THE TWO STICKS
(An analysis of a basic Mormon teaching.)
"The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
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 join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. (Ezekiel 37:15-17)
Mormon literature teaches that one stick represents the Bible and the other stick represents the Book of
Mormon. The book of Mormon does not make this claim.
It is impossible for Ezekiel 37 to teach that the Bible is the stick of Judah and Book of Mormon is the
stick of Ephraim.
1. Ezekiel was to do the writing.
a. The one stick for Judah, and for the children of Israel could not be the Bible. Ezekiel did not write
the Bible. He wrote only one book. God used 40 men writing on 66 separate scrolls to produce the
Bible. Writing the Bible took a period of 1600 years.
b. The other stick for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim could not be the Book of Mormon. Mormons claim
that The Book of Mormon is an abridgment of ancient records written by Mormon and Moroni.
Again Ezekiel was not the author of the abridgment or the ancient records.
2. Ezekiel knew fully the difference between a "stick" and a "roll of a book."
a. "And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book [was] therein;
And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. (Ezekiel 2:9-10)
b. The Hebrew word translated "stick" in Ezekiel 37 is pronounced "ets" and is translated in the Old Testament by ten different English words: 1) gallows, 2) helve, 3) plank, 4) staff, 5) stalk, 6) stick, 7) stock, 8) timber, 9) tree, 10) wood. "Ets" is never translated "roll," "scroll," "book," "record," "parchment," "plate," or "papyri."
3. Ezekiel 37:15-17 speaks of one stick for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: and another
stick for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim. Even if we were to accept the idea that the sticks referred to by Ezekiel are books, still the book of Mormon could not fulfill this prophecy. To fulfill this prophecy the Nephites (who supposedly wrote the Book of Mormon) would have to be descendants of Joseph through
his son EPHRAIM (Ezek. 37:16).
The Book of Mormon could not fulfill this prophecy.
To fulfill this
prophecy the Nephites (who supposedly wrote the Book of Mormon) would have to be descendants of Joseph through his son EPHRAIM (Ezek. 37:16). The Book of Mormon, however, teaches otherwise.
"And Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem who was a descendant of MANASSEH, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren" (Alma 10:3).
4. Mormonism teaches that the Book of Mormon was written on plates of Gold and plates of Brass, not sticks. Never is there any reference in the Book of Mormon to that book having been written on "scrolls," "Parchment," "Papyri," or "sticks."
5. God's interpretation of this object lesson is seen in Ezekiel 37:22. It tells us the then-divided nation of Israel would be reunited again in the land under one king. Note the same "nicknames" for the two divisions of Israel (Judah, Ephraim) in Hosea 5:3-14 and 6:4.
The Bible does not predict the Book of Mormon, nor is there any need for another witness that Jesus
is the Christ. There are 66 books in the Holy Bible and the apostle John says "But these are written, that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
his name." (John 20:31)
This material was prepared by:
Harley Johnson,
7161 S. 2180 W.,
West Jordan, Utah 84084
harleyj@micron.net
(801) 561-4908
Aug 18, 1994
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