By Greg Miller
We are asked from time to time about references made by King James Bible believers to the "Seven Sealed Black-Backed Authorized King James Bible," or some variation of that statement. Most quote Peter S. Ruckman as the originator of this reference. We cannot confirm or deny whether that statement originated with him.
But before explaining the "seven seals" on a King James BIble. There are reasons for holding fast to the King James Bible as THE word of God in English while rejected all new Bible versions:
The KJB was translated from the correct texts: Hebrew Masoretic Old Testament and Greek Recieved Text (Textus Receptus) New Testament.
The KJB was translated used the Formal Equivalency method (a more literal, but still very readable translation technique) to give you a more word-for-word and accurate translation of God's words, while new versions are translated using Dynamic Equivalency which involves translating and then INTERPRETING the text, which is the equivalent to having a priest (the translator) explain God's word while not letting you actually read God's WORDS.
The KJB was translated by a group of saved men who held God's word in the highest esteem, treated God's words with great care and accuracy, and who were committed to giving you as accurate a translation of those words (formal equivalency) in order to put you as close to God and His original utterances as possible.
The KJB, as a result of all of the above, is the most accurate translation in English ever produced. It is EQUIVALENT to "the originals", though no one can counter that claim because the originals perished and no one alive today (or for many centuries) has ever seen an "original manuscript". The words of the King James Bible are God's words as originally inspired and, therefore, remain and ARE the inspired, infallible, perfect words of God.
In addition to those four major points above, there are also many "coincidences" and "strange phenomena" that serve to confirm the hand of God on this Book.
These include but are not limited to:
Surviving the numerous Satanic attempts to destroy it beginning with the Guy Fawkes assassination attempt on the 5th of November, 1605. Had this terrorist attack succeeded, King James would never have been able to orchestrate the production of this amazing Book. God's word would have survived and come to us some other way, of course, but as it stands God Almighty gave us His word in the form in which we have it by miraculously preserving those who produced it under His superintendence.
Internal evidences of "advanced revelation" that had never been found in any "original", any copies of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, any other language translations or any other English translations. The Reformers discovered many basic truths in the Hebrew and Greek texts, as well as Latin and other foreign translations, but those were truths once known but discarded by Rome and needed to be revived in the hearts and minds of believers. But it was not until the wide distribution of the AV 1611 King James Bible that Bible students began to understand God's word with the depth and maturity that produced the Fundamental,Pre-Millennial, Dispensational movement whose "Philadelphian" battle against Laodicean apostasy (see Revelation 3) has preserved Bible believing Christianity and will continue to do so right up to the moment of the Rapture of the Church before the coming time of great tribulation during Daniel's 70th Week.
The practical witness of the greatest period of soul winning, missionary work and revival in church history dating from the wide distribution of the King James Bible until it's gradual abandonment among the masses. 1611 marked the beginning of the Philadelphian harvest of souls. 1880 marked the beginning of widespread apostasy with the adoption of Codex Vaticanus by Westcott Hort and all who have followed in their footsteps since (Nestle-Aland-Metzger, United Bible Societies in their many editions).
There are the SEVEN main proofs for believing the King James Bible. Again, other variations on these points exist but this is our understanding of the matter.
And in another "coincidence" (of course, we are using that term with tongue-in-cheek), ALL King James Bibles were once produced with a cover (whether black, brown, red, blue, white, etc.) with a SPINE that had "seven seals" as seen in the picture that we will re-post here:
Whether you accept this as "proof" for the blessed old King James Bible having God's hand upon it or not, there is your explanation. It should be noted that anyone can print King James Bibles and a number of those printers have failed to continue this practice. But others do continue to place the Book in a cover whose spine has the "seven seals". We do not rest our faith on the King James Bible as the preserved, inspired, infallible words of God in English on this single, unexplained phenomena. Nor do we rest on any number of such evidences. Our faith rests solely upon the WORDS of the Book. But knowing we have the WORDS of God in our King James Bible, we can't help but note the many additional fingerprints of God upon His Book.
For More Information... "Manuscript Evidence," by Peter S. Ruckman "Final Authority," by William P. Grady "New Age Versions," by Gail Riplinger "The Word: God Will Keep It! The 400 Year History of the King James Bible Only Movement," by Joey Faust "Forever Settled, a Survey of the Documents and History of the Bible," by Jack Moorman