📖 The man who translated the Bible into English 📗📚

MEET WILLIAM TYNDALE ~  the man who translated the Bible into English and was burnt alive at the ridiculous young age of 42 years old, for his efforts. (Google Foxe's book of Martyrs.)

Please; kindly read this to the end. 

Nearly 500 years ago, this week, William Tyndale, fondly called 'Father of the English Bible' was strangled and burned at the stake after being tried and convicted of heresy and treason for translating the Bible into English.

HIS OFFENSE!
He translated the Greek Bible into English. Simple:

That you have a Bible in a language you can read is largely due to his labours, and many of the very phrases you read in it retain the flavour of his understanding of the Greek and Hebrew.

A graduate of Oxford and Cambridge, Tyndale had a powerful desire to make the Bible available to even the common people in England, in order to correct the 'Biblical ignorance of the priests.' At one point Tyndale told a priest, "If God spares my life, ere many years pass, I will cause a boy that driveth the plow, shall know more of the Scriptures than thou dost." 

Today, 90% of the King James Version of the Holy Bible and 75% of the Revised Standard Version are from the translation made by Tyndale, a man to whom you owe more than you'll ever know. 

A nice dream, but how was Tyndale to accomplish his task, when translating the Bible into English was ILLEGAL at the time?'

He went to London to ask Bishop Tunstall if he could be authorised to make an English translation of the Bible, but the Bishop would not grant his approval. 

However, Tyndale would not let the disapproval of men stop him from carrying out what seemed so obviously God's will. With encouragement and support of some British merchants, he decided to go to Europe to complete his translation, then have it printed and smuggled back into England.

In 1524 Tyndale sailed for Germany. In Hamburg, he worked on the New Testament, and in Cologne, he found a printer who would print the work. However, news of Tyndale's activity came to an opponent of the Reformation who had the press raided. 

Tyndale himself managed to escape with the pages already printed and made his way to the German city Worms where the New Testament was soon published.

Six thousand copies were printed and smuggled into England.

The Bishops did everything they could to eradicate the Bibles. Bishop Tunstall had copies ceremoniously burned at St. Paul's; the Archbishop of Canterbury bought up copies to destroy them. Tyndale used the money to print improved editions!

Tyndale continued hiding among the merchants in Antwerp and began translating the Old Testament while the King's agents searched all over England and Europe for him.

A copy of Tyndale's "The Obedience of a Christian Man" fell into the hands of Henry VIII, providing the king with the rationale to break the Church in England from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. 
In 1535, Tyndale was arrested and jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde (Filford) outside Brussels for over a year.

Tyndale’s work was denounced by authorities of the Roman Catholic Church and Tyndale himself was accused of heresy. 

Tyndale, 42 was finally found by an Englishman who pretended to be his friend but then turned him over to the authorities. After a year and a half in prison, he was brought to trial for heresy -- FOR BELIEVING, among other things, IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS and that THE MERCY OFFERED IN THE GOSPEL WAS ENOUGH FOR SALVATION. In August 1536, he was condemned and was executed [burned alive at the stake] publicly on October 6, 1536, in a small town in Belgium.

As he burnt to death, Tyndale reportedly said "Lord, open the king of England's eyes."

WAS HIS PRAYER ANSWERED? 

YES! The prayer was answered first in part when three years later, in 1539, Henry VIII required every parish church in England to make a copy of the English Bible available to its parishioners. Today, Tyndale's prayer is fully answered, not only are the King's eyes opened, but the Bible a universal instrument. 

* In 1611, the 54 scholars who produced the King James Bible drew significantly from Tyndale, as well as from translations that descended from his. 

* In 2002, Tyndale was placed at number 26 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons; but in heaven he surely would be before the preceding 25. 

A very important and interesting piece of history worth knowing and appreciating by all believers. 
And may it *challenge* us to spend quality time in this same glorious book that this great servant literally gave his life for. 

Today it's hard to imagine the world without an English Bible, and there could now be as many as 900 of such translations in existence – but before Tyndale it had never happened. He's known as the Father of the English Bible, since the later, epochal work of the King James Version of the Bible largely consisted of Tyndale's scholarly and accessible translations.

The English language, as with scholarly understanding, continues to evolve – and so the work of Bible translation continues today.

But without the courage and genius of men like Tyndale, who challenged the status quo before them and died for doing so, it might never have been possible.

👩‍🎓Wise Words👨‍🎓

```In life, some may walk, others may run, but remember the Lord gave the tortoise and the horse the same days to reach Noah's ark. Your journey might be rough and tough but you will definitely get to your destination.
Jacob looked at Joseph and saw a good son! The ten brothers looked at Joseph and saw a useless dreamer! The travellers looked at Joseph and saw a slave!! Potiphar looked at Joseph and saw a fine servant!! Potiphar's wife looked at Joseph and saw a potential boyfriend! The prison officers saw in Joseph a prisoner! How wrong were all of them! God looked at Joseph and saw a Prime Minister of Egypt in waiting!! Don't be discouraged by what people see in you!! Be encouraged by what God sees in you!! Never underrate the person next to you because you never know what the Lord has deposited in that person. (Remember David got the anointing of becoming a King while he was a simple child herding sheep. Esther was a simple orphaned girl yet she was a Queen in waiting). Let's share God's love and make the world a better place to live. Show that love by sharing this message with those you love.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW PEOPLE SEE YOU, IT MATTERS HOW GOD SEES YOU
God is God:
🏽He doesn't care about *age*, no wonder he blessed Abraham.
🏽He doesn't care about *experience*, no wonder he chose David.
🏽He doesn't care about *gender,* no wonder he lifted Esther.
🏽He doesn't care about *your past*, no wonder he called Paul.
🏽He doesn't care about *your physical appearance*, no wonder he chose Zacchaeus
(the shortest one).
🏽He doesn't care about *fluency in speech* , no wonder he chose Moses.
🏽He doesn't care about *your career*, no wonder he choose Mary Magdalene; a prostitute. 
All I know is that my God never changes
🏽He never made *a promise he wouldn't keep*👌🏾
He never saw *a person he wouldn't help*👌🏾
🏽He never heard *a prayer he wouldn't answer*👌🏾
🖼He never found *a soul he wouldn't love*👌🏾
🏽He never found *a sinner he wouldn't forgive*👌🏾
This is the kind of God I would like to commune with every day the moment I wake up. I strongly recommend Him to you.`'

HOW THE APOSTLES DIED.

1. Matthew. Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, Killed by a sword wound.

2. Mark. Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by Horses through the streets until he was dead.

3. Luke. Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous Preaching to the lost.

4. John. Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge Basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome. However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos. He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully

5. Peter. He was crucified upside down on an x shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die In the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

6. James. The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club.

This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

7. James the Son of Zebedee was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry.

As a strong leader of the church, James was   beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial.

Later, the officer Walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and Knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

8. Bartholomew. Also known as Nathaniel. He Was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

9. Andrew. He Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony.

His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words, "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it". He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.

10. Thomas. He Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the Subcontinent.

11. Jude. He Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

12. Matthias. The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot. He was stoned and then beheaded.

13. Paul. He Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor to compare to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times For the sake of the Faith.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Pass on to encourage other Christians. Why Do we feel sleepy in Prayer, but stay awake through a 3 hour movie?
Why are we so bored when we look at the HOLY BOOK. But find it easy to read other books?

Why is it so easy to ignore a massage about God,


Why are Prayers getting smaller, but bars and clubs are expanding.

Why is it so easy to worship a celebrity, but very difficult to engage with God?

Make this message your contribution to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bible Hero's

*WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE LORD EVERY MORNING AS YOU START THE DAY?
● Moses would say, "Lord, if You don't go with us or before us, we are not going anywhere."*
● Abraham would say, "The Lord will provide."
● Jacob would say, "I won't let go of You unless You bless me."
● Joshua would say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
● Samuel would say, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening."
● Nehemiah would say, "The joy of the Lord is my strength."
● David would say, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."and "This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it."
● Solomon would say, "Trust in the Lord, oh my soul, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path."
● Isaiah would say, "Arise and shine for my Glory has come." and "No weapon formed against me shall prosper."
● Jeremiah would say, "The Lord has plans to prosper me and not to harm or fail me."
● Jabez would say, "Oh, that you may bless me and enlarge my territory."
● Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would say, "We will not bow down to any image but will serve the Lord."
● Ezekiel would say, "Any dry bones in my life, live again."
● Peter would say, "I will cast my cares upon the Lord for He cares."
● Paul would say, "The Lord will supply all my needs and I can do all things through Christ."
*Choose your daily statement of faith. Meditate on it! Speak it