IT will probably anger church leaders and Christians but two books written by Chris Sparks due to be launched next week have put a different slant on the teachings of the New Testament.

Using research undertaken by two Americans on one of 5,000 Greek manuscripts written, he says, by the Apostles, he has translated the “right one” so the text is grammatically correct, and it is this grammar correction that he says tells the true story.

Although his version is not far from the King James Bible, because of the way some writings, he claims, have been twisted, they are not the true writings of the Apostles.

His first book is the translation of the New Testament and the second on why he spent 20 years doing it. From it he has learned there is no Heaven or Hell or “dislocated soul.”

People, said Mr Sparks, who lives in Petersfield, will be resurrected but will continue to live on Earth and Jesus, who he says is not a God but a man, will return to be among them at the start of the Messianic Age of universal peace which will last for 1,000 years.

Believers who are living at the time will be transformed for their new life on Earth and those who have died will be resurrected from their graves and able to live again on Earth.

At the end of the 1,000 years the present Earth will burn up but a new Earth will be created for the believers. All non-believers who stayed buried will be resurrected and stand before God to be judged.

The only problem is Mr Sparks, who runs Alton’s Folk Club, doesn’t know when this will happen.

“I wish I could tell you,” he said.

He added: “My first book. The Eonian Books, aims to represent what was actually written by the Apostles. Nobody has done this before.

“My second book, The Earth Shaking Truth, says why I did it and I have also written more than 12,500 translation notes, which I’ll publish in time.

“I’ve probably spent as many as 50,000 hours in intense study on all this, over a quarter of a century. I began the translation work in 1997.”

The books will be launched at One Tree Books on Lavant Street in Petersfield next Wednesday, February 10, at 6pm.”