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.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
56-0426 §25
This is all inspired, too! I don't believe the Koran is inspired. I believe this is the only inspired book there is in the world. And every promise in it is true. If I can't meet the issue, I'll say that I haven't got faith enough to do it, but yet His Word is true. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego said, "Our God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but nevertheless, we wouldn't bow to the image." That is true, the Bible is God's inspired Word.
Christ is the mystery of God revealed
63-0728 §66
He is the principal theme of the entire Bible. If you read the Bible and don't see Christ in every verse of it, go back and read it again, see. If you can't see Christ in every verse of the Bible, then you read it again, because you missed something. The Bible is Christ. He is the Word. When you read, "In the beginning God created..."---there's Christ, see. Every... From that to the "Amen" in Revelations is every Word testifying of Jesus Christ. That's why these added books that's called II Book of Daniel and the B...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §77
And, now, the Catholic church brought out catechism. Luther had it, the Methodist church has it, Episcopalians have it, many of the other ones have it: catechism. Many of the traditions of the Catholic church still hangs on to the Protestant church; which forms her right in with it, according to the Bible. But there never was a person, ever, in all the pages of the Bible, ever baptized in "the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost." There never was a person baptized in "the name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost" until the...
The stature of a perfect man
62-1014M §145
Oh, it looks very pretty. They'll unite to run... It will run all the... Why, the Bible says, "And these beasts gave their power unto the whore," see, united themselves together, see. Just exactly what the Bible said they would do, they're doing it now. It's right in possession this very week. Not that I have anything against Catholic people, no more than Protestant people. You Methodists and Baptists, and a lot of you Pentecostals---when your churches has gone right into this federation of churches; when they got...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
58-0214 §33
And we find that when Simon came up in the presence of the Lord Jesus, Jesus told him who he was and told him what his father's name was. That's what the Bible said: "Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas." And He was going to give him the name then of Peter, meaning "little stone." Wonder how that man felt when he seen a strange man tell him such a thing as that? There was one standing by, by the name of Philip, and he was of Bethsaida, the same city that Simon Peter lived in. And when he saw this happen, he goes aroun...