Inspired Bible :66 Book (protestant), 73 Books (catholic), or More (Orthodox traditions)?
1) Direct Answer
The inspired canon is the 66 books—Genesis to Revelation. Nothing to add and nothing to take away.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says all Scripture is God-breathed and sufficient to thoroughly furnish the believer (2 Timothy 3:16–17). That speaks of a complete body of writings that fully equips.
- Jesus identified the Old Testament as “the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms” (Luke 24:44). He also marked its bounds “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias” (Luke 11:51), which covers the full Hebrew canon.
- The oracles of God were committed to the Jews (Romans 3:2). Jesus affirmed their Scriptures; He never placed other writings on equal footing.
- God then spoke in the Son and through those He sent (Hebrews 1:1–2; John 14:26; John 16:13). The New Testament came through apostles and their close associates, confirmed by God (Hebrews 2:3–4).
- We are told the faith was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). And the Word warns not to add to or take from what God has given (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5–6; Revelation 22:18–19).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Jesus endorsed the recognized Scriptures of Israel; the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, gave the New Testament. That forms a complete, Spirit-sealed witness.
- The extra books can be historical or moral in places, but they were not received by Jesus and the apostles as Scripture, nor do they carry the “It is written” authority in the New Testament.
- Since God warns against adding to His Word, we hold to the closed canon He vindicated: the 66 books.
Short reinforcement
You see, God keeps His Word pure. The Bible is complete—one Book, from Genesis to Revelation, perfectly in step, without the need of additions.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
We would see Jesus
61-0409 §41
Watch the Jews. They believed it solemnly, some of them that were ordained to life. Others, staunch orthodox in their beliefs, broad-backed, they wouldn't even make a letter... They had to come through a lineage of priesthood---down, down, down, down, from grandfather to grandfather, grandfather---to be a Levite, to be a teacher. But they'd been taught in a tradition instead of the real Word. Jesus said, "You're the father ... your father is the devil." But those poor little fishermen, humble, who would receive and...
Sirs, we would see Jesus
64-0318 §12
Now, if God was going to judge the world (and He is), if we'd say... If I might say to the French Catholic, "What do you think He'll judge it by?" "The French Catholic church." The Roman Catholic believes He'll judge it by that church. The Orthodox, Greek Orthodox Catholic, believes He'll judge it by that. The Methodists will say, "Our church"; the Baptists, "Our church"; the Pentecostal... See, it would be so confusing a person wouldn't know what to do. But He said He would judge the world by Jesus Christ; and Jes...
Condemnation by Representation
60-1113 §50
Now you show me one place in the Bible where anybody was ever baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It's not there! It's man-made theology that's been hybred into the church, giving a chance for an idol---like is coming into the nation now. I can prove to you by history and by the Bible that anybody that's baptized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is baptized in the Catholic church---by their own catechism. They said, "Will any Protestants be saved?" They said, "Some of them, they accep...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
55-0116E §17
...ell, if it is right, let's embrace it and love Him with all of our hearts. If it isn't right, let's get away from it, 'cause it's not right. When they was reading the Koran-bible to me not long ago in India, and someone had been there a little before me; and they wanted to believe that part of it wasn't inspired, and Mark 16 wasn't inspired, and some more of it wasn't inspired. He said, "What kind of a Bible have you got?" Said, "We believe all the Koran is inspired." Said, "If part of this is inspired and the rest...
Events made clear by prophecy
65-0801E §13
Now, all other books, sacred books, is only a code of ethics, a code of morals or a code of theology. Something that... How many ever read the Koran, the Mohammedan Bible, and the book on Buddhists, and so forth? It's just a code of ethics, what people should live, how they should live, but it doesn't prophesy, doesn't say anything about these things or about any special gifts being given to anybody, anything to take place. Just like joining a lodge or something. Therefore, when churches come to the place that they...