How Sharp Is your Sword?

I have been talking with a friend of mine over the different translations of the Bible. Because of our discussions, I began researching this topic. I pulled up e-sword and did a parallel study. I read different verses in several different versions, and started to compare the differences. I spent a lot of time researching and began to wonder, are we missing out on some things?

I have learned a lot about the sword I have been carrying. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." And then goes on to say Eph 6:17 " And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (KJV)

For graduation in 1995, I was given a Life Application Study Bible, NIV...I had no idea how much it had been changed from the King James Bible I had grown up studying. What is the harm in changing the Bible? God answered that when He said: Rev 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.”

Please note that these are only WHOLE verses that the NIV deletes. This list does not include the many words and phrases that were completely deleted from the NIV--it deletes over 64,000 words including words like mercyseat, Jehovah, and Godhead, Calvary, Lucifer, new testament, regeneration, etc.

The following WHOLE verses have been removed in the NIV--whether in the text or footnotes...over 40 IN ALL!!!

Matthew 12:47 -- removed in the footnotes

Matthew 17:21 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." (Did we forget
how to count, or are we supposed to not even notice it goes from verse 20 to
verse 22?)

Matthew 18:11 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost." (HOW CAN YOU
DELETE A VERSE LIKE THIS???)

Matthew 21:44 -- removed in the footnotes

Matthew 23:14 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows'
houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the
greater damnation."

Mark 7:16 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

Mark 9:44 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mark 9:46 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Mark 11:26 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven
forgive your trespasses."

Mark 15:28 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the
transgressors."

Mark 16:9-20 (all 12 verses) -- There is a line separating the last 12
verses of Mark from the main text. Right under the line it says: [The two
most reliable early manuscripts do not have Mark 16:9-20] (NIV, 1978 Ed.)
Luke 17:36 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

Luke 22:44 -- removed in the footnotes

Luke 22:43 -- removed in the footnotes

Luke 23:17 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)"
John 5:4 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the
water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had."

John 7:53-8:11 -- removed in the footnotes

Acts 8:37 -- COMPLETELY removed.What are NIV readers missing? "And Philip
said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Acts 15:34 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still."

Acts 24:7 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him
away out of our hands,"

Acts 28:29 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great
reasoning among themselves."

Romans 16:24 -- COMPLETELY removed. What are NIV readers missing?
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

I John 5:7 -- Vitally important phrase COMPLETELY removed. In the NIV it says, "For there are three that testify:" What are NIV readers missing? What does the real Bible say? "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." This is one of the GREATEST verses testifying of the trinity. Why does the NIV leave it out? Whole books have been written on the manuscript evidence that supports inclusion of this verse in the Bible. Do you believe in the trinity of God? If so, then this deletion should offend you. People are playing around with the Bible and it is not funny.

If I have stepped on your toes today, I am sorry, it was not meant to be as such, I have walked around the last 11 years with the NIV Bible as well, and had no idea what I was missing out on. Yeah, maybe the KJV is a little hard to read sometimes, but if we study it and learn it, then we are doing battle with a sharpened sword. Would we send our soldiers in to battle with no ammo? Of course not. So how can we stand in battle every day for the Lord with a dull blade, a sword with no handle, or even worse, no sword at all?