GLOBAL CHRISTIAN OUTREACH
Preaching the Gospel to All Creation
Mark 16:15
MORMON PROOF TEXTS
What the Bible Really Says About Mormonism
By Loren Franck and Richard G. Owen
©2010 Global Christian Outreach, Inc. All Rights Reserved
GOD’S RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS
What’s Mormonism’s Role?
BIBLE PASSAGE
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.”
Acts 3:19–21
WHAT MORMONISM TEACHES
The LDS church uses Acts 3:19–21 as a proof text for its supposed restoration of the gospel. For example, Gospel Principles, a widely used Mormon student and teacher guide, alleges, “God had foreseen the Apostasy and prepared for the Gospel to be restored. The apostle Peter spoke of this to the Jews [in Acts 3:19–21]” (1997, p. 106). Similarly, in Preach My Gospel, an LDS-published “guide” for Mormon missionaries, Acts 3:19–21 is listed as a proof text for the so-called Restoration (2004, p. 35).
Mormons claim theirs is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth” that pleases God (Doctrine and Covenants 1:30). This helps explain why Brigham Young, second president and “prophet” of the LDS church, falsely asserted, “No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith . . . 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 THE BIBLE TEACHES
The Bible says a partial falling away, not a complete apostasy, occurred after Christ and his apostles died (see passages such as Acts 20:29, 30 and 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 in light of Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 3:21 and related verses). Therefore, an alleged restoration of the gospel is impossible. The LDS church admits this. “If there had been no Apostasy, there would have been no need of a Restoration,” says Preach My Gospel (p. 36).
Let’s briefly examine what Acts 3:19–21 actually teaches. Peter discusses “a period of restoration of all things” (v. 21). This epoch, still future to us in 2010, will be underscored by the Lord’s presence and the complete operation of his earthly kingdom. There will be no Mormon gospel allegedly “restored” through Joseph Smith. All godly things will be restored during this era, , not merely selected doctrines and priesthood keys, as Mormons maintain.
The Bible mentions this millennial period of restoration when Jesus was teaching his apostles: “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Even during biblical times, Christians expected a global restoration. They yearned for Christ’s millennial reign, which Revelation 20:6 and other biblical passages highlight. Based largely on Malachi 4:5 and 6, the disciples expected Elijah to come and restore all things, and Jesus assured this would occur Matthew 17:10, 11; 19:28).
Partially describing the “period of restoration of all things,” scripture proclaims, “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious” (Isaiah 11:9, 10). Is the root of Jesses the Lord? Many believe so. Isaiah 35:1–10 and 65:17–24 further describe the earth’s condition during God’s restoration of all things.
Peter and John provide additional details about the true restoration. For example, Peter says that “the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:12, 13). Throughout Revelation 21, John agrees. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth,” he writes, “for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea” (v. 1).
Someday God will restore the earth and everything on it to the pristine perfection enjoyed in the Garden of Eden, when all on earth was “good” (Genesis 1:31). Those who belong to Christ will live with him eternally in consummate joy and peace. And because of Christ’s grace, we will be glorified (Romans 8:30; Hebrews 2:10). “God himself will be among [believers],” John promises. “And [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–5).
Rest assured, then, that the “period of restoration of all things” mentioned in Acts 3:19–21 is unrelated to Joseph Smith and Mormonism.
To learn more about how Mormonism contradicts the Bible, or to learn more about the biblical Jesus, write info@gco4lds.org.
DOES THE BIBLE PREDICT THE BOOK OF MORMON?
What is the Stick of Ephraim?
BIBLE PASSAGE
“As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand. And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’—say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.’ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.”
Ezekiel 37:16–20 (NKJV)
WHAT MORMONISM TEACHES
The LDS church claims the Book of Mormon is the stick of Ephraim mentioned in Ezekiel 37. In a pseudo revelation to Mormon church founder Joseph Smith, God supposedly said: “ . . . I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim” (Doctrine and Covenants 27:5).
As recently as August 2009, the Mormon church’s Temple Square visitors’ center in Salt Lake City featured a film and other materials alleging the Book of Mormon is the stick of Ephraim. In fact, for many years, Ezekiel 37:16–20 has been a major proof text for the Book of Mormon, which Smith said is “the most correct book of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church 4:461). In summer 2009, Ezekiel 37:16–20 remained a pivotal part of the LDS sales pitch to non-Mormons.
Through the Doctrine and Covenants, LDS missionaries and Mormon public-relations efforts, the church insists the Bible and Book of Mormon are one in the hands of God’s people. For Mormons, the Bible is the stick of Judah, while the Book of Mormon is the stick of Ephraim. Both books, say Latter-day Saints, offer one testimony of Christ.
WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES
Fortunately, for Christians and others who love truth, the Bible clearly explains the meaning of Ezekiel 37:16–20. By examining verses 21 and 22, readers can see the two sticks don’t concern Joseph Smith, his Book of Mormon or the LDS church. Instead, Ezekiel says the Lord will unite Judah and Israel into one kingdom: “ . . . I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms” (Ezekiel 37:21, 22, italics added).
Explaining the book of Ezekiel, Bible scholars Mark Hillmer and John Stek emphasize God’s analogy of the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph. They note Ezekiel used object lessons to teach spiritual truths in other passages, including Ezekiel 4:1, 3, 9; 5:1. The two sticks mentioned in chapter 37 were simply another object lesson. Partially explaining verses 16–20, Hillmer and Stek write, “God would duplicate Ezekiel’s symbolic act by uniting the two kingdoms separated since Solomon’s death (see 1 Kings 12)” (NIV Study Bible, Zondervan publishers, 2002, p. 1734).
Contrary to LDS claims, Ezekiel 37 doesn’t predict the Book of Mormon. Actually, it describes something far more glorious than Smith’s imaginary people of the ancient Americas. Ezekiel prophesied God’s long-promised restoration of Israel with Judah. And like all of God’s wonderful promises, it will be fulfilled at his appointed time.
Need help in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, especially with Mormon friends and acquaintances? Write info@gco4lds.org.
MODERN-DAY PROPHETS LIKE MOSES AND ISAIAH
Does the Bible Say We Need Them?
BIBLE PASSAGE
“Surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secret counsel to his servants the prophets.”
Amos 3:7
WHAT MORMONISM TEACHES
Vainly attempting to validate their “living prophets,” Mormons cite Bible passages such as Proverbs 29:18 and Ephesians 2:20; 4:11–14. Amos 3:7 is also widely used among Latter-day Saints to establish their church president as a “prophet, seer and revelator” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:91, 92).
Faithful Mormons follow Joseph Smith and the men who’ve succeeded him as LDS church presidents, especially the current “prophet,” Thomas S. Monson. Mormons deem their utterances as the word of God. Speaking of Smith and all other Mormon church presidents, the Lord allegedly said, “Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 21:4, 5, italics added).
Similarly, Gospel Principles, published by the Mormon church as a teacher and student manual, urges, “We should do those things the [LDS] prophets tell us to do. President Wilford Woodruff said that a prophet will never be allowed to lead the Church astray” (1997 edition, p. 49). George Q. Cannon, a former member of the LDS First Presidency, remarked, “Read the discourses of the First Presidency and the Twelve, and you will see that they are filled with revelation . . . There has not been a single minute that this people has been left without the voice of God” (Journal of Discourses 10:345).
And Ezra Taft Benson, during an infamous speech at Brigham Young University, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophets,” claimed each current “prophet” takes priority over all other LDS church presidents. “Beware of those who would pit the dead prophets against the living prophets,” Benson warned, “for the living prophets always take precedence.”
WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES
The Bible contains a sufficient amount of God’s word, so supposed living prophets such as Moses and Isaiah are unnecessary. The Lord plainly revealed, “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached . . . ” (Luke 16:16 NKJV). The author of Hebrews wrote, “God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son . . . ” (Hebrews 1:1, 2).
Soon after Pentecost, Peter said Christ is the only latter-day prophet involved in our salvation. Quoting Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 and 19, Peter stated, “Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren. To Him you shall give heed to everything he says to you. And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people . . . God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning everyone of you from your wicked ways” (Acts 3:22, 23, 26).
The amount of God’s word isn’t of paramount importance. Rather, the message of salvation by grace through the finished work of Jesus Christ is what’s vital. For example, years before the Bible was compiled, John announced, “ . . . Many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30, 31). Clearly, for this foremost apostle of Christ, the word’s content far outweighed its volume.
Paul was equally adamant that living prophets such as Moses and Isaiah aren’t necessary today. For instance, when addressing believers at Ephesus, he said, “ . . . I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27 NKJV). And Peter, who greatly respected Paul’s perspective of scripture (2 Peter 3:15, 16), noted that God’s “divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and excellence”
(2 Peter 1:3).
Now, what about Amos 3:7? Won’t God do anything unless he tells a prophet about it first? Let’s look at what this verse actually teaches. Chapters 1–3 of Amos say Israel was immersed in sin, which certainly wasn’t new for the recalcitrant nation. So, throughout these chapters, especially in Amos 3:1–6, the Lord mandates judgment for Israel unless it repents. In proper context, then, Amos 3:7 says the Lord will not execute judgment against Israel until he has given it opportunity to repent. Appropriate warnings would come through prophets.
Likewise, after Christ’s resurrection, Paul noted, “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because he has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness . . . ” (Acts 17:31, 32). How can we escape that judgment? By turning to the Lord. “ . . . He who hears My word,” Jesus promised, “and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). John 3:17 and 18 outlines similar doctrine.
Christians don’t need Mormon “prophets” to disclose God’s message for humanity. Through the Bible, God’s only compilation of scripture, Christ’s prophets and apostles have been declaring God’s sufficient word for nearly 2,000 years.
Have you been approached by Mormons trying to convince you the Bible justifies their religion? We have rock-solid biblical answers. Write iinfo@gco4lds.org.
TWO CHOICES
For eternal life, you can rely on Joseph Smith or Jesus Christ, but not both. But you don’t need Smith as “the prophet of the Restoration.” Christ’s words of everlasting life are only in the Bible.
HOW CAN YOU BE SAVED?
The Bible is clear. Jesus assured that "everyone who believes in [Christ] may have eternal life" (John 3:15 ESV). Scripture similarly teaches, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36). God’s word also declares, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Want the gift of eternal life? Receive the biblical Jesus as your Savior (John 1:12; Romans 10:9).
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THE SAVIOR SAYS . . .
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return”
(Luke 6:38).
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John 4:10
