I was recently part of a gathering in Arizona hosted by illumiNations, a collaboration between a dozen or so Bible translation agencies, including American Bible Society, Pioneer Bible Translators, Seed Company, SIL International, Wycliffe Bible Translators, United Bible Societies, and Biblica. Together, their mission is to help provide God’s Word in EVERY language for EVERY people group IN OUR LIFETIME. Their website explains, “Today, there are approximately 3,500 language groups with little or no access to Scripture. Over 1,200 people groups do not have even a single verse of Scripture in a language they best understand.”
It was an amazing experience, as it has been every time I’ve attended one of their events. One speaker shared about a church in Madagascar that has sponsored financially, recruited, and helped train translators in four languages, in which there are now complete Bibles and in people’s hands. Plus, this church is committed to eight more!
In 2014 Nanci and I attended the first illumiNations, also at the same location, the Dove Mountain Marriot outside of Tucson. In those days it was estimated that at the current rate of Bible translation, it would be 2150 before every people group would have at least a portion of God’s Word in their language. Nanci and I were among the many who committed to this movement of God, and Eternal Perspective Ministries has given more of the book royalties to this cause than to any other.
Ten years ago at Dove Mountain, $21 million was committed to Bible translation, far more than ever before. But since that gathering, more than $400 million has been given and tens of thousands of people have been mobilized. There has been an unprecedented level of missions cooperation, which is also miraculous. At this year’s gathering, they announced that the new projected date of introducing God’s Word to the last Bibleless people group is now 2033. That’s the biggest miracle—117 years cut off the estimate. All praise and glory to Jesus!
By 2033, illumiNations envisions that:
95% of people will have access to the full Bible.
99.96% will have access to the New Testament.
100% will have access to Scripture.
100% of the world’s most strategic written languages will be available in 2 usable translations.
I encourage you to check out the illumiNations site, where you can sign up for prayer updates and donate towards translation efforts. (The average cost of translating one verse of Scripture is just $35!)
They sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10)
Here’s a video I recorded for Seed Company, one of the organizations that’s part of illumiNations, about the importance of God’s Word:
