The apocrypha: lost books of the bible or the work of Satan?

Home

---

About us and contact us
Blog
Free Biblical Downloads
Roman Catholic church lies revealed!
Glossaries & Commentaries
Jesus Christ, the red thread of the bible
LGBTQ
nostr: a simple, open protocol that enables global, decentralized, and censorship-resistant social media.
qortal.org: a new decentralized, uncensored internet!
Trinity Center
Bold Christian t shirts!
Unique & Powerful Teachings
Watch the New BBP YouTube channel!

View this page in 103 different languages!

Apocryphal Research Article Outline:

1. Introduction
   
   
2. Integrity & precision of the word
   
   
3. The biblical standard of many infallible proofs
   
   
4. List of traditional OT books of the apocrypha
   
   
5. Apocrypha definition
   
   
6. What is the purpose of the books of the apocrypha?
   
   
7. When were the books of the apocrypha written?
   
   
8. Counterfeit book checklist
   
   
9. Historical works mentioned in the bible
   
   
10. An analysis of 9 apocryphal books in alphabetical order
    
    
1. Baruch
   
   
2. Bel and the dragon
   
   
3. Ecclesiasticus
   
   
4. Esdras, 2nd
   
   
5. Jeremiah, Epistle of
   
   
6. Judith, Book of
   
   
7. Maccabees, Book of
   
   
8. Susanna, story of
   
   
9. Tobit, Book of
   
   
11. Consequences of believing the apocrypha
    
    
12. Apocryphal Chain of Corruption Flowchart
    
    
13. 26 Point Summary
    
    

Introduction

Objective:
To research the books of the apocrypha [the so-called lost books of the bible] and discover if they are genuine [from God] or counterfeit [by Satan].

Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Goal: to not be ignorant of Satan's plans against us

II Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices [Greek word noema: thought, purpose].

1st Purpose:
II Timothy 2
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 And their word will eat as doth a canker [gangrene]: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

The reason Hymenaeus and Philetus' word will spiritually eat your mind away as gangrene is because they were sons of the devil whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.

In other words, their doctrines and words were inspired by devil spirits and if you believe their lies and distortions of the word of God, it can damage you spiritually and psychologically.

The wisdom of God is to mark [distinguish or clearly identify] and avoid people like them.

Romans 16
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

2nd Purpose:
Ephesians 4
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Also keep in mind that the idea here is to keep personal opinions, theories, pre-conceived beliefs, etc to an absolute minimum, or better yet, none at all. I have placed many links in this study so that you too can research the truth of this for yourself and come to your own conclusions. Feel free to copy this knowledge and share it with others.

One principle being used throughout this biblical research project is to use multiple, objective, and authoritative third-party sources of information. We want to stay with the authority of the laws of logic, sound science, and most importantly, the integrity and accuracy of God's word. The word of God, not the words or commandments of men, must have preeminence in our lives and be the final authority for truth.

The books of the apocrypha can't even come close to the precision and integrity of God's word

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Psalms 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times [in the bible, 7 is the number of spiritual perfection].

Psalms 138:2
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name [he did not magnify the creation above his name; ONLY HIS WORD, which is his greatest work].

John 10:35
...and the scripture cannot be broken;

John 17:17
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I Peter 1:25
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Can the books of the apocrypha claim that that knowledge is written in the night sky?!

Of course not.

But the will of God is literally written in the names, meanings and configurations of the stars and planets.

For example, the stars and planets tell of the coming of Jesus Christ and that he defeated the devil and the empty spot in outer space is a place-holder for the great mystery, which was FIRST revealed to the apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians and not the books of the apocrypha!

Psalms 19 [amplified bible]
1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And the expanse [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.
2 Day after day pours forth speech, And night after night reveals knowledge.

3 There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars]; Their voice is not heard.
4 Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth, Their words to the end of the world. In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
6 The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul; The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.
10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed]; In keeping them there is great reward.

Since the bible was perfect when it was originally written, then if you make any changes whatsoever, you now have imperfection!

There is absolutely no reason to make any changes at all.

II Peter 1
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God's word is already completely complete.

He has already "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" so again, why do we need to make any changes to it??

Doing so only insults the greatest work of God.

God's word is even mathematically perfect!

Scroll down to the red thread section and study the mathematical perfection of the bible!

Adding any books to it would destroy it mathematically and spiritually.

The biblical standard of many infallible proofs

Acts 1:3
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Let's break this down:

• Many: not 1; not 2; not a few, but "many": this is the Greek word polus [Strong's #4183] and means "many (high in number); multitudinous, plenteous, "much"; "great" in amount (extent)"
• Infallible: this is the Greek word tekmérion [Strong's #5039] and means "properly, a marker (sign-post) supplying indisputable information, "marking something off" as unmistakable (irrefutable)"
• Proofs: plural; this corroborates the many; proof, as opposed to unproven theories, opinions, biased data and outright lies, like what floods our media and internet.

You cannot get any better than "many infallible proofs" from God's truth!

For example, take a look at this!

Romans 1
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

ONLY 1 PERSON IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND HAS EVER BEEN RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD BY THE POWER OF GOD AND THAT IS JESUS CHRIST!

All the counterfeit saviors from the past are a pile of bones someplace, yet Jesus Christ is alive and well, serving as the head of the body of Christ [the believers].

NOT A SINGLE ONE OF THEM EVEN MEET ONE OF JESUS CHRIST'S QUALIFICATIONS!!!

1. They don't have his royal geneology
2. They don't have his legal geneology
   
   
3. They don't have his perfect genetics
4. They don't have his perfectly pure bloodstream [soul life]
   
   
5. They never carried out even a fraction of the will of God correctly, let alone all of it
6. They were never prophesied to be the son of God by divine conception
   
   
7. They never carried out any of the prophesies mentioned in the bible
8. They are not the subject of the bible, which is the revealed word and will of God
   
   
9. They don't have any of Jesus Christ's 56 unique identities mentioned in the bible
10. They never personally even fought against the devil, let alone defeat him
    
    
11. They were never strengthened by God's angels that was necessary to carry out his will
12. None of them were resurrected from the dead by the power of God
    
    
13. None of them had a spiritual body
14. None of them preached the word of God to the imprisoned devil spirits that are beyond the firmament
    
    
15. The list goes on...Jesus Christ is light years ahead of all other saviors combined, including all past, present and future ones

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Verse 8 is in the context of verse 3. In other words, it's an example of one of the many infallible proofs of the truth.

The word "receive" in the Greek texts is the word lambano, which means to receive into manifestation in the 5-senses realm.

"the Holy Ghost" is more accurately translated "holy spirit", referring to the gift of holy spirit we receive when we get born again of God's spirit.

Acts 1:8 is talking about speaking in tongues, which is absolute proof that you have the gift of holy spirit inside of you, which means the bible is God's absolute truth.

So I say to the devil, "Be afraid. Be very very afraid."

Which is why the devil has launched at least 6 different attacks against speaking in tongues.

There are also lots of archaeological, astronomical, geographical, historical, etc proofs of the bible as well, which the apocryphal books cannot match, even though some of the data in some of the apocryphal books can be verified.

What are the books of the traditional old testament apocrypha?

1. 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras
2. 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees
   
   
3. Baruch
4. Bel and the Dragon
   
   
5. Ecclesiasticus
6. Esther, Additions to
   
   
7. Jeremiah,Epistle of
8. Judith
   
   
9. Manasseh, Prayer of
10. Solomon, Wisdom of
    
    
11. Susanna, Story of
12. Three children, Song of the
13. Tobit

What is the significance of the number 13?

From E.W. Bullinger's number in scripture [PDF download], "Hence every occurrence of the number thirteen, and likewise of every multiple of it, stamps that with which it stands in connection with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea."

We certainly see this in the section called the consequences of believing the books of the apocrypha..

Apocrypha definition

Apocrypha definition
a poc ry pha [uh-pok-ruh-fuh]
noun [often used with a singular verb]
1. [initial capital letter] a group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint [the Greek translation of the old testament] and the Vulgate [the Latin translation] as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.

2. various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.

3. writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity. Compare canon 1 [defs 6, 7, 9].

Origin:
1350-1400; Middle English - Late Latin - Greek, neuter plural of apokryphos hidden, unknown, spurious, equivalent to apokryph- [base of apokryptein to hide away; see apo-, crypt] + -os adj. Suffix

Definition of spurious
spu ri ous [spyoor-ee-uhs]
adjective
1. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit [my notes: this involves making a forgery and committing fraud = the deliberate intent to deceive; 2 felony crimes!].

2. Biology - [of two or more parts, plants, etc.] having a similar appearance but a different structure.

3. of illegitimate birth; bastard.

Look at that! The definition of the name alone [apocrypha] already proves:

• Definition of Apocrypha:
• 1) It is of uncertain origin
• 2) It is of doubtful authorship or authenticity
• 3) Therefore: it has been rejected by most authorities
  
  
• Origin>>spurious>>definition:
• 4) It is not genuine = counterfeit
• 5) It is a counterfeit>>a forgery [a felony crime] + [an attorney said all forgeries automatically include fraud, the deliberate attempt to deceive = 2 felonies]
• 6) It is not true = false; all falsehoods are expressed as lies and lies originate from the devil, who is the originator of lies [John 8:44]
• 7) It is not authentic = untrustworthy; questionable evidence, which contradicts Acts 1:3 with many, infallible proofs
• 8) It is not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source = more fraud and lies!

Definition of counterfeit
coun ter feit [koun-ter-fit]
adjective
1. made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged: counterfeit dollar bills.
2. pretended; unreal: counterfeit grief.

noun
3. an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; forgery.
4. Archaic. a copy.

5. Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.
6. Obsolete . impostor; pretender.

Therefore, by definition, a counterfeit is inferior to the genuine. Why would you want an inferior knock-off from Satan when you can have the best - the original, the genuine from God, the creator of the universe?

The apocrypha is of uncertain origin. Contrast this with what God says about his word!

Luke 1
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;

3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,


Definition of certain:
adjective

1. free from doubt or reservation; confident; sure.
2. destined; sure to happen
   
   
3. inevitable; bound to come.
4. established as true or sure; unquestionable; indisputable
   
   
5. fixed; agreed upon; settled

Certainty brings confidence, peace, strength and positive believing, action and the desired results!



The apocrypha is of doubtful authorship or authenticity. Contrast that to the bible.

Galatians 1
11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Verse 11 is a guaranty that the bible did not originate from natural man, but it came by revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God who always did the Father's will. The apocrypha can't say anything even near that!

II Peter 1
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private [one's own] interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

I John 5:9
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.

Speaking of the apocrypha being rejected by most authorities, the famous historian Josephus rejected the idea that the apocryphal books were inspired and this reflected Jewish thought at the time of Jesus.

Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1:8
"From Artexerxes to our own time the complete history has been written but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets." ...

"We have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another, but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine..."

Proverbs 11:14
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Proverbs 24:6
For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Furthermore, the Jewish people, the protestants, and even the Roman Catholic church all rejected the apocrypha!

But eventually, the Roman catholic church caved in and accepted it in the 1500's.

Here is a fragment of a page from the book of Enoch, translated in Greek from the 4th century. This was very popular in the first century and only served to confuse, distract, and deceive the believers away from the word of God.



Apocrypha definition
word origin and history
Late 14c., from L.L. apocryphus "secret, not approved for public reading," from Gk. apokryphos "hidden, obscure," thus "[books] of unknown authorship"

[especially those included in the Septuagint and Vulgate but not originally written in Hebrew and not counted as genuine by the Jews], from apo- "away" [see apo-] + kryptein "to hide." Properly plural [the single would be Apocryphon], but commonly treated as a collective sing.

Wow - "secret, not approved for public reading,". There must be something wrong with it if it was kept secret & is so bad that it wasn't even approved for public reading. Contrast this with the true God's word:

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What a great description of God's perfect word.

Acts 5:20
Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The word Apocrypha also means to hide away. Why would somebody have a set of books written and then hide them? That defeats the purpose of having them written in the first place. Something is definitely wrong here.

God has just the opposite strategy - to make his word known to as many people as possible!

Ephesians 6
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

II Corinthians 5:20
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

We are still digging into the various definitions of "Apocrypha".

Cultural dictionary
Apocrypha [uh- pok -ruh-fuh]
Religious writings that have been accepted as books of the Bible by some groups but not by others. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, includes seven books, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, in the Old Testament that Jews and Protestants do not consider part of the Bible.

Some churches may read the Apocrypha for inspiration but not to establish religious doctrine.

Note : By extension, an "apocryphal" story is one that is probably false but nevertheless has some value.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.



Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
"hidden, spurious, the name given to certain ancient books which found a place in the LXX [the septuagint, the Greek translation of the old testament] and Latin Vulgate versions of the Old Testament, and were appended to all the great translations made from them in the sixteenth century, but which have no claim to be regarded as in any sense parts of the inspired Word.

[1.] They are not once quoted by the New Testament writers, who frequently quote from the LXX.

Our Lord and his apostles confirmed by their authority the ordinary Jewish canon, which was the same in all respects as we now have it.

[2.] These books were written not in Hebrew but in Greek, and during the "period of silence", from the time of Malachi, after which oracles and direct revelations from God ceased till the Christian era.

[3.] The contents of the books themselves show that they were no part of Scripture.

The Old Testament Apocrypha consists of fourteen books, the chief of which are the Books of the Maccabees [q.v.], the Books of Esdras, the Book of Wisdom, the Book of Baruch, the Book of Esther, Ecclesiasticus, Tobit, Judith, etc.

The New Testament Apocrypha consists of a very extensive literature, which bears distinct evidences of its non-apostolic origin, and is utterly unworthy of regard."


God specifically avoided quoting those books in his word. After all the information we have on them, its no wonder. In the new testament, there are anywhere from several hundred to several thousand complete, direct quotes, partial quotes, direct & indirect references, etc to old testament verses. Yet not one time are any books or verses of the apocrypha ever mentioned.

What is the purpose of the books of the apocrypha?

We've seen from the definition that they are counterfeit works. Here's the spiritual insights on how that happened.

2 Thessalonians 2:2
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Note one of the key phrases in verse 2: AS FROM US. The word "as" means that a letter was similar to the letter [epistle] from the apostle Paul, but it wasn't the actual letter.

The word "as" is the figure of speech called a simile, which compares two different things with the usage of the words "like" or "as".

Logically, the similarity could only have 1 of 2 possible causes: either it was a remarkable accident that somebody coincidentally wrote a letter that was very similar to a letter the apostle Paul wrote, or it was deliberately made to be similar.

Obviously, nobody could accidentally write an entire epistle that coincidentally just happened to be very similar to a letter that the apostle Paul wrote.

Therefore, the similarity was deliberate. If one letter was deliberately written to be similar to another, then that is the definition of a counterfeit = A FELONY FORGERY AND A FELONY FRAUD!

So if somebody deliberately counterfeits a book [epistle] of the bible, then obviously the one true God could not have inspired them, because God is not going to purposely [or even accidentally] counterfeit his own word, which is his greatest work.

Since there are 2 and only 2 great spiritual powers in the world, then the devil had to have been behind the counterfeit letter.

That's exactly what II Thessalonians 2:2 says!

"That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us..."

The word "spirit" is referring to a devil spirit. There are approximately 3 dozen different categories of devil spirits, each with an unknown number of subcategories within; Nobody but God knows the actually numerical count of how many devil spirits there are.

The false letter that counterfeited the book of Thessalonians had to have involved a familiar spirit: one that was familiar with the Apostle Paul's life, mannerisms, experiences, etc in order to make a convincing counterfeit.

Devil spirits operate in groups, much like a pack of wolves, and invite in other types of spirits, such as lying spirits, spirit of whoredoms, etc to accelerate the deception and destruction.



So in the first century, Satan was already busy at work counterfeiting the book of Thessalonians, even while the apostle Paul was still writing the rest of the new testament!

Even today, many books are authored by a person's "spirit guide", which is simply another name for a devil spirit.

They give people the words to speak through devil spirit possession and then they write them down.

That's the precision of God's word - spirit, word, letter!

Ecclesiastes 1:9
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Since there is nothing new under the sun, then we know that during the old testament period, books of the bible were being counterfeited by Satan.

That's how the so called lost books of the bible, the apocrypha were inspired: devil spirits gave the writers the words, then they wrote the books, as if they were inspired by God, but we're actually inspired by the god of this world Satan.

When were the books of the apocrypha written?

Most authorities believe that the books of the old testament apocrypha were written between the book of Malachi [approximately 375 B.C.] and the ministry of Jesus Christ [the fall of 27 A.D.].

Look at the context in which the all of the OT apocrypha were written!

• There were no prophets sent by God to keep the people unified and draw them back to the Lord
• There were no new written revelations or books added to the bible
• Jesus Christ had not yet come to expose and defeat the devil; therefore, as God of this world, he was virtually unknown, undetected, and unhindered to steal, kill, and destroy at will
• The Judean priesthood had become corrupt once again
• Satan had "made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:17
• God's people were without any true spiritual light for over 400 years
• There were also 6 different changes in government during that time - the Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Maccabeans, and the Romans all ruled for various periods of time. That introduced many new customs, languages, cultures, religions, laws, etc. This resulted in a lot of changes, turmoil, confusion, wars, and instability.
• Therefore, this was one of the spiritually darkest periods of mankind's history

That is the spiritual & historical context within which the 13 books of the apocrypha were written.

In other words, the old testament apocrypha were born out of spiritual corruption, darkness & turmoil.

Chronologically, any counterfeit item must be made after the genuine because the counterfeiters need a blueprint to follow in the first place.

So it's a bit suspicious that all of the books of the apocrypha only show up after the genuine old testament was already completed, and never before or during their writings. This is another indication that the apocrypha is false.

Counterfeit book checklist

In order to separate truth from error, we must have a standard for truth.

That standard is God's word.

So we simply compare the genuine document [the bible] with the counterfeit, and if there are any contradictions to the bible, then we know there is a problem and we discard the inferior counterfeit writings.

I've made this handy checklist, a guide, so that we can quickly and easily differentiate the genuine truth from the counterfeit.

If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then you know you're dealing with a counterfeit document.

1. Does it contradict any part of God's word?
2. Does it contradict any known, proven fact, such as history, geography, astronomy, etc?
   
   
3. Does it have any consequences [short-term or long-term] that contradicts the bible? i.e. doubt, confusion, attitude against God, lead people into idolatry, spiritualism, cause you to believe false doctrines, etc? Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
4. Does it steal, kill, or destroy your believing, love or hope in God?
   
   
5. Does it corrupt or change any of the over 212 figures of speech used in the bible?
6. Does it fail to mention who Jesus Christ is in that book? [He's subject of the every book of the bible]
   
   
7. Does it contradict or counterfeit Jesus Christ's identity in any of the 56 books of the bible?
8. Does it add to, subtract from, or change anything in the bible? All the books of the apocrypha are guilty of this one.
   
   
9. Does it contradict the mathematical and numerical meanings of the word of God?

Remember, Satan can be very clever and treacherous, but ultimately, he, nor any of his works, can escape the scrutiny of God's light.

The most obvious ones are in the yellow table below.

BIBLE VS. APOCRYPHA
BIBLE	APOCRYPHA
GENUINE	COUNTERFEIT
Daniel	The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Holy Children [after Dan.3:23; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
Daniel	Story of Susanna [Dan. 13; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
Daniel	Bel and the dragon [Dan. 14; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
Ecclesiastes	Ecclesiasticus [Latin; written around 180 bc; also called the Wisdom of Jesus, the son of Sirach!]
Esther	an unauthorized addition to Esther
Jeremiah	Epistle of Jeremiah
Jude	Judith
Song of Solomon	Wisdom of Solomon

The great similarity to the books of the bible and the books of the apocrypha simply can't be coincidental. The statistical chances of all these books just happening to be so similar to the books of the bible is astronomical.

In other words, the names of the books of the apocrypha are deliberate counterfeits to the names of the books of the bible, and are designed to confuse, distract and deceive which results in doubt and unbelief in God's word.

Just because a book is mentioned in the bible doesn't mean it was authored by God. All of these apocryphal books are classified as fiction and historical references [that are NOT 100% accurate like the bible!] and were not written by direct revelation from God himself.



Unauthorized additions to Daniel and Esther?!

That implies the word of God is inferior or incomplete, which contradicts many many scriptures.

What does God say about adding words to his word? Did the writers of the apocrypha get HIS PERMISSION?!

Deuteronomy 4:2
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Revelation 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.

That's very clear and strong language!



Another way we can verify whether or not any particular book or chapter added to the bible is genuine or not is to look at figures of speech.

This is a screenshot of page 1178 in the Companion Reference bible by E.W. Bullinger on how the figure of speech introversion works.






This alone proves that:

1. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Holy Children [after Dan. 3:23; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
2. The story of Susanna [Dan. 13; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
3. Bel and the dragon [Dan. 14; an unauthorized addition to Daniel]
4. unauthorized additions to Esther
5. are all counterfeit apocryphal books!!

This very simple spiritual filter eliminates 1/3 of all the OT apocryphal books as false in 1 fell swoop.

How valuable is that?!

HISTORICAL WORKS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE

Since Satan has counterfeited so many books of the bible, I decided to check out the partial list of historical works mentioned in the bible in the table below [which will be updated soon].

The originals have either been preserved, counterfeited, lost or destroyed.

The word of God is so powerful and magnificent that even some man-made historical records [derivative works] of biblical events have been counterfeited!

HISTORICAL WORKS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE
BIBLE	VERSES [in canonical order] and the status of the work
GENUINE WORKS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE
#1: The book of Jasher	Joshua 10:13 2 Samuel 1:18 STATUS: Original probably lost; 2 spurious works: from 1394A.D. & 1625A.D.
#2: Acts of Solomon	I Kings 11:41 II Chronicles 9:29 STATUS: Lost work
#3: Letters of Jezebel	I Kings 21:11 STATUS: Lost work
#4: Book of Gad the seer	I Chronicles 29:29 STATUS: Some sources say it's a lost work, but others have it available for download, but is this actually the original or is it one of the Pseudepigrapha?
#5: Book of Nathan the prophet	I Chronicles 29:29 II Chronicles 9:29 STATUS: Unknown
#6: Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite	II Chronicles 9:29 STATUS: Unknown
#7: Visions of Iddo the seer	II Chronicles 9:29 STATUS: Unknown
#8: Book of Shemaiah the prophet	II Chronicles 12:15 STATUS: Unknown
#9: Story of the prophet Iddo	II Chronicles 13:22 STATUS: Unknown
#10: Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.	II Chronicles 20:34 I Kings 16:1, 7 STATUS: Unknown
#11: Written among the sayings of the seers	II Chronicles 33:19 STATUS: Unknown

Definition of a lost literary work: [Wikipedia]
"A lost work is a document, literary work, or piece of multimedia produced some time in the past, of which no surviving copies are known to exist. This term most commonly applies to works from the classical world, although it is increasingly used in relation to modern works.

A work may be lost to history through the destruction of an original manuscript and all later copies. In contrast to lost or "extinct" works, surviving copies may be referred to as "extant"".

Definition of Pseudepigrapha: [Wikipedia]
"Pseudepigrapha are falsely attributed works, texts whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past. In biblical studies, the term pseudepigrapha typically refers to an assorted collection of Jewish religious works thought to be written c. 300 BCE to 300 CE.

They are distinguished by Protestants from the deuterocanonical books or Apocrypha, the books that appear in extant copies of the Septuagint in the fourth century or later and the Vulgate, but not in the Hebrew Bible or in Protestant Bibles.

The Catholic Church distinguishes only between the deuterocanonical and all other books; the latter are called biblical apocrypha, which in Catholic usage includes the pseuodepigrapha.

In addition, two books considered canonical in the Orthodox Tewahedo churches, viz. Book of Enoch and Book of Jubilees, are categorized as pseudepigrapha from the point of view of Chalcedonian Christianity".

Here is a short article on some research I've done on the book of Jasher so far. It is only mentioned twice in the entire bible.

It's critical to make the distinction between:

1. The true books of the true bible which were by direct revelation from God himself.
2. The historical books mentioned in the bible, such as the book of Jasher.
3. The counterfeit books of the bible, which are the books of the apocrypha, which were inspired by devil spirits.

Joshua 10:13
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

2 Samuel 1:18
(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

Jasher in the Bible

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

upright.
"The Book of Jasher," rendered in the LXX [Septuagint, the Greek translation of the old testament]. "the Book of the Upright One"; by the Vulgate "the Book of Just Ones"; was probably a kind of national sacred song-book, a collection of songs in praise of the heroes of Israel, a "book of golden deeds," a national anthology. We have only two specimens from the book:

(1) the words of Joshua which he spake to the Lord at the crisis of the battle of Beth-horon (Josh. 10:12, 13); and

(2) "the Song of the Bow," that beautiful and touching mournful elegy which David composed on the occasion of the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:18-27).

However, there is the issue of translation!

Joshua 10:13 [Lamsa bible, 5th century Aramaic text]
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. And, behold, it is written in the Book of the Songs, So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down, about a whole day.

2 Samuel 1:18 [Lamsa bible, 5th century Aramaic text]
(Also he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the use of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Asher):

So the Aramaic text is significantly different than the KJV of the bible.

Joshua 10:13 [Septuagint]
And the sun and the moon stood still, until God executed vengeance on their enemies; and the sun stood still in the midst of heaven; it did not proceed to set till the end of one day.

The Septuagint doesn't even mention the book of Jasher or Asher!

Joshua 10:13 [Latin Vulgate - 390 - 405A.D. translated in Google translate]
So the sun and the moon until the nation enemies, as it is written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down the space of one day,

II Samuel 1:18 [Latin Vulgate - 390 - 405A.D. translated in Google translate]
to be taught to children as described in the bow of the Upright

Below is a screenshot of the Companion Reference Bible, notes on Joshua 10:13.





Here is a screenshot of the Hebrew interlinear of Joshua 10:13.

An analysis of individual apocryphal books in alphabetical order

Baruch

Who is Baruch?

He was Jeremiah's scribe.

Jeremiah 36:4
Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll [scroll] of a book.

Definitions of Baruch and Neriah, from The Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible Names:

Baruch: his name means Blessed; (root = to kneel down; to bless God; to be blessed)

Neriah: his name means lamp of Jehovah.

Look at the cause and effect: why was Baruch blessed? because he had Neriah [the lamp of Jehovah] as his father.

CRITICAL CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

According to the Encylopedia Britannica:
Pseudepigrapha are spurious works ostensibly written by a biblical figure [and calls the book of Baruch one of these such works].

Ostensible refers to the outward or pretended appearance of somebody or something.

Pseud comes from pseudo = false and epigraph = an inscription; thus, the book of Baruch is an pseudepigraphical work = false or counterfeit work; bearing a false title, just like the rest of the books of the apocrypha.

Deuterocanonical works are those that are accepted in one canon [the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired] but not in all.

Deutero means second and canon means:
1. that which is accepted, authorized and recognized.
2. the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art:

The following sources:

1. The Encyclopedia of the Bible
2. The Encyclopedia Britannica
3. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
4. The Jewish Encyclopedia
5. Wikipedia
6. Other sources

1. Believe there were at least 3 authors to the work, [not including a separate editor who wrote the introduction and blended the incongrous sections together].

2. Believe it was written several hundred years after the time period of the babylonian captivity due to several historical discrepancies confirming this conclusion. This places the date of origin of the book of Baruch in the dark 400+ year period between the writing of Malachi and Matthew, just like the rest of the other books of the apocrypha.

Jonathan A. Goldstein, in his book The Apocryphal Book of I Baruch from the Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research states, "Nevertheless, the book is a puzzle. It appears to be an incoherent compilation..."

A compilation, by definition, refers to a piece of work from various sources.

ORIGIN OF COMPILE
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin compīlāre “to rob, pillage, steal from another writer,”!

Thus, from the limited 5-senses perspective, the bible appears to be a religious compilation because that view sees it as the work of many different writers.

However, because God is the only author and people were the writers over thousands of years, its a literary and spiritual masterpiece that no human could create.

Thus, by using multiple objective authorities, we have already exposed 4 lies about the apocryphal book of Baruch:

1. AUTHOR: Baruch was NOT the author of the book bearing his name, confirming the definition of pseudepigrapha, a writing with a false title which is also consistent with the definition of apocrypha: a false writing of uncertain origin and doubtful authorship that is not from the proper source [God] and has been rejected by most authorities.
2. IDENTITY OF AUTHOR (S): Since we do not know who actually wrote it [and probably never will] then this again verifies the definition of apocrypha: of doubtful authorship.
3. NUMBER OF AUTHORS: There were at least 3 authors, not one
4. DATE WRITTEN: it was written several hundred years after Baruch died. Therefore, Baruch could not have been the true author, so who was it?
5. CONSEQUENCE: confusion and doubt!

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

CONFUSION:

I Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

DOUBT:

Matthew 14:31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him [Peter], and said unto him, O thou of little faith [believing], wherefore didst thou doubt?

James 1
6 But let him ask in faith [believing], nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

ENCYCLOPEDIA DEEP DIVE

Definition of encyclopedia:
a book, set of books, optical disc, mobile device, or online informational resource containing articles on various topics, usually in alphabetical arrangement, covering all branches of knowledge or, less commonly, all aspects of one subject.

It literally means a well rounded education.

Root word encyclical definition:
a letter intended for wide or general circulation.
pedo - child

Thus, a true encyclopedia is a well rounded education for children.

II Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:





Galatians 6:11
Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

2 Thessalonians 2:2
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Colossians 4:16
And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

This is how the first century christians got their well-rounded spiritual education: by circulating the various epistles from the apostle Paul to the other churches in the general mediterranean/Asia minor area.

I Corinthians 13 [amplified bible]
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part [for our knowledge is fragmentary and incomplete].
10 But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].

We, as children of God, must have the full rounded spiritual education of doctrine, reproof and correction, which is instruction in righteousness, from the 7 church or grace epistles [Romans - Thessalonians] as the foundation of our walk with God.

Does the book of Baruch or any other apocryphal book even come close to this?!

Such an inferior work cannot be inspired by the one true God and has all the signs of Satan's slick trickery.

The devil has stolen & leveraged the credibility of Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch [and by association, the credibility of God and the bible] to boost the credibility of the apocryphal [false & counterfeit] book of Baruch because it does not directly claim in writing, that it was inspired by God like the bible does.

It does this by stealing from the bible the figure of speech called implication and applies it to a counterfeit book of the bible.

The true authors of the apocryphal book of Baruch will never be known, but it's implied to be Baruch, which is yet another false assumption and deception.

Even if Baruch were the true author, it would only prove that it was a work of man and not a work of God because:



Job 31:35
Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

The devil will never have a book written that exposes himself, his kingdom of devil spirits and all his strategies of attack. He only writes counterfeit books like the book of Mormon, the apocrypha, etc.

The devil does not counterfeit the counterfeits. He only counterfeits the genuine, of which there is only one: the bible, the revealed word and will of God.

Just to avoid any confusion, the book of Baruch we're reviewing now is I Baruch because there are actually 4 apocryphal books of Baruch:

1. 1 Baruch
2. 2 Baruch
3. 3 Baruch [also known as the Greek Apocalypse of Baruch]
4. 4 Baruch [which Wikipedia says has as the title: "Paralipomena of Jeremiah appears as the title in several Ancient Greek manuscripts of the work, meaning "things left out of (the Book of) Jeremiah."]

BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR PARALIPOMENA
paralipomena
plural noun
1. things added in a supplement to a work
2. Old Testament: another name for the Books of Chronicles

WORD ORIGIN FOR PARALIPOMENA
C14: via late Latin from Greek paraleipomena, from para- 1 (on one side) + leipein to leave

"things left out of (the Book of) Jeremiah."?! That implies that Jeremiah is incomplete and inferior work!

This is how the devil, as the accuser of God's people, works so subtly to undermind the integrity and precision and trustworthiness of God's greatest work, the bible.

Revelation 12:10
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

The implication that the book of Baruch is superior to the bible and/or that the bible is a flawed book contradicts many verses of the word of God, such as Psalms:

Psalms 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

This is why its so critical to establish the perfect integrity and precision of the word of God first as a foundation so we can separate truth from error afterwards.

The arrogance of the devil, as reflected in many, if not all, of the books of the apocrypha is spiritually sickening and is the exact same theme as the 4 unauthorized additions to the book of Daniel and esther!

Baruch 3:4
"O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, hear now the prayer of the dead of Israel, the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God, so that calamities have clung to us".

Now just to be fair, you're going to see something that not many christians know about from the Jewish Encyclopedia about the origin of I Baruch.






Let's break this verse down and compare it to the word of God:

"the children of those who sinned before you, who did not heed the voice of the Lord their God">>is this why they died [assuming this was the correct translation]? The devil is the author of death.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

THE BROKEN LOGIC OF THE APOCRYPHA

Proverbs 28:9
He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

The following enlightenment originally came from Rev. Martindale who explained the depth of this verse:

Notice the broken logic of those who are out of fellowship with God!



It doesn't make any sense!

There has to be influence from a devil spirit of iniquity, which is false righteousness, so this is a religious counterfeit from Satan.

This represents the treachery of Satan who very subtly distorts and corrupts your sound thinking patterns, logic and beliefs so that you are open to attack from a devil spirit of error that can cause you to believe obviously false things, yet convince you that its right!

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [the gift of holy spirit within you].

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 16:25
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

A perfect example of this is the trinity, which violates the laws of mathematics and logic that God created!

GODLY PRAYERS VS THE PRAYERS OF THE APOCRYPHA

Any individual can pray for you, but nobody else can pray in your place as you.

Here is an example of a biblical prayer:

I Corinthians 1
3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

So if the men of Israel are the ones who sinned against God and refused to obey his voice, then THEY are the ones who need to get meek and humble and pray to God themselves and apologize for their sins and make a commitment to not do it again.

This is true repentance, which is having a genuine change of heart.

It means they still have a conscience left.

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The Israelites in Jeremiah's time were so messed up by Satan, look at what God commanded him to tell them!

Jeremiah 7:16
Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

Jeremiah 11:14
Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

Jeremiah 14:11
Then said the Lord unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.



So based upon this and the broken logic of their abominable prayer alone proves that the book of I Baruch is a counterfeit book of Satan.

This is regardless of whether or not the word "dead" is the correct translation of the original Hebrew text of Baruch 3:4.

The following section is based upon the assumption that the original and correct text reads "dead" instead of "men", which may or may not be correct.

Since when can the dead pray, or have people pray in their behalf???

There are many different verses on the nature of death that proves that the dead cannot pray.

If that isn't a blatant contradiction to the bible, then I don't know what is.



Job 21:13
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

Psalms 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Psalms 89:48
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

Psalms 146:4
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

There are at least 15 different verses in the bible that specifically warn us against familiar spirits, which mimic the dead and push the devilish agenda of life after death.

Here are only 2 of them.


Ecclesiastes 9
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

I Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Hebrews 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

So this is why once you have died, then you no longer have any control over your life. You will be subject to God's judgment in the resurrections of the just and unjust in the distant future. At that time, you will either be saved or you won't. There are no other options.

Bel and the dragon

Bel is a contraction of Ba'al, who is the male head God of the Babylonians, Phoenicians, and Canaanites and was the God of the earth.

Ba'al demanded worship from the people.

Deuteronomy 13:13
Certain men, the children of Belial [one of the names of the devil which means worthless], are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn [seduced] the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

JESUS CHRIST VS BA'AL
Jesus Christ, the son of God	Ba’al, the Devil's worst SOB
God's Genuine	Devil's Counterfeit
#1: Male head of the body of Christ [Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23]	Male head god of nature & the earth; god of the heathen
#2: Facilitates worship of God as a mediator and intercessor between God and man [Romans 8:26; I Timothy 2:5]	Demanded worship from man [Matthew 4:9]
#3: Subject of every book of the bible [Luke 24:27]	Devil main subject of Bel & the dragon
#4: Jesus Christ is called master, Lord & bridegroom [Matthew 9:15; Acts 2:36]	The name Ba’al means master, possessor and husband
#5: Jesus Christ calmed the storm [Matthew 8:27; Mark 4:41; Luke 8:25] Jesus Christ is the solid stone foundation of the house that withstood the storm [Matthew 7:24,25; Luke 6:47,48]	Ba’al also refers to the deity Hadad, the west Semitic storm God
#6: King of Israel; King of kings and Lord of Lords [Revelation 17:14]	King of the gods
#7: "within three days I will build another [spiritual temple] made without hands" [Mark 14:58]	Stone temple of Baal made with hands
#8: Spiritual stone cut without hands; Spiritual stone that became head of the corner of the temple; [Daniel 2:34-35; Psalm 118:22; Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11]	God of the earth where the physical stones came from; the idol of Baal in the temple of Baal was near both head cornerstones at the end of the temple

This is just one of the ways we know that this is a counterfeit book.

Furthermore, Bel and the dragon mentions the temple of Baal 3 times, but never list the name above all names, Jesus Christ, who is the subject of every book of the real bible.







[General information from wikipedia]
"The Temple of Bel, sometimes also referred to as the "Temple of Baal", was an ancient temple located in Palmyra, Syria. The temple, consecrated to the Mesopotamian god Bel, worshipped at Palmyra in triad with the lunar god Aglibol and the sun god Yarhibol, formed the center of religious life in Palmyra and was dedicated in AD 32.

The temple would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire in a campaign against the temples of the East made by Maternus Cynegius, Praetorian Prefect of Oriens, between 25 May 385 to 19 March 388".

Its ruins were considered among the best preserved at Palmyra, until they were further destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in August 2015. The arched main entrance into the temple is still intact, as well as its exterior walls and fortified gate.

I decided to take another look at Bel and the dragon and discovered Satan's strategy and several lies right off the bat.

Let's look at verse one.

1. And king Astyages was gathered to his fathers, and Cyrus of Persia received his kingdom.

King Astyages is not even mentioned once in the entire bible, yet this apocryphal book adds it in. If God had wanted to mention him in his word, he would have told one of the prophets or apostles to put in, but he didn't.

But King Astyages was a real, actual king. He was the last king of the Median Empire who reigned in 585–550 BC, the son of Cyaxares, so this is a verifiable historical fact.



27. Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon's mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder and Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.

There is no record in the bible of Daniel ever making pitch, so this is another lie in the apocrypha.

There is no record in the bible of Daniel ever coming in contact with a dragon. That word doesn't even exist in the entire book of Daniel, so this is yet another lie of the apocrypha.

32. And in the den there were seven lions, and they had given them every day two carcases, and two sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent they might devour Daniel.

Nowhere in any scriptures of the bible does it ever mention any specific number of lions in the den that Daniel was thrown into. Thus the phrase, "And in the den there were seven lions" is another lie. Feeding them carcases and sheep is never mentioned in the real bible either, so more lies in the name of God.

36. Then the angel of the Lord took him [Habakkuk] by the crown, and bare him by the hair of his head, and through the vehemency of his spirit set him in Babylon over the den.

Read the book of Habakkuk yourself. There are only 3 short chapters. There is no record of Habakkuk ever meeting with any angels at all, let alone them carrying him all the way over to Daniel and back, so this is yet 2 more fanciful lies.

We've already seen several lies in just one chapter of Bel and the dragon. There are many more, but I haven't the time to analyze every phrase and research them all. There could easily be a dozen or more.

But all it takes is only one lie to prove the book was not from God and in fact, has Satan's hand in it.



Consider this:

We already know from the previous "When were the books of the apocrypha written" section that it was a very dark and turbulent era.

THEREFORE:

Bel [Ba'al] is the head God of the heathen that demands worship.

The dragon emphasizes warfare, hindering the purposes of God.

Revelation 12
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Luke 4
5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.



Bel and the dragon contain many contradictions and lies, which by definition, are in direct opposition to God's truth.

Contradictions hinder the purposes of God.

Lies steal the truth of God out of people's heart.

Therefore, Bel and the dragon was inspired by Satan, breeding doubt, confusion and every evil work.

Got proof?

Follow the logic!

1. 2 of Jesus' disciples on the road to emmaus did not figure out on their own the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament. [Luke 24:13-31]. Therefore, they could not have known his identity in the book of Daniel either.
   
   
2. 11 disciples, + others, whom Jesus Christ himself taught them "the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" [Matthew 13:11] did not understand the prophesies of Jesus in the old testament: the law, prophets and rest of the writings. [Luke 24:36-51]. Therefore, they could not have known the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament.
   
   
3. 4 times in Matthew, Jesus Christ reproved the disciples for having "little faith" [anxiety, fear, doubt, and confused natural-man reasoning], so how could they have known the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament?
   
   
4. In Mark 9:14, the disciples, a great multitude and the scribes were there with Jesus Christ, and he said in verse 19, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?". Therefore, they could not have known the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament either.
   
   
5. The multitudes that Jesus taught, were spiritually blind and did not hear the scriptures [Matthew 13:14 & 15]; therefore, they could not have known Jesus Christ's identity in the old testament.
   
   
6. A devout man, a eunuch from Ethiopia, in charge of all of queen Candace's treasure, did not understand some verses in the book of Isaiah was referring to Jesus Christ Acts 8:26-39; Therefore, he did not know the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament.
   
   
7. None of the religious leaders that were the sons of the devil could understand the word at all [John 8]. Therefore, they could not have known the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament.
   
   
8. II Corinthians 3
   13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
   14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
   15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
   16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
   
   
9. This is the spiritual condition of the priesthood in Malachi ~ 375 B.C.
   
   Malachi 1:6
   ...O priests, that despise my name...
   
   Malachi 1:7
   Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
   
   Malachi 2:17
   Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
   
   Malachi 3
   8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
   9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
   13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
   
   There were a few people that believed God in Malachi's day, but not many. Even so, they still could not have known the identity of Jesus Christ in the old testament.
   

Matthew 6:23
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Ecclesiasticus:

Wikipedia says, "The Book of the All-Virtuous Wisdom of Joshua ben Sira,[1] commonly called the Wisdom of Sirach...and also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus... is a work of ethical teachings from approximately 200 to 175 BCE written by the Jewish scribe Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira of Jerusalem, on the inspiration of his father Joshua son of Sirach, sometimes called Jesus son of Sirach or Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira".

According to www.dictionary.com, sirach means:

noun
1. Son of, Jesus (def 2).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.

How ironic!

His name means son of Jesus [who never actually had any children] and yet, Ecclesiasticus counterfeits Jesus' own identity in the genuine book of Ecclesiastes.



Ecclesiasticus [the Latin name of it] was originally written in Hebrew [by Joshua ben Sira, a Jewish scribe in Jerusalem in 180 B.C.], then translated into Greek and other languages.

What did Jesus Christ say about the Jewish scribes in Jerusalem?

Obviously Jesus wasn't specifically talking to Joshua ben Sira in the following verses.

However, the contradictions & "earthly, sensual, devilish" wisdom in the book of Ecclesiasticus are consistent with Jesus' assessment of the Jewish scribes in Jerusalem during his ministry 2 centuries later.

1. Matthew 23:13
   But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
   
   
2. Matthew 23:14
   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.
   
   
3. Matthew 23:15
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
   
   
4. Matthew 23:23
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
   
   
5. Matthew 23:25
   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.
   
   
6. Matthew 23:27
   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.
   
   
7. Matthew 23:29
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
   
   
8. Luke 11:44
   Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
   
   

Ecclesiastes: Jesus Christ, the red thread of the bible: one among a thousand

Ecclesiastes 7:28
Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

Ecclesiasticus: As the name of this book demonstrates, it counterfeits Ecclesiastes and even Jesus Christ's identity, the main theme!

Sirach 6:6 Let those that are at peace with you be many, but let your advisers be one in a thousand.
Sirach 16:3 Do not trust in their survival, and do not rely on their multitude; for one is better than a thousand, and to die childless is better than to have ungodly children.
Sirach 39:11 if he lives long, he will leave a name greater than a thousand, and if he goes to rest, it is enough for him.



Sirach 42:14 Better is the wickedness of a man than a woman who does good; and it is a woman who brings shame and disgrace.

First, let's handle wickedness.

Ephesians 6
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith [believing], wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

"Fiery darts of the wicked" are images and words which contradict the word of God [like Ecclesiasticus!] and God commands us to quench all of them!

How appropriate!

Job 27:4
My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

Psalm 45:7
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

There are many more, but we've exposed Ecclesiasticus for what it is: a fiery arrow of the wicked one, a mixture of good and bad that ultimately undermines our believing in God's word.

We're still comparing Sirach 42:14 to the bible, but now let's consider goodness:

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Finally, we're going to compare Sirach 42:14 [Ecclesiasticus] with what God says about a woman of God.

Proverbs 12:4
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Proverbs 31
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Esdras, 2nd

Similar to Tobit, the book of 2 Esdras mentions an angel that is not named in the bible, but this time it's Uriel. The name Uriel is used 4 times in the bible, but is for various people and NEVER refers to an angel.

Esdras is a Greco-Latin variation of the Hebrew name Ezra.

Let's check out the definition of Esdras [ez-druhs]
noun
either of the first two books of the Apocrypha, I Esdras or II Esdras.
Douay Bible.

Ezra (def. 1).
either of two books, I Esdras or II Esdras, corresponding to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, respectively, in the Authorized Version.

"Corresponding" more accurately reads counterfeit of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, respectively.



Uriel is also mentioned in the book of Enoch, [another false apocryphal book], who supposedly saved mankind from a group of fallen angels [devil spirits] called the watchers. It makes for great story telling, but has absolutely no basis in truth whatsoever.

Below are a few verses in 2 Esdras where Uriel is mentioned.

2 Esdras
4:[1] Then the angel that had been sent to me, whose name was Uriel, answered

5:[20] So I fasted seven days, mourning and weeping, as Uriel the angel had commanded me.

10:[28] "Where is the angel Uriel, who came to me at first? For it was he who brought me into this overpowering bewilderment; my end has become corruption, and my prayer a reproach."

Notice the consequences of Uriel!

• He was overpowered: this contradicts a multitude of scriptures
• He was bewildered: this contradicts a 2nd batch of scriptures
• He was corrupted: this contradicts a 3rd batch of scriptures
• His prayer became a reproach: this contradicts a 4th batch of scriptures

Matthew 7
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Therefore, this [fallen] angel URIEL IS A DEVIL SPIRIT!

As seen in the red thread series, Jesus Christ is the subject of every book of the bible.

Speaking of the red thread, Jesus Christ, not one book of the apocrypha has Jesus Christ as its main subject!

Yet the bible plainly declares that Jesus Christ is the subject of every book of the bible and that He is the key to opening up the understanding of the scriptures.

None of the books of the apocrypha can claim that.

This is yet another reason that we can verify that the books of the apocrypha are counterfeit books. They don't hold up to God's complete and detailed scrutiny.

Jeremiah, Epistle of

Here is one example:

Encylopedia Britannica:
"The work is supposedly a letter sent by Jeremiah to Jews exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadrezzar in 597 BC, but it is not a letter, nor was it written by Jeremiah."

"The Letter of Jeremiah, also called The Epistle Of Jeremias, apocryphal book of the Old Testament, in the Roman canon appended as a sixth chapter to the book of Baruch (itself apocryphal in the Jewish and Protestant canons)".

This makes sense since Baruch was Jeremiah's scribe.

Epistle of Jeremiah 6:1
"A copy of a letter which Jeremiah sent to those who were to be taken to Babylon as captives by the king of the Babylonians, to give them the message which God had commanded him".

As you can see from verses 28 & 32, there was a genuine copy and a genuine third, edited version of Jeremiah sent to the temple by Baruch, but those letters were not the apocryphal epistle of Jeremiah, so the very first verse of the epistle has both the truth and a treacherous lie by implication [that it was inspired by the Lord].

Isaiah 24:16
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Here is the true and complete record of the additional copies of Jeremiah that he told Baruch to send and speak to those in the temple.

Jeremiah 36
1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord:
6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the Lord's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

7 It may be they will present their supplication before the Lord, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the Lord hath pronounced against this people.
8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.

9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house, in the ears of all the people.

11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the Lord,
12 Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

13 Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.
14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

15 And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.
16 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

Check out the screenshot of the Companion Reference Bible by E.W. Bullinger [1837 - 1913] of Jeremiah 36, once again showing the amazing symmetry, order, meaning and precision of God's word.

You will never see this in the apocrypha!!





17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?
18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.
20 And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.
22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

25 Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.
26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the Lord hid them.

27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?
30 Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.

31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.
32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

If God wanted the Israelites to have a second version of Jeremiah, then we would have had II Jeremiah, but he didn't.

Verse 28 is the copy of Jeremiah that he commanded Baruch to send and speak a second time. Verse 32 is the third version, plus a bit more.

So the apocryphal book called the epistle of Jeremiah is the devil's version [counterfeit] of either the second and/or third version of the book of Jeremiah.

Whatever was in the third version was not significant enough to justify a genuine II Jeremiah book to be written.

This reminds me of 2 verses in the gospel of John:

John 20:30
And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

John 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

In other words, the devil is a copycat, a counterfeiter. Its right there in plain sight!

Job 31:35
Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.

The devil will never have a book written that exposes himself.

That's why we have to go to a source external to the devil - the bible, the revealed word and will of God.



It was most likely authored by an anonymous Jew who stole the material from Jeremiah 10 which already denounced idolatry, so there was no need for the epistle of Jeremiah in the first place.

Compare this to the genuine book of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 1
1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
2 To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Judith, Book of

The New Oxford Annotated Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version (4th ed.). Oxford Univ. Press. pp. 31–36.

"It is generally accepted that the Book of Judith is not historical. The fictional nature "is evident from its blending of history and fiction, beginning in the very first verse, and is too prevalent thereafter to be considered as the result of mere historical mistakes."



100% of the bible was given by revelation from God to his people that had the gift of holy spirit upon them [old testament] or within them [new testament].

Hebrews 6:18
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Maccabees, Book of

Who were the Maccabees?

The Maccabees, [also spelled Machabees], were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 167 BCE to 37 BCE, being a fully independent kingdom from about 110 to 63 BCE.

The First Book of Maccabees is a book written in Hebrew by an anonymous Jewish author [thus reducing the credibility & trustworthiness of the apocryphal books] after the restoration of an independent Jewish kingdom by the Hasmonean dynasty, around the late 2nd century BC. The original Hebrew is lost and the most important surviving version is the Greek translation contained in the Septuagint.

The Second Book of Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book originally in Greek which focuses on the Maccabean Revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and concludes with the defeat of the Seleucid Empire general Nicanor in 161 BC by Judas Maccabeus, the "hero of the Jewish wars of independence".

Let's compare 2 verses out of II Maccabees to the word of God, the perfect and eternal standard of unchanging truth.

II Maccabees 12
44 For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.
45 But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

God has already provided a way to be delivered from sin!

In the old testament:

1. there were many different kinds of animal sacrifices
2. there was the function of the high priest to intercede to God for the people in the temple
3. the people had the commandments of the old testament law

In the new testament, from the day of Pentecost forwards [28A.D.], the completed works of Jesus Christ wipes out all sins committed before you get born again and afterwards, there is one simple verse that can take care of any sins committed since then:

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In the book of Romans and rest of the epistles written directly to us, there are 5 inherent rights as sons of God that also overcome our corrupt old man nature:

1. Redemption
2. Justification
3. Righteousness
4. Sanctification
5. Word & ministry of reconciliation

James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Therefore, making atonement for the sins of the dead is an unbiblical and worldly counterfeit that is an example of the wisdom of this world which is "earthly, sensual, devilish".

Not one scripture in the entire bible ever sanctions or even mentions, atonement for the dead.

What is the purpose of atonement for the dead? It implies life after death, which again contradicts the truth of God.

This is a direct and blatant contradiction of the bible, so this is absolute inherent proof that the Apocrypha is false, just as we have already seen numerous times before.



What is atonement?

Definition of atonement
noun
1. satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.
2. [sometimes initial capital letter] Theology. the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ.
3. Christian Science. the experience of humankind's unity with God exemplified by Jesus Christ.
4. Archaic. reconciliation; agreement.

James 4:2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

This verse shows that you do not have forgiveness because you did not ask for it. It doesn't come automatically. You must take believing action. Last time I checked, that's pretty hard to do when you're dead...;)

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So if you are dead, and never asked God for forgiveness while you were alive, then, [based on the nature of death from the section on Baruch above], you will not have forgiveness = atonement. Other people cannot accomplish forgiveness of sin for you when you are already dead because the just shall live by faith.

There are 4 verses in the bible that mention living by faith [believing]. Here is just one that also mentions a second one from the old testament.

Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 14:12
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Susanna, story of

If you do a search for the name "Susanna" in www.biblegateway.com, in the KJV, the name Susanna only occurs once: in Luke 8:3.

Luke 8:3
Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

However, in the Septuagint, [the Greek translation of the old testament], and the St. Jerome's Latin Vulgate [390 - 405A.D.], the story of Susanna is actually Daniel chapter 13!



Susanna 1:2
And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord.



Thus, she, along with many other people mentioned in various books of the old testament Apocryphal books, is either a fictitious character, one who never even existed, or is somebody who was not important enough to have been written into the bible.

Susanna 1:4
Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honored of them all.

As far as his money, material goods and position in society are concerned, Joakim sounds like a counterfeit of Job.

Job 1
1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared ["feared" is KJV old english and means reverenced] God, and eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.



Consistent with other apocryphal books, the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ in this book is never mentioned, but who is mentioned in every book of the genuine bible.

Tobit, Book of

This book mentions an archangel named Raphael, who supposedly heals Tobit of a disease.

The name "Raphael" does not occur in the bible anywhere.

The bible mentions only 3 angels by name: Gabriel, Lucifer, and Michael.

Therefore, since God did not give Raphael his name, he had to have gotten it from another source, so this angel does not belong to God, and therefore, it does not have any divine authority or blessing.



Tobit is never mentioned even one time in the bible, so once again, he's either a totally fictitious character, or God decided to exclude him from the bible.

Look at verse 7!

Tobit 6
[1] Now as they proceeded on their way they came at evening to the Tigris river and camped there.
[2] Then the young man went down to wash himself. A fish leaped up from the river and would have swallowed the young man;

[3] and the angel said to him, "Catch the fish." So the young man seized the fish and threw it up on the land.
[4] Then the angel said to him, "Cut open the fish and take the heart and liver and gall and put them away safely."

[5] So the young man did as the angel told him; and they roasted and ate the fish. And they both continued on their way until they came near to Ecbatana.
[6] Then the young man said to the angel, "Brother Azarias, of what use is the liver and heart and gall of the fish?"

[7] He replied, "As for the heart and liver, if a demon or evil spirit gives trouble to any one, you make a smoke from these before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again.

The only way to cast a devil spirit out of somebody in the old testament was for them to die.

That's why there was the death penalty for so many things because there were devil spirits in them that were motivating them to do bad things.

After the day of Pentecost in 28A.D., [the age of grace], many times, the only way to get a devil spirit out of somebody is to cast it out in the name of Jesus Christ by operating the revelation and impartation manifestations of holy spirit [all 6].

If people could drive devil spirits away by using fish hearts and livers, then Jesus Christ came, exposed and defeated the devil in vain!

It also means that we don't need the 9 manifestations of holy spirit, which only benefits the devil, so the epistle of Jeremiah obviously cannot be authored by the one true God.

Verse 7 is a superstition that the word of God forbids because it involves the operation of devil spirits [divination].

Ezekiel 21
21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.
22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.
23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

Jeremiah 27
9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.



Here's yet another lie and contradiction to the bible and broken, distorted logic!!

Look at verse 6: "Then the young man said to the angel, "Brother Azarias...", which means they had the same father, which is implied to be God, but was he?

Hebrews 1 [in reference to Jesus Christ]
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom [this is a quote from the old testament where judges, such as Moses, were called "gods" = rulers or judges and were not actual Gods of any kind].

Did you see verse 5?!

Angels cannot be sons of God. Period.

But Tobit was a regular man of body and soul.

An angel is a spirit being that was created way back in Genesis 1:1, so for Tobit in verse 6 to call an angel "brother" is totally false in 2 different ways and is an absolute impossibility.

LIE # 1: Tobit called the angel Azarias "brother", which means that both were sons of God, which contradicts several verses in Hebrews.

LIE # 2: An angel is, by definition, a created spirit being, but Tobit was a human being, a natural man of body and soul, so they are totally different type of beings. Therefore, they cannot be brothers.

From Genesis 1:1 - Genesis 8, the word "kind" is used 18 times in reference to animals and plants after their kind [genus]. There can be evolution within species, but never between 2 or more genus'.

John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

This is why a human being cannot mate with any kind of spirit being, so this destroys the false idea that back in Genesis angels or devils mated with humans to produce offspring.

Here's another important point: as mentioned above, "Azarias" is never mentioned in the bible, but "Azariah" is mentioned in the bible 49 times [and its always a person and never an angel], so Azarias is the apocrypha's counterfeit to the biblical Azariah.

The consequences of believing in the apocrypha

Since it wasn't the one true God who hindered you, then the hindrance had to have come from another source.

Because there are only 2 great spiritual powers, the hindrance had to have come from the devil, the god of this world.

According to the bible, there are only 3 categories or types of evil:

1. Destructive or injurious evil
2. Harassing and distracting evil
3. Wasteful and unproductive evil

Every book of the apocrypha is guilty of all 3 types of evil!

Since the books of the apocrypha were inspired by devil spirits, whose sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy, then trusting in the apocrypha can put us into spiritual darkness, deceptively damaging our lives and relationship with God.

Has the apocrypha shipwrecked your believing?

I Timothy 1
19 Holding faith [believing], and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith [believing] have made shipwreck:
20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Hymenaeus and Alexander were sons of the devil with no hope of any restoration because seed, whether physical or spiritual, is permanent.

It determines a living thing's true nature.

The apocrypha has shipwrecked many people's believing in God over the past 2 thousand years or so. The writers will have to answer to God in the judgement in the future. I'm sure glad I'm not in their shoes...

How can Satan, through the apocrypha, destroy your believing?

There are 4 fundamental methods that our believing in God can be weakened and destroyed.

1. Anxiety
2. Fear
3. Doubt
4. Confused and wavering 5-senses reasoning

The bottom line here is the question: do any of the effects of believing the apocrypha include anxiety, fear, doubt, confusion or any of the other items in the counterfeit book checklist in section #8 above?

It's always best to stick with the word of God instead of the word of man.

1 John 5:9
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.

II Peter 1:16
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

Greek lexicon of II Peter 1:16 Go to strong's column, link #4679, the second one down from the top

Definition of cunningly devised
Strong's Concordance #4679
sophizo: to make wise
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: [sof-id' -zo]
Definition: I make wise, instruct; pass: I am skillfully devised.

Now look at the definition farther down the page...
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cunningly devise, make wise.
From sophos; to render wise; in a sinister acceptation, to form "sophisms", i.e. Continue plausible error -- cunningly devised, make wise.

Now back to the lexicon to look at the word "fables"
Definition of fables
Strong's Concordance #3454
muthos: a speech, story, i.e. a fable
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Phonetic Spelling: [moo' -thos]
Definition: an idle tale, fable, fanciful story.



Wow, look at that. That's an exact description of the apocrypha! This verse is in perfect alignment & harmony with all the previous information we've learned so far. The apocrypha undermines, it subverts, our believing in the one true God.

Speaking of subverting our believing and replacing truth for error, this is similar to a verse in Romans:

Romans 1:25 [amplified bible]
Because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature [creation] rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Several different sources I've read indicate that the book of Enoch was very popular with the Christians during the first century.

Perhaps this previous verse in II Peter was specifically written to address the lies, the fiery darts of the wicked, in the apocrypha, such as the book of Enoch...

This verse in Jeremiah, even though its thousands of years old. still applies today, and especially in the book of the Apocrypha.

Jeremiah 7:8
Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

Profit means value, benefit or gain.

But there are many benefits of trusting in God's perfect and eternal word of righteousness and life.



The apocrypha contradicts the bible in many areas.



Although we've already covered II Thessalonians 2:2 previously in the "What is the purpose of the books of the apocrypha?" section, we only examined the words spirit, word and letter.

Now we are going to look at "shaken in mind" and "troubled" in the context of consequences of believing in the apocrypha.

II Thessalonians 2:2
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Definition of "shaken in mind":

Strong's Concordance #4531
saleuó: to agitate, shake, by ext. to cast down
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (sal-yoo'-o)
Definition: I shake, excite, disturb in mind, stir up, drive away.

Used in Acts 17:13 - stirred up
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

The religious Judeans of Thessalonica were so obsessed with attacking Paul that they traveled approximately 50 miles on foot or camel to stir up the people in Berea to get them against the apostle Paul. The brethren immediately sent Paul to Athens, which is about 300 miles away!

Saleuo comes from this root word:

Strong's Concordance #4535
salos: a tossing, spec. the swell (of the sea)
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Phonetic Spelling: (sal'-os)
Definition: the tossing of the sea in a tempest; agitation, rolling

The concept of being tossed in a storm on the sea is referenced in Ephesians and James, which fits in perfectly with the consequences of believing in the apocrypha.

Ephesians 4:14
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

James 1
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

This confirms what I was saying: that believing in the apocrypha results in doubt and deception.

Definition of "be troubled":

Strong's Concordance #2360
throeó: to be troubled
Part of Speech: Verb
Phonetic Spelling: (thro-eh'-o)
Definition: I disturb, agitate; pass: I am troubled, alarmed.

HELPS Word-studies
2360 throéō (from throos, "clamor, tumult") – properly, unsettled (thrown into confusion, WS, 953); (figuratively) troubled (disturbed), wanting to "cry aloud, to scream (passive) because terrified" (WP, 1, 189); thrown into an "emotional uproar," i.e. very upset (alarmed, startled).

Look at that: agitation, confusion, emotional uproar, terror which ultimately originates from devil spirits, just like II Thessalonians says.

This matches the list of things that Jesus taught his disciples: anxiety, fear, doubt and confusion that are classified as "little faith [believing]".

How accurate and relevant the bible is, even after thousands of years!

The Apocryphal Chain of Corruption

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

What are just some of the fruits of the books of the Apocrypha?

See for yourself.

These 3 documents are new testament era apocryphal works: 

1. The epistle of Barnabas
2. The shepherd of Hermas
3. The Didache

The Didache [pronounced di-day-kay], another apocryphal work, is a compilation of an unknown number of previous apocryphal documents, so it is a lie built upon lies.

A compilation is a book, writing, or the like, of materials from various sources.

In true apocryphal form, we don't know who authored these books, when exactly, nor why.



For more in-depth information on this see the research articles below:

The Felony Forgery of Matthew 28:19

Multiple trinitarian bible forgeries

The shield of the trinity: deciphered and exposed!

SUMMARY

1. The original word of God was perfect and God magnified his word above his name, and not the universe, in all its splendor. That makes the bible God's greatest work.
   
   
2. The traditional old testament apocrypha consists of the following books: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Song of the Three Children, Story of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, but there are many others not in this list that correspond to the old and new testaments of the bible.
   
   
3. Many names of the books of the apocrypha are deliberately very similar to the corresponding names of books of the bible in order to confuse, distract and deceive.
   
   
4. Definition of Apocrypha: various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities; writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity; spurious
   
   
5. Definition of spurious: not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit
   
   
6. Definition of counterfeit: made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged
   
   
7. From II Peter 1:16, the definition of fables: from the Greek word mythos - a myth; a false account, yet posing to be the truth; a fabrication [fable] which subverts [replaces] what is actually true. This is an exact description of the books of the apocrypha and their effects on those who believe them
   
   
8. The apocrypha introduces doubt into our minds, which is a characteristic of those who do not believe the word of God
   
   
9. If we waver and doubt in our believing, we will be unstable in all our ways and will not receive anything from the Lord
   
   
10. Wavering & doubting in God's word can be a consequence of confusion between worldly wisdom and God's wisdom
    
    
11. None of the books of the old testament apocrypha are quoted by Jesus Christ or any book of the new testament
    
    
12. The books of the apocrypha were written during one of the spiritually darkest periods of mankind, the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew
    
    
13. In the apocrypha itself, in the book of Maccabees, it supports atonement for the dead, a totally unbiblical concept
    
    
14. The nature of death, [with no thoughts or consciousness at all], and the principle of self-responsibility, make atonement for the dead impossible
    
    
15. I Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints
    
    
16. There are "many infallible proofs" of God's truth, one of which is speaking in tongues.
    
    
17. All of the books of the apocrypha are a combination of truth and error, blessings and cursings, which violates James 3:10, Psalms 12:6 and others
    
    
18. All of the books of the apocrypha contradict the word of God at least once
    
    
19. At least one book of the apocrypha, [Bel and the dragon], is diametrically opposed to the identity of Jesus Christ in the that it is attached to: the book of Daniel.
    
    
20. During the 400 years of spiritual darkness that bore the apocrypha, it would be next to impossible for the authors to determine the identity of Jesus Christ in any given book of the old testament.
    
    
21. None of the books of the apocrypha are 100% accurate as are the books of the bible when originally written
    
    
22. All of the books of the apocrypha are an addition to the word of God, which contradicts Deuteronomy and Revelation
    
    
23. None of the books of the apocrypha mention Jesus Christ as the red thread of the bible
    
    
24. Because of the negative effects on people, contradictions to the bible, and the remarkable coincidence of opposition to the identity of Jesus Christ that could not have been known to the authors, the books of the apocrypha had to have been inspired by devil spirits.
    
    
25. All of the books of the apocrypha that were added to a specific book of the bible destroy the balance, meaning, symmetry and precision of the figures of speech used in that book of the bible
    
    
26. There is a simple checklist that the books of the apocrypha can be compared to in order to separate the genuine books of the bible from the counterfeit ones.