Spiritual Warfare: Why Is "Fasting" Omitted In Some Bible Translations?

Eph 6:12 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

The Bible is very clear that there are spiritual forces behind many of the issues that Christians deal with. And the Bible clearly tells us how to confront these spiritual forces.

The Lord Jesus showed His disciples how to deal with entrenched forces that are extremely difficult to defeat. This is found in both Matthew and Mark. The Bible gives great detail to this encounter to which I think we should really pay close attention.

Both of these gospels give account of the story of a father who brought his young son to the Lord Jesus to be healed. The disciples were unable to heal the child. The young boy had mental problems; however, behind these problems were an unclean spirit. The oppression of this devil manifested itself in mental problems in the young child.

The Lord Jesus made it clear that it took faith to free the boy of this oppression. The boy's father then made a statement that I have used many times in my own life:

Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There were many times in my life that I believed yet unbelief was screaming at me, and I echoed Mark 24 just like the boy's father.

The Lord Jesus privately taught His disciples that the problem was it took faith to defeat the devil and free the boy, and they were full of unbelief. In both gospel accounts, the Lord Jesus made it very clear the problem was faith, but he then added that the faith also involved prayer and fasting.

To obtain victory of this entrenched devil, it took faith along with prayer and fasting. In difficult spiritual battles the Lord was telling us that both prayer and fasting was needed.

Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

I posted both gospel accounts of this incident so you can see how important prayer and fasting are in spiritual warfare.

The NIV and almost all modern translations omit Matthew 17:21 and omit fasting from Mark 9:29! If the translation contains Matthew 17:21 there is a footnote stating the oldest manuscripts do not contain this verse. How can a person have faith about a verse, if it is in a bracket with a footnote questioning its authority as part of the Bible?

The Lord Jesus made it clear that in difficult spiritual warfare with entrenched demonic forces that both prayer and fasting were needed to defeat them. These modern translations omitting fasting insulate demonic forces that cannot be defeated. This is like a coup for the devil, as he used spiritual corrupt "scholars" and publishers to promote modern translations which insulate him from defeat.

I have dealt with many Christians that are under the care of a doctor and taking drugs for depression, anxiety and other mental problems. There is a lack of power in their life and in the church they are attending.

There could be several reasons for this, but one reason I believe is that prayer and fasting to deal with these issues have been removed from the modern translations.

These people are trapped and what they need for the victory has been stripped from the translations they read, while the answer is found in the KJV. I also posted about the modern translations removing that: "the Lord Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted" as found in Luke 4:18. When you add this to the removal of prayer and fasting, a clear picture is coming into focus how satan is using the modern translation to keep Christians defeated and insulate himself from defeat.

There are spiritual reasons why the words and verses were removed from the modern translations.The spiritual power is found in the King James Bible, as it was not corrupted and contains the complete word of God.

Matthew (KJV) Mathew 17:14,15 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. (16) And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. (:17) Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. (18) And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. (19) Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? (20) And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (21) Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Mark (KJV) Mark 9:17,18 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. Mark 9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. Mark 9:20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. Mark 9:21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. Mark 9:22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. Mark 9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. Mark 9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

I have posted the NIV to show how Mark 9:29 and Mattherw17:21 have been altered in the modern translations:

Matthew (NIV) Matthew 17:14,15 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. (16) I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." (17) "You unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." (18) Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. (19) Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (20) He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (21) (22) When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.

Mark (NIV) Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." (26) The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." (27) But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. (28) After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (29) He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

By John McTernan: Defend and Proclaim the Faith Blog: John McTernan's Insights at www.johnmcternan.name

I’m not sure about your 1880 date, but the Bible interprets itself . . .

Regarding "about 1880" it is not "my date." It is the era that a text (click here) thought by scholar-authors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort to be older--hence better--was introduced. It is synthetic, cobbled together out of three text traditions. All modern Bible New Testament translations (excepting the New King James Version) have followed it.

Jesus was himself fasting for forty days in the desert, when He had victory over Satan; . . .

Prersonally, I don't think that fasting ave Jesus any greater power, since already having the attribute of omnipotency there is nothing that could make Him any more powerful should He choose to exercise it.

Whom do you think is to do the fasting? The exorcist? And why is that supposedly necessary discipline is left out of modern additions?

Again, I think this has little to do with the outcome of the election that is now upon us as a nation. Now we will get what we numerically deserve, be it a good or evil outcome. But prayer and alignment with God's view of it can affect how we handle the results, going forward.

You didn't look at my cross referenced link, I guess?

Anyway, Jesus was not omnipotent while He walked the earth; if He was, His death on the cross would be meaningless.

Rather, Christ lived and walked in the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit, which were poured out for all men after the Ascension at Pentecost. Walking in the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit is not the same as being omnipotent, but it is the way modern day Christians are all supposed to live, as Christ did.

If Christ was omnipotent while in human form, why did He cry out at His death on the cross “Eli, Eli, why has thou forsaken me?”

Jesus did NOT walk on earth as God, but as Man, to show us how we are supposed to live.

Likewise, Jesus’s fasting in the desert for forty days would have been meaningless, and the angels would not have to attended to Him, if He just zapped Himself into some sort of supernatural state where He wasn't hungry, etc.

No, Christ walked in the fullness of the gifts that were poured out on all mankind, in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy as Peter spoke of on that day at Pentecost.

Christ said that the disciples could not cast out the demon because of their unbelief... and then said that this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting... meaning somehow that fasting is a part of gaining faith and overcoming unbelief.

Remember, Christ demonstrated true spiritual warfare while fasting in the desert for forty days, and He showed how to overcome the devil in so doing.

You have to understand that being demonized is not like catching a cold or being infected with something physically.

The reason people are demonized is because they have given access or come into agreement with some vile lie or distortion or deception of Satan, the father of lies.

Fasting, as demonstrated even by Daniel when he was in the Chaldean court, sharpens the mind and the spirit. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand how to gain victory over the devil.

When David's child by Bathsheba was dying, he fasted and prayed to God before he knew the outcome.

Fasting and prayer is the clarion call for us on election day.

You didn't look at my cross referenced link, I guess?

I did, and it is a nice little site, but it does not answer the question of fasting regarding the verses you gave. But the quotes from Adam Clarke that I gave you did.

Anyway, Jesus was not omnipotent while He walked the earth; . . .

Your theology here is in so great an error as to be an insult to the Holy Spirit, indicating that your knowledge of the Christ of the Bible is so minute as to call into question whether you have been saved.

It is not possible to debate with you on this. The Holy Ghost says in Colossians 2:8-9, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (AV; my emphases in bolding and color).

For greater detail, you can check out this issue in Declarations of Christ's Deity: His Divine Attributes (click here) as well as in the article The Attributes of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are Equal (click here).

FRiend, what you said puts your soul in danger. Your theology is either that of an unspiritual adherent, professing but unsaved; or of a new-born babe in Christ still carnally-minded, as yet undiscipled (1 Cor. 3:1-3a; cf 2 Pet. 3:14-16, "unlearned" = undiscipled in the Gk.).

In summary:

Jesus had all of the attributes and power of God the Father while always acting according to the Father's will.

By all means, this reply is not intended to be an insult, but rather a clear admonition and warning by a concerned disciple of Christ. You need to improve your grasp of the Holy Scriptures.

Indeed.

From Dr. Gary Butner as posted some time ago here on FR. Some of the Greek may not come out in the forward of this, so here is the link (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3109550/posts?page=164#164)

***Important - Godhead. This word appears three times in the New Testament, Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; and Col. 2:9. The one word “Godhead” is the translation of two Greek words which have a real distinction between them, a distinction that grounds itself on their different derivations. In Rom. 1:20 we have the word theiotes (θειοτες). In this word, Trench says that “Paul is declaring how much of God may be known from the revelation of Himself which He has made in nature, from those vestiges of Himself which men may everywhere trace in the world around them. Yet it is not the personal God whom any man may learn to know by these aids: He can be known only by the revelation of Himself in His Son; but only His divine attributes, His majesty and glory … and it is not to be doubted that St. Paul uses this vaguer, more abstract, and less personal word, just because he would affirm that men may know God’s power and majesty, His theia dunamis (θεια δυναμις) (divine power) (II Pet. 1:3), from His works; but would not imply that they may know Himself from these, or from anything short of the revelation of His eternal Word. Motives not dissimilar induce him to use to theion (το θειον) rather than ho theos (ὁ θεος) in addressing the Athenians on Mars’ Hill (Acts 17:29).”

In Rom. 1:20, Paul states that the invisible things of God, here, His eternal power and His theiotes (θειοτες), His divinity, namely, the fact that He is a Being having divine attributes, are clearly seen by man through the created universe. Man, reasoning upon the basis of the law of cause and effect, namely, that every effect demands an adequate cause, comes to the conclusion that the universe as an effect demands an adequate cause, and that adequate cause must be a Being having divine attributes. It was as the creator of the universe that fallen man knew God (v. 21). Perhaps the word “God-head” is the best one-word translation of theiotes (θειοτες) in Rom. 1:20. But the term must be explained as above for a proper exegesis of this passage. The same is true of Acts 17:29. When Paul speaks of all men as the offspring of God, he uses the word theos (θεος) for “God,” the word that implies full deity as Paul knows God. But when he speaks of the Greek’s conception of God or of what they as pagans might conceive God to be, he uses theiotes (θειοτες), for the Greeks could, apart from the revelation of God in Christ, only know Him as a Being of divine attributes.

***In Col. 2:9 theotes (θεοτες) is used. Here Trench says, “Paul is declaring that in the Son there dwells all the fulLness of absolute Godhead; they were no mere rays of divine glory which gilded Him, lighting up His Person for a season and with splendor not His own; but He was, and is, absolute and perfect God; and the apostle uses theotes (θεοτες) to express this essential and personal Godhead of the Son.” Here the word “divinity” will not do, only the word “deity.” It is well in these days of apostasy, to speak of the deity of the Lord Jesus, not using the word “divinity” when we are referring to the fact that He is Very God. Modernism believes in His divinity, but in a way different from the scriptural conception of the term. Modernism has the pantheistic conception of the deity permeating all things and every man. Thus divinity, it says, is resident in every human being. It was resident in Christ as in all men. The difference between the divinity of Christ and that of all other men, it says, is one of degree, not of kind. Paul never speaks of the divinity of Christ, only of His deity. Our Lord has divine attributes since He is deity, but that is quite another matter from the Modernistic conception.

I'm sorry if you don't understand how to use a concordance...

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_795.cfm

Check out the Greek on Kenosis. Jesus emptied Himself to become fully Man.

If Christ was not fully man (as well as fully God) the crucifixion would be pointless.

I'm sorry you don't believe the Gifts are for today, because that's why I think you are feigning such offense at this post and at me over fasting and prayer when confronting the demonic realm.

Quit going over the top with your phony critiques of my faith, it's obnoxious.

You have explained nothing that proves that Christ did not say prayer and fasting to aid the disciples when dealing with the demonic, and you have done it in a sick way on this election day, when we all need to be praying and fasting.

May the Lord rebuke you.

To continue the thought of your reply in Post #47, here is what the Holy Ghost, speaking through Beloved John, had to say:

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (2 Jn. 1:9 AV).

Beyond question, the doctrine of The Christ is founded upon the bedrock that Jesus is God incarnated in human flesh, being both fully God and fully man, inseparably united in one, never separated from His attributes as The God.

To claim and believe that Jesus was not omnipotent during HGis earthly ministry means, according to the above verse, that the person has neither the doctrine of Christ nor The God of the Bible.

That should cause one to pause for a moment of self-examination, eh?

The reason this is important to understand how Christ was fully God, but did not walk in Him omnipotence while on earth, is so that we can understand the nature of what He accomplished here on earth.

There is a tendency to say to oneself, “Oh, Jesus was God, so remaining sinless, doing the miracles, fasting for forty days in the desert, hanging on the cross for three days, being scourged and crowned was not a big deal. He was God, so it felt different for Him than it would for us.”

Wrong. My point is that Christ’s deity can not detract from His humanity. His suffering was real. His ordeals on earth were not mitigated by His divine nature. He literally sweated blood in the Garden... as a man. (there is scientific basis for sweating blood, btw).

It’s important to remember the truth that He was tempted as we are in all things, and yet overcame that temptation in His nature as a Man...NOT because He was God and therefore it was easier for Him to do so.

Ultimately this can give the spirit-filled Christian encouragement, to remember He could overcome what we are facing in our daily lives, so therefore we can, too!

Jesus was not “walking in” His omnipotence while He was on earth.

This is why He did not call down His angels to avenge His arrest.

And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.

Then said Jesus unto him:

“Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”

Jesus could not fulfill His anointing if He “walked in” i.e. comported Himself in the manner of omnipotence. He chose to walk fully in as a Man, in the flesh while He was on earth.

There is encouragement for us to understand this, and not dismiss the miracles of Christ's time on earth as “easy” because He was God. He suffered, willingly, as a Man for our sakes.

I am clarifying what I wrote on #42 that “He was not omnipotent when He walked on earth” by stating that He did not “walk in” his omnipotence while He walked on earth.

I would maintain the importance of this is an often overlooked point:

Because He did not “walk in” His omnipotence or the fullness of His deity,
this means He did nothing in terms of miracles or overcoming sin nature that we ourselves cannot do ourselves today, if we are filled with His spirit, the Holy Spirit, as He therefore lives inside of us to help us.

This partially explains what He meant when He told the disciples:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

(Key here is that Jesus had to go to the Father for the Holy Spirit to fall at Pentecost, and that people who lived after the Ascension will also have “greater faith” than the disciples in one sense, because they believe on whom they cannot see in the flesh.)

While this all has nothing to do with the necessity of fasting and praying, thank you for this interesting interchange. The Lord is Good! Bless you.

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