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Chapter Six:
THE BIBLE
...and THE BOOK of MORMON
“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated
correctly.
We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”
Our 8th Article of Faith
“How could the Mormons even suggest that the Bible could have errors!”
Oh wouldn’t things be simple for the Mormons if it were not for this article of
faith?
Why surely, this is the proof to the world that the Mormons don’t believe in the
Bible!
In this investigation, we look at the controversies over the Bible and the Book
of Mormon. The anti-Mormon world tries desperately to prove to any and all who will listen, that The
Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints does not believe in the Bible. And that instead, we
believe in the Book of
Mormon only. When people don’t accept that line, they then will follow with
“Well, they only believe
in selected portions of the Bible, tossing out anything that doesn’t agree with
Mormonism!” That
simply isn’t the case. So why the 8th Article of Faith? Let’s look at history!
Joseph Smith is the
author of the Articles of Faith. He is also the author of this statement:
“I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original
writers!”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints probably studies out of the
Bible as much or more
than most other Christian religions. The LDS Church has four, year long, study
classes that are the
same for the adults as they are for the youth. They rotate each year. One year
it will be the Old
Testament, the next year the New Testament, the third year the Book of Mormon
and the fourth year
will be Church History and Doctrine and Covenants. Half of our study is from the
Bible.
The Bible is very dear to the members of the LDS Church. I have as heirlooms, my
mother’s and
father’s Bibles. They are on display in my home behind a glass case. When I
started working for the
City of Mesa Police Department in 1978, my mother gave me a new Bible and new
Book of Mormon.
In the cover of my Bible she wrote, “Search, pray, and study diligently the
contents of these truly
great and marvelous Books. I pray that they may become your constant companion
for knowledge
of the Laws of God, and a great and powerful source of strength to you
throughout your life.” Anti-Mormons state that the Mormons do not believe in the Bible. They feel their
proof is that we believe
the Bible contains some errors. So let’s take a look at The Book we all love and
revere. Like all the
information in this book, to maintain impartiality, the information in this
chapter, where possible, is
from non-LDS sources. Let’s start with The Encyclopedia Americana, V2 p647-713.
The Bible we have today comes from the Hebrew Bible. The 24 books of the Old
Testament that the
Christians divided into 39 books. The Old Testament was originally written in
Aramaic. The New
Testament was written in Greek. Christ was crucified in 33 AD. Pointing out that
dating things in that
era is difficult, The Encyclopedia Americana, (p702) said that originally, the
scriptures were “oral”
for several years. The book of Mark is the oldest of the Gospels, written in
about 68 AD. Luke was
written in about 85-95 AD, Matthew in about 100 AD and John between 100-125 AD.
On p.713, the encyclopedia talks about the “reinterpretation” of the Gospel of
Mark by later
evangelists, and it says, “The reinterpretation of Paul’s letters is criticized
in II Peter 3:16, where we
read of those who are ‘twisting’ Pauline passages as well as the other
scriptures.”
James E. Talmage (LDS) wrote a book called, Articles of Faith. On pages 214 to
217, he gives some
historical information about the Bible. Information that is available to any
investigator. Talmage,
through research, points out the same things that Biblical researchers already
know. That the Bibles
we use today have their accompanying errors. (See also the book, The Bible
Translation
Controversy, by Wayne Jackson, and The Bible, Fact or Fiction by John Drane, and
Saints and
Scientists by Richard Wootton.)
He says that, “In the case of erroneous translation, which may occur as a result
of human incapacity,
and even in this measure of caution we are not alone.” He said that, “Biblical
scholars generally admit
the presence of errors of this kind--both of translation and of transcription of
the text...The English
Bible professes to be a translation made through the wisdom of man, in the
preparation the most
scholarly men have been enlisted, yet not a version has been published in which
errors are not
admitted. However, an impartial investigator has cause to wonder more at the
paucity of errors than
that mistakes are to be found at all.” Thought provoking isn’t it?
To all Christians, the name Bible means the single book we all carry around,
called the Bible.
However, in the Greek language, the word Bible (Biblia) is a fourth century word
that signifies
plurality. The literal translation is books. In the thirteenth century, taking
the word from Greek
to
Latin, the word was changed to Bible, and the meaning was changed to book.
Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon was the most correct book! Do the
words most correct,
mean totally correct? It certainly does not. This statement by Joseph Smith
means that there are
errors in the Book of Mormon as well. From that position, can I ask you to move
to the middle of
the road and investigate with me the world history of the Bible? (Remember, I’m
using non-LDS
sources.) I make a point of asking that because most Christians are afraid to
look at the world history
of the Bible. May I remind you of the words of Joseph Smith,
“I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original
writers.”
To continue on from here, I need to very briefly refresh your memory concerning
known world
history about the Bible, beginning with Christ. The Romans, at the demand of the
Jews, crucified
Christ. Afterwards, the Church slowly fell apart. The proof being the Bible
stops at the death of the
apostles. After the death of Christ, the Jews began a relentless persecution
against the infant Church.
They convinced the Roman Empire that the Christians were plotting treason
against the Roman
Government. (They used a tool that was already centuries old called: Propaganda)
The persecution
spread from Jerusalem throughout Palestine and into the surrounding provinces. (Talmage,
The Great
Apostasy. p59. See also, Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History C1, P1, 5.)
The Encyclopedia Americana, p702, said that Nero blamed the burning of Rome in
64 AD on the
Christians. The anger toward the Christians caused the death of the Apostles,
many of the Christians
and caused the destruction of many of the scriptures. This persecution would
last until the Jews tried
to overthrow the Roman Government in their Jewish homeland in about 66-70 A.D.
The Romans
retaliated, Jerusalem was destroyed, their people scattered. At the attack of
the Romans, more of the
scriptures were destroyed, some were seized and taken to Rome. Basically, the
Bible ends in about
100 to 150 A.D., which brings up two questions. Did the Bible stop because God
had no more to say
to His children? Or did the Bible stop because the chain of prophets and
apostles ceased? The obvious
answer? ...The chain of prophets and apostles ceased.
Most of what happened to the apostles is unknown because of the fury of the
Romans and the poor
record keeping of the time. John Foxe, born in the year, 1516, in England, wrote
a book in about
1550, called, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. It was published in 1563. There is no
proof on how accurate
it is, but it’s probably the best information available about the fate of the
apostles. Here is his list.
Apostle |
Method of Death |
Year, AD |
Judas Iscariot |
Suicide-hanging |
34 |
Stephen |
Stoned |
36 |
James the Great |
Beheaded |
44 |
Thomas (Doubting) |
Run through with a lance |
52 |
Philip |
Scourged, stoned, imprisoned,
crucified |
52 |
Bartholomew |
Dragged, flailed alive, crucified,
beheaded |
52 |
Matthew |
Slain with a lance, battle ax |
60 |
James (the lesser) |
Thrown from the pinnacle, beaten, stoned, brains
dashed out with a fuller’s club |
60-62 |
Simon Peter |
Crucified upside down |
64-68 |
Paul |
Beheaded by Nero |
64-68 |
Matthias |
Stoned, beheaded |
70 |
Thaddaeus (poss. Jude) |
Shot with arrows, crucified |
72-76 |
Timothy |
Beaten with clubs |
70 |
Luke |
Hanged on an olive tree |
73 |
Barnabas |
Stoned to death |
73 |
Mark |
Dragged to pieces, burned to death |
74 |
Simon (Zelotes) |
Crucified |
74 |
Andrew (bro. of Peter) |
Burned to death, crucified |
74 |
John (the beloved) |
Banished to isle of Patmos |
?? |
“In these days the whole state of religion was depraved and corrupted: the name
only of Christ remained amongst Christians, but His true and lively doctrine was
as far unknown to the most part as His name was common to all men.”
John Foxe
For the next 225 years after Christ’s death, the scriptures for the most part,
lay dormant. Many were
kept safe. Many were destroyed. Possession of the scriptures changed hands
occasionally. Even the
Greeks possessed them for a while. In 325 A.D., the council of Nicaea, under the
direction of
Constantine, decided which scriptures were to be accepted and which scriptures
were not accepted
in the new Christianity. It was during that time that the scriptures were
compiled. Before then the
books were separate. Those chosen, or selected books were organized and began to
be compiled into
one book. From about 450 on, the Roman empire began to fall. Many of the
scriptures found their
way to England. There they stayed, being passed from hand to hand among the
Church authorities
until King James, in the year 1611, ordered the scriptures to be translated into
English so they could
be read by the common man. Over 1500 years passed by from the time they were
abandoned by the
dead and dying apostles, to the time they were translated into English. Most
Christians believe that
the books in the Bible were placed in chronological order. Bible scholars will
tell you that is not the
case. Those who compiled the books from the Council of Nicaea chose the order.
Other changes were
made through the years until it was translated into English. Thus our historical
refresher course
needed for the remainder of this chapter.
The members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints get bashed by
other Christians for
believing in such a thing as a Book of Mormon or any such thing as additional
scripture. Their
argument is as Salem Kirban writes in his anti-Mormon book, “Mormonism,” p4-5:
“To the Christian who knows the Word of God, the Book of Mormon is seen as an
unsubstantiated fairy tale, for the Mormon Church both ADDS and SUBTRACTS from
God’s Word, the Bible. We are admonished in Revelation 22:18-19:”
“...if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are
written in this book; And if any man shall take away from the words of the book
of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part from the tree of life...”
“Yet in spite of this and other warnings in Scriptures the Mormon Church, along
with other cults,
thrives because many people are ignorant of the Word of God. The amazing thing
about many of
these cults is that the followers of the cults, in many instances, are highly
educated people, many
leaders of industry and government...who although perhaps astute in their field
of
endeavor...accept false religious doctrines which cannot stand the test of the
Word of God.”
Notice how Mr. Kirban calls us a “cult” three times in the same paragraph? At
any rate, back to what
Kirban was talking about in the Book of Revelation. It might interest you to
know that Joseph Smith
said this about the Book of Revelation. He said it was, “One of the plainest
books God ever caused
to be written!” What does the Book of Mormon say
about the Book of Revelation?
“And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured
out...insomuch that there
were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the
earth...And it came to
pass that the angel spake unto me saying: Look! And I looked and beheld a man,
and he was
dressed in a white robe. And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve
apostles of the
Lamb. Behold he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also
many things
which have been. And he shall also write concerning the end of the world...And
behold they are
written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew.
And I Nephi,
heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John...”
(1st Ne 14:15-27)
Perhaps if those who feel as Mr. Kirban feels were a little more familiar with
the Bible, they would
better understand Revelation 22:18-19! Here are ten points to consider.
One: John the Revelator did not write the Bible! He wrote the Book of
Revelation! (Also
known
as the Apocalypse) on the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia during
about
85 AD.
Two: John the Revelator did not compile the Bible, the council of Nicea did in
the year 325,
over
250 years after John wrote Revelation. The Council of Nicea decided what was
pertinent
scripture and what was not. Everything that didn’t coincide with their beliefs
was
disregarded.
Three: John the Revelator did not put his book at the end of the Bible, the
council of Nicea
did!
Four: There was no such thing as a Bible when John the Revelator wrote his book,
The Book of
Revelation! The scriptures as we know them today did not receive
that name until
after the
smaller books were compiled into one big book after
325 A.D.
Five: The word Bible, a Greek word for books-plural, didn’t take on the singular
meaning
it has
today until the thirteenth century. Over 1200 years after John wrote the book
of
Revelation.
Six: John very specifically directs his admonishment
to his own book! ...Not to
any other
records!
Reread Revelation 22:19. He says: “And if any man shall take away from
the words
of the
book of this prophecy...”
Seven: John’s same admonishment in Revelation 22:18-19 is also found in
Deuteronomy
4:2 and
Deuteronomy 12:32, when Moses says,
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish
ought from it, that
ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. What
thing soever I
command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from
it.”
Eight: Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Old Testament. Sixty-one books of
the Bible
come
after this book and after this scripture. This scripture in Deuteronomy is the
Jews’ reason for
diminishing anything beyond Deuteronomy, or The Torah. The scripture in
Revelation is the reason
the rest of the Christian world uses for not accepting anything beyond
Revelation. What if the council
of Nicea decided that the Bible should stop at Deuteronomy and therefore, never
added the rest of
the Bible scriptures? Then what if the remainder of the scriptures that comprise
our Bible were later
found? What would be your argument? How would you explain to the rest of the
Christian world that
you not only believe in the five books of the Bible, but you also believe in
everything from The Book
of Joshua to The Book of Revelation?
Nine: Moses is the one who wrote the first five books of the Bible. Why? Where
are the
writings
of the prophets for 2400 years before Moses? Were they illiterate? Or are
they
missing?
Ten: In the book, ABC’s of the Bible by Readers Digest, it says that none of the
apostles
knew that
their books would someday be compiled in a singular book. According to Grolier
Electronic
Publishing Inc., the collection of the Canon (Greek for list of books) of the
New Testament, began
in the second century, “probably with a collection of the ten letters of Paul.”
Later that same century,
Irenaeus wanted the four Gosples (Greek, for good news) added. From there, one
by one, more and
more were added until there were twenty-seven books “with the church in Egypt
using more than the
twenty-seven” in our New Testament. (Where are the “more” books the Egyptians
used?)
In determining when scriptures were written, things talked about are matched up
with known
historical events of that day. Like reading an old newspaper. By reading about
the things talked about,
you can tell when that paper was written. In determining when the Gospels were
written, GEP and
other sources say that Mark was written about 68-72 AD. Luke and Matthew about
85 AD and John,
the last book written, was written about 95-100 AD. (The Encyclopedia Americana,
V2 p702, gave
us the date of 100-125 for the book of John.) The book of Revelation was given a
date of 81-96,
making the book of John written after the book of Revelation. In the ABC’s of
the Bible, p278, it
says, “The most recent book in the New Testament is difficult to identify. Some
scholars believe the
Second Letter of Peter was written in honor of the Apostle Peter, not by him,
and may have been
written as late as A.D. 130. This would make 2nd Peter the last completed New
Testament work.”
Or about 40 years older than the Book of Revelation. For my LDS friend, it might
interest you to
know that on July 24th, 1853 in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, President Brigham
Young said, “John’s
Gospel and his epistle to his brethren were written after he wrote his
revelation on the Isle of
Patmos.” The above sources have concluded the same thing. That makes the Book of
Revelation,
John’s first book. Which means that even John’s other books came after his own
admonishment.
The point is this... We all love the Bible and love reading the words of the
ancient apostles and
prophets who walked and talked with Christ. But the apostles and prophets are
not the ones who put
the Bible in the order it’s in. The Council of Nicaea did. They are the ones who
edited the books,
chose the order and put the Book of Revelation last. Not the apostles, not the
prophets.
Police officers deal in evidence. In police work, each piece of evidence has to
have an air tight “chain
of custody” or it cannot be presented in court, no matter what the evidence is!
In the O. J. Simpson
trial, weeks of debate were spent establishing the chain of custody of the
bloody glove
and the Bronco. If the defense could show that the chain of custody had been
broken, those two
pieces of evidence would have been thrown out and unable to be presented to the
jury.
A chain of custody is a bullet proof paper trail. In other words, I find a piece
of evidence, I collect
it, never letting it out of my sight until I give it to the property custodian.
He keeps it, never letting
anyone into the property room or touching the evidence what-so-ever without
signing for the
property. At court the evidence is returned to me by the custodian. I keep it in
my immediate
possession again, never letting it out of my sight until the prosecutor enters
it into court as a “court’s
exhibit.” That’s how air tight a chain of custody has to be.
What is the chain of custody of the Bible scriptures? Fifteen hundred years of
nameless-faceless
people. In fact, books like the book Judges and Ruth, no one even knows who
wrote them. Most
believe that Samuel did but no one knows. There are several other questioned
books as well.
Including the Book of Revelation. In the reference book, The Books of The Bible
by Bernhard W.
Anderson, in V2 p367 it says, “Today, most scholars believe the book was written
by a Jewish
Christian seer who wrote down ‘the words of the prophecy’ under the reign of the
Roman emperor
Domitian” between 81-96. Other questions exist like, “Who are the people who
translated the Bible
in 1611? What were their qualifications and where are the manuscripts they
translated from? Were
they influenced or prejudiced in their translation by their own religious
beliefs? Who were the people
at the council of Nicaea in 325 to decide what was scripture and what was not?”
As you study, on
and on go the questions from the scholars. On and on go their different
theories.
Do I believe in the Bible? Absolutely!
Do Mormons believe in the Bible? Absolutely!
But the fact that you and I even have a Bible today is an absolute miracle.
“The Most Translated Book in The World”
CNN says that the most translated book in the world is the Bible. There are over
300 different
translations. Most of them are translations into different languages, but there
are only 186 countries
in the world (depending on whose counting) and less languages. So what’s
happening? My friend
Rick has eight different English translations. How can there be so many
different translations if there
is only one God? One Jesus Christ? Who has the right to translate the Bible
anyway? Especially when
it’s not being translated from the original manuscripts. Think about it. Have
you ever taken a
photograph in and had it photocopied? The photocopy always loses some of the
sharpness and clarity
of the original. Well what happens when you copy a photocopy? And then copy that
photocopy?
Each time, more and more of the original beauty, clarity and detail is lost. The
same is true with the
Bible. Translators are making copies of photocopies and with each copy, more and
more of the
original beauty, clarity and detail is getting lost. Here are just two examples.
Example One: Not long ago, I was in the evidence room, packaging the personal
property
of an
arrestee. She had a new translation of the New Testament called, The Word of
God,
Alive & Active, ABS. Contemporary English Version. Curious, I opened it up to
look at it. I found
myself on page thirty and the subtitle that caught my eye was, “Who Is Jesus?”
The Bible reference
is Matt. 16, 13-20. Jesus is talking to His disciples. This is their account of
what happened.
“...What do people say about the Son of Man?” They answer and Christ says,
“But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son
of the living
God. Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover
this on your
own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. So I will call you Peter, which
means ‘a rock.’
On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power
over it. I will give
you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you
allow on
earth. But he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.”
When I read that, I was not only shocked at the misquoting of those scriptures,
I was also shocked
at the misinterpretation of what Christ said. I do not believe that the authors
understood what Christ
was saying or they wouldn’t have changed His words. Because when they changed
His words, they
also changed His meaning. In their version of that account, the authors are
saying that Christ was so
pleased with Simon Peter’s answer, that He called Peter “a rock.” He didn’t.
They then infer that
Christ made Peter the cornerstone of His religion. He didn’t. They also infer
that Christ built His
church upon Peter. He didn’t. Christ is the cornerstone of His religion and His
religion is built upon
the teachings He receives from His Father who is in heaven. They then infer that
Christ even gave
Peter more power than He Himself had and even gave him power over God, saying,
“I will give you
the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you
allow on earth. But
he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.” Again, He didn’t. Christ said
nothing about allowing
whatever you allow. He said bind whatsoever you bind. Do you see the difference
there? Allowing
and binding have two completely different meanings. The inference I drew from
their interpretation
was that Simon Peter was given a free reign. That he was able to use his own
judgment to decide
what God will and will not allow. All that for getting the right answer to
Christ’s question! Being
familiar with that scripture, I quickly looked it up in the King James Version
of the Bible. Here it is.
Look at the difference and study the inference.
“...Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? ...And Simon Peter answered and
said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed
are thou, Simon Barjona; For flesh and bone hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father which
is in heaven. And I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
At first, both versions sound similar. But when you study the words and their
inference, you see they
are not the same at all. The words used in the first example totally
misrepresent what Christ meant.
The words used in the King James Version make Christ’s meaning more clear.
Christ is pleased with
Simon Peter, but not to the point that He makes Peter the cornerstone or the
soul authoritarian over
the church, giving Peter a free hand to use his own judgment and decide what
God will and will not
allow. Christ is telling Peter, “Blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flesh and
blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” In that scripture, Christ is
talking about how Peter
knew the right answer. Not that he did know the right answer. See the
difference? Christ is talking
about the Spirit of Revelation that Peter received from His Father in heaven
that gave him the right
answer. That is the rock Christ is talking about when He says, “...upon this
rock I will build my
church.” Upon the Spirit of Revelation.
Peter is being called to the front. He’s been given the position to lead the
Church on earth and to
follow in Christ’s footsteps. He’s been given the keys of the Kingdom to
bind on
earth and to bind in heaven. Up to this point, Christ was the only one who had the power and
authority bind on earth
as well as in heaven. But now, Christ is transferring some of that power to
Peter, the soon to be head
of the church here on earth. The word “whatsoever” is used in the Bible, but
that doesn’t mean that
Peter can decide that the average height of man should be eight feet tall
instead of six feet and that
watermelons should be blue instead of green. Christ knows that His time on earth
is short. He knows
that soon He will be crucified and gone from their midst. Christ is preparing
Peter to take over after
Christ Himself is gone. Christ’s words to Peter mean that Peter has to follow
Christ’s example and
continue as Christ has done. It does not mean that Peter has arbitrary decision
making power. There
are two great points of doctrine in that scripture.
One: If after Christ, there were to be no more prophets upon the earth, why then
is Christ
preparing
Peter to take over the earthly head of the Church?
Two: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in prophets,
eternal marriage,
eternal families and blessings in our lives that have eternal value, because
Peter was
given
the keys of the Kingdom and the power to bind on earth and to bind in heaven.
Other religions don’t know how to explain what Christ meant by what He told
Peter. That’s why they
don’t mind changing His words. The example above is case in point. That’s also
why other religions
don’t believe in modern-day prophets or modern-day revelation. That’s why they
don’t believe that
families can be sealed together forever. That’s why they don’t believe in bonds
beyond death except
the bond we all have to our God and to His Son, Jesus Christ. Yet Peter was
given the power to bind
on earth and in heaven. But because they don’t understand, that’s why their
marriages are, “till death
do us part” instead of “for time and all eternity.” That’s why their blessings
are seldom individualized
blessings led by the Holy Spirit of Revelation. Instead, they are usually
prepared speeches that they
read or memorize and don’t change. I’m not trying to offend anyone with what I’m
saying. I’m just
trying to make a point that you already know is the case. Christ’s words to
Peter are very significant.
Christ called Peter to the head of the Church and He gave Peter the keys to do
those things
mentioned. Yet other religions don’t believe (or understand) His words.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are great
believers in continuous
revelation from God. We believe in the gift that was given to Peter. Because we
are true believers,
we bless and dedicate buildings before their use for the building up of the
Kingdom of God here upon
the earth. We bless babies with health and strength and wisdom. We bless people
for the healing of
illnesses. We are given “Patriarchal Blessings” to help govern our lives and to
bless us eternally.
These blessings are even recorded with the Church. We give blessings at marriage
and at significant
times in members’ lives. We bless grave sights for the sacred resting place of
our loved ones and
much more. We believe that if we follow the Spirit of Revelation granted to us
at that moment, for
that purpose, that those blessings will come true. They may not come true in the
time frame we want
them to or in the manner we think they should, but sooner or later and in the
wisdom of God, they
all come true. That’s what we believe the word “whatsoever” means. Whatsoever,
given by the Spirit
of Revelation, will in time and in the wisdom of God, ...come true.
But it also goes far beyond the ability to give blessings and to have those
blessings “bound” in
Heaven. We also believe it pertains to binding ordinances. Binding ordinances
that are requirements for the entrance into the Kingdom of God. Such as Baptism and the laying on of
hands for the Gift
of the Holy Ghost. We believe that we have to be confirmed into the true Church
of Jesus Christ and
more. We believe that the word “keys” means authority. We believe that authority
is the true power
of the Priesthood which is what we believe Christ gave to Peter. The Priesthood,
the authority, the
keys of the Kingdom, the power to act in God’s name. We believe that all these
blessings and
ordinances require proper Priesthood authority.
The power of the Priesthood is what separates The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints from
other Christian religions. The authority to act in God’s name. That’s why we
don’t read modern day
translations of the Holy Scriptures that are translated by the power and wisdom
of man. We stick with
the King James Version because unless they are translating by the power of God,
they are changing
words and meanings they have no authority to change. Regardless of how good the
intent of the
translator is, unless he is inspired by God to do so, when he makes changes, he
can lead you away from the truth. That’s also why we believe in prophets. We don’t follow our
local leaders just because
we like their sermons or just because we think they are wonderful people. We
follow them because
they follow the words of the prophet. We follow the prophet because he follows
the words of Jesus
Christ. Therefore, creating unity in the Church, just as the scriptures talk
about. In short, we believe
in all the things the Bible teaches that other religions ignore or explain away.
Example Two: On October 14th, 1996 on NPR radio (Phx. Az.) Robert Siegel hosted
Stephen
Mitchell on the “Bob Siegel Show.” The topic was the Bible. Here are some
excerpts from their show. Transcript #2366. Segment 5. Siegel introduces himself
saying, “Biblical
translations from Hebrew has become a growth industry. Last year, Everett Fox
offered a version of
the five books of Moses. Now there are some new translations of Genesis and
several new books
about Genesis.” His guest, Mitchell breaks in and says, “What we have, what
we’ve been handed
down is a work of a late editor working hundreds of years after the original
authors wrote down these
stories, which were already ancient...Now, that has certain advantages, but it
also can be very
confusing because we have two flood stories, two stories of Hagar and Ishmael,
etc.”
The show goes on as Mitchell begins reading his translation of the Bible account
of Jacob wrestling
with an angel. Afterwards, Siegel says, “And you’ve tied the knot there that if
indeed the being says
to him, ‘you’ve wrestled with God’ and Jacob says, ‘I’ve seen the face of God,’
then..,” (Mitchell)
“Yes.” (Siegel) “Then Jacob is wrestling with God.” (Mitchell) “Yes, and not
only wrestling, but
defeating.” The program continues and even gets more interesting. They follow
that story with the
Biblical story about Adam and Eve and point out that God tells Adam and Eve that
if they eat of the
forbidden fruit, they will die. Then the devil tells them they will not die.
They conclude with, Mitchell
saying, “It’s a very strange story. I think until you look at it with fresh
eyes, you don’t understand
how very strange it is to have a God who lies and a serpent who’s telling the
truth.” There is another
story about Abraham and Isaac and then Siegel closes with: “...Stephen Mitchell
reading from his new
translation...tomorrow we’ll hear from another translator, Robert Alter...”
So tell me! ...Where does the confusion go from here!
Who has the right to be translating and interpreting God’s word except a prophet
of God?
“Truly of all the errors mortals could make, God’s plan of salvation is the
wrong thing to
be wrong about. No error could be more enormous or everlasting in it’s
consequence.”
Unknown LDS Apostle.
Quoted by Keith McMullin
The LDS Church uses the King James Version of the Bible for two reasons.
One: Joseph Smith said, “It is the Bible of our Fathers.” Meaning most of the
early church
members had English or European background.
Two: The King James version is one of the oldest, and we believe it to be one of
the most
correct
versions. Joseph Smith said that the German translation was the most correct.
Anti-Mormons are quick to point out that Joseph Smith made a translation of the
Bible. There are
some things you might be interested in knowing about that. The Joseph Smith
translation of the Bible
belongs to the RLDS Church (Reorganized Church). It does not belong to the LDS
Church. Joseph
Smith was killed before it was completed and Emma wouldn’t give it to Brigham
Young. She felt it
was Joseph Smith’s personal property. But let me ask you this!
If there is such a thing as a true prophet as we believe there is,
then who would have the right to translate another prophet’s
writings except a prophet himself?
Differences, and the Missing Books talked about in the Bible
One thing is for sure! If we all believed that God was organized and He had one
true church instead
of a smorgasbord of churches, and that God still led His children with prophets
and apostles as He
did before Christ, there would not be over 300 translations of the Bible and my
friend Rick would not
have eight different English translations. He would have one! And, there
wouldn’t be any confusion.
Let me remind you once again of the words of Joseph Smith!
“I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original
writers.”
It’s important that you keep those words in mind because nobody wants to believe
that there could
be errors or missing scriptures in our Bible. But the evidence that there is, is
over-whelming! Let me
give you just a few things to think about and why it’s important that you know
them.
One: There has never been a translation of the Bible that the translators didn’t
admit to
error in the
translation.
Two: Where are the 2400 years of scripture from Adam to Moses?
Three: Why do we have the writings of just five of the twelve Apostles?
Four: Who was the Council of Nicea to decide what was scripturally pertinent and
what
was not?
Five: How can the Bible be all of God’s word when there are 25 different
scriptural works
or books
that are mentioned in the Bible but are not found in the Bible? For instance:
Galatians 3:8 The “Scriptures” “Preached before the
Gospel unto Abraham”
Exodus 24:7 Book of the Covenant
Numbers 21:14 Book of the Wars of the Lord
1 Samuel 10:25 The Book of the Manner of the Kingdom
1 Kings 4:32-33 Books containing 3000 proverbs, 1500 songs,
A treatise on natural history by Solomon
Joshua 10:13 Book of Jasher
1 Kings 11:41 Book of the Acts of Solomon
1 Chronicles 29:29 The Book of Gad the Seer
1 Chronicles 29:29 The Book of Nathan the Prophet
2 Chronicles 9:29 The prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite
2 Chronicles 9:29 The Visions of Iddo the Seer
2 Chronicles 13:22 The Story of prophet Iddo
2 Chronicles 12:15 Book of Shemaiah
2 Chronicles 20:34 Book of Jehu
2 Chronicles 26:22 Acts of Uzziah
2 Chronicles 33:19 Sayings of the Seers
John 21:25 Only a part of what Jesus said is in the Bible
1 Corinthians 5:9 An earlier Epistle of Paul to Corinthians
Ephesians 3:3 Another Epistle of Paul to Ephesians
Jude 1:3 A former Epistle of Jude
Jude 1:14 Prophecies of Enoch
Jude 3 Another Epistle of Jude
Ephesians 3 Another Epistle of Ephesians
Colossians 4:16 Another Epistle to the Laodiceans
1 Corinthians 4:9 Another Epistle to the Corinthians
In Exodus Chapter 24 (four chapters after Moses was given the ten commandments),
Moses, Aaron,
Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel were called up by the Lord to
return to Him and
“worship afar off.” Moses alone was called up to meet the Lord out of that
group. Moses was given
“The Book of the Covenant.” So important was this book that Moses called all the
Israelites together
to read from the book. In Exodus 24:7 it says:
“And he (Moses) took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the audience of the
people:
and they said; All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
The point I want to make is if the Book of the Covenant was so important that
Moses was called up
by God to come and get it and to read it to the Israelites, so impressive to the
Israelites that they said
“All that the Lord said we will do, and be obedient.” Where is that book today?
How come it’s not
part of the Bible? (Remember, the Ten Commandments had already been given.)
In Exodus Chapter 24:12, The Lord again called Moses and told him to: Come up to
me into the
mount, and be there: and I will give there tables of stone, and a law, and
commandments which I have
written; that thou mayest teach them. Moses is also told to build the Ark of the
Covenant.
Where are the words of the “tables of stone” Moses received when he was told a
third time to come
up unto the mount? The words that went into the Ark of the Covenant?
Where are all the books that are mentioned in the Bible,
but not found in the Bible?
How can you say that the Bible contains all of God’s Word?
Six: Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior! There are scriptures that foretold of
His birth.
Scriptures
that tell of His birth in four books in the New Testament. There is a new star
in the heavens.
The three Wise men followed that star and found the babe Jesus in a manger. Yet
after His birth, the
next time we hear anything about Him is when He is 12 years old! He’s found in
the Temple
astounding the religious men of the day! Then, after this account, the next time
we hear anything
about Him is 18 years later! Why? Was He so busy as a carpenter making chairs
and tables that He
didn’t have anything to say? ...Jesus Christ, ...The Savior of the World???
This is a very significant issue. Is the Bible complete or are there scriptures
that are missing, or left
out on purpose! Luke 2:49-51, talks about Jesus at twelve in the temple. Verse
52 says, “And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” That’s the
last verse in chapter
two. Chapter three begins and talks about John the Baptist and Christ at age
thirty. Perhaps the
answer to that lies in the missing book of scripture called “Q” (Quelle: Greek,
for the sayings of
Jesus.) A book of scripture that is mentioned in several different reference
books by several different
Biblical scholars. A book that surely would have to be the most important book
of any book, yet
today that book is not with the Bible and it is no where to be found. ...Why?
In the book, The Jesus Mystery by Janet Bock, (p1-5) she talks about the missing
years of Jesus and
says; “It gradually dawned on us that those years were missing because someone
had taken them out
of the records, out of the Bible...And it really doesn’t seem possible those
years were so unimportant
as to be dismissed without a word. So the idea grew that at some point what had
been known about
those years in His life had been deleted. In examining historical records of the
early Christian church,
it became evident that early church councils, especially the First Council of
Nicaea in 325 A.D.
changed many points of doctrine, and it was possible those missing years were
expunged because they
did not coincide with the political needs of a growing church.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that there were many
things that were left
out of the Bible, perhaps even on purpose. In the Book of Mormon there is a
scripture in 1st Nephi
13:21-26. Nephi is talking and he says,
“And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book? And I said
unto him:
I know not. And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I,
Nephi, beheld it
and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which
contains the
covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it
containeth many of the
prophecies of the holy prophets...and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of
a Jew it
contained the fullness of the gospel of the Lord...And after they go forth by
the hand of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest...they
have taken
away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious;
and
also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.”
Seven: Why are there two different accounts of how Judas died. Three different
accounts
of what
took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Four different accounts of Christ’s
resurrection, the
appearance to Mary and the disciples in just the King James Version of the
Bible. There are two
different accounts of the Lord’s Prayer in just the King James Version. Check
Matthew 6:9-13 and
Luke 11:2-4. Let me give you just two examples that are found in the KJV.
Paul’s Vision...
Acts 9:7 “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless hearing a voice,
but seeing no man.”
Acts 22:9 “And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but
they
heard not the voice of Him that spoke to me.”
Judas’ Death...
Matt. 27:5 “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed,
and went
and hanged himself.”
Acts 1:18 “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity and
falling-
headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
A few other examples to think about...
|
|
Yes |
No |
|
Did the Lord cause David to number
Israel? |
2nd Sam. 24:1 |
I Chr. 21:1 |
|
Does God justify the ungodly? |
Rom. 4:5 |
Ex. 23:7
Pr. 17:15 |
|
Does God punish children for their
father’s sins? |
Ex. 34:7
Deu. 5:9
Ex. 20:5 |
Ez 18:20 |
|
Does God repent or change? |
Gen. 6:6
Ex. 32:14
I Sam. 15:35
Jer. 26:13
Amos 7:16 |
Num. 23:19
I Sam. 15:29
Mal. 3:6 |
|
Who delivered the Law? The Lord or
the angels? |
The Lord
Ex. 20:
Deu. 5
Heb. 2:2 |
The Angels
Acts 7:53
Gal. 3:19 |
There are four different versions of the Lord’s prayer in these four popular
Bible translations;
|
The King James Version:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Gives us this day
our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, forever,
Amen.” |
|
|
|
The New Revised Standard Version: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your
kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily
bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do
not bring us
to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” |
|
|
|
The Baltimore Catechism Version:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy
name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily
bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against
us; and lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.” |
|
|
|
The New American Bible Version: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your
kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily
bread; and
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the
final test, but
deliver us from the evil one.” |
All four of those sound fairly close until you read the words carefully. Then
you realize they end with
not only different words, but different meanings. I would think it would be
important to know exactly
what Christ said and meant. Don’t you? In the Book, The Bible Translation
Controversy by Wayne
Jackson, M.A. he says, (p.2,4,7)
“When the King James version was published in 1611, it was bitterly criticized
as well and
rightfully so in some respects; for instance, it contained the Apocrypha between
the two
Testaments. Over the past three and a half centuries, the King James version has
undergone many
revisions so that the edition of our day differs from the 1611 edition in
hundreds of particulars,
though the general content, of course, is basically the same.”
Well what does “though the general content is basically the same” mean?
Basically the same also
means slightly different. That is extremely significant because the reason why
we have so many
different Christian religions today with so many different concepts, yet one God
and one Bible is
because every religion builds their beliefs, teachings and practices, based on
semantics. Issues
dividing religions, sometimes are based on one word. So the “differences” do
make a difference.
Jackson points out as translations occur, other important concerns come to
light. What is the
“translators’ theological stance” and “what is his attitude toward the
scriptures?...By way of contrast,
some of the versions of recent years have been dominated by theological
liberals.” According to
Henry J. Cadbury, “All nine members of the Revised Standard Version New
Testament translation
committee were of the liberal wing of scholarship.” On p7, he says,
“A Bible translator is not inspired of God. In any translation there is the
possibility of
translating bias or errors of judgment. All versions reveal these occasional
weaknesses,
some more than others, of course...The King James version translators had a very
high regard
for the sacred Scriptures and for that we applaud them. They were, however,
human and they
occasionally yielded to external pressures or to their own theological
prejudices and these
inclinations are clearly reflected in some passages of the King James Version.”
(Remember, I’m not using LDS sources.)
John Drane, a Lecturer in Religious Studies at Stirling University, Scotland,
wrote a book called, The
Bible: Fact or Fantasy? He’s a religious man and he doesn’t bash the Bible at
all, but he points out
some interesting things history and research prove about the Bible. On page 40,
he talks about some
of the manuscripts that have been found since the Bible has been compiled. The
Codex Sinaiticus, found by Tischendorf, the Epistle of Barnabas, the
Shepherd of Hermas, the Codex Alexandrinus and others.
He points out that the Old Testament is the Bible of the Jewish faith and that
it was written in Hebrew
and Hebrew had no vowels, only consonants. In the ninth and tenth centuries, the
rabbis “invented
a complicated system of dots and dashes which they placed under the consonants,
to indicate how
they thought they should be pronounced.” The book, Saints and Scientists, on p3,
talks a little about
this and it makes this statement, “...And if the ‘Word of God’ were mistaken,
could it be the word
of God?” Thought provoking isn’t it? The same three words, but two totally and
completely different
meanings.
Drane said that every copy of the Bible had to be written by hand. When it
changed languages, it had
to be translated as best it could to fit the words of the other language. The
New Testament was
written entirely in Greek because Greek was the international language of the
Roman Empire at the
time. He said to keep in mind that the libraries then were not like the
libraries now. Then, each book
was a scroll and was kept in a box. “If you wanted to have your own copy, you
needed to gather
together a considerable number of separate rolls, and also decide which
translation to choose from.
When the Christians eventually produced a single-volume Greek Old Testament,
this is exactly what
they did: they made a random selection from the various translations that were
in general use...” (p45)
On p47, he says, “It must be obvious that mistakes would be made from time to
time. And there is
quite a catalogue of errors that could--and did--creep in.” On page 47, 48 and
49, he talks about
those mistakes. On and on go the controversies from the scholars and as you
read, please keep in
mind that in gathering this information, I chose credible historians that were
unbiased and not anti-Biblical in any way. What I was looking for was accurate historical information
from credible sources
on the Bible we all have and cherish today.
The more and more I studied mans’ treatment
of God’s Holy Scriptures over the past 2000 years,
I found myself feeling amazed
that we have as much of His Holy word as we have.
“We give great credit to the Apostles, translators, and the fathers that have
preserved
and handed down the Bible to us, their children, and defended it through blood
and fire.
In this they have certainly bequeathed a great blessing to the world.”
Brigham Young.
To me, having the beauty that we have in the Bible today, is a miracle. Why?
Because the more I
studied the evidence and listened to the controversy of the scholars, the
cloudier things became. The
more I studied and tried to clear things up, the more evidence I found that made
it more unclear. As
I turned to God and prayed for guidance and pondered the confused feelings in my
heart and mind,
a peace came over me and two things were brought to my heart and mind.
One: God loves us. And because He does, even though many books and much
scripture
are
missing and many questions are left unanswered, having it intact as much as we
do, is because
God had a hand in preserving these scriptures. That we might read, enjoy, learn
and know of Him,
His Son Jesus Christ, Their greatness and of our beginning as children of God.
That we may know
our genealogies and a history as a Christian people clear back to Adam and Eve.
As I applied logic
to that feeling, I could see that there just was no other way to explain the
phenomena of the beauty
of what we have in the Bible today, some 2000 years later.
Two: Because so many scriptures were missing and so many changes had been made
by
the hand
of man, ones that as pointed out by the scholars obviously pertained to points
of doctrine, like
the second tablets that were needed by Moses, a second book was needed for us.
“In Proverbs 5:6, we are told to ‘ponder the path of life.’ As we ponder the
path of life, we can
set our path to righteousness and feel the Spirit direct us. ‘Feast upon the
words of Christ; for
behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2nd
Nephi 32:2)
Robert D. Hales
The members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints read, study and
revere the Bible as
much or more than any other Christian religion. But based on the small amount of
evidence that has
been presented here, look again at the first part of the 8th Article of
Faith.“We believe the Bible to
be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.” How can you say that
you agree with
anything less? The fact that Joseph Smith in 1842 said, “We believe the Bible to
be the word of God
as far as it is translated correctly”, is further proof to me that he was a true
prophet of God. Why?
Because in 1842, no one knew enough about the compilation or translation of the
Bible to know there
were any errors in it. In 1842, no one believed there were errors. Joseph Smith
believed in the Bible
and so do we. But in their day, only a true prophet of God would have known
there were errors. It
may also interest you to know that Joseph Smith not only said, “I believe the
Bible as it came from
the pen of the original writers,” he also said,
“Our latitude and longitude can be determined in the original Hebrew with far
greater
accuracy than in the English version. There is a grand distinction between the
actual meaning
of the Prophets and the present translation...It was apparent that many
important points touching
the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was
compiled...Much
instruction has been given to man since the beginning which we do not possess
now...We have
what we have, and the Bible contains what it does contain...Through the kind
providence of our
Father a portion of His word which He delivered to His ancient saints, has
fallen into our hands
and is presented to us with a promise of a reward if obeyed, and with a penalty
if disobeyed.”
Joseph Smith (TPJS, p61)
So what about the second part of the 8th Article of Faith?
“We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”
“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech...And they said, Go
to, let us build
us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven...And the Lord said,
Behold, the people
is one, and they have all one language...Go to, let us go down, and there
confound their language,
that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them
abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth. Therefore is the name of it called Babel”
Gen 11:1-9
“It was a quarter of a mile square at the base, and, in eight stories, rose
650ft.”
Herodotus
“A former King built it, they reckon forty-two ages, but did not complete it’s
head.
Since a remote time, people had abandoned it, without order expressing their
words.”
Nebuchadnezzar
We believe that some of those people came to America. The Lord taught them just
as he did the
people of Judah. The people in America were the stick of Ephraim.
“And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the
wilderness,
but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which
was choice
above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
Behold, this
is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from
bondage, and from
captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the
God of the land,
who is Jesus Christ...” Ether, 2:7,12. Book of Mormon.
Couldn’t happen? ...Why?
Is it because you don’t think the Lord could lead someone across
the “great waters” to this land?
Or is it because if the Lord did lead them across the great waters,
you don’t believe He would bother to teach them anything?
Many good God loving Christians believe that there should be just the Bible and
no other scriptures.
They argue that the Bible was to be taken to the Gentiles and that there was no
need for a Book of
Mormon. Therefore, the Book of Mormon cannot be true scripture. Well, that
argument is fine and
dandy as long as the Bible could be taken to the Gentiles! But in the days of
the Book of Mormon
(600 BC to 423 AD), there was no way for the people on this continent to learn
anything from the
Bible! There was no world travel, no world communication, no way to make a phone
call and find
out what John had to say about this or that! That being the case, why would the
Lord leave the
people on this continent in darkness?
Think about it. Only Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, could have taught two
people on different
sides of the globe the same things. And only Jesus Christ, Savior of the world,
would have! The Book
of Mormon teaches the same gospel as the Bible. The only difference is that it
is to a different people.
We believe it contains some of the doctrines that were left out of the Bible. In
about 423 AD,
Moroni, son of the last prophet and last keeper of the records, gave a promise
to you, the modern day
child of God who is seeking the Lord. It’s found in Moroni 10:3-4.
“Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be
wisdom in God
that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been
unto the
children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye
shall receive these
things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I
would exhort you
that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things
are not true; and if
ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he
will manifest
the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
I spoke earlier about the chain of custody for evidence and the chain of custody
of the Bible. The
scriptures that comprise the Book of Mormon were held by the Prophet Mormon, who
died about
400 AD. The records were given to Moroni who we believe was made keeper of the
records. When
the time came, Moroni, under the direction of the Lord, brought the ancient
scriptures to Joseph
Smith to be translated into English. Look at the chain of custody of the Book of
Mormon!
The very last one to have it
was the very one to give it to Joseph Smith!
Joseph Smith said he was led by the angel to a spot on the side of the hill in
Palmyra, New York
where he unearthed the golden plates.
“And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy
speech
shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a
familiar spirit,
out of the ground, and thy speech whisper out of the dust...Therefore, behold, I
will proceed
to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a
wonder...And
in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” Isaiah 29:4-18
Think about this scripture and tell me, if Isaiah is not talking about The Book
of Mormon being
brought forth, a second testament of Jesus Christ, then what does he mean? What
could be more
marvelous than the restoration of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ? In Ezekiel
37:16-19, there is
another scripture that if it’s not talking about the Book of Mormon, what is it
talking about?
“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah,
and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and
write upon it, For
Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his
companions...And when the
children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what
thou meanest by
these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of
Joseph, which is in
the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them
with him, even with the
stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.”
The Bible can’t be the two sticks mentioned. Nor does the New Testament and Old
Testament qualify
as the two sticks mentioned. Jesus is from the house of David, which is the
stick of Judah. The Bible
is the stick of Judah, passed down from prophet to prophet until it ended
between 70 AD and 130AD.
The Bible says that at the time of the tower of Babel, the Lord, “...scattered
them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:8). So there is no question as to
whether or not there were
people in other parts of the world, now speaking different languages. So why
wouldn’t He bother to
teach those people the same Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why wouldn’t there be other
records like the
Bible He gave to the Jews and what effect would that second record have on the
individual, on the
world? Try this experiment. Hold your right hand up in front of you. Make a fist
and pretend it is a
sphere suspended in air. How many lines can you shoot through the middle of that
sphere? Hundreds?
Thousands? From every angle and direction? Now hold your left hand up in front
of you about two
feet away from your right hand. Like your right hand, make a fist and pretend it
is a second sphere
suspended in air. Now tell me, how many lines can you shoot through the middle
of those two
spheres? ...One! That’s all ...just one!
With one sphere, many lines! ...Many Gospels!
With two spheres, one line! ...One Gospel!
Thank You For Reviewing the
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