It's Supernatural

Sid: My guest is Bill Morford I’m speaking to him at his home Lexington, South Carolina. Several years ago I got ahold of his Bible translation it is called “The Power New Testament” subtitled “Revealing Jewish Roots.”  When I saw that he had an explanation for such things as the Jewish roots, the Jewish idioms, the Jewish customs, even the tenses of the language that I had never seen in any other Bible before. It is like when the New Testament was written it was written in a Jewish land for Jewish people, and there was no need for explanation of these idioms; no need for explanation of these customs because all of the Jewish people that heard these letters that were read to them from congregation to congregation they understood it. Today a lot of the culture of Christianity has distorted the original meaning of the words in the New Testament. So Bill I am so grateful to the Lord that you invested your life in this “Power New Testament.” Out of curiosity what do you mean by the “Power New Testament?”

Bill: When I was translating Greek, when I was studying Greek, I saw that in the New Testament that the Greek had a lot of power. It was actually a good language for the Jewish authors to use, not as good as Hebrew but it could be just as powerful as Hebrew. But the power was not translated by the scholars that do our ordinary translation. I had no idea that I would eventually publish, but it just irritated me whenever I ministered. I would use the power and bring out the power that the authors had put into the New Testament. So when the Lord told me to get serious with it, and I knew I was going to publish I just translated literally what the authors had written. They often said things like “You must do this immediately,” or “You must continually do this.” Jesus gave stern rebukes at times. It’s just awesome the power that’s in there that’s just missed.

Sid: There are so many things we want to discuss that each one of these things… This is the amazing thing to me Bill, each one of the points that we’ll be discussing this week is enough to change someone’s destiny. For instance, one of my favorite words that you translate, and the way you translate it is the Greek word for “sickness.” Why did you translate that “evil” and perhaps you can give me a scripture where it is used?

Bill: Here’s an example of it in Matthew 4:24, “And His reputation spread through all Syria, and they brought to Him all those having various evils and various diseases, and being tormented and possessed by demons, and being moonstruck, and paralytics, and He healed them.” The word there translated “evils” is translated “sickness” in most translations.

Sid: Okay this is a good point to find out the revelation that God gave you personally about healings some 25 or more years ago. Tell me about that.

Bill: Well it was interesting He forced it on me, of course I believed in it, but it was night at 3:00 in the morning. One of my sons and I were driving back from New England to South Carolina at 3:00 in the morning on a Pennsylvania interstate that was really torn up, and it was shaking the car. The right lane was blocked off for resurfacing, my son was asleep in the backseat. A semi came up right on my back bumper with those big headlights shining and I had a pounding headache that wouldn’t quit. Nowhere to go couldn’t even slow down, so I cried out to Jesus and the headache vanished on the spot. Within a minute it came back and I just said “Oh no, oh no Jesus come back” and the headache left, and I haven’t had a headache since.

Sid: What about other sickness with you?

Bill: None, I haven’t had a sore throat, upset stomach…

Sid: Bill how old are you?

Bill: I’m 75.

Sid: And you’re telling me that you have not had to battle even diseases, and headaches, and stomachaches for how many years?

Bill: Well more than 25 even for headaches. My last prescription was given in 1956.

Sid: Hmm.  So you must have some great insight into healing, but to me once you realize that sickness and disease is evil, and evil doesn’t come from God, I imagine that alone helps you resist.

Bill: It sure does.

Sid: Is there any other insight that comes to mind about healing that has helped you remain in divine health?

Bill: No I’m just determined that he’s not gonna do it. If I get sniffles or something before I went to bed I rebuke it. Haven’t had any discomfort and no problem at night with a stuffy nose in the winter, or whatever.

Sid: Now I love your translation. I’m looking here at Matthew 5:1 many call it the Beatitudes, and you say “Blessed.” Your footnote here says “The Greek word translated “blessed” throughout the Beatitudes is “makarios,” and it means ‘Blessed and happy, or the repentant.’” Where did you get the word repentant?

Bill: That’s a Hebrew idiom that’s in there. That’s the poor in spirit.

Sid: I’ve heard so many people try to explain what that means, but it’s impossible to explain what that means if you don’t know the Hebrew idiom.

Bill: That’s right. I don’t know of any translation that translates the Hebrew idioms in there.

Sid: Okay, we were talking earlier about the title of your New Testament called “The Power New Testament.”  Give me an example of that.

Bill: Okay, Mark 11:23 is one of my favorites.

Sid: That’s one of my favorites too. I’m so glad you’re gonna read that. Here by the way I’ve got a copy, and those that are listening will have one very soon, but until you do I’m gonna turn to follow you that because I mean I have preached from your translation of this. Would you read that for our audience?

Bill: I surely will. “Truly I say to you that whoever would say to this mountain. ‘You must immediately be removed and you must immediately be cast into the sea,’ and would not doubt in his heart but would believe that what he is say is happening, it will be to him. Because of this I say to you, you must continually pray for everything, then for whatever you are asking, believe that you have taken it, and it will be there for you.”

Sid: You know the word that really gets me is when you say “believe that you have taken it.” I have actually preached in healing meetings I want you to reach into that invisible world for your healing, for whatever you need and just take it, grab it. I mean is that the way the Greek expresses it?

Bill: It is. It’s take and our polite translators say “receive” instead of “take.” See Jesus said, He didn’t say “Receive the Holy Spirit,” He said “Take the Holy Spirit.” We’re are supposed to be eager for all of the things of God, and just reach out and take it.

Sid: Let me tell you, I mean there’s just so much were gonnahave to talk about this week. I’ll tell you another favorite in your translation of mine that has opened… Every one of these nuggets Mishpochah open up a whole new realm of understanding from the idioms to the power behind these words, to the tenses, to the Hebrew roots, but in Matthew 18:18 let me read Bill’s translation “Truly I say to you: whatever you would bind upon” then in the footnote you explain “To bind is a Hebrew idiom meaning to forbid. Binding and losing refer specifically to the dietary, Sabbath, and other regulations, including civil law, as well as to spiritual things.” So “Truly I say to you: whatever you forbid upon the Earth will already have been forbidden in heaven with ongoing effect.” In other words, when the Lord prayed “Thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” it’s already been done in Heaven, that’s what this translation is telling me Bill.

Bill: Right.