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What Is King James ‘Onlyism’?

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

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The King James Bible

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

King James Onlyism

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please continue to pray for us, and for wisdom for me especially, as we continue taking steps to print the NTEB branded King James Bible for our free Bible and Bibles Behind Bars program. It is exciting and intimidating at the same time. If the Lord has prospered your financially, we ask you to donate to help us continue to send out free Bibles at this level, and even higher than we are at the moment. It takes a lot of prayer, and a lot of resources to do all this. Praise the Lord we are doing it, all of us together, labouring in the Lord’s harvest field. TO THE FIGHT!!!

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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

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

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Conspiracy Theory

PROPHECY NEWS MIDWEEK UPDATE: Today Is Day #7 Of A Complete And Total Media Blackout Of Benjamin Netanyahu Who Has Nothing To Say About The War

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March 19, 2026

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Where Is Bibi? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Missing From Public View Since March 12 As Deafening Media Silence Raises Serious Questions

A sitting Israeli prime minister like Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu does not just “disappear” from public view for days on end without explanation — not in a region that is the geopolitical epicenter of the world, and certainly not in a time when every move in the Middle East is tied directly to end times momentum. When the cameras go dark and the microphones go silent, that’s not transparency — that’s control. This is exactly the kind of thing that should make people stop, look twice, and start asking real questions instead of passively consuming whatever narrative is handed to them.

“Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 28:15 (KJB)

And let’s be honest about something: if this were any other world leader, the corporate media would be running 24/7 countdown clocks, panels of “experts,” and breathless speculation. But here? Near-total silence. That tells you everything you need to know.

The question isn’t just “Where is Bibi?” — the question is why aren’t they telling you? This is how narrative management works. Information is not released based on truth — it’s released based on timing, strategy, and desired outcome. When something doesn’t fit the script, it gets buried, delayed, or outright ignored. That’s not journalism, that’s gatekeeping. From a prophetic standpoint, Israel is always front and center, exactly where your King James Bible says it will be. Everything that happens in that tiny strip of land has global consequences, and leaders like Netanyahu are not just political figures — they are key players on a stage that is moving, inch by inch, toward the time of Jacob’s trouble. You are watching the pieces move.

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” Jeremiah 30:7 (KJB)

Whether this absence is strategic, medical, political, or something else entirely, one thing is certain — when information is withheld, it is because someone, somewhere, has decided you are better off not knowing. And that is always when you should lean in closer, not back away. Keep your eyes open. Watch Israel. Watch the silence just as much as you watch the headlines. Because sometimes what they don’t say is the biggest story of all.

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

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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

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

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Drones

FALSE FLAG ALERT: As Unidentified Drones Tauntingly Fly Over The Homes Of Marco Rubio And Pete Hegseth, The Pentagon Is Apparently Powerless To Stop It

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March 19, 2026

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U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth live, according to three people briefed on the situation.

Let’s not pretend this is normal. You’re being told in the news this morning that drones — some of them possibly drones from foreign-made Shahed-type platforms — are flying over or near sensitive locations tied to high-level government figures like Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth… and that, according to Pete Hegseth, the all-powerful and maximumly lethal Department of War is essentially shrugging its shoulders and unable to do anything about it? We’ve seen this movie before, and we know how it ends.

“Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll.” Zechariah 5:1 (KJB)

The same Pentagon that can track a heat signature halfway across the world, the same system that can lock onto a moving target from space, the same military that spends hundreds of billions of dollars annually on air defense, radar, and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) — suddenly can’t identify or stop a handful of slow-moving drones over domestic airspace? That can only mean one thing – get ready for a major false flag event. World War Trump is not going as planned, and people really haven’t done their patriotic duty to forget about the Epstein Files, so cue the ‘Jersey Drones’ and let’s get ourselves a distraction. I know this much, if our government cannot, or will not, stop drones from flying over the homes of important cabinet members like Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, what do you think they’ll do for me and you? You know.

Drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live raise security concerns

FROM THE WASHINGTON POST: The military is monitoring potential threats more closely because of the heightened alert level as the United States and Israel strike Iran, according to a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Multiple drones were spotted over Fort Lesley J. McNair on a single night in the last 10 days, the official said, prompting increased security measures and a meeting at the White House to discuss how to respond.

The drone sightings in Washington come as the U.S. issued a global security alert for overseas diplomatic posts and locked down several domestic bases because of threats. This week, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and MacDill Air Force Base in Florida raised their force protection level to Charlie — a designation that means the commander has intelligence indicating an attack or danger is possible. The only higher alert level, Delta, is for when an attack has occurred or is anticipated.

The drones over Fort McNair prompted officials to weigh relocating Rubio and Hegseth, two of the people briefed said. The senior administration official said the secretaries haven’t moved. Their quarters on the base were publicly reported by multiple outlets in October. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss the drones. “The department cannot comment on the secretary’s movements for security reasons, and reporting on such movements is grossly irresponsible,” he said. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Twice this week officials locked down facilities at MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. military operations against Iran. The FBI is now investigating a suspicious package that closed the base’s visitors center for hours Monday, and on Wednesday an unspecified security incident left the base under a shelter-in-place order for hours, the base said in a statement.

“To ensure the safety and security of our people and the mission, commanders adjust their installation’s security posture in accordance with local threat assessments,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the State Department ordered all U.S. diplomatic posts worldwide to “immediately” undertake security evaluations, citing “the ongoing and developing situation in the Middle East and the potential for spillover effects,” according to a cable reviewed by The Washington Post.

Fort McNair houses the National Defense University and some of the Pentagon’s most senior military officials. The base has not traditionally housed political leaders, but a growing number of Trump officials, including outgoing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, have moved onto area bases, citing security concerns. McNair is conveniently located close to Capitol Hill and the White House. But it does not have the same safety buffer as other bases in the capital region.

Similar drone threats surfaced surrounding President Donald Trump and other top officials in recent years as Iranian leaders sought revenge for the U.S. strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020, according to U.S. officials spanning both the Trump and Biden administrations. READ MORE

Mystery drones spotted over Washington Army base where Rubio, Hegseth live amid Iran war

Amid the escalating Middle East conflict, where Iran is targeting Gulf nations, US officials spotted unidentified drones over a Washington Army base housing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Authorities have not yet determined the drones’ origin.

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

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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

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

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Free Bible Program

Chaplain Huseth At The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Correctional Center In Alabama Has Reached Out To Let Us Know Of Their Need For Bibles

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2 days ago

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March 18, 2026

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Inmates Inside Baldwin County Jail In Alabama Are Actively Asking For King James Bibles As Chaplain Huseth Reaches Out With Urgent Need

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Corrections Center (BCSCC) is a full-service detention facility located in Bay Minette, Alabama. Operated by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), it houses adult male and female inmates, including pre-trial detainees, those serving misdemeanor sentences, and federal inmates under contract with the U.S. Marshals Service. In 2025, they underwent a $70 million dollar expansion of their faculties, not a penny of which was allocated to purchasing Bibles. Chaplain Huseth can’t find Bibles for his inmates anywhere, so he turned to us.

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;” Colossians 1:25 (KJB)

While most of the world rushes headlong into darkness, something very different is happening behind the locked doors of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Correctional Center in Alabama. Chaplain Huseth has reached out to Bibles Behind Bars with an urgent request—not for programs, not for counseling, not for religion—but for King James Bibles. They don’t want entertainment. They don’t want rehabilitation theory. They want the word of God.

Inside those cells are men and women who have run out of road. The noise is gone and the distractions have faded away. And for many of them, perhaps for the first time in their lives, they are being forced to think about sin, judgment, and eternity. And when that happens, something incredible begins to take place, they start asking for a Bible. That’s not coincidence. That’s the Holy Spirit of God moving in a place most people will never go.

We have seen it again and again through Bibles Behind Bars: jailhouses turning into mission fields, hardened criminals sitting quietly reading Scripture, and men who never cared about God suddenly unable to put the Book down. Because when the word of God goes in, everything changes. Right now, Baldwin County is wide open. Right now, souls are ready. Right now, there is a chaplain standing in the gap asking for the one thing that can actually change a man from the inside out. The question isn’t whether the need is real. The question is—will we answer it? We need you, Christian, come help us!

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

NTEB Ministries
1340 N Great Neck Rd.
Ste. 1272-129
Virginia Beach, VA 23454.

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

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

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

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

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