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What Is King James ‘Onlyism’?

The phrase ‘King James Onlyism’ describes the heartfelt conviction of multitudes of Bible-believing Christians. Those who believe that God has preserved his words in English where anyone on the face of the earth can find them and read them maintain that the King James Version—the Authorized Version—is where they are preserved.

Published

15 years ago

February 1, 2011

Geoffrey Grider

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The King James Bible

The phrase “King James Onlyism” describes the heartfelt conviction of multitudes of Bible-believing Christians. Those who believe that God has preserved his words in English where anyone on the face of the earth can find them and read them maintain that the King James Version—the Authorized Version—is where they are preserved. But this phrase also serves as a scornful epithet. Those who believe that God has not preserved his words in English where anyone on the face of the earth can find them and read them maintain that somewhere spread among two hundred different modern English translations is where they might be found, but that one must know Greek and Hebrew or have the help of scholars to know where they are and what they say.

King James Onlyism

There are two ways in which advocates of modern Bible versions use the term “King James Onlyism” as a term of derision: guilt by association and appealing to the King James translators. The first way is by associating the origin of or belief in the “King James Only” position with persons that some Christians consider to be unscholarly, out of the mainstream, or unorthodox. The second way is by saying that since the King James translators were not “King James Only,” then it obviously is not a position that a Christian should take.

It is a little late to use the guilt by association argument, given that the Authorized Version was the only version read for three centuries. And no Bible-believing Christian who knows anything about English Bible history teaches that the King James translators were “King James Only.” What, then, is the origin of “King James Onlyism”? Was it invented by some over-zealous modern defender of the Authorized Version? Hardly, for the origin goes back, not to the beginning of the “King James Only” movement in the twentieth century, but four hundred years earlier to King James (1566- 1625) himself.

Here you will find classic Christian books, commentaries and study guides to help you defend the King James Bible against the perverted modern versions.

To begin with, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth (reigned 1558-1603) there was a “Draft for an Act of Parliament for a New Version of the Bible” that begins: “An act for the reducinge of diversities of Bibles now extant in the Englishe tongue to one setled vulgar translated from the original.” Queen Elizabeth died in 1603 and King James VI of Scotland was crowned King James I of England. It was soon after, at the Hampton Court Conference in January of 1604, that the idea for the Authorized Version was born. On the second day of the conference, the Puritan, Dr. John Rainolds (1549-1607), proposed that a new translation of the Bible be undertaken. According to the “official” account by William Barlow (d. 1613), the dean of Chester, who was at the conference: “After that he [Rainolds] moved his majesty that there might be a new translation of the Bible, because those which were allowed in the reign of king Henry the Eight and Edward the Sixt were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the original.” The king then “wished that some special paines should be taken in that behalf for one uniform translation, (professing that he could never yet see a Bible well translated in English, but the worst of all his majesty thought the Geneva to be,) and this to be done by the best learned in both the universities; after them to be reviewed by the bishops, and the chief learned of the church; from them to be presented to the privy councel; and lastly, to be ratified by his royal authority. And so this whole church to be bound unto it, and none other.”

Tobie Matthew (1546-1628), the bishop of Durham, wrote a letter while he was in attendance at the Hampton Court Conference to the archbishop of York in which he says that the Puritans insisted on “one only translation of the Bible to be authentical, and read in the church.” In a letter written by the king’s Scottish chaplain, Patrick Galloway (1551-1626), who was also at the Hampton Court Conference, to the presbytery of Edinburgh, written less than a month after the conference, there appears “A note of such things as shall be reformed.” Paragraph two, under the heading “OF DOCTRINE,” reads: “That a translation be made of the whole Bible, as consonant as can be to the original Hebrew and Greek; and this to be set out and printed without any marginal notes, and only to be used in all churches of England in time of divine service.”

In one of the four anonymous accounts of the Hampton Court Conference, supposedly favoring the Puritans, there is mention of the incident when Dr. Rainolds suggested the idea of a new translation to the king: “Secondly, amongst those things which concern purity of doctrine, he wished that the translation might be reformed, and one to stand as warranted for all. . . . Then the King freely gave assent that there should be one translation of the Bible consonant to the original Greek and Hebrew and set forth without note, for that some of them enforce a sense further than the text will bear.” In “A Note of Such Things as Shall be Reformed in the Church,” written soon after the Hampton Court Conference (and thought to be written by the bishop of London, Richard Bancroft [1544-1610]), fifteen items are listed. Number ten concerns the proposed new Bible: “One uniform translation of the Bible to be made, and only to be used in all the churches of England.”

Then, in a list of principal matters to be considered, which was also drawn up soon after the conference, the fourth reads: “That care be taken, that one uniform translation of the Bible be printed, and read in the church: and that without any notes.” After the Authorized Version was published in 1611, there were some things written by the translators that relate to the origin of “King James Onlyism.” In the “Epistle Dedicatorie” to the Authorized Version, the translators recounted the king’s actions at the Hampton Court Conference:

There are infinite arguments of this right Christian and Religious affection in Your MAIESTIE; but none is more forcible to declare it to others, then the vehement and perpetuated desire of the accomplishing and publishing of this Worke, which now with all humilitie we present unto Your MAIESTIE. For when Your Highnesse had once out of deepe judgment apprehended, how convenient it was, That, out of the Originall sacred tongues, together with comparing of the labours, both in our owne and other forreigne Languages, of many worthy men who went before us, there should be one more exact Translation of the holy Scriptures into the English tongue.

In the translators’ preface (“The Translators to the Reader”) they also stated:

Truly (good Christian Reader) we never thought from the beginning, that we should need to make a new Translation, nor yet to make of a bad one a good one, (for then the imputation of Sixtus had bin true in some sort, that our people had bene fed with gall of Dragons in stead of wine, with whey in stead of milke:) but to make a good one better, or out of many good ones, one principal good one, not justly to be excepted against, that hath bene our endeavour, that our marke.

After the publication of the Authorized Version, we can see references to it in the visitation articles issued by the bishops and others in the Church of England exercising ecclesiastical jurisdiction during the early Stuart Church. These references specify that it is the Authorized Version that is to be placed in the churches. The earliest such reference appears to be that found in the visitation articles of John King (1559-1621), who was bishop of London from 1611 to 1621. King refers in his 1612 visitation articles to “a large bible of the last edition.” Similar language can be found in many other sets of visitation articles, including the 1614 articles of Henry Cotton (d. 1615), bishop of Salisbury (“a bible of the largest volume, and last translation”), the 1619 articles of John Overall (1559-1619), bishop of Norwich (“the whole bible of the largest volume, and of the last translation”), the 1622 articles of William Laud (1573-1645), bishop of St. David’s (“the whole bible of the largest volume and latest edition”), and the 1622 articles of the aforementioned translator of the Authorized Version, Miles Smith, bishop of Gloucester (“the whole bible in English, of the largest volume and new translation lately set forth by his maiesties authoritie”). We continue to see the same thing after the death of King James in 1625; for example, the 1628 articles of John Howson (1557-1632), bishop of Oxford (“a bible of the largest volume and latest edition”), the 1635 articles of Matthew Wren (1585-1667), bishop of Hereford (“the whole bible in the largest volume of the last translation”), and the 1637 and 1640 articles of Robert Skinner (1590-1670), bishop of Bristol (“the bible of the new translation, lately set forth by the kings authority”).

The evidence is overwhelming that the origin of ‘King James Onlyism’ is therefore not some over-zealous modern defender of the Authorized Version, it is King James himself.

This article is an abridged version of essay ten in the collection of fifteen essays on the Authorized Version by Laurence M. Vance entitled King James, His Bible, and Its Translators. This book is available directly from Vance Publications. For more information go to www.vancepublications.com

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Donald Trump

The Normally Pro-Trump Sky News Australia Blasts The Iran Peace Deal Calling It “A Tragic And Expensive Waste Of Time” As The President Returns In Failure

Published

9 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Trump’s Iran War Was Supposed To Show Strength But It Ended With Dead Soldiers, Dead Children, A Surviving Regime, And A ‘Paper Peace’ No One Can Explain

There it is, Donald Trump’s war with Iran has ended, but not with victory, regime change, the destruction of Iran’s wicked influence in the Middle East, or some grand masterstroke of “peace through strength,” but with a bewildering memorandum of understanding that leaves the Iranian regime standing, breathing, boasting, and preparing for whatever comes next. Trump’s Iran war should sober up every Christian who still believes that political power can save a collapsing world. It absolutely cannot. The old world system is not being restored. It is being prepared. Prepared for the revealing of the man of sin.

“Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.” Jeremiah 7:8 (KJB)

Iran is no innocent victim, the Iranian regime is wicked. It hates Israel, exports terror, persecutes its own people, arms proxies, and dreams of dominance in the region. But acknowledging Iran’s wickedness does not require pretending that every American military adventure is wisdom from above. Two things can be true at the same time: Tehran is evil, and Trump’s Iran war was a disastrous mistake. According to Sky’s Mark Stone, the White House announced that Trump had signed a memorandum aimed at ending the war with Iran, Iran’s foreign minister confirmed Tehran had signed it as well, and yet the whole thing was wrapped in confusion, contradictory timing, remote signatures, Versailles theatrics, and another expected signing still to come. That is not statesmanship, that’s diplomatic vaudeville with piles of dead bodies in the background.

Trump’s signing of the Iran Peace Deal is a slap in the face to the memory of the 13 United States soldiers who gave their lives in the war he started

The most haunting line in the Sky News analysis is this: “So many school children died in Minab. For what?” Sky reports that Trump still would not admit the strike was America’s mistake, while Stone says sources told him that it was. That cuts through all the campaign slogans, all the phony tough-guy branding, all the red MAGA hats, all the applause lines, and all the cable-news spin. Children died, teachers died, and families were shattered. And for what? A paper agreement that does not end Iran’s malign influence, does not make America great again, and does not appear to have solved the thing the war was supposedly fought over.

For years, conservative Christians were told that Trump was the master negotiator, the consumate dealmaker, the man who alone could command the world stage. But this Iran episode reveals something far more sobering: the world stage is not a boardroom, the Middle East is not a casino development, and the enemies of Israel and the West are not impressed by branding. You do not bomb your way into clarity, stumble your way into a memorandum, and then call the rubble you created “peace.”

This is why NTEB has always warned you against confusing politics with prophecy and politicians with deliverers. For the past 17 years, we have been giving you the headlines through the filter of the King James Bible, but we never confuse the two. God is not working through the Republican Party to ‘bring in the kingdom’. God is not waiting for a MAGA foreign policy to fulfill His promises to Israel. Israel would absolutely still exist without Donald Trump, no matter how many times Trump says the opposite. God is not dependent on Trump, Macron, Netanyahu, the G7, NATO, the UN, or the Department of War. The Lord has His own calendar, His own covenants, His own prophetic program, and His own King coming back to rule and reign. Until then, the nations will continue doing what the nations do: wars, rumours of wars, making deals, breaking promises, burying victims, and calling it progress.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Donald Trump

Under The Watchful Gaze Of Emmanuel Macron, President Donald Trump Signs Memorandum Of Understanding Effectively Ending The Iran War

Published

23 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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Tonight Emmanuel Macron was a witness to history, and perhaps even prophecy as he witnessed Donald Trump sign Iran War MOU preserving Persia

There are moments in history that do not merely happen, they announce themselves. They come dressed in symbolism so thick, so unmistakable, so prophetically loaded, that only the willingly blind could miss what is taking place. Donald Trump signing away the U.S.-Iran War would have been shocking enough. But Donald Trump doing it at Versailles, with Emmanuel Macron standing there as the European prince in the room, blows the lid clean off the whole end times setup. Do you realize what just happened?

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (KJB)

America goes to war with Iran, the terror regime survives, the mullahs remain in power, the Strait of Hormuz becomes a bargaining chip, sanctions relief enters the conversation, and the whole thing is served up beneath the royal chandeliers of Versailles on a golden platter. And there, in the middle of the frame, stands Emmanuel Macron — polished, prepared, globalist, European, Roman, and just waiting for his time to come. We told you years ago to watch this man.

BREAKING NEWS: Under the watchful eye of Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump signed the Memorandum Of Understanding that will preserve the Iranian terror regime in power. Wow, if only you had a King James Bible, you would know what just happened. https://t.co/kjJ6Z68I22

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) June 18, 2026

We told you Emmanuel Macron was not like the others. We showed you the strange prophetic markers gathering around him. We showed you the Assyrian trail. We showed you the revived Roman Empire architecture. We showed you the Vatican flavor, the Charlemagne language, the European sovereignty doctrine, the militarized Europe agenda, and the way this man seems to appear whenever the world stage starts bending toward Bible prophecy.

And now here he is again. Not off to the side. Not in the shadows. Not as a footnote. But standing right there as America signs terms with Persia.

Christian, don’t miss what just happened. Iran was not defeated. Iran was preserved. The terror regime was left standing. The mullahs were not dragged out. The nuclear question was not finally buried. The proxies were not erased. Instead, the world was given another “framework,” another “process,” another “window,” another globalist peace package that manages evil instead of destroying it.

That is how the coming kingdom of Antichrist is being built. It is being assembled piece by piece, treaty by treaty, summit by summit, war by war, crisis by crisis, and signing ceremony by signing ceremony. Each deal teaches the world to think globally. Each crisis teaches the world to surrender sovereignty. Each war teaches the world to beg for a savior. Each peace agreement teaches the world to accept the man who can make the madness stop. That man is coming. Versailles wasn’t just a dinner, a signing, or another diplomatic photo-op. It was a prophetic snapshot of the world that is coming. America weakened, Iran preserved, Europe elevated, and the man from France standing in the frame like the Assyrian waiting in the wings.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: As America Celebrates 250 Years, She Has Quietly Surrendered Herself To Debt, Surveillance, Digital Money And Global Control

Published

1 day ago

June 17, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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It’s ‘Bread And Circuses’ At The White House As America Celebrates Liberty While Surrendering To Surveillance, Debt And End Times Global Control

A nation celebrating liberty while surrendering itself to surveillance, debt, biometric control, digital money, artificial intelligence, and global governance is not a free nation. It is a nation living off the fumes of a freedom it no longer understands. The flags, the stirring songs, the speeches and fireworks are still there, but underneath all that patriotic pageantry is a people being quietly trained to accept chains, so long as those chains are presented as convenience, security, progress, and innovation. Founding Father Benjamin Franklin said “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” 267 years later, those words applied to America ring truer in our day than when Franklin first said it. We just don’t see it because we’ve become spiritually blinded.

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, America is turning 250 years old, and instead of finding her on her knees in repentance before the God who has so richly blessed her, we find her cheering cage fights on the lawn of the White House. That is not merely entertainment, that is a parable. The same nation that once sent missionaries around the world with a King James Bible in one hand and the gospel of the grace of God in the other is now staging the modern equivalent of Roman spectacle at the very seat of executive power. Juvenal called it “bread and circuses,” the tragic condition of a people who had traded duty, virtue and liberty for amusement, appetite and distraction. Rome didn’t know she was dying while the games were playing, and America seems to be oblivious to that fact as well. Today we bring you the hard truth of America in her last days, and what you can expect to see if the Lord tarries.

GRADY NAILS IT WITH HIS TAKE ON HOW SATAN TURNED AMERICA AGAINST GOD, CLICK TO ORDER!!

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