Discussion Notes on Revelation 22:19

Image: Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, December 2025.

From an X post:

Last week an RB pastor friend got in touch asking for info for a discussion that had come up on Revelation 22:19.

Here's a slightly edited version of my response:

Regarding your question about Rev 22:19 (assuming this has to do with the "book of life" [TR]/"tree of life" [Modern Critical Text] variant), here are a few preliminary comments: 1. The TR is NOT based on the modern reconstruction method but relies on providential preservation; "book of life" is the reading that prevailed in Protestant (and especially English) Bible translation tradition. 2. The TR often follows the majority text but this is a case where it prefers an extant minority reading. 3. The reading "book of life" is only lightly attested in extant Greek manuscripts, but witness to it is not non-existent. Hoskier pointed to ms 141 (now known as ms. 2049) as holding the reading. Schmid also suggests mss. 296, 1668, and 2136 as supportive of the TR in Rev. 22. 4. Revelation is notorious overall for having the least, latest, and most disjointed extant Greek witnesses. It is particularly difficult for those who rely on modern reconstruction. 5. One example of the difficulty: At Rev. 4:8 both major modern printed editions of the so-called Majority/Byzantine Text supply different readings, because no clear Majority text prevails. Farstad/Hodges has a nine-fold "holy" and Robinson/Pierpont a three-fold "holy" at Rev. 4:8.

6. The TR can hardly be attacked for preferring a lightly attested reading, since the modern critical text also frequently does the same. For example, at 2 Peter 3:10 the NA28 has a reading that is a conjecture supported by no extant Greek mss. The modern text has multiple verses that have sequential readings found in no extant Greek mss. See my article: "Verses with 'Zero-Support' in the Modern Critical Text of the Greek NT."

7. Examination of the internal evidence shows that both "book of life" and "tree of life" are used in Revelation. Some suggest a scribe might have altered 22:19 to read "tree of life" at an early stage in order to have the passage harmonize with "tree of life" in Rev. 22:2, 14.

8. There has been peculiar controversy over the last six verses of Revelation (22:16-21). Since the nineteenth century it has been frequently suggested that Erasmus "back-translated" these verses from a Latin source. I gave a lecture last year for the Reformation Bible Society challenging the reliability and veracity of this anecdote.

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9. It is interesting that the original printing of the KJV carried a note at Rev 22:19 (still printed in some Bibles) at the phrase "out of the book of life," which reads, "Or, from the tree of life." This indicates an openness to the possibility that "tree of life" is original, though the translators preferred "book of life." This type of distinction is sometimes (though rarely) made in KJV in recognition of variants by the old Protestant translators, but this is a far cry from the modern critical approach that jettisons large portions of the traditional text of Scripture (like Mark 16:9-20 or John 7:53--8:11) or suggests that the text is, in no way, stable.

--

This friend also shared some notes given to him by another pastor (who uses the NKJV) providing another internal argument in favor of the "book of life" reading:

"God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." •    Some of your translations may read “tree of life” here, but here we preach from the NKJV, which reads “Book of Life.” •    Now obviously we are not going to argue about certain manuscripts but we do indeed believe that the Lord has providentially preserved His Word and that it comes to us in what is called the Textus Receptus, or the Received Text •    But further than this, when we consider v. 19 in light of the flow and structure of the book of Revelation itself, the Book of Life makes deep and fitting sense •    When we hear of the Book of Life as it appears in this book, it is always associated with eternal judgment and salvation ◦    Revelation 3:5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels." ◦    Revelation 13:8: "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." ◦    Revelation 20:15: "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." •    To have one’s name removed from the Book of Life is to be shut out from eternal life and cast into judgment. •    The tree of life, on the other hand, is consistently portrayed as a reward for the righteous, never as something a false professor might lose. ◦    Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ◦    Revelation 22:2 “In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” ◦    Revelation 22:14 “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” ◦    In each of these three texts, the tree of life is promised to the righteous, to the overcomers, and to those who belong to God in the eternal state. ◦    It is never used in a context of loss, warning, or judgment. ◦    It is always reward-oriented, never spoken of as something that a false believer might have a “part” in and then lose. •    And so the language here—of someone’s “part” or “portion” being taken away—corresponds naturally with the idea of a name written in a book, not with fruit from a tree. •    So even at the level of the text itself, “Book of Life” accords with the solemn warning being given and underscores just how serious it is to tamper with the Word of God.

Revelation 22:19 "and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

JTR

WM 361: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 12 of 17: TESTIMONY of the CHURCH

 

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WM 360: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Parts 10-11 of 17: TRIUMPHS & TROPHIES

 

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The Vision (12.19.25): God meant it unto good

 

Image: December sunset, North Garden, Virginia, December 2025.

Note: Vision devotional article taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 50.

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive (Genesis 50:20).

When Joseph’s brothers fall on their faces before him, afraid he will take just vengeance upon them after the death of their father Jacob, Joseph makes this most amazing and insightful statement. Perhaps one of the most important and most meaningful and practical in all of Scripture. “Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.”

This is the way the Lord operates. He allows the evil actions of men. But he takes that evil, and, in his sovereignty, he makes it into good.

The Lord allowed Joseph’s brothers to strip him of his special coat, to cast him into a waterless hole in the ground, and then to sell him into slavery. They thought evil against him. But had this not happened Joseph never would have gone to Egypt, and he never would have risen to the top and saved many nations, including his own family, from starvation and annihilation during seven years of grievous famine.

The NT equivalent to Genesis 50:20 is Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Joseph only learned this lesson through prayerful retrospection and reflection. We also should meditate on Joseph’s statement. The Puritan John Flavel wrote, “Sometimes providences, like Hebrew letters, must be read backwards.” Look back over your life and consider those times when others thought evil against you. God permitted it, but he always had a gracious purpose. He meant it for his glory and for your good.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 358: GERHARD on the INTEGRITY of the HEBREW TEXT of OT: Not corrupted by JEWS

 

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WM 357: GERHARD on the TEXT of Holy Scripture & the SEPTUAGINT

 

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WM 356: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 8 of 17: MIRACLES

 

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The Vision (12.12.25): The scepter shall not depart from Judah

 

Image: Snow covered branches, North Garden, Virginia, December 2025.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 49.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from beneath his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be (Genesis 49:10).

In Genesis 49 Jacob offers a prophetic blessing upon his sons who will form the twelve tribes of Israel. The blessing on Judah (vv. 8-12) is a prophecy of Christ.

Judah’s name means “praise.” From him would come the kingly line. Jacob says he will be at the neck of his enemies (v. 8b). His father’s children will bow down before him, just as they had bowed to Joseph (v. 8b).

His sign is a lion (v. 9). The ancient Hebrews also knew this animal as king of the beasts, the most powerful and fearsome.

Then Jacob prophesies that the scepter of rule shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from his feet (from his line of descent), until Shiloh come. Some suggest the name “Shiloh” means the peacemaker or Saviour (M. Poole). One commentator called it a “cryptogram” meaning “Messiah” (MacArthur Study Bible).

From Judah would come King David, and his descendants would rule in one form or another all the way up to the time when Herod the Idumean (Edomite) was made the King of the Jews by the Romans. And who was born then? The Lord Jesus Christ, Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. In John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 5:5 one of the elders says to him, “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” But when John looks he sees “a Lamb as it had been slain” (v. 6).

Jacob says, “and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (v. 10b). This means all his elect people, Jew and Gentile.

In v. 11 it says he washed his garments in wine. This figure anticipates the shedding of his blood in his atoning death on the cross. We see this in Revelation 19 when John sees Christ as a victorious champion riding on a white horse in his second coming, “clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God” (v. 13).

In Genesis 49:12 it adds his eyes shall be red with wine. This does not mean bloodshot but that the pupil of his eye will be full and dark, a sign of extraordinary health and vigor. And his teeth white as milk, pure and strong.

This is the apex of Jacob’s prophetic blessing. It points us toward the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer! He came from the line of Judah through King David, in the fullness of time, born in Bethlehem.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 355: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 7 of 17: PROPHECIES

 

JTR

The Vision (12.5.25): Behold I die: but God shall be with you

 

Image: Snowy country lane. North Garden, Virginia. December 2025.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 48.

“And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers” (Genesis 48:21).

Genesis 48 describes how Jacob (Israel) on his sick bed blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. Paul said in Romans 15:4 that all the Scriptures were given for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of them might have hope. Here are three lessons from Genesis 48:

First, we learn from the model faith and piety of Jacob.

Though in the land of Egypt, he still trusted in the promises the LORD had made to him (48:4).

He acknowledged God had done more for him than he ever could have asked or imagined, He had not only seen Joseph again but also Joseph’s sons (v. 11).

He acknowledged that God had fed him “all my life long unto this day” (v. 15).

He desired to direct his son and even his grandsons to share in the covenant blessing which he and his fathers had known.

Second, we learn about the sovereign election of God.

Through Jacob, the Lord chose to bless Ephraim above Manasseh, even though Ephraim was the second born (vv. 14-20).

This recalls the teaching about election in Romans. In Romans 9:13, Paul writes, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” Likewise, in Romans 9:18 Paul said the Lord has mercy upon whom he wills, and whom he wills he hardens.

Those are examples of Biblical teaching on election to salvation, but there is also election to service, which may be more appropriate to Ephraim and Manasseh. God chooses whom he will among his saints to serve in various ways and to bless as he sees fit. Ours is not to wonder why, but to serve gladly wherever he places us with contentedness.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul noted that God chose him to plant churches and Apollos to water or nurture them, but it was God alone who gave the increase.

Ephraim had one role and Manasseh another, just as Paul had one role and Apollos another, just as each of us have our own roles of service as sovereignly chosen by God.

So let us rest in his wisdom and do our duty.

Finally, we learn about the Immanuel promise of God to his people, that He will be with us and with those who come behind us.

Jacob knew that he would soon die, but God would continue to be with his children (v. 21). As the prophet Isaiah puts it, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isa 40:8).

One generation passes away and another arises (Ecc 1:4). But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever (Heb 13:8). The one who lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day told his disciples before he ascended, “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:20).

Christ is always with us!

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 354: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Parts 5-6 of 17: AGREEMENT & PENMEN

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WM 353: John Owen (Biblical Theology) on the Septuagint

 

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WM 352: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 4 of 17: HOLINESS

 

JTR

Vision (11.28.25): Joseph: A Man of Virtue and Diligence

 

Image: Joseph sold into slavery by his brethren, floor tile, Gloucester Cathedral, England.

Note: Devotional based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 47.

“And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household…” (Genesis 47:12).

We are right to suggest that there are whispers (types) of the experience of Christ in the life of Joseph, though we would also admit that this connection is not explicitly drawn within the NT itself, unlike the connections that are made with other OT types (cf. Jonah as a type of Christ in Matt 12:40).

The historical Joseph of Genesis is not mentioned directly in the NT Gospels, although our Lord’s legal father, Joseph of Nazareth, the husband of Mary, was named after him, as was Joseph of Arimathea, the man who took Christ’s lifeless body down from the cross.

The historical Joseph of Genesis is mentioned in only two places in the NT: First, in Stephen’s speech before his martyrdom (cf. Acts 7:12-15), and second, in the “faith chapter” of Hebrews 11 (cf. Heb 11:21-22). In both of these, the main emphasis is on Joseph’s providential role in preserving his family and bringing them into Egypt. But there is also a focus in the sacred account in Genesis upon the piety and righteousness of Joseph.

We saw it when Joseph had to bring an “evil report” to Jacob about the sinful behavior of his brothers (37:2).

We saw it when with innocence and sincerity (with no guile or grandiosity) he reported his dreams of his family bowing before him (37:5-11).

We saw it when Moses said Joseph was a “prosperous man,” even when he was a slave in the house of Potiphar (39:2).

We saw it when he fled from the salacious advances of Potiphar’s wife (39:12) and when he refused to sin against man (Potiphar) in committing adultery, but most especially to sin against God (39:9b: “how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God”).

We saw it in his willingness to extend mercy and forgiveness to his brethren who had treated him so maliciously (45:5; 8a).

And we see it also in Genesis 47 as Joseph is presented to us as a man of virtue and diligence. We see this in at least three ways in Genesis 47. First, he nourishes his father and brethren (47:1-12); second, he faithfully serves Pharaoh the king, so that the people say, “Thou hast saved our lives” (47:25); and third, he honors his father, even as Jacob neared death (47:30).

The Bible is not a mere moralistic handbook. Its focus is on the glory of God, not the virtue of men, though it does provide us with virtuous models to follow. Joseph is one such model.

The apostle Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). And here in Genesis, Joseph is saying to us: Follow me, as I also followed Christ.

As we have opportunity: Let us nourish our brethren. Let us faithfully serve those who are over us in the Lord. And let us honor father and mother, that our days may be long upon the land which the Lord our God giveth us.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 351: Book Interview with Joseph Weissman: Carpzov's A Defense of the Hebrew Bible

 

JTR

Five Misrepresentations of the Confessional Text position by Mark Ward in "The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology" in The Authority of the Septuagint:

From X:

Five Misrepresentations of the Confessional Text position by Mark Ward in "The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology" in The Authority of the Septuagint:

1. MW once again claims that we are "fraternal twins" to IFB KJVO (p. 169). We have repeatedly stated that KJVO is completely incompatible with WCF/2LBCF 1:8 and is a position we repudiate. To say we are *only* "fraternal twins" to KJVO is, in fact, a deceptive and pusillanimous obfuscation.

2. MW reviews only three of our four plenary lecturers in the 2024 RBS conference, completely overlooking Christian McShaffrey's lecture on Apologetics. Co-editor Ross was at the conference and should have noticed this oversight. MW apparently made this omission because McShaffrey does not hold a PhD degree. This, however, is not a standard for participation in the RBS or holding to the CB position. McShaffrey is an established OPC pastor, the stated clerk of his presbytery, a member of the executive committee (& secretary) of the RBS, and a respected writer and spokesman for the Confessional Text position. MW, however, imposes his own arbitrary standard (he only reviews speakers who hold the PhD, p. 170), and so inexplicably omits consideration one of the four plenary speakers for the conference he was reviewing.

3. MW claims that our 2024 conference on the LXX represented a distinct shift or turn in emphasis for CB by focusing on the OT, though we have from the beginning had a whole Bible (OT and NT) emphasis and concern. The assertion that this is a new emphasis of CB is simply wrong.

4. MW states that CB holds that there are singular extant “perfect manuscript copies” of the Bible (p. 178). This is never an argument we have made, but MW continues to repeat this charge. He provides no citations to demonstrate that this is our view, because no such citations exist.

5. MW makes no serious reference to or any interaction with perhaps the key emphasis of the CB movement. We are contending for retrieval of the classic Protestant position regarding the text of Scripture, held by men like Owen and Turretin, including the rejection of the LXX's use to "correct" the Hebrew text (what Berntson calls in his article in this book the "older view" of the Protestant orthodox).

JTR

WM 349: KEACH on the DIVIINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 3 of 17: DIVINITY in MAJESTY

 

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WM 348: On what basis can we say authoritatively that the TR is THE Confessional Text?

 

JTR

The Vision (11.21.25): And God spake unto Israel

 

Image: Autumn evening skies, North Garden, Virginia, November 2025.

Note: Devotion based on last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 46.

“And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I” (Genesis 46:2).

Genesis 45 presented a great climax in the life of Joseph, as he finally made himself known to his brothers and was reconciled with them.

The story does not, however, end there. Genesis 46 follows with the account of how Joseph’s father Jacob [Israel] made his journey to Egypt.

God had been at work providentially to preserve the line of Abraham, and in bringing Jacob [Israel] and his household to Egypt, God is further working out his providential plan. That plan will include hardship for this elect nation, as they will be placed in bondage in Egypt. Yet it will also include God’s mighty work of deliverance in the Exodus under Moses.

Jacob did not know all that was ahead. He simply listened and obeyed the command of God.

As we look back at the opening verses to this chapter (46:1-7), we can see how Jacob and his household might stand as figures for every believer and for all the people of God, his church, collectively.

Jacob was called to leave his homeland and go to Egypt. We too have been summoned to answer the call of God upon our lives. We have been called to leave all behind and follow Christ wherever he leads (Luke 9:23).

Jacob worshipped God (see v. 1 “and [Jacob] and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.”). We are called to give worship, to offer spiritual sacrifices, the fruit of our lips, to the one true God of the Bible.

God has spoken to us in this age, not in visions, but by his Word written (v. 2: “And God spake unto Israel…”). We are to receive his Word and take it into our lives.

He gives us his perfect love which casts out fear (v. 3: “fear not…”).

He gives us his promises that we will be a great nation, the spiritual seed of Abraham (v. 3: “for I will make of thee a great nation”).

He promises to go with us into every circumstance and to bring us out again, to be all our comfort and hope in life and death (v. 4: “I will do down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again…).

Moses records Jacob’s response to this call: “And Jacob rose up…” (v. 5). He took with him “all he had” (v. 1) and followed. This included “all his seed” (vv. 6, 7). He entrusted not only himself but all his family to the Lord.

May we learn from men like Jacob in Holy Scripture how we are to obey when the Lord calls upon us.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 350: Reflections on a 1-STAR REVIEW of The Authority of the Septuagint

 

Notes from this episode:

Dr. Greg Lanier made an x post back on Nov. 2, 2025, just a few days after his co-edited book (with William Ross) titled The Authority of the Septuagint was officially released at the end of October. In this post, Lanier was bemoaning the fact that the first amazon review posted for the book was a 1-star evaluation by a reviewer complaining about the book’s misrepresentation of the Confessional Bibliology (CB) position. Lanier despaired, “At this rate we'll be at negative infinity stars before long.”

The 1-star reviewer had focused on a footnote in the opening pages of the book’s introduction as an illustration of how the CB position was misrepresented in the Lanier/Ross book. The reviewer pointed out that in this opening footnote the editors lump in the CB position with writers and works with whom actual CB advocates have no association. Furthermore, the editors also failed in this footnote to offer any citations of actual works from CB advocates. Rather than offering a fair and objective presentation of the CB position, the footnote seems to offer a dismissive “guilt by association” smear.

Indeed, there is only one chapter in the Lanier/Ross book that is not either a positive presentation of scholarly research or a positive advocacy presentation concerning usage of the LXX (for the latter see Roman Catholic scholar James B. Prothro’s article “A Roman Catholic Approach”).  That one out-of-place chapter is the excursus by Mark Ward on “The Septuagint and Confessional Bibliology.” Far from being a sympathetic advocate of the CB position (as Prothro is for the RCC position) Ward has been a persistent and termagant critic of CB who has often misrepresented our position (including by repeatedly suggesting we hold to KJVO or are “cousins” to KJVO—though this is a position we have repudiated). On a recent podcast Lanier defended the decision to invite Ward rather than an actual advocate of the CB position to contribute to the book, because, he suggested, no one holding to the CB position was capable of writing an academic essay presenting the CB viewpoint with sufficient scholarly rigor.

What Lanier might not have picked up on relating to the 1-star review was the irony which was likely intended by the reviewer. Here is some of the background to this story that Lainer might have missed:

Back in 2022 the 1-star reviewer and I co-edited a book titled Why I Preach from the Received Text. This book consists of 25 short articles written by various confessionally Reformed church officers (Presbyterian, Baptist, and Independent) who have advocated for retrieval of the traditional Protestant text of Holy Scripture in the life of confessional churches.

In the Introduction to Why I Preach from the Received Text, we (the editors) made plain that though all the contributors had great respect for the King James Version and the overwhelming majority of us (though not all) made nearly exclusive use of it in our public ministries, we were not advocating a KJVO position. In fact, we wrote the following in that introduction:

The reader should not, however, be confused about this book’s primary focus. Critics of the traditional text, in fact, often confuse our position, whether intentionally or unintentionally, with “King James Version-Onlyism,” a position which is inconsistent with WCF and 2LBCF 1:8. We did not ask our authors to address, “Why I Preach from the King James Version,” but “Why I Preach from the Received Text.” The primary purpose of this book is a defense of the traditional original Hebrew and Greek text of the Bible (p. 17).

Our book was officially released on Friday, July 22, 2022. Just 48 hours later and although he had no advance copy of the book, on July 24, 2022, Mark Ward posted a caustic review of this 276-page book to his personal blog and “plastered” it to several other online sites including amazon and goodreads, where he also gave it a very low review rating.

Ward’s review consisted of over 3,700 words, meaning it was much longer than any of the 25 individual chapters in our book, which were limited to c. 2,500 words each. In Ward’s review the term “KJV” appears 93 times. Based on Ward’s review one might think that the primary purpose of Why I Preach from the Received Text was to promote the readability of the KJV, rather than retrieval of the traditional Protestant text of Holy Scripture. The bulk of the “review” came under a section titled “KJV Readability” and included 8 subpoints each of which has the words “KJV” or “KJV Readability” in its title. There was even more. Ward intentionally misrepresented and demonized one of our authors such that it created problems for him in his church and presbytery.

Ward ended his “review” with these words, “…I cannot recommend this book, and I am dismayed that the tiny Confessional Bibliology movement has gathered enough strength to publish it. I pray that its days will be few.”

Perhaps Lanier and Ross were unaware of the animus that Ward had expressed against the CB position. Maybe this will help them understand why we were dismayed and disappointed when they accepted Ward’s gracious “offer” to contribute this excursus on CB to their book. It came from a man who has literally prayed an imprecatory prayer that the days of the CB movement would be few. Thankfully, the Lord has not been pleased to answer the petitioner’s prayer in the way that he hoped.

Sadly, Ward’s article in the book continues the misrepresentation of our position. He once again makes the claim that the CB position is the “fraternal twin” of KJVO. Here are just a few of the other problems with Ward’s review of 2024 Reformation Bible Society Conference in his excursus: He chooses only to review three of our four plenary lecturers in our conference and then critiques our conference for not covering the topic (apologetics) addressed in the plenary lecture which he omitted to review. He claims that our 2024 conference on the LXX represented a distinct shift or turn in emphasis for CB by focusing on the OT, though we have from the beginning had a whole Bible (OT and NT) emphasis and concern (see the quote shared above from our 2022 book). He states that CB holds that there are singular extant  “perfect manuscript copies” of the Bible. We do not.

The sad thing is that when Myrto Theocharous offers her synthesis of our position in the book she does not actually interact with our position but with Mark Ward’s distortion of it. In reality we are simply contending for the retrieval of what Levi Berntson calls in his article “the old view” of the Protestant orthodox fathers. Sadly one will not encounter this in Ward’s review but only a straw man of our position.

Finally, let me encourage Dr. Lanier. The first review was 1-star but I’m sure this will eventually level out. After Ward posted his low review of our book, the next dozen or so were 5-star reviews and readers have continued to find it useful. Perhaps the same will happen with their book.

JTR

WM 347: KEACH on the DIVINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 2 of 17: ANTIQUITY

 

JTR

WM 346: Book Interview: Peter Van Kleeck, Jr., The 30 Best Arguments Against KJVO* (*Answered)

 

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WM 344: KEACH on the DIVIINE AUTHORITY of the Holy Scriptures: Part 1 of 17: CONTENTS

 

JTR

Lectures on the Nicene Creed & Confessing the Faith @ Westminster Baptist Church, London (11.8.25)

 

 

These are my three lectures at the conference. All conference messages can be found here.

JTR

WM 345: Book Interview: Fraser Jones, Meet the Puritans, Second Edition

JTR

The Vision (10.31.25): How shall we clear ourselves?

 

Image: Fall path, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025.

Note: Devotion taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 44.

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants (Genesis 44:16a).

Genesis 44 continues the ongoing record of how the Lord worked out reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.

Here are at least two things we might consider in this chapter as practical applications:

First, we might consider that reconciliation, both vertical and horizontal, often takes a slow and circuitous route.

It might stretch over a long time, even over many years, before all things are resolved.

Are there men with whom we need to be reconciled, especially ones who share with us a like precious faith in Christ?

How might the Lord be working even now to overcome sinful resentments, hurts, and ill feelings to bring about a glorious reconciliation?

Might we join in praying and even working toward such ends?

Second, we can meditate on what I have called the “evangelical” statements shot through this chapter.

Consider v. 4: “Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?”

Has God done good to you and you have answered with evil?

Has some fellow man, or fellow believer, done good to us, and we have answered with evil?

If we have been confronted with some unresolved and festering sin in our lives, might we answer with the realization that Judah did when he said in v. 16: “What shall we say…?” “What shall we speak?” And especially, “how shall we clear ourselves?”

Have we thought, as did Joseph’s brothers, that we could hide or harbor in our hearts sinful thoughts and deeds which God did not know about? Joseph’s brothers did.

This is a theme that appears in several Psalms.

In Psalm 10:11 we read that the wicked man “said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”

Likewise in Psalm 94:7 it says that the “workers of iniquity” (v. 4) say, “the LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.”

Would we confess as Judah does in v. 16, “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants.”?

A.W. Pink said of this passage, “There could be no communion of heart until full confession of guilt had been made. And this is the goal God has in view” (Gleanings in Genesis, 404).

Once we come to such a realization will we then say to the Lord Jesus Christ as Judah did to Joseph in v. 18: “Oh my Lord… let not thine anger burn against thy servant.”?

The man whose conscience has been awakened to his own sinful life and his own guilty conscience apart from Christ realizes that he cannot clear himself. His only hope is to look to Christ and live.

We hear evangelical echoes of that theme even in this OT account of Joseph. May the Lord use and apply these words to us, by the power if his Spirit, even today.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle

WM 343: Book Interview: John Hooper, It is Written: A Believer's Guide to the Doctrine of Scripture

 

Find book info (including ordering info) here.

JTR

WM 342: "SHOCKING" Analysis: Lanier, "Grumpy Protestants," and the Authority of the LXX

 

JTR

The Vision (10.24.25): And God Almighty give you mercy

 

Image: Fall Morning Scene, North Garden, Virginia, October 2025

Note: Devotional taken from last Sunday's sermon on Genesis 43.

And God Almighty give you mercy… (Genesis 43:14).

Perhaps the greatest theme in the record of Joseph (Genesis chapters 37—50) is providence, but a key subtheme is reconciliation, both vertical (men with their God) and, especially, horizontal (among men).

Four straight chapters are devoted to this theme in its account of Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers (Genesis 42-43-44-45), and it even reappears in the final chapter, as the brothers fear Joseph’s retribution when their father dies (see 50:20).

Genesis 42 ended with a cliffhanger. There is a terrible famine. Simeon is being held hostage. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin to Egypt.

Genesis 43 continues and advances the record of holy history relaying how Jacob/Israel finally relented in the face of terrible famine to send his precious son Benjamin with his remaining sons to Egypt. He did so with a prayer for them, “And God Almighty [El Shaddai] give you mercy before the man….” (43:14a).

Israel continues in v. 14b, offering up his resignation to the circumstances: “If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” Sometimes men today say, “It’s going to be what it’s going to be.” This sounds like the Doris Day song “Whatever will be, will be” from the classic Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. It’s hard to discern whether this is a sentiment which Moses commends as a godly response or whether it is a sign of Jacob’s spiritual weakness. No matter, all things are indeed in the Lord’s hands.

Maybe some hearing this today may think they are in a similar situation. If so, we are called to offer up our circumstances to the just judgements of an all-wise God and pray for his mercy for all involved.

God heard Israel’s prayer. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph welcomed them to his home (43:17). His steward washed their feet (43:24). And Joseph spread a table and “set on bread” for them (43:31-32).

Joseph might be seen again as a type for Christ. We can reasonably see in Joseph’s gracious reception of his brothers what the Lord does for every believer. He meets our prayer for mercy with mercy. He welcomes us into his household, ministers to us, and spreads a table before us.

May God Almighty give us mercy.

Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff Riddle