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.
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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.
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...
The Indictment
63-0707M §25
"The Catholic church doesn't care..." Well, I don't say... I don't make it that rude to say they don't care what the Bible says. They believe the Bible, but (see?) they got a... Apostolic succession is what the Catholic church is based upon; that's the succession of popes, and call Peter the first pope and on down. Now, they believe that; they emphatically believe that. And the Protestant (see?), they gather together and have an organization just exactly like they did at Nicaea, Rome, where they organized the Catho...
The Key to the door
62-1007 §53
This communion that we're fixing to take, has been the greatest dispute of any doctrine in the Bible. That was one of their first disputes in the early church. And today the Protestant, of Episcopalian and Methodist, and many of the Protestant churches, would gladly accept Catholic, Roman Catholic doctrine, if they could get over the little hump of communion. But they will agree that the priest should be married and be ministers, the Catholic church agreed on that several times in their conferences and meetings. Th...
Church Ages, part 1: Revelation Chapter 1
60-1204M §72
...oduce one text of scripture, or one time in history that anybody was ever baptized in the Christian church any other way than ... but in the name of Jesus Christ, until the Catholic church was formed. And they adopted Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for a creed. Now bring up your history, some of the historians. There's no such a thing. After 304 A.D... 304 come the triune baptism for a triune God---God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. It's paganism. Before this week is over I'll read it out of the books, a...