as ONE book which makes 35 books.
The Jews also counted 1 Chronicles and 2 Chronicles as being ONE book. So now we have 36 books
The Jews combine Judges and Ruth as ONE book to bring the total to 37 books.
The Jews also combined Esther and Nehemiah as ONE book to make 38 books.
And finally, the Jews combined Jeremiah to Lamentation into one book to bring the total number of books that God’s chosen people, the Jews, held as being divinely inspired by God. So then the Jews have the exact same number of books as Protestant Christians have in a Protestant Bible. And thus, the Jews did NOT consider the apocryphal books as being INSPIRED by Almighty God. And, therefore, the Apocryphal books are NOT Scripture so they do NOT belong in the Bible.
Also, the Babylonian Talmud states the following.
“After the latter prophets departed Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi the Holy Spirit departed from Israel.”
The THIRD reason for why the apocryphal books should NOT be in the Bible is because Jesus and none of the Apostles of Jesus ever referred to or quoted from any apocryphal book. In fact, Jesus HIMSELF VERIFIES that there are only 39 books in the Old Testament Scriptures. Please consider the words of Jesus in Luke 24:44,45 where Jesus divides the Old Testament into THREE parts in the same way as the Jews who we have already learned has 39 books in their canon of Scripture when you separate the books that they combined together.
Luke 24:44,45.
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, (Speaking of the prophecies written in the Old Testament) while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the SCRIPTURES,”
There are the FIVE books of Moses, THIRTEEN books of the prophets, and FOUR books of the psalms which total to 22 books that the chosen people, the Jews, held as being SCRIPTURE and which Jesus himself CONFIRMS. And, again, when we separate the combine books of the Jewish Scripture we find that there are 39 books that make up the ENTIRE Old Testament Scriptures. In other words, Jesus and the Apostles quoted from the SCRIPTURES but yet there is not one quote written in the New Testament that is taken from any of the Apocryphal books because they are NOT Scripture. They are NOT divinely inspired.
And the FOURTH reason for WHY the apocryphal books should NOT be in the Bible is that they ALSO contradict THEMSELVES. First of all, none of the apocryphal books make the claim that they are inspired. In other words, they do not have any “Thus says that Lord” statements in them. And secondly, any book that is TRULY INSPIRED by Almighty God will NOT contradict ITSELF. In fact, you can read in the prologue of the book of Ecclesiasticus as stating that without a doubt PROVES that it is NOT inspired by Almighty God. Here is what is says. The emphasis is mine.
“Ye are INTENDED to read with favor and attention, and PARDON us if, in any part of what WE have labored to INTERPRET, we have FAILED in some of the phrases.”
Does that sound like INFALLIBLE divinely inspired Scripture to you? NO! It sounds like the work of MEN who HOPE that they have not ERRED in what they wrote.
In truth, the apocryphal books have MANY errors in them. They have historical errors. They have geographical errors. They have errors in the order of events. And most importantly they have MORAL errors that CONTRADICT what the Bible ITSELF teaches. So let us gets started to point out a few of these many errors made in the UNINSPIRED apocryphal books that are so vehemently defended by the Roman Catholic Church to keep those blasphemous books in their Bible.
Here are some examples of historical errors in the apocryphal books.
Tobit 1:4.
“When I was in my own country, in the land of Israel, while I was still young, the whole tribe of my ancestry Naphtali deserted the house of David and Jerusalem…”
Here we see Tobit saying that he was ALIVE at this time and that he was a YOUNG man when the kingdom of Israel divided. But later in Tobit 1:10, he CONTRADICTS himself by saying that he was taken into captivity in Assyria.
Tobit 1:10.
“After I was carried away captive to Assyria and came as a captive to Ninevah everyone of my kindred and my people ate the food of the Gentiles.”
But history teaches that these two different events were separated by more than 200 years. And that was 53 years LONGER that Tobit lived, assuming IF he was even was a real historical person who actually lived.
And the book of Judith has the king Nebuchadnezzar ruling in Nineveh over Assyria which is historically inaccurate.
Judith 1:1.
“It was in the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over Assyria in the great city Nineveh. In those days Arphaxad ruled over the Medes in Ecbatana.”
2 Maccabees 1:13-16 CONTRADICTS 2 Maccabees 9:19-29. I will only quote a little so you can see that a single man cannot die in two DIFFERENT ways.
2 Maccabees 1.
“...they were cut to pieces in the temple of Nanea...”
2 Maccabees 9.
“And being taken with a noisome sickness....ended his life among the mountains by a most hideous fate in a strange land.”
Some of the doctrinal errors are obviously prayers being made of the dead and the PAYING of money for the sins of the dead to be taken away. Again, please read the study “IS THE DOCTRINE OF PURGATORY BIBLICAL?” And also read “IS PRAYING TO THE DEAD SAINTS BIBLICAL?”
Also, the apocryphal book the Wisdom of Solomon 8:1,12 wrongly teaches that the souls of all human beings PRE-EXIST in a PREVIOUS life. And every Christian knows full well that the Bible ITSELF does NOT teach REINCARNATION. Please read the study “IS REINCARNATION BIBLICAL?”
And the apocryphal book Tobit 5:13-19 teaches that angels can have FAMILIES but Jesus HIMSELF says in Mark 12:25 that the angels are NOT given in MARRIAGE.
Here are some of the MORAL errors that TOTALLY go against what the Bible ITSELF teaches. The apocryphal book of Maccabees wrongly teaches that SUICIDE is a NOBLE act. See 2 Maccabees 13:41-43.
The book of Tobit 6:1-7 speaks of magical potions that are capable of driving away evils spirits which is a SIN according to Revelation 9:21 and also in the Old Testament as well. Such things are considered to be WITCHCRAFT in the Scriptures. So clearly the apocryphal books are NOT inspired Scripture as the Roman Catholic Church CLAIMS.
And MURDER is accepted and even commended and said to be OF God in the apocryphal book of Judith 9:2-9. And we know that NO murderer will receive eternal life in the world to come.
The TRUTH of the whole matter is that the Roman Catholic Church MIXED some of the beliefs of the pagan into Christianity by creating doctrines of praying to the dead saints which replace some of the pagan false gods. The Roman Catholic Church added the doctrine of purgatory and the prayers for the dead without having any Scriptural authority. So they NEEDED to find some writing by the Jews that they could use to lend at least some support for those Roman Catholic MAN-MADE church doctrines. So in the council of Trent in 1545 to 1563 AD the Roman Catholic Church made 7 of the 10 apocryphal books to be apart of the ALREADY official canon of Scripture. To say this another way, the Roman Catholic Church ALREADY had an official canon of Scripture and then in the 16th century, they ADDED the 7 apocryphal books which we have clearly seen are NOT INSPIRED Scripture. For you see, no inspired Scripture will ever CONTRADICT other inspired Scripture.
So I implore all Roman Catholics to come out of the false religion of Roman Catholicism that the Roman Catholic Church wrongly teaches. Please read all the studies under the heading >>>WHAT EVERY CATHOLIC MUST KNOW!<<<
And I also implore every other Christian who has a Bible that has the apocryphal books in that Bible to NOT read those apocryphal books as being INSPIRED SCRIPTURE. And if you read the apocryphal books at all then read them to find even more contradictions that will prove even more so that those apocryphal books should NOT be in ANY Bible.
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING!
And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
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Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading ** C-0 The TRUE FOUNDATION of the Church! **
This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
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