Is The Bible Really Complete?

Is The Bible Really Complete?

by Jeffrey L Girling

I’m going to be saying something here, that perhaps 97% of Christians, if not more, will disagree with me about, but I must do what I must do, because truth is truth, and a false doctrine is a false doctrine, even if 97% of Christians are preaching and teaching it, especially if there isn’t one Bible scripture supporting that false doctrine.

Below is something I wrote on a religious forum once to Christians on that forum, who called me all sorts of names, because they couldn’t answer the question I asked them, and they still haven’t to this day, and I have also asked this question to many Pastors and countless Christians since 1969. (Over 40 years) Here’s what I said to all of them. That they condemned me for starting now.

Quoting myself from those forums.

I want to ask a question to all Christians, which I have asked on Christian forums before, yet no Christian has ever been able to answer this question. (Not to me anyway) Perhaps it has been answered somewhere else.

But First I want to set the stage for the question, by sharing other questions I asked first to set the stage for my bottom line question, so all Christians know where I'm coming from when I ask the question. So here are those questions.

When I have asked Christians if they believe in God? Their answer: Absolutely! When I asked Christians if they believe the Bible is the inspired word of God? Most of their replies are: Absolutely! When I asked Christians if they believe in miracles and spiritual healings today? Most will answer: Absolutely!

When I asked Christians if they believe God speaks through men today? Most reply: Absolutely! Then I ask them if they believe God is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Their reply: Absolutely

Then I ask them if they believe God can do anything today, that he did way back in biblical times.? Most Christians will answer: Absolutely! But now I ask Christians on this forum one loaded question, and I'm being fair by saying it's loaded. (But this is not the final question I'm speaking of.) There will still be one more to follow. But first the loaded question.

Loaded Question: Do any Christians here believe God still writes or inspires written scripture today? I'm interested in your answers. Know that I have been thrown off Christian forums for asking this, yet I'm a Christian who believes in God and the Bible as much as any of them do, and I also love the church.

Why do I ask this question? See my remarks below the scripture I'm giving, which I want to get properly interpreted, because it's the only scripture the church has given to me for 40 years, and I don't believe for one second it should be applied to the whole Bible. I'll comment why below scripture.

Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Now my comments: Notice in verse 18 above, that John is referring to the prophecy of this book. So which book of prophecy did John mean? It's so plain that he meant the prophetic book he was writing, because Revelation is a prophetic book, and the only book he had in his hands when he wrote that.

There are also references in the book of Revelation using the same phrase “book of prophecy” and they always get applied to the book of Revelation itself by scholars and the church, and so should the same phrase “book of prophecy” in Rev 22:18,19 be applied to the book of Revelation itself, and not the whole Bible.

That's made clear when he wrote "This Book" or the book he was holding in his hand, or in singular form meaning one book, and the Bible isn’t a single book. The Bible is a compilation of 66 books.(KJV)John just simply meant “ Don't change what's written here.”

Consider Deut. 4:2 below with similar words, because if we interpret that verse in Deut. 4:2 the same way many Christians interpret Revelation 22:18,19, then we would have to throw out the whole Bible written after Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that

Now here comes my question that no Christian has answered me in 40 years, and they threw me off a Christian forum for asking it.

Question: Where is it written in the Bible that God's Word was complete with Revelation?

Revelation 22:18,19 just doesn't work for me, because it can't be applied to the whole Bible, which is actually a collection of books, and John said: “This book”!

Also! The Bible Canon wasn't even compiled yet when John wrote the book of Revelation, because the Bible Canon was compiled a couple centuries after John wrote that, so there wasn't even a Bible yet, as we know it today, when John wrote Revelation, so how could Rev. 22:18,19 be applied to the whole Bible, when the Bible wasn’t even compiled yet, and they also had many other Christian writings in existence when John wrote Revelation, that weren’t included in with the Bible canon a few centuries later..

So what do many Christians base their conclusions on, when they preach the Bible is the only word of God, or that the Bible was completed with Revelation?

I love the church, but I love God's word too. (All of it)

Also consider the last verse from the Gospel John, where John said that he supposes the world itself could not hold the books, if all Jesus done was written,yet many Christians believe it's all wrapped up in 66 books. Why? Where's chapter and verse to support that doctrine. Because I haven't found it in 40 years reading the Bible.

John 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

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Now we’ll look at some Bible scripture that actually contradicts the teaching that the Bible was complete with the book of Revelation, because it actually prophesies that God will still be giving revelations in end times until the sun turns to darkness, so has anyone seen the sun turn to darkness yet?

Notice in the prophecy in Joel below, that this prophecy will continue until the sun turns to darkness in verse 31. God said he was going to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, and men shall see visions and dreams, and women shall prophesy, and this will continue until the sun turns to darkness.

Another question to Christians: If people in end times are seeing visions and dreams from the Spirit of God, and if women are prophesying, then wouldn’t what they prophesy be considered the Word of God?

Peter quoted the text from Joel below in Acts 2:16,17 as pertaining to the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, but it only started with the day of Pentecost, then continued through the book of Revelation, and will still continue until the sun turns to darkness, so I see Joel 2;28-32 as a contradiction to the doctrine teaching that the God’s Word was wrapped up with the book of Revelation, and to think that there isn’t one Bible scripture to support that God wrapped up his word with the book of Revelation, so why do Christians preach and teach that he did?

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

I believe Christians preach the Bible is complete with Revelation, because of their comfort zone, because Christians aren’t comfortable with anything written apart from the Bible, especially the Qur’an or the Book of Mormon. So they pretend the Bible is God’s completed Word, so they can justify debunking other books.

No! I don't believe either the Qur'an or Book of Mormon are inspired and for good reasons, but I believe there are some other books that are completely separate form the Qur'an and Book of Mormon that could be inspired.

I also will agree with Christians about one thing, that is, if the Bible is God’s Word, then if another book contradicts God’s Word in the Bible, then what’s written in the other book can’t be God’s Word, because God won’t contradict himself.

But it should also be pointed out, that the 66 books of the KJV of the Bible were actually canonized from a library of many other Christian writings, and it’s possible in my thinking that some of those other books in that library could have also been inspired.

I realize there were some forgeries in that library, but if we reject every book from that library because there were some forgeries in that library, then we would have to reject the Bible itself, because the 66 books in the Bible came from the same library.

I remember one day when I brought the book titled “Lost Books of the Bible” to a Christian coffee house where Christians assembled, because I wanted to share these other Christian writings with the Christians there.

A couple books in the ‘Lost Books of the Bible” were actually written by Peter and Paul themselves, and one was a partial gospel written by Peter, like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, so it appears as though Peter also wrote a gospel book like they did, and I wanted to share that with the Christians there.

But it all ended in disaster, when they started yelling at me, and treating me like I was some sort of evil person trying to deceive them, when I was just trying to share some Christian history with them, so it ended up with me being ushered out the door, because I dared to bring some truth to them.

No! I don’t believe all the books in the “Lost Books of the Bible” were inspired, nor all of those other books from the same library of books, that the Bible itself sprang from, especially when there were obvious forgeries in that library of books, but I believe each individual book from that library has to be considered on its own merit regardless of what the other books may or may not be.

Bottom Line: There’s absolutely no biblical foundation to say that God’s Word was complete with Revelation, or that God has stopped speaking to his people or the world, or that he can’t write holy and inspired scripture today, and Joel 2:28-32 prophesied the Spirit of God would be giving revelations until the sun turns to darkness, and that the Holy Spirit will also prophesy threw women until the sun turns to darkness.

So what shall I believe? The popular false teaching in the church, that can’t be supported with any Bible scripture, or should I believe Joel 2:28-32?