My husband is LDS and speaks about the spirit of Elijah coming in relation to the LDS geneaology work-I believe he is referring to Malachi when it talks about the hearts of the children turning to their fathers. My husband says this is supportive of genealogy work though I have shared how the NT teaches not to heed endless genealogies, etc. This does not deter his belief. Could you please comment on the verse in Malachi and what it means in correct context?
I accidentally came across your website and I decided to read a couple of your opinions. I could go on at great length, but all the responses I read from your site were seriously flawed with your OWN precepts… not those of God the Father or Jesus, Son of God as Only Begotten Son of the Father.
Jedediah M. Grant, Second Counselor to Brigham Young:
"Celsus was a heathen philosopher; and what does he say upon the subject of Christ and his Apostles, and their belief? He says, the 'grand reason why the Gentiles and philosophers of his school persecuted Jesus Christ, was because He had so many wives; there were Elizabeth, and Mary, and a host of others that followed Him.' After Jesus went from the stage of action, the Apostles followed the example of their master. . . The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, casing his crucifixion, was evidently based on polygamy,. . .a belief in the doctrine of plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus, and his followers. We might almost think they were 'Mormons' " (Journal of Discourses, Vol 1. pp. 345-346)
Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde made these statements:
"It will be borne in mind that once in a time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; . . .no less a person than Jesus Christ was married on that occasion. If he was never married, his intimacy with Mary and Martha, and the other Mary also whom Jesus loved, must have been highly unbecoming and improper to say the least of it."
"I will venture to say that if Jesus Christ were now to pass through the most pious countries in Christendom with a train of women, such as used to follow him, . . .he would be mobbed, tarred, and feathered, and rode, not on as ass, but on a rail."
"At this doctrine the long-faced hypocrite and the sanctimonious bigot will probably cry, blasphemy! . . . Object not, therefore, too strongly against the marriage of Christ." (All the above statements: Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pages 259-260)
"When Mary of old came to the sepulcher. . .she saw two angels in white. and they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, Because they have take away my Lord, OR HUSBAND, and I know not where they have laid him."
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 210)
In 1853 the following appeared in the Mormon church paper, the Millennial Star:
". . .we apprehend that even greater troubles than these may arise before mankind learn all the particulars of Christ's incarnation-how and by whom he was begotten; the character of the relationships formed by the act; the number of wives and children he had. . ." (The Millennial Star, Vol 15, page 825)
Statement by Brigham Young, second prophet of the LDS church:
"The Scripture says that He, the Lord, came walking in the Temple, with "HIS TRAIN; I do not know who they were, unless his wives and children;" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13. page 309)
The Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt:
"...it will be seen that the GREAT MESSIAH who was the founder of the Christian religion, WAS A POLYGAMIST, . . .the MESSIAH chose. . .by marrying honorable wives himself, show to all future generations that HE approbated the plurality of wives under the Christian dispensation, as well as under the dispensation in which His polygamist ancestors lived. . . .We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives. . ." (The Seer, page 172)
These are a few of the quotes from the writing of the Mormon elders concerning the fact that they teach and believe the blasphemy that Jesus was married to Mary, Martha and the other Mary. The god of the Mormons is a man-god who once was a man like any other man, who by his good works was exalted to godhood. That is what the Mormons are working for....not salvation...but godhood. (See Gen. 3:5, that is what Satan told Eve she could become) And the Jesus they proclaim to love so dearly is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible, but the sexual offspring of God with one of his many wives in heaven.
Or, second, I can seek the answer by testing the subject by proven and demonstrable facts and evidences. Suppose I have a feeling that I have found the answer, but I want to make sure. I then objectively submit my conclusion (derived from the feeling I experienced) to the test of the known and provable facts.
Which results would you think would be better; the answer I got from how I felt about it, or the answer I got from examining the provable facts about the matter?
Lets also broaden the matter and say two different people were seeking the same answer to a question. Both used the "feeling" or "experiential" method and they came up with two different opposing answers!? How would you determine which was correct?
Lets compare your comment, that you "know" your church is right because you had an experience which made you feel it was correct, with Biblical Christianity. What a Biblical Christian believes, can be proved and demonstrated from the Bible, which can be proven to be the accurate and infallible Word of God. That is why a Biblical Christian believes it. He can test to see if his feelings are correct by checking them out with what God has revealed in the Bible. He knows the many warnings in the Bible about false teachers and Satan's work to deceive people. He may have strong feelings too that he to is correct, and that his faith is real, but the difference is his feelings and trust are based on what the Bible says.
Suppose someone comes along and asks how can a Biblical Christian prove his feelings are correct? The answer is simple. Because what a Biblical Christian believes correctly reflects the teachings of the Bible.
( Click here to read, "How We Got the Bible," on my web site, under Bible Studies for evidences for the accuracy of the Bible).
Can your feeling that your church is right be proven from a reliable proven source such as the Bible, history or archaeology? If you are interested, please read the articles on my web page that address the validity of the claims of Mormonism. This material is the result of years of study and comparing the teachings of Mormonism with the Bible, history, and archaeology. Mormonism fails every reliable test it is put to.
Can the beliefs of Mormonism, be proven to be accurate and if you believe they can, please explain how can you prove it? I suggest that there is nothing wrong with putting what we believe to an honest objective test. If it is correct, then the evidence will bear it out; or if false that will be shown too.
As a Bible believing Christian, the Bible is my sole authority for my faith and practice. Nowhere in the Bible does God say, "Pray about whether what I have said is true and I will give you the answer." What He does say is..."believe." Believe what God has said! Jesus Himself said, "That whosoever believeth in him (Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16) Jesus said that if one believes in Jesus Christ, they will be saved and receive everlasting life. The same truth is found in Romans 10:9-1, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
So I am told by God to believe, and obviously what we are to believe is what God has said in His record and preserved Word the Bible. Over the years many people have prayed and asked the question, "What is true?" One prayed and felt he was being told that Hinduism was right, another Buddhism, another Catholicism and so on. Surely, these religions are vastly different and cannot all be correct. The problem is when you pray and ask for a feeling of what is true...how do you judge if your what you feel is true or not?
For example suppose I went to the store to purchase a yard of cloth. Suppose I looked at the bolt of cloth and pulled off what I felt was a yard. Suppose I went to pay for the cloth and told the clerk it was a yard. Would the store accept my feeling I had a yard or would they measure it to see how much cloth I had? How then would the clerk determine the length of my cloth? Of course by a ruler or yard stick. What if gas stations would set their pumps based on what they felt was a gallon? It is interesting to me that in everything in our daily lives we always use an establish rule to judge everything we come in contact with. Yet, when it comes to the knowing about God, some tell us we are to accept our feelings. Many a person has lost their money because they refused check out a person who was offering them a great deal when they felt the person was honest.
The only way to know truth is to compare everything with God's revealed truth the Bible and that is why God gave us the Bible. We do not have to pray and ask what is correct and then wait for some subjective untestable emotional feeling to give us the answer. God has taken all the guess work out and gave us his written word. By His very written Word we judge all matters as it is the only authority on what is truth or fallacy.
My faith is not based on a subjective prayer I prayed, but on what God has said. The Bible says I am to believe in Jesus Christ, God's Son and place my faith in Him. Realizing I am a sinner, and that Christ died for my sin I did what God said. I believed and God saved me. How do I know? Because what I did was according to what God said. God promised to forgive my sins and give me eternal life if I believed and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. I do believe, and based on His promise I know I am saved, a child of God and on my way to heaven. Sometimes I do not feel like a child a God. Especially when I let Him down....but my feelings do not change the fact of God's promise. It proves I am saved and thank God that I can know assuredly that I am saved.
The day I was saved I prayed, yes I desperately prayed and asked God to forgive me and given me eternal life. That was a true prayer for help, and God answered and saved me. I was not praying for truth, I knew the truth, because I knew what God said in the Bible. I prayed in faith and trust and God did what He promised, He saved me. Read my personal testimony
[You might would like to read the following: Open letter to the Mormon who wrote anonymously challenging me to study the LDS church teachings. ]
First, honesty, morality, (I am leaving out "faith in Christ" for the moment and will address it later) service, and family are what God commands for all Christians. It is commendable that the LDS teaches these things. However, teaching these things does not make the LDS a biblical or true church. A church that is teaching morality on one hand and a false gospel on the other needs to be exposed for what it is.
Further, doing these things does not give anyone entrance into heaven, nor is doing these works God's plan of salvation. However, the LDS church teaches a "works" for salvation gospel which is unbiblical. "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, "but believeth" on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4:4-5)
Paul is saying that a person who is trying to work for his salvation is doing so apart from grace, which is the unmerited favor of God. Salvation is a work a the grace of God apart from any one working for it. God freely gives grace to the one who believes, not to the one who by his good works tries to earn or merit his salvation. All men are sinners and cannot by their good
works justify themselves. (Romans 3:10, 23) The Bible says that redemption and forgiveness of sin come as the imparted grace of God to the one who places his trust in Jesus Christ. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Romans 3:23-24) Paul continues in verse 25 and states: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25) The word "propitiation" means "full payment." By Christ's shed blood on the cross, man is justified to God. "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through him." (Romans 5:9) "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7) (Also see Eph. 2:13, Col.1:14, 20, Heb. 2:14, 10:19,12:24,13:20, 1 Peter
1:19, 1 John 1:7, Rev. 1:5) You see Jesus Christ paid our sin debt on the
cross. It is shameful for a man to be so presumptuous to think he could
substitute his own righteousness for Christ's and atone for his own sin.
Eternal life is the gift of God, it is not a work man does to achieve God's favor.
The Bible says, " The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life."
Note again what God says:
First a person must submit to Christ in faith, be born again and become a child of God before he can
please God. He then should live a godly and righteous life totally devoted to His Savior. But
He does not do so to merit or earn his salvation, but because he has already
been saved. As a Bible believing Christian I am not working to earn God's
favor in order to be saved! I already have that. It was His free gift to
me when I accepted it. This truth is further revealed by Paul in 1 Corinthians
15:1-4. Paul stated what was the Gospel (Good News) he preached. Note what
he said:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures:" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
To the Mormon, Jesus, is the first born son of their exalted "man" god in heaven. Satan was one of his sons just like every person on earth. This god was a man who was born in sin on another planet out in the universe. He was made the god of this world because of his good works on this other planet. He earned godhood and was thus appointed by the counsel of gods in the heavens, to be the god of earth. If you are an informed Mormon you know that this is what the LDS church has always taught. The god of this world is a god of flesh and bone and was once a man, like we are men, who became a god.
The Mormon Jesus is the son of this man-become-god of flesh and bone. Clearly, this is not taught in the Bible and the Mormon god and Jesus are not the true God and Jesus of the Bible. Thus to place ones faith in them is not placing one's faith in the Biblical God and Jesus of the Bible. (see Matt. 24:24, Mark 13:22)
A god that does not exist cannot save. No matter how sincerely one believes in an idol, the idol cannot save. (Isaiah 45 for how God describes idol worship)
That is why, we who are biblical Christians reject the teachings of the LDS church. The Mormon prophets historically have openly ridiculed those of us who believe in the God, Jesus and Holy Spirit that the Bible
reveals.
The Bible alone is my authority for my faith and practice. Any teaching that is not in accord with what the Bible says I must reject, because it is false. The Bible says God is not a man. (Num. 23:19, Hosea 11:9) It says he is a Spirit. (John 4:24, Isa 45:5, Psa. 90:2) Thus, I cannot accept that God is or ever was a man and the Bible proves the Mormon god to be false.
The LDS church believes there are in fact there are millions of gods out in the Universe. Yes, they say they are monotheistic because they only worship the god of this earth, but they believe their are many other gods and that might be a god one day themselves. At the present time the LDS church reports that it has over nine million members. If only ten percent of their membership were worthy were exalted to godhood, there would be 900,000 new gods.
Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt made this statement concerning the Mormon doctrine of the plurality of Gods: "If we should take a million of worlds like this and number their particles, we should find that there are MORE GODS than there are particles of matter in those worlds." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 345)
The Bible says, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me." (Isaiah 43:10) "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6) In simple terms God says there are no other gods, but the God, and men who aspire to godhood do so in vain. There is not one hint in the Bible that men can become gods.
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God. "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
(John 1:1) Some have tried to discount this verse by saying the "Word" is
not a reference to Jesus, but what He said. But read verse 14, "And the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (Also see
Rev. 19:13) No Bible scholar questions the authenticity of these verses. No
manuscript reads differently from what is correctly translated in our
KJV Bible. Jesus was God incarnate in flesh. I cannot explain it nor can
anyone else. As a man, I am a material being living in a physical world and
I cannot understand the spirit world of God. All I know about the spiritual
world is what He reveals in the Bible. He says this is true and I accept
it because God said it. I cannot explain gravity, nor can any scientists
on this earth. They can see what it does, describe its effects, but they
do not know what it is. No one would be so foolish as to reject gravity because
they could not explain or understand it. Further, when a man explains or
describes anything he always uses and compares it with things he knows. Man
knows nothing of the spiritual world and has nothing on earth to compare
it with. That is why the false religions of the world always make their gods
and heaven like the earth they know. They have nothing more to use to describe
it. The Bible just states as fact that Jesus Christ is God and does not try
to explain it, because God knows we can not understand it now. Paul and John
both saw things in heaven and were told by God not to reveal it. (see 2 Cor.
12:2-4, Rev. 10:4) It is easy to understand that only God could atone for
sins, because only God is sinless. If Jesus was only a man he would have
been born with the sin nature. He was perfect and only God incarnate in man
could be a perfect man.
Most converts to Mormonism do not really know what the LDS church teaches. They see the family emphasis and the cordial way the Mormons treat converts and they are impressed. They have no idea that the god of Mormonism according to their teaching is an "exalted" man who became a god and that Jesus is all men's physical brother and not Almighty God come in the flesh. My articles are not like most "anti-Mormon " literature which mostly addresses their past history.
The only thing that is relevant in dealing with them is who is their god. They claim he is the God of the Bible. But that cannot be as it contradicts God says about Himself in the Bible and it is physically impossible for a man, who God created the first sixth day after He finished creating the world, ...to be the God of the Bible who is the Creator of the universe. My article explains this.
So this is the only issue I deal with. If they believe the Bible....even in a non committal way...they will see the problem and reject the false Mormon religion. Hopefully, they will be presented God truth plan of salvation and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Some see the falseness of Mormonism, leave but are not saved. Some go into other false religions. Sadly, though...many converts enjoy the relationship with Mormons and the LDS church who can be really nice people. They go out of their way to make converts welcome and put them, as soon as possible, in leadership positions to help cement their loyalty to the LDS church.
Repeated the Bible says that God made the heavens and the earth. That clearly means He created the universe and everything in it. Yet, Mormonism teaches that the god they worship "heavenly father" was once a man who was born into the universe on some distant planet to the "heavenly father" of that planet as a spirit child. He then went to the earth of that planet and by good works and being faithful to the gospel of his heavently father, he died, and was resurrected to the Celestal heaven and there was appointed to become a god. He now as a god, came to earth and with his wives, began to produce spirit children in heaven. These spirit children were allowed to come to the earth as mortals where if they are faithful enough to the LDS church, and its gospel, they to can after their deaths be resurrected to the Cetestial heaven and there they too came become a god. This is a brief discription of Mormon belief, but it is factual and what the LDS churches. The god of Mormonism was first a man, born into a universe that already existed and afterwards became a god. This is the LDS doctrine of "eternal progression." The LDS god could not be the God of the Bible, because the LDS god was first a man, then became a god, and was born into a universe that already existed.
Sir, that is not the God of the Bible....who created the heavens and earth and plainly says He was never a man. So the core teaching of the LDS church is based on an untruth and it is totally dishonest to claim the Mormons worship the God of the Bible or His ONLY begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Sir, I have studied Mormon doctrine from LDS official literature and have a library of over 4000 reference works. I do not use the anti-Mormon literature for my research. I also have lived in Utah now 20 years....so I know a lot of LDS people, many of whom are my friends.
My articles are factual and accurately represent what the LDS church teaches. The question for Mormons is simple....will you believe in the God of the Bible who created you and to whom you are responsible.....or the man-become-god that does not exist that the LDS church worships?
Let me challenge you to do a little thinking which will prove my point.......
Sir, your god according to your church is a god of flesh and bone who was born on some planet out in the Universe, first as a spirit child to his father-god who also was a man who became a god. This spirit child of his heavenly father was allowed to go to that planet and be born a human. Next, according to the LDS teaching he lived a faithful life to the gospel of his father-god who also was a god of flesh and one and he died, was resurrected and then was appointed to be a god by the council of gods that meets near the center of the universe near a star called Kolob. Therefore the Mormon god was first a man who by exaltation and eternal progression became a god.
Sir, the Bible plainly states that our God, and true Creator created the Universe in six day and rested on the seventh. Further, He created man on the sixth day.
How then can your god be the God of the Bible? Your god was born a man, and had to receive exaltation to become a god. Further your god was born as a man into the universe which already existed before he did. God tells us that he existed before there was any man, and He created the first man six days after the Universe existed. Before the Universe existed there was only God...no man. So....do you see the problem? Joseph Smith was a clever man, but he really did not think the matter through when he invented the Mormon religion and its god. It is impossible for the LDS god to be the God of the Bible, because he was born a man into a universe that already existed before he did and had to become a god in this universe.
Sir, the god and Jesus Christ of the Bible clearly and emphatically are not the God and Jesus Christ of the Bible. Therefore Mormonism worships a false god and Jesus. My statements are made to help the LDS people think the matter through and example what the Bible says about who our real God and Creator is. He is the only Savior and the only one who can forgive our sins and give us eternal life when we put our faith and trust in Him...our real Savior.
What I would like to see is Mormons who will believe in the real Jesus Christ and be saved and then go to heaven. I know you sincerely believe in the teaching of the LDS church, but I ask you to read the Bible and see who is our real God. I have several articles that address that subject. One is at http://bible-truth.org/arelds.htm . It compares the LDS teaching about God with the Bible. Believing in a false Jesus and god will not save you....only God's truth will.
I am sorry for you experiences with the Pentecostals who also are a false church and who teach false doctrine. The emphasize tongues speaker which ended in the first century and teach a false gospel that says you have to believe in Jesus, but you have to work to keep yourself. I have articles at http://bible-truth.org/Charismatics.html which explain this from God's word the Bible. Yes, the Mormons are mostly very nice people, so are many other religious people also. You will not find nicer people than the Buddhist, but being nice does not make one a true believer in Jesus Christ. A true believer believes in our real God and Creator Jesus Christ.....not in a Jesus who was born in heaven as a spirit child, who is a spirit child to all men on earth and that includes Satan. Satan according to Mormon teaching is also a spirit brother of Jesus and also your spirit brother too.
Sir, most converts to Mormonism really do not know much about the LDS church... I wish you had come to our church when you were seeking to find help and love. We love the Lord Jesus and we live it.....
I do hope this helps you. I know you have questions...and I will be happy to help you. Please read my articles. Open you Bible and read what God says. Read also and look up the quotes from the LDS church to see if I am telling the truth. Sir, I know deep down you know the LDS church is wrong....
I hope that you will study the matter and investigate it for for yourself. You need not take my word on the matter....take God's word as your truth. Hope you do. May God, our Creator and Savior direct you.
Isaiah prophesied on the coming of John the Baptist saying, "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." (Isaiah 40:3) In John 1:23, when the Jews asked John the Baptist who he was he quoted this verse saying, "He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." (John 1:23)
John the Baptist did just that. He preached that the Messiah was come and that the Jews should repent of their sins and be prepared to receive him. When Jesus came to John and was baptized, John 1:28-29 records, " These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:28-29)
John the Baptist was asked by the Jews also was he Elijah (John 1:21) and he replied he was not. The Jews knew the scriptures and Mal. 4:5 and knew that before the Messiah came their would be send "Elijah." This would be a sign to the Jews the Messiah was soon coming.
In Malachi 4:5, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" God foretold the coming of Elijah in the seven year Tribulation period that is yet future to us. It is also referred to as Daniel's 70th Week (see Dan. 9:27). The "coming great and dreadful day of the Lord" has not occurred yet but will in the seven year Tribulation when God pours His wrath upon the earth. Revelation 6-19 records the events in this period. In the middle of the Tribulation as Revelation 11 records God will send send two witnesses. Many believe that one of the witnesses is Elijah and the other is Moses.
There is nothing in these prophecies or passages which even remotely refer to doing genealogical work as the LDS church teaches. The purpose of the LDS church genealogical work is to present the Mormon gospel to dead people they say are in a place called the "spirit prison." The Bible says the are in "Hades" awaiting their final judgment at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:15-18. Genealogy research finds the name of a person who has died before the Mormon church and then a living Mormon is baptized in proxy for the dead person, to whom is then sent Mormon missionaries who give them the LDS gospel so they can continue "eternal progression."
The Bible clearly teaches that once a person dies their eternal fate is determined. This is plainly stated in the New Testament, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27) No one is given a "second chance" at salvation. God says in Romans 1:18-23 that God reveals himself to all men while they are living and therefore they have no excuse for dying in their sins and being subject to the wrath of God. So the LDS teaching is grossly in error and not according to the God's word.
I hope this helps. Even more serious than this error in teaching the idea that God is an exalted man who became a god is totally unbiblical. I have an article at http://bible-truth.org/differentgod.htm which explains what I term "The Fatal Flaw in the Mormon church's teaching concern who is their god." After these many year of living in Utah and working among the Mormon I have found there is only one issue on which to deal with them. Every thing rises or falls on this one question....."Is the God of Mormonism the God of the Bible." That is all I deal with them on because everything else is irrelevant. The answer to the question is emphatically....No. The LDS church worships a different God and Jesus Christ than our true God and Creator.
I have a family here who has one son in California who has become a
Mormon. One of his brothers, a member here, is going out there.
What do you suggest he read up on or use for arguments in a case like
this?
Do Mormons believe that Jesus was married to several of the Marys?
How would a pastor of your church know that he has been called of God. Would God not reveal this calling to him through revelation, or would you maintain that it was illuminated it to him?"
Have you prayed about the Book of Mormon and asked God was it correct and true? Have I read the Book of Mormon?
If the LDS church teaches honesty, morality, faith in Christ, service, family, why do some Baptists try so hard to tear it down? If accepting Christ is the key, why can't a person be a Mormon and accept Christ?
Answer:
Yes, some LDS leaders have taught that Jesus was married and was a polygamist. The reason their prophets taught this is because in order to become a God in the Celestial heaven, a man must be married and receive the temple endowments. The temple endowments are received when a "worthy" Mormon man is sealed to his wife (or wives) in an LDS temple for all time and eternity. Single LDS men do not become gods. Jesus was never married. Thus, the LDS prophets had to somehow get "their" Jesus married so he could become a god and so their prophets taught he was married and also was a polygamist. Note the following quotes from LDS literature made by their prophets and authorities.
Answer:
Let me answer you question with a question. Suppose I was seeking the answer to an important question. I begin to think about how to find the answer. I have two choices; first, I can mediate and seek the answer. During my mediation I might have a feeling that leads me to feel I have found the answer. Thus, I have determined the answer from the way I feel or results from my mediation.
Answer:
Answer:
No, I have not prayed and asked God if the Book of Mormon is true. The simple reason is that God has not told us this was the way to determine what is true or false. He does not tell us to pray and ask which faith is true, as the LDS church teaches. He proclaims the Bible, His only revealed Word as the only Truth and we are to believe it (2 Tim. 3:16-17). It is not necessary to ask God a question that He has already answered. God has told us in the Bible what is true faith and what is true salvation. So it is not necessary to ask God, but to obey and follow what He has said in the Bible. I know the Book of Mormon is not true because the Bible judges it to be false.
Answer:
I have not read the Book of Mormon cover
to cover, however I have read a great deal of it in doing research
and have read most of the Doctrines and Covenant and a lot of other Mormon literature. I have a large library with many books written by LDS writers. I also have hundreds of LDS works on two different searchable LDS data bases. I do not believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God, because
it has so many internal errors, and no archaeological evidence for it. Further, many teachings in the Book of Mormon are contradicted by other Mormon Scriptures. Also, how it is reported to have come into existence is highly suspect. Even the latest instruction from the L.D.S. church in Salt Lake is that it is to be believed by faith apart from any external evidence. The Bible however, is the archaeologist's guide book for investigating the Middle Eastern Bible lands. Most of the cites, countries, peoples and events have been discovered as the Bible recorded their existence. Further, when the Bible addresses or refers to matters of science, weather, history, etc. it always does so accurately. It does not make mistakes. Clearly, research has proven the Book of Mormon lacks such standing.
Answer: There is a fundamental difference in the
faith of the LDS church and that of Bible believing Christians. First let
me say that the reason Bible believing Baptists, try so hard to "tear down" (as you refer to it) the Mormon teachings, is because Mormon teachings on salvation are contrary
to what the Bible teaches. Saved Baptist people want to see everyone hear
God's truth, so that they can have the opportunity to believe in the real
Jesus Christ and have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life. As a
Gospel preacher and Christian, I am not here to tear down or attack the LDS
church. It will be here long after I am gone. What I am here to do is to
teach God's word as revealed in the Bible and that alone. All who hear God's
truth and believe will be saved and that is the only way a man can be saved.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
According to LDS teaching, if a man joins the LDS church, lives a righteous life, performs the temple endowments
and etc, he will earn or merit his salvation or more correctly he will earn entrance into the "Celestial" heaven and possibly receive godhood.
Also, according to the LDS church, a man can not go to heaven (highest one) without being a member of the LDS
church and be married in the temple (perform the endowments). The religious Jews, such as the Scribes and
Pharisee were trying to do the same thing. They came to Jesus and ask Him, ". . . What shall we
do, that we might work the works of God?" (John 6:28) Jesus replied, ". .
. This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John
6:29) They were saying to Jesus, what "work" can we do to be saved, and He
answered them...you believe.
He says he preached the news of the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was what people were to believe to
be saved, not that they were to work to attain salvation by their good works.
Paul said in Romans 4:6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of
the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, (Romans 4:6)
Note Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." First a man repents and places his faith in Jesus Christ then he is saved and afterwards lives for the God. (see Romans 12:1-2).
Answer:
From the last section it is clear the Bible teaches salvation by faith alone without works. The problem I find with the LDS church is that it teaches faith in "a" Jesus Christ that is not the Jesus of the Bible. This is why Biblical Christians say that
Mormons are not Christians. If a Mormon was to believe in the Bible and accept the Biblical Jesus Christ as their Savior they would then be Christians. Upon seeing who the real Jesus Christ is they would leave Mormonism. In my last church I had five families in my church who were Mormons who were saved and they immediately left the LDS church. All but two persons were born into Mormonism. They left the LDS Church because they learned Mormonism does not worship the God and Jesus Christ of the Bible. Let me explain.
Answer: I suggest that you make a copy of my first four articles on my web site and let him read and study them. I have been in Utah now over 19 years and have learned some important truths concerning dealing with Mormons.
Answer:
Thank your for writing. Maybe you do not see the problem. I have an article at http://bible-truth.org/differentgod.htm
titled "The Fatal Flaw in Mormonism." This article goes to the heart of the matter.
[Note] This person responded saying I was still mistaken, that there are many universes and earths and their god created this one?!?!? I responded that the Bible never mentions over universes or worlds. That God created the universe and earth we live in that that is the same universe and earth they came their god created. Even it there are other universes and worlds (of course there are not) it does not explain how their god was born a man into a universe that already existed and yet be the creator of it as God. Further the Bible indicates God exist outside of our material universe being a spirit and living in a spirit world.
Answer:
Thanks for writing. We Bible believing Christians have always worshipped our true Jesus Christ and Lord of the Bible and no other. Although the Mormon church tries to teach that the Gospel was lost and was only restored by Joseph Smith, history shows that is simply not true. Down through the ages there have always been those who believed and followed the Bible and that means worshipped our Savior Jesus Christ. Hinkely's statement is true....the LDS church worships another Jesus...not the Jesue of the Bible who is our Creator. We believe and follow the Jesus of the Bible....not the one that Joseph Smith said he saw.
Answer:
The coming of the messenger in Malachi 3:1 is a prophetic reference to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the one who would announce or prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Matthew 3:3) John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ as Matthew 3 records. He came to Israel preaching "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."(v2) The word "Esaias" is the Greek spelling of the name Isaiah.