The Agenda of the Concordance


Author: Bruce W. Roeser

Last Updated: 3/1/24


We have discussed in previous lessons the issue of modern bible version corruption; how over the last 400 or so years Satan has managed to introduce corruption into all but one English version of the Bible. (Keeping in mind that the first English Bibles were produced in the early 1600’s).  The KJV or KJB (otherwise known as the Authorized Version) is the only translation that has managed to escape this mangling process. The details of this corruption, though, are covered in a separate lesson.


(8/5/22) Update: It has been discovered that bibles being sold as the Authorized Version are being tampered with.


As a result of another study I was working on, however, I discovered that the corruption is not just limited to the text itself.  Though Satan hasn’t been able to touch the KJV text he has seen to it that the reference material bundled with the text is modified and, as you will see, these modifications can promote an agenda.


Between the covers of most bibles what do you find?  Well, the bible text of course.  What else will you find in there?  Right … references!  Study aids!  A concordance!  Bible Helps! Commentaries! All items that can have an agenda of their own.


The thing that doesn’t occur to many new bible students is this: the Bible “Helps” are not the bible.  They are tools (if you will) added by whoever produced their particular bible that are supposed to aid in the study of the text.  These tools are often accepted “Carte Blanche” as part of the bible so (to a new or unsuspecting student) they are generally accepted as part of the overall document in-use. They shouldn’t be.


Not all concordances are created equal.  In fact, many of them are trash. If the concordance you’re presently using is the one in the back of your bible then quit using it. Go out and buy an exhaustive concordance or get a computer-search program.


Why?  Simply this.  Your concordance may very well have an agenda.


In my library I have a big bible (that I seldom use because I always use a computer now). Anyway … it’s a really nice one.  Big margins to write in, well built physically, text is easy to read. (even for 60+ year-old eyes!)  It has maps (which can be handy) and a concordance (of course).  The concordance, however, is an abridged one.  (You know … like a Reader’s Digest abridged book).  Not all occurrences of a word being searched for are listed – just the important ones.


Did you follow my last comment?  Only the important ones.  My immediate question when I gave this a little thought was: “important to whom?”


Knowing that the concordance was abridged, I began to wonder just exactly what the decision making process might be behind what to include in it and what to omit.  I originally thought (assumed!) that the abridgement process simply didn’t provide look-up on all words or topics for a lack of space.  What hadn’t occurred to me [yet] was that the omissions could be of a more insidious nature and be designed to push an agenda, or mislead the student.


Knowing the importance of rightly-dividing the text (I.E. giving to Israel what belongs to Israel and to the Body-of-Christ what belongs to them) I decided to conduct a test.  For this test I chose to research the topic of “the mystery”.


First, using my computer search-engine I performed a search for all verses that reference “mystery” or “mysteries”.  The list of the verses below is what the computer came up with.


The results of the search were very interesting.  As I said above, my expectation was that an abridged concordance would simply not include a reference chain on all words in the bible. What did not occur to me, however, was that a search chain that was included would leave out verses!  In other words ... It would be OK to, maybe, not include a search on “mystery” but to include one and only list some of the verses.  What could possibly be the reason for that?


Here’s the list of references returned by a computerized search of the KJV text.  Notice that I have colored some of them in red.  The red ones are the ones left out of the concordance in the back of my bible.


Mat 13:11

Mk 4:11

Luk 8:10

Rom 11:25

Rom 16:25-26

1 Cor 2:7

1 Cor 4:1

1 Cor 13:2

1 Cor 14:2

1 Cor 15:51

Eph 1:9

Eph 3:3-4

Eph 3:9-10

Eph 5:32

Eph 6:19

Col 1:26-27

Col 2:2

Col 4:3

2 Ths 2:7

1 Tim 3:9

1 Tim 3:16

Rev 1:20

Rev 10:7

Rev 17:5-7

OK ... Now, with the list as it is above I suggest you pull out your bible and study this.  Taking only the verses referenced (the black ones) you will be led to one conclusion whereas if you include the red verses you will come to a completely different conclusion.  Basically the two conclusions are:

  1. Black verses only study path: leads you to believe that the mystery is only to be revealed to an inner-circle of individuals while the “great unwashed” outside can’t know what’s going on.
  2. Black and red (the entire list): brings you to a clear understanding that the mystery was a program that was revealed to the Apostle Paul and written down so the Body of Christ could understand it.  Yes, during Israel’s program there were mysteries hidden from unbelievers but in Paul’s dispensation anyone can learn about the mystery.

It became obvious to me after looking at this for a little while that the agenda of my bible’s concordance was clearly Catholic in nature.  Someone (the enemy, that is) didn’t want me to learn about the mystery program as revealed to the Apostle Paul.

Clearly this is only one agenda of my concordance.  I’ve no doubt that there are many more which is why I no longer use less than an exhaustive concordance or a computer.  

Neither should you.