LDS ARTICLES OF FAITH, PART XLV

Article Nine, Latter-day Revelation, Part 3

The ninth LDS Article of Faith says, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” Our last blog said there was a conflict between the LDS doctrine of a universal apostasy for hundreds of years and LDS scripture in Doctrine & Covenants (D. & C.) 7 and III Nephi 28 in the Book of Mormon (B. of M.) which say that John the apostle and three Nephite apostles from America never died but were to remain on earth and bring souls to Jesus until He returns in glory. The LDS doctrine of a universal apostasy is also based on LDS scripture in the Pearl of Great Price (P. of G.P.) Joseph Smith-History 1:18-19 where Smith said he was 14 when God the Father and Jesus appeared to him and told him not to join any church “for they are all wrong, all their creeds (doctrines) are an abomination and those who profess to believe them are all corrupt.” In D. & C. 7:2 the apostle John asked the Lord for power over death so he could live and bring souls to Him. In verse 3 the Lord promised John, “Thou shalt terry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people.” And in verse 6 the Lord said,” I will make him (John) as flaming fire and a ministering angel; he shall minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation who dwell on the earth.” In 1831 Joseph Smith said, “John the revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion, to again possess the land of their fathers” (footnotes in History of the Church, vol. I, p. 176). No nation has records of John ministering there recently. D. & C. 7:3 says John was to prophesy to “nations, kindreds, tongues and people” so, why doesn’t anyone know of his visit?

III Nephi 12 in the B. of M. says after His resurrection, Christ came to America and chose twelve apostles from the Nephites. III Nephi 28 says three of those apostles wanted to be like John the apostle, so in verse 7 the Lord promised them “Ye shall never taste of death; but shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in My glory with the powers of heaven.” And verse 18 says, “They did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them, and as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost.” Verse 29 says, “They shall minister to all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them.” They are to continue their ministry until Jesus returns in glory (v,7) so the caption over III Nephi 28 says, “They are NOW ministering among men.” This text says they baptized and added people to the church. The LDS Church publishes the number of converts they baptize each year, but they have no record of anyone baptized or added to their church by one of the three Nephite apostles! D. & C. 1:30 says the LDS Church “is the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth,” and they claim to keep the books out of which all men will be ultimately judged. Since the LDS Church has no records of converts made by the three Nephite apostles, were those converts added to an apostate church? Since LDS believe they are the only true church and that all others are apostate, that wouldn’t be a good option for them! The three Nephites were to minister in ALL nations, which includes the USA, but there is no evidence of them being here or anywhere else. Since there is no evidence of the existence of the three Nephites or any of their converts, is this B. of M. story true?

There is a conflict between the 9th LDS Article of Faith and Doctrine & Covenants (D. & C.) 20:9 and 27:5 which say that the Book of Mormon (B. of M.) contains “the fulness of the everlasting gospel.” If the B. of M. has the fulness of the everlasting gospel, what can more revelation offer that isn’t in the B. of M.? Nothing of value can be added to the gospel of Christ since it is about Christ and what He did for man’s salvation and eternal life when He ministered on earth. Jesus said in John 6:47, “He that believes on me has everlasting life.” Col. 2:10 says believers are “complete or made perfect in Him” (Christ). Heb. 7:25 also says, “He is able to save them to the uttermost who come to God by Him” (Christ). And Heb. 1:1-2 says, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son (Jesus), whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds.” And God’s Son said in John 12:48 “The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him (man) in the last day.” The words “have spoken” are in the past tense and refer to what Jesus has already said which will judge men in the last day. No prophet can add anything new to the gospel that will affect a believer’s relationship with God. If a prophet could do that, those who are dead would be at a great disadvantage since they didn’t hear his message! Man’s nature hasn’t changed and he still violates God’s laws and sins. God’s laws don’t change, so His word doesn’t change either. Isa. 40:8 says, “The word of our God shall stand forever.” Peter echoed that in I Pet. 1:23: “The word of God lives and abides forever” and in I Pet. 1:25: “The word of the Lord endures forever.” Jesus also said in Matt. 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

The 9th LDS Article of Faith says LDS believe all that God has or will reveal. But some things in the D. & C. that “the {LDS) Lord revealed” to Joseph Smith didn’t happen. Here are some:

1. In 1831 LDS were to gather at Independence, MO which would be place of peace, refuge, and safety (D. & C. 45:66-67). It was to be an everlasting inheritance (D. & C. 57:1-5). LDS living in 1832 were to build the New Jerusalem and temple in MO (D. & C. 84:1-5) but they left a few months later and never built the city or temple!

2. In D. & C. 84:112-115 the (LDS) Lord told Joseph Smith in 1832 that bishop Newel K. Whitney was to go to New York City, Albany and Boston and warn them that if they didn’t embrace the (LDS) gospel, the hour of their judgment was nigh and their house would be left desolate. History of the Church vol. I, p. 295 says that Smith and Whitney went to those cities that fall but when their message was rejected, they returned to Kirtland, OH on 11-6-1832. Both Whitney and Smith have been dead for over 150 and so has everyone living in 1832 but those cities are larger and even more corrupt now!

3. In D. & C. 132:1-4 the (LDS) Lord revealed the LDS doctrine of polygamy in 1843 and it was to be an “everlasting covenant,” and no one could reject it without being damned. But Wilford Woodruff, the 4th LDS prophet, ended that everlasting covenant in 1890 by his “Manifesto!” How can an everlasting covenant end?

Next time we will discuss more LDS “latter-day revelations.”