Evangelizing Mormons Part 4
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The last several weeks we have been dealing with how to give the gospel to someone who is Atheist and the approach in which we should take in order to effectively evangelize them.
Today we are going to delve into what I would define as evangelizing ‘cults’.
10 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.
The first cult we will look at is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as Mormons.
Who are the Mormons?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16 million members and 65,000 full-time volunteer missionaries. In 2012, the National Council of Churches ranked the church as the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States, with over 6.5 million members there as of January 2018. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the early 19th century period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.
I want to say somethings that really apply to evangelism in general, but I think in the case of dealing with Mormons it is more important.
View them as victims not enemies
Treat them with genuine love and respect
Listen and show interest
Let the Word of God offend rather than your words or actions
Ask questions
These are really important factors when evangelizing anyone. I think it becomes more important when speaking with Mormons.
It can be easy for us to focus on the unique and most known belief held by many Mormons, polygamy.
What is polygamy?
The status of having married more than one woman. Can also be a general term for instances where a man may technically marry only one woman, but may be attached to any number of concubines as well.
Instead we will approach from the perspective of dealing with real issues rather than unloading on them.
Do not go in guns blazing…this will only cause more problems.
Only do this if you intentionally do not want them to come around anymore…but this would be counter-intuitive to the purpose of this series as we want to be effective. Besides, if they leave willingly and reject, it is better than pushing them away. Remember we are held accountable for how we witness and treat people when we give them the gospel.
The most effective evangelism will be informed evangelism.
You must be informed what the Mormons believe and origins of the cult.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
The cult organized by Joseph Smith under the title “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” at Fayette, New York, in 1830. Smith claimed that the angel Moroni visited him, and that with the aid of Urim and Thummim he translated the golden plates which contained the history of early America “in reformed Egyptian characters.” The plates were supposedly hidden from the year A.D. 420 until Smith found them on September 22, 1823. The translation was called The Book of Mormon. Hidden since the year 420, it has extensive quotations from the King James Version of the Bible, which dates from 1611! It contains expressions and ideas which are exclusively modern, and “its story of the ancient inhabitants of America, the supposed ancestors of the ‘Latter-Day Saints,’ contains twelve historical errors” (Van Baalen, The Chaos of Cults, p. 152). This garbled production is regarded by Mormons as equal in authority to the Bible.
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Mormonism
The religious and social system of the Latter-day Saints; so called from their gospel, termed The Book of Mormon. Joe Smith, the founder of the system, was born in Sharon, Windsor county, Vermont; his partner was Rigdon. The manuscript, which he declared to be written on gold plates, was a novel written by Spalding. He was cited thirty-nine times into courts of law, and was at last assassinated by a gang of ruffians, who broke into his prison at Carthage, and shot him like a dog. His wife’s name was Emma; he lived at Nauvoo, in Illinois; his successor was Brigham Young, a carpenter by trade, who led the “Saints” (as the Mormons are called), driven from home by force, to the valley of the Salt Lake, 1,500 miles distant, generally called Utah, but by the Mormons themselves Deseret (Bee-country), the New Jerusalem. Abraham is their model man, and Sarai their model woman, and English their language. Young’s house was called the Bee-hive. Every man, woman, and child capable of work has work to do in the community.
It is important that you have a knowledge of the books that the Mormons use.
King James Bible
Book of Mormon
The Doctrine and Covenants
Pearl of Great Price
You should only use the King James Version when witnessing to a Mormon as this will be more beneficial than trying to work through another translation.
Some information of the book of mormon:
The Book of Mormon, translated by Joseph *Smith in the 1820s, tells the story of a godly race of early settlers in America who were reduced by warfare to only two, Mormon and his son, Moroni. According to the document, the two wrote their history on golden plates and buried them in a hillside in upstate New York, where Smith later claimed to discover them.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
“There is an abundance of incontestable evidence that the origin of the Book of Mormon must be sought in Solomon Spaulding’s unpublished and stolen novel, The Manuscript Found. The Mormons try to obliterate this evidence by referring to another manuscript, The Manuscript Story, by the same Spaulding; they prove that the Book of Mormon is not a copy of the latter manuscript. The unknowing are thus convinced that Joseph Smith did not copy from ‘the Spaulding manuscript’; but the real argument, that the ‘Golden Bible’ is the work of copying and embellishing by Rigdon and Smith, remains unanswered” (Van Baalen, p. 152).
About the founder, Joseph Smith:
Joseph Smith was by all accounts a treasure hunter, he desired to discover, found, or become famous in some way. His account of the book of mormon is interesting as it can be accounted that he plagiarized the manuscript found by Spaulding which most Mormons will deny and state it was the manuscript story that Spaulding published and Smith did not plagiarize that novel.
I find it interesting that a novel was used as the basis of the religion if you really think about it. Smith took things from the novel and blended them into religion in an attempt to fabricate a historical narrative that is inconsistent with history in general. Even from biblical history it does not align and presents errors.
Smith was accused on multiple accounts of counterfeiting and crimes deemed immoral and sheltering criminals. He would actually be killed in prison by an angry mob who would storm his prison cell.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
Joseph Smith, the prophet of Mormonism, died when an angry crowd stormed the gaol where he was being kept on charges of gross immorality, counterfeiting, and sheltering criminals.
His successor was Brigham Young. He will be very important since he is the one who established the Mormons in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Interest fact to know and tell:
Young received a total of ELEVEN days of formal schooling.
One writer said:
With the tenacity of an uneducated mind Young held to the story of Joseph Smith and remained true to the ‘prophet’ to the end.
It should be noted that after the death of Joseph Smith, the Mormons divided into two groups or sects. Those who followed Young and those who followed Smith (Joseph’s son).
They would dispute bitterly, mostly over polygamy. The Smiths blamed the Youngs for the issues in Missouri and held to the traditional view of marriage. Young and those who followed him held to polygamy. Interestingly enough Joseph Smith himself taught polygamy and practiced it.
Joseph Smith at the time of his death had 48 wives and one of the first wives he took (aside from Emma) was a 14 year old girl he had been wanting to marry for awhile.
If you have not noticed, Mormonism is definitely a controversial belief system.
The best evidence against Mormonism is itself.
This is common in most cults, usually the issues are clear. What you will find is that most cults will masquerade around major issues.
Very helpful tips when witnessing to a Mormon, and most other cults:
Use King James Version
Know the Gist of any passage referenced
Know the passage location
We are going to look at some of the teachings of Mormonism, which stand self-condemned as anti-Christian.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
1. The Fatherhood of God. “When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him.… He is our father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50).
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
2. God’s Unity. “The passages are numerous in the inspired writings which indicate a plurality of God” (F. D. Richards, Compendium, p. 170). “And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light and there was light. And they (the Gods) comprehended the light … and they divided the light” (Joseph Smith, The Pearl of Great Price, p. 67).
“Each of these Gods, including Jesus Christ and His Father, being in possession of not merely an organized spirit, but a glorious body of flesh and bones, is subject to the laws which govern, of necessity, even the most refined order of physical existence” (Parley Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p. 42).
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
3. God’s Trinity. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones but is a personage of spirit.… Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him, and not tarry with him” (Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants, p. 462).
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
4. Polygamy. “Jesus Christ was a polygamist; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were his plural wives, and Mary Magdalene was another. Also, the bridal feast of Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned the water into wine, was on the occasion of one of his own marriages” (Brigham Young, quoted in Wife No. 19, chap. 34, by Ann Eliza Young).
“We say it was Jesus Christ who was married (at Cana, to Martha and Mary), whereby he could see his own seed before he was crucified. The reference is to Isaiah 53:10” (Orson Hyde, cf. The True Origin of Mormon Polygamy, by C. A. Shook, p. 207).
Jesus never married and in fact His bride is the church, not a woman who lived at that time.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
5. Virgin Birth. “When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was NOT begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who was the Father? He was the first of the human family.… Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50).
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Dictionary of Theological Terms Mormonism
6. Justification. “The sectarian dogma of justification by faith alone has exercised an influence for evil since the early days of Christianity” (James E. Talmadge, The Articles of Faith, p. 120).
“Abraham received concubines and they bare him children, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Go ye therefore and do the works of Abraham, enter ye into my law, and ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law [of polygamy], ye cannot receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham” (Joseph Smith, Celestial Marriage, par. 12, 14).
“Now, that the blessing of redemption from individual sins, while free for all to attain, is nevertheless conditioned on individual effort, is as plainly declared as is the truth of unconditional redemption from the effects of the Fall” (James E. Talmadge, p. 42).
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
We will not look at issues to discuss with Mormons.
The best way to go about these issues is to ask questions.
Truthfully the very first question you should ask any Mormon is:
Why do you believe Mormonism to be true?
They will usually give you a reason about how their life became better, they give or help the poor, or some type of charitable thing. You can refute this by stating as a Christian we do the same.
There are several issues to tackle.
One of the most important is the nature of God. Establishing that there is only one God is crucial which is why we chose Isaiah 43:10 as the verse to read.
One God
One God
question to ask:
You believe in one God?
Most of them will say ‘yes’ to this answer, but they actually have a faulty view of the trinity. They view the trinity as ‘three gods but one in purpose’ meaning that they are separate individual gods but they share one purpose, to ascend into full godhead.
I just gave you the spark notes version of what they believe.
A couple of scriptures to have handy when dealing with Mormons on Jesus being co-equal and co-existing with God.
1. Jesus is presented in Scripture as eternally existing as God (e.g., John 1:1, 18; Phil. 2:6-11[14]; Heb. 1:3).
Another popular belief of Mormons that people want to attach to is that Jesus and Lucifer were brothers. In fact Lucifer was a created being as he was an angel that is fallen. Some verses on Jesus creating all things.
2. Jesus created “all things” including all the angels as with Lucifer (e.g., John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:8-10).
Here are some passages on there only being ONE God.
10 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.
6 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.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: Have not I told thee from that time, And have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.
Bonus: Only One God in the Book of Mormon
Surprisingly to some, the Book of Mormon likewise teaches that there is only one God in all of existence. While we don’t want to grant authority to the Book of Mormon, it can sometimes be worthwhile when witnessing to Mormons to make the point that “even your own book says”:
Alma 11:26-29: “26And Zeezrom said unto him: Thou sayest there is a true and living God? 27And Amulek said: Yea, there is a true and living God. 28Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? 29And he answered, No.”
Eternality of God
Eternality of God
Do you believe that God is eternal?
They will probably say yes, but their interpretation of this will be that He has existed in the form of intelligence or knowledge but not in being as we know God.
In LDS theology God the Father is not the eternal God, rather Mormons teach that God had to become God by obedience to the law, at a certain point in time. Mormon tell us, just as Jesus has a Father, that Father has a Father, and that Father has a Father, etc., thus an infinite regression of Fathers.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Again, here you can use the Book of Mormon against them and say “even your own book says:”
Moroni 8:18: “For I know that God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.”
God never Sinned
God never Sinned
It is important to refute this point as Mormons believe that they will ascend or achieve divinity to a degree they will become gods.
However if the qualification for a god is to be sinless or utterly holy, then there is no possible way that one can achieve divinity or become a god.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
You can also use the previous on eternality to drive home the point that if God never changes than He must have never sinned and always been holy and thus that is the qualification to then be God.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus
Jesus
To discuss Jesus, we must understand that the Mormons believe Jesus was a man who became a god after the resurrection.
They do believe that he was sent by god but do not believe Him to be conceived by the Holy Spirit as the bible teaches.
The LDS view on the virgin birth is as follows:
It is claimed that Latter-day Saints believe Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary, and that Mary therefore was not a virgin when Jesus was born. It is also claimed that Latter-day Saints reject the "Evangelical belief" that "Christ was born of the virgin Mary, who, when the Holy Ghost came upon her, miraculously conceived the promised messiah."
I gave emphasis here so to help identify the talking points.
Jesus always was God (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-17). Since the Bible teaches that Jesus is God (John 10:30; 20:28; Heb. 1:8) and God is eternal (Psalm 90:2), then Jesus must have always been God.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
30 I and my Father are one.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
It is important when witnessing to Mormons to note that Jesus created all things, including Satan. In Mormonism, Jesus is the spirit brother of Satan who was begotten through literal sexual relations between heavenly Father and possibly a heavenly Mother. Therefore, in Mormonism, Jesus did not create Satan. Jesus’ spirit body is the result of some sort of union between heavenly Father and one of the heavenly Mothers. Jesus’ physical body is the result of some sort of physical union between Heavenly Father and Mary.
Salvation
Salvation
As with most cults, salvation is based on the meritorious works of the individual, Mormonism is no different. Mormons convolute the biblical doctrine of salvation-, which is by grace alone, through faith alone, whereby reducing it to a works/salvation system.
Mormons believe in two types of salvation; unconditional (general) and conditional (individual).
Unconditional or general is a salvation is for everyone regardless of their spiritual standing with God. This type of salvation is granted to everyone because of the Atonement. Mormons believe that Jesus’ Atonement at the cross only provided a “resurrection” to immortality for all men, where they will, depending how well they performed, end up in one of the three heavens. Even the worst of sinners will eventually end up in the lowest heaven (telestial kingdom), where they will live in glory.
What are the three heavens of Mormonism?
Often referred to the degrees of glory.
Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial.
It is here we need to introduce Mormon language into the picture. Really we should have an understanding from the start, but here is where it all gets confusing if a Christian is not careful when witnessing to a Mormon.
What happens if I ask a Mormon if they believe in being ‘saved by grace’? Will they agree with that statement?
What Mormons call “saved by grace” really means everyone will be saved (i.e., resurrected, immortal) but not everyone will receive “eternal life.”
Do Mormons believe in ‘eternal life’?
In Mormonism the term “eternal life” is synonymous with exaltation (i.e., becoming a God). So, when Mormon missionaries say “eternal life” they mean, becoming a God.
what Mormons call “saved by grace” meaning everyone will be saved (i.e., resurrected, immortal) but not everyone will receive “eternal life.” In Mormonism the term “eternal life” is synonymous with exaltation (i.e., becoming a God). So, when Mormon missionaries say “eternal life” they mean, becoming a God.
In Mormon terminology then, salvation, true salvation, means eternal life = exaltation = Godhood (all synonymous terms). This, undeniably, is another gospel (cf. Gal. 1:6-9). Nearly 12 million members are taught: the way to true salvation is by works.
On the subject of unconditional or general salvation, Mormon favorite Bruce R. McConkie informs readers:
Unconditional or general salvation, that which comes by grace alone without obedience to the gospel law, consists in the mere fact of being resurrected. This kind of salvation eventually will come to all mankind, excepting only the sons of perdition. . . . Those who gain only this general or unconditional salvation will still be judged according to their works and receive their places in a terrestrial or a telestial kingdom. They will, therefore, be damned; their eternal progression [i.e., progression to become a God in the celestial kingdom] will be cut short; they will not fill the full measure of their creation, but in eternity will be ministering servants [i.e., angels] to more worthy persons (Mormon Doctrine, 669; emphasis theirs).
Fundamentally then, the LDS system of true salvation is by works, as Bruce R. McConkie goes on to say:
Eternal life, the kind of life enjoyed by eternal beings in the celestial kingdom, comes by grace plus obedience (ibid., 671; emphasis added).
In the Mormon Scripture, Pearl of Great Price, in the third Article of Faith, it states:
We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by the obedience of the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
The book of Mormon states in 2 Nephi 25:23:
Be reconciled to God: for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do
Which this passage alone is contradictory to the Bible.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Brigham Young goes so far as to teach the Mormon people that salvation (i.e., true salvation, Godhood) only comes through Joseph Smith:
No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are (Journal of Discourses, 7:289).
What do Mormons believe happens after death?
Mormons are taught that after death people immediately go to “spirit prison.” Mormons say that they are Mormon missionaries in spirit prison, that witness to the men and women who never had the opportunity to become became Mormons in their life. And if the person in spirit prison accepts the Mormon gospel, and if someone preformed proxy rituals (i.e., endowments, baptism, and sealing if marriage is involved) they may become a Mormon and leave spirit prison to progress into a higher kingdom.
If the person rejects the Mormon gospel then they will eventually reside in the lowest or middle the three levels of heaven depending how good (or how evil) they were in their life on earth. However, if a Mormon dies, then the Mormon will immediately go to “paradise” and after the resurrection they proceed to one of the three levels or kingdoms of heaven. Consequently, the Mormon Church spends countless hours on genealogies. The quest of the LDS is to proselytize every person who ever died starting with their relatives and then all others that are in “spirit prison.”
And this, in Mormon certainty, is the way to eternal life or true salvation. It is, without a doubt, a total works/salvation construct. In the end, their works, obedience, and dedication to the LDS Church will determine their salvation and to which level of the three heavens they will dwell in.
Lastly before we close our study on Mormons, lets look at the prophecies of Joseph Smith.
Before we can discuss his prophecies, lets first define the different types of prophecies.
There are essentially 4 types of prophecies.
Let’s begin with the easiest predictions a prophet can make.
Open-dated Prophecies
Open-dated prophecies are given without a specific time frame for their fulfillment.
Self-fulfilling Prophecies
These are prophecies the prophet can fulfill on his own. They require no outside action or event outside the control of the prophet.
Conditional Prophecies
These types of prophecies only come true if a certain condition exists. In other words, if a situation changes, the prophecy may also change.
Close-dated and Unconditional Prophecies
Some prophecies are offered with specificity and must come true within a particular time frame without any mitigating conditions.
It should be noted that Joseph Smith makes very few prophecies of this type, but they are very important since they allow us to test him as a prophet.
Let’s first start with an open dated prophecy of Joseph Smith.
In 1832 Joseph Smith prophesied:
“The coming of the Lord, which was nigh – even fifty-six years should wind up the scene” (History of the Church, Vol. 2 p. 182).
What is the problem with using this prophecy against a Mormon to test Smith’s accuracy as a prophet?
The usage of the word should gives Smith an escape from the prophecy’s fulfillment as it allows for an event or something to happen that could disrupt it from coming to pass.
I actually listened as someone witnessing to Mormon missionaries used this exact prophecy of Smith, and the reputable from the Mormon was that Joseph Smith said that if lived to be 80 years old, which he did not, then the coming of the Lord would happen in 56 years. So I would caution you on using this one as the Mormons have a condition on this prophecy outside of the word should.
Next let’s look at one of Smith’s self-fulfilling prophecy:
The Lord instructs Joseph not to translate any more until he goes to Ohio. (D&C 37:1).
What is wrong with this prophecy?
Smith simply has to not translate anything. In this situation it was for few months. There is no way that you can use this against a Mormon neither can a Mormon use it to show the authenticity of Smith as a prophet.
Let’s look at one of Smith’s conditional prophecies:
Joseph Smith states that if the people of Ohio repent, they will not be severely judged of the Lord (D&C 64:16-18).
This prophecy is completely conditional on whether the people will repent and easily gives Smith a way out as it does with his open dated prophecy.
The outcome of this prophecy is conditioned upon the repentance of the people in question. If the people of Ohio were not severely judged, it could be fairly argued they must have sufficiently repented. So this type of prophecy cannot be used by either side to prove anything at all.
Most of Joseph Smith’s prophecies are of the first three types, and while these forms of prophecy are often cited by one side or the other to falsify (or verify) the prophetic stature of Joseph Smith, none are legitimately applicable. There is a fourth kind of prophecy, however, uttered by Joseph Smith. This last form of prophecy can be examined to validate (or invalidate) Joseph’s status as a true prophet:
Let us examine Smith’s closed-dated unconditional prophecy:
In this revelation given on September 22 and 23, 1832, Joseph Smith foretold of an LDS temple to be built in Independence, Missouri. (D&C Section 84):
1. “A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high.
2. Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4. Verily, this is the word of the Lord, and that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.
5. For verily this generation shall not pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill his house.”
31. …which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the ‘consecrated spot as I have appointed.’”
This prophecy by Joseph Smith claimed that there would be a temple built in the New Jerusalem, which to the Mormon’s is Independence, Missouri. They believed that this new temple would be built before the generation that heard Smith’s prophecy would pass away.
So typically 100 years is considered a generation.
58 years later, the Church still believed it
The 1890 edition of the Doctrines and Covenants, Section 84, p. 289 included a footnote that read, “… a generation does not all pass away in one hundred years.” This footnote has since been deleted in more recent editions.
103 years later, Joseph Fielding Smith still believed it
“I firmly believe that there will be some of that generation who were living when this revelation was given who shall be living when this temple is reared. And I do not believe that the Lord has bound himself to accomplish the matter within 100 years from 1832.” “I have full confidence in the word of the Lord and that it shall not fail.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, Salt Lake City, p. 270).
Finally, after 140 years, the Mormon Church itself admitted this was a false prophecy. No temple was ever built on this property and the close-dated, unconditional prophecy never came true. Joseph Fielding Smith finally admitted there was no expectation this prophecy would ever come to pass:
“It may be reasonable to assume that in giving this revelation to the prophet the Lord did have in mind the generation of people who would still be living with the one hundred years from the time of announcement of the revelation, and that they would enjoy the blessings of the temple, and a glorious cloud would rest upon it. It is also reasonable to believe that no soul living in 1832 is still living in mortality on the earth.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4. p. 112)
In order to better understand the nature of Joseph’s false prophecies we must also consider the ground rules God has given us for prophesy, and in order to do this, we must examine three additional forms of prophecy. God established “ground rules” related to prophecy. We can examine these rules to judge Joseph as a prophet:
Prophetic Proclamation:
These are God’s warnings given through His prophets.
These prophecies are made to nations, cities and individuals with the express purpose of changing their behavior, correcting them, or urging them to new commitment. The outcome of the proclamation can easily be changed by the free agency of man.
Rule:
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
God clearly connects an “if clause” to some prophetic proclamations made against a city or person. This is the only category of prophecy where the free agency of man can affect the outcome. If the nation or person repents, it is the prerogative of God to change the death sentence.
Can anyone give me an example from scripture?
Proclamation against Nineveh in Jonah 3.
Proclamation against Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1-6.
Mormons cannot use examples such as these to argue all prophecy is dependent on the free agency of man, because this is simply not the case. This change of outcome cannot be applied to close-dated, unconditional prophecies like the temple prophecy we examined, because the temple prophecy is not a Prophetic Proclamation, but is instead a Prophetic Prediction, and these types of predictions have a different set of rules.
These fall under the rules of Prophetic Predictions.
These prophecies are promises for the future that cannot be changed by the free agency of man. They can be specifically measured and judged if they are close-dated and unconditional in nature.
What is does the bible deem to be a true prophet and where in the bible would I find the reference?
20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Even the Mormon book Doctrine & Covenants has this same rule.
Rules: D&C 1:37-39 (It Must Come True)
Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen.
Rules: President Ezra Taft Benson (It Must Come True)
“The ultimate test of a true prophet is when he speaks in the name of the Lord, his words come to pass” (Deseret News, October 6, 1981, p. 6a)
Rules: President Wilford’s Addresses (God Won’t Let Your Leaders Lead You Astray)
“The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.” (Sixty-first Semiannual General Conference of the Church, Monday, October 6, 1890, Salt Lake City, Utah. Reported in Deseret Evening News, October 11, 1890, p. 2)
All of these rules principally agree; when Prophetic Predictions are close-dated and unconditional, they simply must come true. The free agency of man cannot change the outcome. If they don’t come to pass, the person who prophesied is a false prophet.
What is an example from the bible of a closed-date unconditional prophecy?
Daniel’s Prophecy of the Messiah.
Daniel wrote his book in 538 B.C., and was one of the Jews taken in the 70-year Babylonian captivity.
In Daniel 9:25, we read that from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, until the coming of Messiah (the “Anointed One”, in Hebrew: “Mashiach”), 69 heptads of years would elapse [7+62=69]. Each heptad (or “week”, in Hebrew: “Shabuim”) is a group of seven years, therefore, from the decree until Messiah, 483 years would go by [69×7=483].
In 457 B.C. the Jews were given permission to rebuild Jerusalem by the Persian King Artaxerxes.
If we add the 483 years to this date, we come out to the year 26 A.D., the very year Jesus of Nazareth was baptized (anointed with water and with the Holy Spirit) to begin his public ministry.
Jesus would have been 30 years old at the time, which was the age at which a man could enter into the ministry as a priest.
This is a strong fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, but Daniel added additional details related to the Messiah: He said the Messiah would be “cut off” (v.26), which is an idiom for being killed. This happened when Jesus was crucified at the end of his earthly ministry.
Daniel also said after the 69 heptads (483 yrs) were over, the city [Jerusalem] and the sanctuary would be destroyed and this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman legions under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
The appearance of Messiah had to occur at the end of the 69 heptads [483 years], but before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus was ministering at the end of the 69 heptads and thus fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel.
Rabbi Nehumias (who lived about 50 years before Jesus) and aware of this prophecy, said the time fixed by Daniel for the appearing of the Messiah could not go “beyond the next 50 years”.
(cf. Delitzsch & Gloag, The Messiahship, Vol.2, p.226).
So, what happened in history? An overarching decree, for the purpose of returning the Jews to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem, was issued in 457 B.C. by the Persian king Artaxerxes. If we add the 483 years to this date, we come out to the year 26 A.D., the very year Jesus of Nazareth was baptized (anointed with water and with the Holy Spirit) to begin his public ministry. This is a strong fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, but Daniel added additional details related to the Messiah: He said the Messiah would be “cut off” (v.26), which is an idiom for being killed. This happened when Jesus was crucified at the end of his earthly ministry. And Daniel also said after the 69 heptads (483 yrs) were over, the city [Jerusalem] and the sanctuary would be destroyed and this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman legions under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The appearance of Messiah had to occur at the end of the 69 heptads [483 years], but before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Jesus of Nazareth was ministering at the end of the 69 heptads, and He is the only credible choice to fulfill this prophecy concerning Messiah. This text in Daniel 9 is the only text in the entire Old Testament which explicitly speaks of the “Messiah”, and it says he will be “cut off” (die). A number of rabbis have boldly claimed this passage predicted the exact time of Messiah’s appearance. Rabbi Nehumias (who lived about 50 years before Jesus), said the time fixed by Daniel for the appearing of the Messiah could not go “beyond the next 50 years” (cf. Delitzsch & Gloag, The Messiahship, Vol.2, p.226).
In closing, I want to state a few things regarding Mormons and evangelism in general.
Remember to be compassionate towards each person you are trying to evangelize.
What do you think happens to a person who becomes a Christian and has generations or their family is predominately a certain faith, such as Mormonism?
They are ex-communicated and many times, completely cut off from their family and the relationships they have known.
Remember that when we are witnessing to people, this is not only a hurdle but something that will be on their mind and be difficult for them to handle in their life.