What about the missing verses in modern Bibles?

Modern Bible versions such as the NIV, ESV, and NASB have removed or cast doubt on numerous verses that are found in the King James Bible. This includes 17 verses that are completely omitted and many more that are significantly altered. These omissions are not minor textual variants — they include doctrinally significant passages that affirm key truths about fasting, prayer, the deity of Christ, salvation by faith, and the Trinity.

The modern versions justify these removals by claiming that "the oldest and best manuscripts" do not contain these verses. However, the manuscripts they rely on — primarily Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus — represent only a tiny fraction of the total manuscript evidence. The vast majority of Greek manuscripts, the lectionaries used in churches for centuries, and the early church fathers who quoted these passages all support the readings found in the KJV.

When a modern Bible includes a footnote stating "Some manuscripts do not include this verse," the honest statement would be: "Two corrupted manuscripts from Alexandria do not include this verse, but the overwhelming majority of manuscripts do." The effect is to undermine the reader's confidence in the word of God.

The KJV reads: "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21). This verse, spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, teaches that certain demonic powers can only be overcome through the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. The NIV completely omits this verse, jumping from verse 20 to verse 22. The ESV relegates it to a footnote.

This is not a minor omission. It removes a direct teaching of Christ about spiritual warfare. The parallel passage in Mark 9:29 is also altered in modern versions — they remove the word "fasting," leaving only "prayer." The combined effect is to systematically eliminate Christ's teaching on fasting as a spiritual weapon against demonic powers.

The verse is supported by the vast majority of Greek manuscripts, by ancient translations (Syriac, Latin), and by early church fathers. Its removal from modern versions is based on its absence from a handful of Alexandrian manuscripts that are demonstrably inferior to the majority text tradition.

In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist encounters an Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah and preaches Jesus unto him. In the KJV, the Ethiopian asks, "What doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip answers in verse 37: "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." The eunuch then confesses his faith in Christ before being baptized.

Modern versions completely remove Acts 8:37. Without this verse, the Ethiopian is baptized without any confession of faith — eliminating the biblical pattern that baptism follows a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This omission has significant doctrinal implications, as it removes the clearest biblical example of a believer's confession preceding baptism.

Acts 8:37 is found in the majority of Greek manuscripts, in Irenaeus (who quoted it around AD 180), in Cyprian (AD 250), and in the Old Latin versions. Its antiquity and widespread attestation confirm it as genuine Scripture that modern editors have wrongly removed.

The last twelve verses of Mark's Gospel (Mark 16:9-20) record Christ's post-resurrection appearances, His Great Commission, and the signs that would follow believers. Modern versions bracket these verses, include lengthy disclaimers, or print them in a different typeface with notes like "The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20."

This is a staggering attack on Scripture. These verses contain the Great Commission as recorded by Mark, Christ's ascension, and His session at the right hand of God. To cast doubt on these verses is to cast doubt on some of the most significant events in all of Scripture. The two manuscripts that omit these verses — Vaticanus and Sinaiticus — are the same corrupted Alexandrian manuscripts that modern textual critics treat as authoritative despite their well-documented errors.

The passage is quoted by Irenaeus (AD 180) and other early church fathers, it is found in the vast majority of Greek manuscripts, and it is included in ancient translations. The internal evidence, the external evidence, and the testimony of the church throughout history all affirm Mark 16:9-20 as the genuine conclusion of Mark's Gospel.

The KJV reads: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (1 John 5:7). This verse, known as the Johannine Comma, is the clearest and most explicit statement of the Trinity in all of Scripture. Modern versions remove the heavenly witnesses entirely, retaining only the earthly witnesses of verse 8.

Critics claim this verse was a later addition, but the evidence tells a different story. The verse is quoted by early Latin church fathers including Tertullian (AD 200) and Cyprian (AD 250), who wrote: "The Lord says, 'I and the Father are one;' and again it is written of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 'And these three are one.'" It is found in the majority of Old Latin manuscripts and was accepted by the church throughout its history.

The removal of 1 John 5:7 from modern versions is perhaps the most doctrinally devastating omission of all. It eliminates the single most direct biblical statement of the triune nature of God — Father, Word, and Holy Ghost as one. God warned against removing from His word, and the consequences of such tampering are severe.