All the great minds in the world, all the cult leaders, all the theologians and elevated but morally bankrupt deity will tell you that the Bible says one thing but means another. How strange. I would have thought that God would say what he means! He doesn't strike me as a being that would mince words and we know that his son was very brief and to the point.
It says in the Bible not to add to or take away from it (God's word). The wording is very simple and to the point. There are only 12,143 different English words in the King James Bible. There are 900,000 words and counting in the English language! To this slightly educated individual, that tells me that the Bible was written for all to read and understand! Sure, we need preachers and evangelists who study the word to impart their knowledge and understanding of it; what we don't need are men and women who think they know it all and then add their own beliefs into the mix and twist God's word to manipulate the masses. In today's society, there are approximately 22 different religions whose numbers of members are over 500 thousand. Christianity is the largest (2.1 billion) - of that 38,000 different Christian religions exist.
Yes, I am affiliated with a particular Christian denomination - I've been affiliated with many over the years - searching for a particular group of individuals who are a bible based, believing, God-fearing and worshiping collection of souls who are not phony. I have bounced from church to church in search of that one "denomination" that follows the bible word for word and does not edit out the hard stuff to meet the changing times.
In my own studies, I use the King James Study Bible. It is a bit difficult to read, however; it is the one with the fewest errors in translation (yes, I said that) - God's word is perfect, it's man's word (or failure to accurately translate it) that is imperfect.
In these posts, I generally use the NIV (New International Version) translation, because it is easier for beginners to understand. I have several different texts that show me the differences in the two translations and what has been added in or taken out so I generally will either post the King James version of that particular verse or use a different one.
In any translation, the verse today is telling us one thing: "Watch your back". There are those alive and well living in the world today that would do anything to convince you that their way is the right way and their philosophy and beliefs are the true way to heaven. The ONLY way to heaven is through Jesus, and his way is the way of the cross. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to get there - just a sinner who believes he's been forgiven and that his debt has been paid! This is one instance where you would want to throw the baby out with the bath water! Pay attention to the word of God, not the translation of man!
