Sometimes when Christians get into arguments with people of other religions or religions that are “variations” of Christianity, they give lame arguments. I guess I should say that in a nicer way.  After all, I’m talking about my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s try it again: They give well intentioned, sincerely motivated arguments that are sometimes lacking in …Oh, what’s the word I’m looking for?  Facts!

 

This came to my attention again just recently in the controversy associated with one of my blogs: So What If He’s a Mormon?  With this article, I defended Mormons politically (incurring the wrath of some avid Anti-Mormons) yet challenged Mormons theologically, (incurring the wrath of some zealous Mormons) I also heard from nicer people on both sides.

 

Time does not permit me to get into long discussions with message boards that respond to my articles. I used to do so only to find that the phone books I typed for the dialogue were often replicas of articles I had already written or radio shows that I do every week. I do not have that kind of time. And so, when peeking into the message board related to the post above and finding several individuals still debating, I thought it might just be time for a sequel article. Think of this sequel as being in the fine tradition of The Book of Mormon which claims to be a sequel to the Bible.

 

Here’s my premise: Christians in their zeal to inform Mormons that they are a cult, often give the wrong argument: They claim that God does not send prophets any more.  This is simply not true and when Mormons submit that God has not stopped speaking merely because the Bible is completed, they are absolutely right. The question is not whether or not Joseph Smith could have been a prophet. Hypothetically, he could have been. The question is whether he in fact was.

 

Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets. (Matt 7:15) Had he not planned to continue sending true prophets, such a warning would have been unnecessary.

 

A very erroneous theology (Dispensationalism) teaches that miraculous gifts ceased with the completion of the New Testament.  Such a teaching is easily challenged and dismissed. The New Covenant of Jesus (also known as The Last Days) was described by Peter right from the beginning as being characterized with signs and wonders. I am aware that Charismatic Christians dwell far too much on this, alienating other Christians, but we must still read the Bible honestly.

 

 

Acts 2:14-21

 

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'  

(From New International Version)

 

How long have we been living in the last days?  Since the day of Pentecost, 33 AD.  How long will The Last Days last? (No pun intended) Until the end of time as we have known it. Until the second coming of Jesus Christ. What characterizes these last days? Miracles and prophecies.

 

 

Christians often site the end of Revelation as an indication that God no longer gives prophecy.

 

Rev 22:18-19

 

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

(From New International Version)

 

The logic goes like this: Since Revelation is the last book of the Bible; this verse is telling us that nothing can be added to the Bible.

 

There’s only one problem. Revelation was written to seven literal churches that existed in the Asia Minor (90AD). Objective literary criticism insists that what the words meant to the original audience must be what the words mean to us.  Those early Christians had no concept whatsoever that Revelation or any other Christian writing was going to find itself in a new volume of scriptures entitled, The New Testament. Therefore the book being talked about is the Book of Revleation.

 

At the same time, we must not forget that an important warning is still being given here. Revelation was a summary of the life and gospel of Jesus, past present and future. This is a command not to change the gospel.

 

The warning is given in straighter terms when Paul addresses the Galatians.

 

Gal 1:8-9

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

(From New International Version)

 

Could Joseph Smith have really met a supernatural being who identified himself as Moroni?  Certainly. Was this an angel of God or a deceiving demon?  It would be difficult for any honest seeker of truth to not to at least consider such a fair question.

 

Time does not permit me to list all the controversial Mormon doctrines.  Suffices to say that the crucial concerns are not even in The Book of Mormon anyway but the words of Joseph Smith himself.  Quite frankly, we are talking about the difference between monotheism and polytheism.

 

The Bible teaches that there is only one God, not one God for this world, one God, period. Even the Trinity (difficult as it may be to comprehend) portrays itself as one God.

 

For Joseph Smith to have been a prophet of God, he had to be consistent with previous prophets of God.

 

When God spoke through Isaiah the prophet he said:

 

Isa 43:10

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,

"and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

nor will there be one after me."

(from New International Version)

 

Ironically Joseph Smith spoke the opposite of these words.

 

“As man is, God was.  As God is man may become."

( 5^th Mormon president Lorenzo Snow’s recollection of a statement Smith made in King Follett Discourse.)

 

 

“I am going to tell you how God came to be God.  We have imagined that God was God from all eternity.  These are incomprehensible ideas to some, but they are the simple and first principles of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, that we may converse with him as one man with another and that God himself, the Father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ himself did...What did Jesus say? Jesus said as the father hath power in himself, even so hath the Son power; to do what?  Why what the Father did, that answer is obvious...Here then is eternal life, to know the only wise and true God.  You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done' by going from a small degree to another from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you are able to sit in glory as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power."

 (Sermon delivered at funeral of Elder King Follett published in Mormon newspaper Times and Seasons (Aug. 15, 1844 pg. 163-164) Specific quote repeated by Lorenzo Snow)

 

 

And so, my friends on the blog debate, you are partly right and partly wrong on each side. The Mormons are correct in saying that God can still send prophets. The Christians are correct in saying that Joseph Smith was not one of them.

 

This is Bob Siegel, making the obvious, obvious.

 

 

All Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE

New International Version  NIV

Copyright  1973, 1979, 1984 by International Bible Society

Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

All rights reserved.

 

 

“The Bob Siegel Show can be heard every Sunday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM on KCBQ 1170 on the dial or KCBQ.com to listen live over the Internet.

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Bob Siegel’s blog is listed nationally in the Townhall.com Top Ten and listed locally in the KCBQ.com Top Ten.

 

More of  Bob’s Controversial blogs:

 

So What If He's A Mormon? Posted at 4:05:11 AM on Sunday, December 16, 2007

Was Jesus Gay? Posted at 1:40:29 PM on Friday,

 Does The Bible Teach That God Is Everything or that God Created Everything? Posted at 11:07:40 AM on Friday, December 28, 2007

One Thing We Can Know Right Away Posted at 11:53:06 AM on Thursday, December 27, 2007

Three Questions That Test Your Friend's Opinions Posted at 5:08:47 AM on Monday, December 24, 2007

What is the Unforgivable Sin and How Do I Know If I've Committed It? Posted at 1:39:18 PM on Tuesday, January 01, 2008