A Review of Todd Friel’s Book, “Jesus Unmasked: The Truth Will Shock You”

January 15, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

The title of this book is pretty indicative of the subject matter. The author succeeds at explaining who Jesus was and is. He teaches that Christ is the focus of the Bible in its entirety. He demonstrates how Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies, shadows and types. All of this is done with simple terms when possible. When it is not possible Mr. Friel explains the nomenclature for the laymen.

I have to make a small disclaimer here. I am a big fan of, “Wretched Radio.” It is a radio show and podcast. Todd Friel is the host/on-air personality. I have learned a lot, a lot, a lot, from the show over the years. My review will be from the perspective of a Reformed Baptist and a fan of the show. So don’t expect much in the way of negativity. I honestly agree with all of what is said in the book. I find it to be Biblically sound and interesting to read. It is a, “must read” for everybody. If you’ve just been born again or if you’ve been 50 years into the sanctification process this book will edify you.

In the first chapter the author deals with world views, specifically post-modernism. This was a great place to start as a philosophy class on epistemology would not be beneficial for the target audience. This is a short chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the book. You get a look at the serious subject matter and a look at some of Todd’s humor that makes him such an interesting fellow to listen to. It is obvious that he has a level of mastery of the subject matter without coming off as an aloof overlord.

The following chapters flesh out some basics of Christian theology in simple terms. Then he gets down to the bulk of the work, which is highlighting Christ from the beginning of the Bible to the end. Vary rarely in Christian books of around 200 pages do we get such a complete and profound picture of Jesus. Most of the books I’ve reviewed in the recent past have been theological fluff, Christian cotton candy, hardly worth reading at all. You know how you feel after eating junk for a month? Yep! That’s how most “Christian books” leave me feeling after reading them. They were time killers with not nutritional value. I probably would have got more out of them if I’d eaten them. Well, that is not so of this work. I would rank it up there with, “The Holiness of God” by R. C. Sproul, or maybe, “Crazy Love” by Francis Chan.

The main way that the author highlights Christ throughout the entire Bible is by expounding on the prophecies, shadows, and types, that Jesus fulfills. This can be a bit tricky. I’ve seen some pretty bad attempts that only make the Bible look disjunct. When done correctly, as in this case, the Bible comes alive. The harmony of scripture sings to the heart and mind of the believer who sees the richness and majesty of the true faith established once and for all by God. Being able to see the ark Noah built and understand that it is a look forward to Jesus. Seeing the rock that sprang forth lifesaving water in the desert for the Israelites, and how Jesus is the better fount. Seeing the Sabbath, from our perspective, looking back to recognize rest in Christ’s work. These and many more examples fill the pages of this book. The gospel is fleshed out fully and explicitly. You won’t find a list of, “do’s” to check off, and you won’t find some silly, formulaic, “pray this prayer.” You will understand who Jesus is, what you are, what He has done, and how you should respond. If you have loved ones who aren’t saved, get them this book. If you have friends or family who are young in their faith, get them this book. If you have become a crusty old codger, get yourself this book. It will blow the carbon out of the old exhaust and get you fired up again.

You can buy this book from the wretched store.

You can pick up a copy at Christianbook.com

You can purchase it from the publisher Newleaf

or you can get it on Amazon in different formats including audio.

Bible Reviews

The Modern English Version (MEV) a Curious and Surprising Translation.

January 14, 2015January 15, 2015 Bob Snyder15 Comments

I came across the MEV by chance while searching for different translations. I was curious because I have never heard of the MEV before. When looking into it I found out some more details that made me even more curious. I found out that it is a modern translation that seeks to be as “word for word” accurate as it can be while maintaining the King James text in modern English. I was a bit puzzled by this as we now have many more manuscripts, some are older and some are more reliable than the Textus Receptus. As for a modern version of the KJV, well we already have the New King James Version (NKJV) as for modern translations, I prefer the NASB as it makes use of many of the manuscripts we have discovered over the last couple hundred years without including the errors Erasmus made for the sake of expediency. This is one of the differences between the MEV and other modern translations. It is kind of like building a modern car, but using an old flat head motor. The Textus Receptus isn’t horrible, it just isn’t as good as the manuscripts we now have.

With those concerns considered I turned my attention to the actual translation of the MEV. I’m glad to say, that so far this has turned out to be pretty accurate and reliable. I’ve been reading it with my NA28, NASB, KJV, and NKJV side by side. I actually prefer the way the MEV renders some words over the NASB. For instance, in the New Testament the NASB renders, “Χριστός” as, “Messiah” instead of, “Christ” where the MEV renders it as, “Christ.” The MEV makes us of capital letters when referring to God, but not as much as the NASB. The NASB does a better job in other areas as well. For instance in John 1:5 I like the rendering of, “κατέλαβεν” as, “comprehend” more than, “overcome.” I understand that there is the implication in the Greek of struggling with a concept to finally comprehend it or overcome it. I just think that the English word, “overcome” has connotations that could lead one to think of a contest, battle, or race, without and missing out on the more important implication of comprehension.

Here is an excerpt from the MEV page, “The MEV is a translation of the Textus Receptus and the Jacob ben Hayyim edition of the Masoretic Text, using the King James Version as the base manuscript. The MEV is a literal translation. It is also often referred to as a formal correspondence translation. The Committee on Bible Translation began their work on the MEV in 2005 and completed it in 2013.” It also appears that some of the endorsers mention that this is the 1611 authorized with modern language. These lead me to believe that they haven’t fixed the problems that Erasmus introduced. Here are the last 8 verses from Revelation out of the 1611 Authorized KJV, the Cambridge KJV, The MEV, and the NASB, in that order:

“14 Blessed are they that do his commandements, that they may haue right to the tree of life, and may enter in thorow the gates into the citie.

14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoeuer loueth and maketh a lie.

15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

15 Outside are dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices a lie.

15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

16 I Iesus haue sent mine Angel, to testifie vnto you these things in the Churches. I am the roote and the offspring of Dauid, and the bright and morning starre.

16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things [fn]for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth, say, Come. And let him that is a thirst, come. And whosoeuer will, let him take the water of life freely.

17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let him who hears say, “Come.” Let him who is thirsty come. Let him who desires take the water of life freely.

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

18 For I testifie vnto euery man that heareth the wordes of the prophesie of this booke, If any man shal adde vnto these things, God shall adde vnto him the plagues, that are written in this booke.

18For 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:

18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book.

18I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;

19 And if any man shall take away from the wordes of the booke of this prophesie, God shal take away his part out of the booke of life, and out of the holy citie, and from the things which are written in this booke.

19And 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.

19 And if anyone takes 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 out of the things which are written in this book.

19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and [fn]from the holy city, which are written in this book.

20 Hee which testifieth these things, saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Euen so, Come Lord Iesus.

20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. {THE END.}

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with [fn]all. Amen.

You can see some of the differences between translations due to the error of Erasmus in the above verses. Of course the first three translations will look more alike when compared to the last one. The NASB is a modern translation that utilized more than just the Textus Receptus. It used the third edition of Rudolf Kittel’s Biblia Hebraica, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia for the Hebrew. It used the Eberhard Nestle’s Novum Testamentum Graece for the Greek.

According to their web page they were not allowing any cultural or theological agendas to dictate how they did their translation. I’m glad to see that there isn’t any gender neutral nonsense so far as I have read.

Overall it accomplishes what it sets out to do. It brings the KJV into modern English. I think it does a better job in some areas and could be better in others. I think they should fix the problems with the work of Erasmus.

The Bible Passio sent me to review is a Thinline Reference Bible. Here is an excerpt from their product page, “Thinline Reference Bible Black Leatherlike ATTRACTIVE AND LIGHTWEIGHT, this Thinline Reference Bible is a Bible your customers can take anywhere. Complete with study tools such as cross-references, a concordance, and four-color maps, it is sure to be a favorite for home, church, or giving as a gift.” The Bible was provided gratis for the purpose of review by Passio. It arrived in an envelope.

It was packaged in a card-paper sleeve. The sleeve or slipcase is not heavy enough to use for storage and actually was bent quite a bit from being mailed.

The Bible itself didn’t suffer too much, just some bent corners. The MEV was printed and bound in America.

I found this refreshing. So many of the Bibles I review are imported from China and South Korea. The Bible was covered with what they call a black leatherlike cover. It was black. It was textured. That was about where the similarities ended. This had some of the cheapest cover material I’ve ever seen.

The inside cover is lined with paper.

Keep in mind that this Bible has a very low price, very white opaque paper with sharply printed text.

We have to be fair. You can pick up a copy for around $20.00 online. The paper is 19.8 lb basis weight Tervakoski. According to the publisher it is the equivalent of approximately 29.3 gsm. Having used this Bible for a couple of weeks now, I’d have to agree. The paper is pretty opaque given its light weight and how thin it is. The font is an 8 point Delima MT Std regular. The words of Christ are in red.

The text is arranged in a typical double column format with center column references. There are not as many cross references as I’d like to see.

I have a feeling that there will be more as the translation matures. The page edges are gilded.

There is one black ribbon marker. The ribbon is narrow, thick, and seems to be better quality than most of the Bibles in the same price range.

There are short book introductions before each book and when a book ends the next book starts on a new page sometimes giving you room for notes at the end of the book.

There is a helpful concordance in the back and after that 4 color maps.

Now keeping in mind that this is a $20 Thinline Bible I want to tell you how impressed I am with its flexibility. After only a couple of hours of use this thing is flexible enough to double over and to wrap around itself. It is great for carrying with you in a bag or lunch box. It isn’t so expensive as to make you afraid to use it. It isn’t so small you can’t read the text. It is a very practical Bible if you are looking for an inexpensive Thinline to carry and read.

Amazon has them here.

ISBN-13: 978-1621369967

Bible Reviews

He said, “It is a Waterproof Bible!” I said, “What?”

January 13, 2015 Bob Snyder1 Comment

Review of the English Standard Version (ESV) Waterproof Bible from Bardin & Marsee Publishing

The first time I saw a waterproof Bible it was a local Christian book store. It seemed like a good idea. At that time in my life I was planning for the end of the world, doomsday scenario. The Bible was a KJV, so I wasn’t that interested. Fast-forward a bit and now they make one in ESV. I was very curious as to how they accomplished this feat of Bible construction. I requested one for review from the publisher. They sent one for me gratis for the purpose of honest review.

I’m not going to lie. The idea of pouring water onto any book without damaging it is pretty novel. That novelty earns it some points. Aside from the novelty, there are many practical reasons for having a waterproof Bible. I like the notion of having a Bible I can take to Church Camp or Men’s Retreat, and not have to worry about it getting wet or dirty. I can put it in my bag with my toothpaste and not worry about it getting messed up if the cap comes off. I can read it at the table and not worry about spilling my drink on it. If it does get messy from food, drink, dirt, mud, etc. I can just rinse it off and dry it with a towel or rag.

Some of the active peeps I know love their apps. Bible apps are fine, but one update and the enemy can change all the content of the Bible so that it isn’t the same anymore. Try pouring some coffee on your tablet or phone while reading your Bible via an app! Good luck with that move. Don’t drop your tablet in the dirt next to the fire pit. You’ll break your screen. What about when that battery gets low bro? What then? I love having a printed copy in hand to read from. So if it is the Bible you run to the hills with, it won’t get remotely updated. I jest… not really… OK, I’m kidding…

The Waterproof Bible was shipped to me packed in a cardboard box cushioned with paper packing material.

The Bible is a bit heavier than a comparably sized conventional Bible. I think this is due to the materials used in the manufacture of this Bible. It was in pretty good shape when it arrived. The corners were a little bent, but not bad.

The Bible is printed in China.

The page material seems to be some kind of plastic material that is very, very opaque. This is a good thing. You can’t see the text through the page.

One problem with this Bible is that the pages and text are a bit glossy. In sunlight they are pretty bright. The cover is blue and white. The signatures are sewn and glued together.

If you look closely enough you can see that they use a pretty heavy looking cord to sew them together.

Since the pages aren’t conventional paper, I don’t see this Bible getting damaged. It is a good investment even if you aren’t looking for a Bible to take into the wild. It will survive the urban jungle as well. Youth Pastors know what I mean. There are short book introductions before each book.

The 8 point font text is arranged in a double column format with references at the bottom of the page.

You can underline with pencils and ball-point pens. Pens will dent the pages and sometimes skip. Pencils do the same. I wouldn’t buy this with the intentions of putting a bunch of notes in it. I found that underlining is very doable, but note taking would be tough. Wet highlighters won’t work, but dry ones and sharpies will. There are no maps, concordance, or any other helps. The Bible would be too heavy if it did have them.

If you are in the market for a very tough Bible that will live up to your active life, then this is the Bible for you. Clearly printed font, no ghosting, rugged, and practical, this Bible is perfect for extreme applications. Take it anywhere and no worries.

9781609690120

You can purchase one directly from the publisher at the link below,

http://www.bardinmarsee.com/p-69-esv-waterproof-bible.aspx

or you can purchase one here, Amazon or here, Christianbook

Bible Reviews

Need a Large Print Personal Size Reference Bible? Holman Has a Great Value for You.

December 15, 2014 Bob SnyderLeave a comment

Let’s look at the Holman HCSB Personal Size Reference Bible, red letter edition, in Brown Genuine Cowhide, with indexes.

Holman shipped this Bible in a cardboard box and cushioned it with paper packaging material.

The two piece retail box should be kept for storage.

Holman wraps their genuine cowhide Bibles with construction paper to make them keep their shape and prevent damage while being shipped. When I opened the retail package I was presented with the wrapped Bible. After removing the wraps, they chocolaty brown genuine cowhide is revealed.

It has the feel of a quality Bible to it. It also has an affordable price. The cowhide is supple and soft.

The cover is lined with vinyl on the inside and glued down. This adds a bit of rigidity to the cover, but in my opinion just as much as is needed to make it easier to hold and read. Some Bibles are too floppy.

This Bible is about 8.25″ x 5.75″ x 1.25″ It is a very convenient size to carry around in your hand or in a medium bag of some kind. It is too large for a small lunch box or purse. I like the size of it for use in a chair without a table or desk. The overall dimensions and format are conducive to reading even though it is not a readers edition.

The spine of the Bible has at the top, “HCSB” and the logo above it, and, “Holy Bible” in the middle, and then, Holman’s logo at the bottom in gold. The spine is also decorated with hubs reminiscent of the raised hubs that were produced by the journals being sewed to the journal cords before the use of thinner journal tapes. Today as a rule they are decorative. They do add a bit of appeal to a Bible.

This Bible has a modern sewn binding. It is pretty comparable to the other Bibles from China with a sewn binding. Holman seems to do a better job of quality control than some of the other publishers I have seen that produce for the same market. The bindings we see from Jongbloed in the Netherlands are still a cut above. That is why they work for the luxury crowd. For a great value, this fits the bill. You can take it all over and not feel like a sinner for indulging in a $250.00 Bible, and you have the added benefit of not worrying it gets a wrinkled page.

The pages are gilded.

There is one narrow ribbon marker that matches the color of the cover.

There is a copyright page showing that this Bible was made in China. Then after that is a Table of Contents, How to Use the Bible, Gospel Presentation, Translation Notes, and then the text of the Bible begins. It is arranged in a two column paragraph format with end of paragraph cross-references, and footnotes at the bottom of the page. This setting is less cluttered making it easy to read. The font is a 10.5 point font that is printed clearly and sharply on the page.

The paper could stand to be a bit thicker. In this edition the words of Jesus are printed in red.

I like the way the indexes are cut on this Bible they are rectangular with rounded corners instead of the more common crescent shape. The Old Testament ones are gold text on black and the New Testament ones are gold text on red.

After the book of Revelation you have, HCSB Bullet Notes, Table of Weights and Measures, Where to Turn, Titles of Jesus, Messianic Scriptures that Jesus Fulfilled, a brief Topical Concordance, and finally eight color maps. I found the Where to Turn section useful for new Christians as well as the section on prophecies fulfilled by Christ.

My overall impression of this Bible is that is a good quality workhorse for daily reading. It isn’t good for note taking due to the margins being minimal to accommodate the text. It isn’t chocked full of notes and references for the same reason. This is a Bible geared for daily reading. The binding does have a bit of page puckering in the gutter near the front and end of the Bible, but it isn’t that bad and doesn’t present at all after the first and last pages. For that purpose it works excellently and is a great value.

This particular Bible is in the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation. It is a more of an equivalent translation than anything else. It fills the gap left by the NIV when it went all apostate on us. Now when people need an easy to read translation I suggest the HCSB.

ISBN-13: 9781586407926 ISBN: 1586407929 Christianbook stock number CBD Stock No: WW407926

Bible Reviews

An outstanding reference Bible and a great value! Review of the Trinitarian Bible Society, Westminster Reference Bible, Authorized KJV, 90U/BK in Black Premium Calfskin Leather.

November 3, 2014March 4, 2017 Bob Snyder24 Comments

Just a little disclaimer first, I am not a KJV only guy. I love the KJV and I do read the KJV, but I also use the NASB as my primary translation. In addition I use the ESV, NKJV, HCSB, and Geneva. This should be good news to people looking for an honest, unbiased, review. The bad news is that I received this Bible gratis from TBS. Some of you might believe that will make me biased, but if you look at my blog you can see that there are a few publishers represented by reviews of their products, all of which were gratis. I am under no obligation to give a positive review to any of the books or Bibles I review.

That being said, this is an AMAZING reference Bible! I was very surprised to see the quality of this Bible considering the price they ask for it. You can purchase one from TBS directly for $80.00 and they use the proceeds to provide Bibles and resources to Christians around the world. Or you can buy it from evangelicalbible.com for a little less.

TBS took great care in packaging this Bible for shipping. When it arrived at my house it was in a clamshell type cardboard box filled with packing peanuts. The Bible was placed on top of a foam pad inside the box.

Its retail packaging is a blue clamshell box with product information on it. Save the box for storage.

I was so glad to see they took good care to ensure the Bible arrived undamaged. I have received numerous Bibles that have had bent corners, wrinkled covers, and scratches on them due to insufficient packaging.

When I opened the box I could smell the calfskin leather. It was soft to touch and has a fairly smooth texture. It isn’t heavily textured. The cover is lined with typical vinyl looking material that is glued down. It is a case bound book.

The first and last pages are glued up higher to ensure the text block is securely fitted to the cover.

The printing and binding were done by Jongbloed in the Netherlands. They are well known for producing luxury Bibles like R.L. Allan, Schuyler, and Cambridge.

The spine has, “Holy Bible” at the head, “Westminster Reference Bible” in the middle, and the TBS logo at the foot. These are written in gold lettering. The page edges are gold gilt as well.

The binding is smyth-sewn and very flexible. Fresh out of the box the Bible lies flat on the table from the first book to the last.

When you hold it by the spine it drapes over your hand. The cover has some rigidity due to the lining. This is only a con if you are looking for a cover that edge lined. I have had both types of covers on Bibles. For a time I thought it was the mark of a good quality Bible to have a lining as flexible as the cover material, but I have come to appreciate some rigidity in the cover. It helps to hold onto the Bible, if there is something to hold onto. Some of the Bibles without it are more difficult to read because they are too flexible. They tend to flop around. This one has a great quality cover and it adds to the utility of the Bible. The fit and finish of the text block to cover is very clean and well done. It is obvious that they are doing this work with honoring God in mind.

The Bible comes with four ribbon markers. There are two red ones in the Old Testament and two black ones in the New Testament. Both sets of ribbons are good quality and about a quarter inch wide. I really appreciate this feature. Often times Bibles only have one ribbon marker if you are lucky. Sometimes you can get them with two, but four is almost unheard of. I end up gluing more in on my own. I love having four. I can use one from the Old Testament for my daily reading plan and the other for following along with the sermon. I do the same with the two in the New Testament.

The first pages are made out of a heavier paper and TBS instead of just leaving them blank has tastefully printed some scripture quotes on each one of them. Instead of being out of place, they were quite a propos and well done. After that we have a presentation page on the same paper, and then the paper changes over to Bible paper for the, Translators to the Reader, Epistle dedicatory, and the, Guide to Using the Westminster Bible, pages.

At the beginning of the books there are verses that are helpful for the reading of each book and the Chapter numbers are larger and bold. The text is in a double column verse format with over 200,000 references printed on the gutter and page edge sides of the page. I love these cross references, the TBS Westminster lives up to the claim of being a reference Bible. They aren’t there to be pretty. They actually are relevant to what you are reading. One of my favorite features, is the archaic words are in the margin with an * by them in the text and in the margin. In the margin you get the modern word or short definition. This makes reading the KJV much simpler.

In the top outside of the page you get the Book and Chapter, the inside has the heading, while the bottom outside has the page numbers. The font is clear and sharp 9.6 point, with consistent ink distribution making it quite legible and easy on the eyes. The paper is opaque and a bit thicker than some of the very thin paper used in lesser Bibles. It is a bit off white, but not so much as to diminish the contrast against the text.

At the back of the Bible there is a, Tables of Weights and Measures, List of Words and Proper Names with their Pronunciations, Daily Reading Plan, Maps and an extensive concordance. I was impressed with the size of the concordance. Most Bibles have one, but generally they are little more than a few pages. This one is actually large enough to be useful.

After spending some time using this Bible and reading from it, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a King James Version Reference Bible. I have some Local Bible Publishers Bibles and the TBS is superior in the printing and binding. Compared to the ones made in China and Korea the TBS wins hands down.