FOLLOWERS OR IMITATORS?

“No man was ever great by imitation.” —Samuel Johnson

There is a difference in meaning between the words “follow” and “imitate.” The King James Bible defines “follow” as coming after something, or someone. Examples of this are found in Matthew 16 and Luke 9.

Matthew 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

You will not find the word “imitate” in the King James Bible. Why? Because the word “imitate,” by its definition in the dictionary, allows for the possibility of counterfeiting (not necessarily financially). However, you WILL find “imitate” in the modern perversions of the Bible; “imitate” replaces “follow” in the following scriptures: 1 Corinthians 4:16, 2 Thessalonians 3:9, Hebrews 6:12, 13:7, and 3 John 11. Remember the claim of modern bible version editors: They are only replacing “difficult” and “archaic” words! Is “follow” an archaic word?! (We will look at the NIV’s rendering of the aforementioned scriptures, since it is the top-selling “bible” today.)

1. In 1 Corinthians 4:16, Paul beseeched the Corinthian believers to follow him (to come after his example). In the NIV, Paul “urges” them to “imitate” him. Does he want the Corinthians to mock him or be counterfeits? With “imitate,” anything is possible!

1 Corinthians 4:16, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”

1 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV), “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.”

2. In 2 Thessalonians 3:9, Paul exhorts the Thessalonian believers to follow his ensample in the matters of labor, shunning idleness and ill company. In the NIV, Paul is merely a “model for [them] to imitate.”

2 Thessalonians 3:9, “Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.”

2 Thessalonians 3:9 (NIV), “We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.”

3. In Hebrews 6:12, the Hebrew believers are exhorted not to be slothful, but to follow them who inherit the promises of God by faith and patience. In the NIV, the Hebrews are told to be imitators of the heirs of the promises. Again, what could possibly go wrong?

Hebrews 6:12, “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

Hebrews 6:12 (NIV), “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

4. In Hebrews 13:7, the Hebrew believers are exhorted to follow the faith of those who spake the word of God unto them. In the NIV, they are called to “imitate” this faith. Is this why we see so many imitation “Christians” today?

Hebrews 13:7, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.”

Hebrews 13:7 (NIV), “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

5. I saved the best for last. In 3 John 11, the beloved are commanded to follow that which is good, not evil. In the NIV, they are commanded to IMITATE that which is good.

3 John 11, “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”

3 John 11 (NIV), “Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”

The problem with the NIV’s rendering is that it seems to encourage professing Christians to be Pharisees, who had outward righteousness, but were inwardly unclean, according to Jesus.

Matthew 23:25-28, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

Also, recall that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and one of his “I will’s” in Isaiah 14 was to “be like [imitate!] the most High.” Not only does Satan transform himself, his ministers transform themselves into the ministers of righteousness!

Isaiah 14:12-14, “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.”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

If you are a born again believer in Christ who wants to follow Christ, be a follower, not an imitator! A follower of Christ is allowed to retain their individuality; an imitator is merely a copycat. What is it going to be?

JESUS CHRIST IS ETERNAL LIFE!

John 11:25-26, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

In John 11, Jesus tells Martha that he is the resurrection and the life, that whosoever believes on him will never die. The death Jesus refers to is spiritual: whosoever believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour will never perish in the fires of hell, though they die physically. They have everlasting life.

John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

There are some false teachers in the world who deny, or have denied, the Biblical doctrine of eternal security, such as Phil Kidd, Dan Corner, John Wesley, Jacob Arminius, and others. To deny eternal security is to deny God’s free gift of salvation! We just read from Jesus himself that his sheep shall NEVER perish!

According to the scriptures of the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ IS eternal life. If you have not eternal life, you have not Jesus Christ!

1 John 1:1-3, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

We read in 1 John 1:1-3 that the Word of life was with the Father and was manifested unto his people. This is also taught in John 1.

John 1:1-18, “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. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

Going back to 1 John 1:2, we find that ETERNAL LIFE was manifested unto the people. Eternal life is the Lord Jesus Christ himself; he is the Word of God.

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Revelation 19:13, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God.”

Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Jesus is the Lamb of God.

Genesis 22:8, “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

John 1:29-36, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”

According to 1 John 5:20, Jesus Christ IS the true God, and eternal life. If you have not eternal life, you have not Jesus Christ! If salvation can be lost, then Jesus Christ is not your Saviour, and you have made God a liar!

1 John 5:4-13, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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.”

1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

THERE IS ONLY ONE…

1. There is only one God, yet he exists in three Persons.
2. There is only one gospel: the death of Jesus Christ for our sins, his burial, and bodily resurrection three days later.
3. There is only one plan of salvation.
4. There is only one Christ: it is Jesus.
5. There is only one Trinity. Any others are counterfeits!
6. There is only one begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.
7. There is only one body of Christ, made up of many members.
8. There is only one true faith: Biblical Christianity.
9. There is only one way to heaven, by believing on Jesus Christ as one’s Saviour.

If there is only one of each of the things listed above, why then do ignorant Christians insist that it matters not which Bible one uses, likes, studies, or reads? Surely if there is more than one Bible for English-speakers, God would be inconsistent! And how much more, given the fact that all modern “bibles” say different things! (They have to, to obtain a copyright for money!) However, wise Christians know God IS consistent, and therefore there is only ONE Bible for today’s English-speaking people: it is the King James Bible! All modern “bibles” are counterfeits!

1 Corinthians 1:10, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

PASSOVER OR EASTER?

Acts 12:4, “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”

This is one of the verses that critics of the King James Bible like to use when arguing that the King James Bible is not the perfect word of God. Their argument is that “Easter” should have been translated as “Passover.” Is this true? In order to find the answer, we must cross-reference scripture with scripture.

First, let us look at the scripture in context.

Acts 12:1-4, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”

We see in verse 3 that Peter was apprehended by king Herod BEFORE the days of unleavened bread, which means that the Passover was already over. The scriptures tell us in several places that the Passover precedes the days of unleavened bread.

Exodus 12:13-20, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.”

The matter is simplified in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28.

Leviticus 23:5-6, “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’s passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.”

Numbers 28:16-17, “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the LORD. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.”

Deuteronomy 16:1-8, “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to place his name there. Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life. And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee: But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt. And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.”

So in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, we are told the same thing: the Passover is first, and then are the days of unleavened bread. These scriptures corroborate each other, and they corroborate the scriptures of Acts 12:1-4. Now, let us see what the NIV says.

Acts 12:3-4 (1984 NIV), “When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.”

So, according to the NIV, Herod arrested Peter during the days of unleavened bread and intended to bring him to the people after the Passover. In other words: Herod was going to hold Peter for another year until his trial. What sense does that make? This is just one proof that the so-called “scholars” (pseudo-scholars, really) failed to rightly divide the word of truth. Such are certainly not approved of God, and are trusted only by the simple-minded, undiscerning, lazy Christians. Study!

2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”