Is The Bible The Source of Truth?

Many Christians believe that the Bible is the only source concerning Truth since it contains all the Truth that Christians need to know.  As a result, there is no modern need for prophets and apostles. The term “sola Scriptura” or “the Bible alone” is often used to explain that there is only one special revelation from God that man possesses today, the written Scriptures or the Bible.

However, the Bible would not be possible with out prophets to write down what God revealed to humanity. Prophets are the medium by which Truth is given to mankind.  (Numbers 12:6, Deuteronomy 18:15, Deuteronomy 18:18, 2 Kings 21:10, 2 Kings 24:1-3,  1 Chronicles 29:29, 2 Chronicles 13:22, 2 Chronicles 18:6, 2 Chronicles 24:19, 2 Chronicles 26:22, 2 Chronicles 32:32, 2 Samuel 24:11, Ezra 5:1, Hosea 12:10, Zechariah 1:6, Amos 3:7, Haggai 2:1, Haggai 2:10, Jeremiah 35:15,  Jeremiah 37:6, Jeremiah 45:1, Jeremiah 47:1, Jeremiah 49:34, Jeremiah 50:1, Matthew 23:34, Acts 3:22, Ephesians 3:5, Hebrews 1:1, 1 Nephi 19:4, 1 Nephi 22:2,  Jacob 5:2,  Helaman 13:26,  D&C 21:1, D&C 107:92, D&C 124:94, D&C 124:125, and D&C 138:53).

As one studies the scripture, it is evident that God has a long-established pattern of calling prophets. Many well-known figures in the Bible, like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others, were prophets. These men were chosen by God and given authority to lead His people. However, when people chose to ignore God, God took prophets away and waited until the people were ready to listen again. Thus, from the beginning of time emerges a pattern of prophets teaching the people, the people eventually turning away from God (a state called apostasy), and God sending prophets again to show His love and concern for His children.

Prophets have always been essential to God's method of sharing His knowledge to mankind as shown throughout the scriptures. God provided prophets to create scripture, and at the same time teach them what had been revealed before, since God's followers did not have access to the scriptures because it would not be "completed" until much later. Thus, the God sent prophets to proclaim His Word to His people to educate those who did not have His Word. Prophets are essential to the religion as established by God. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 4:11, Revelation 11:10, D&C 124:125).

The Bible (and other scriptures) contain Truth but are not the source of Truth. The source of Turth comes from God Himself, who reveals Truth to his prophets and these prophets writes down what has been revealed to them. (2 Timothy 3:16–17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

The Old Testament clearly demonstrates that God Himself is the source of Truth and that prophets are the conduit by which Truth is revealed to humanity.  For example, King Jehoiakim had attempted to destroy God's Word by burning a roll written by Jeremiah. Yet, the Lord instructed Jeremiah take a new scroll and rewrite the words that were destroyed. (See Jeremiah 36: 27-28). However, not only did God have Jeremiah restore what was destroyed, but the Lord told him there were additional information (revelation) to write about on top of what was previously written before the King burned the roll.

This concept is also illustrated in the New Testament as well. For example, the Paul recived a revelation that the gospel should be taught to the Gentiles and not just the Jews. (Acts 10:1-48; 11:1-18). This revelation was then recorded as evidence that God still uses prophets to guide His people, even after Christ's death.

We also see this concept throughout the Book of Mormon. God gives specific instructions to His Prophets on what to write down and/or what not to write down. (see 2 Ne.4: 15, 2 Ne. 29: 11-12, 3 Ne. 27: 23-24 and 3 Ne. 28: 25).

The above scriptural examples from the Old Testament, New Testament and the Book of Mormon repeatedly show that the Bible itself is not the sole source of Truth. God is the source and inspiration of the scriptures and that the scriptures would not be possible without the prophets. There's no evidence that God shut the heavens and intended for mankind to only have the Bible. God frequently speaks to mankind via prophets thoughout history as evidenced by the scriptures and continues to do so today.

There are some Christans who have argued that the closing verses in the Book of Revelation, (specifically Rev. 22:18-19) cap off the Bible and define all the preceding Books as inspired by God. That is not possible because the Book of Deuteronomy contains similar verses (4:2 & 12:32). The only logical conclusion that the reader of the Bible can make is that God frequently revealed His Word to his Prophets throughout the Old and New Testament and that He continued to reveal Truth to people in other parts of the globe such as to those prophets in the Book of Mormon. God continues to provide revelation to His Prophets even today.

Another argument that some Christians make in defense of "Sola scriptura" is that there were to be no prophets after Christ. While, prophets are frequently found in the Old Testament, they are frequently found in the New Testament. Prophets existed in Christ's day. The New Testament shows that there was a prevailing belief in prophets before and during Christ's ministry. (Luke 7:16, Luke 7:28, Mark 6:4, Luke 11:29, John 4:19, John 4:44, John 6:14). The New Testament shows that prophets continued after Christ's death  and will continue until Christ returns again a second time. (Acts 11:27, Acts 13:1, Acts 15:32, Acts 21:10 and Revelation 11:10.) 

Another piece of evidence for prophets continuing after Christ's death is that Jesus warned that there would be many false prophets that would come after his death and that the followers of Christ should learn to discren who is a true prophet and who is not. (Matthew 7:15, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 John 4:1). Interestingly enough, God warned about false prophets in the Old Testament too. (Deuteronomy 13:5, Jeremiah 14:14-15, Jeremiah 23:21, Jeremiah 27:14, Ezekiel 13:3, and Matthew 7:15.) The Book of Mormon has a similar warning about false prophets as well. (Helaman 13:27). It is clear that separating the true prophets from the false prophets have always been a problem in the Old and New Testament, as well as the Book of Mormon, and that it would continue into the future until Christ returns again. The important lesson here is that scriptures are clear in showing that God is the source of Truth and He will verify who are His true prophets. These true prophets are authorized to share what He has revealed for all of mankind.

The scriptures consistently teach that God is the source of Truth, the Prophets are the medium by which God reveals Truth to mankind, and that the scriptures (the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) are a record of the Truth that God gave to his prophets.

God still speaks His Truth to us today through His Prophets and his message is currently being recorded, preserved and shared in multiple mediums such as books, magazines, media and the Internet.

The Spiritual Reasons Why Natural Disasters Occur

It feels like major natural disasters are happening with more frequency as we see natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina and Sandy, monstrous tornadoes, earthquakes in diverse places and volcanoes erupting in different parts of the world. Many people wonder if there is any meaning behind these natural disasters. 

The scripture explains that God uses these events for many purposes such calling people to repentance, administering punishment for wickedness and disobedience, separating the righteous from the wicked and warning as well as announcing Christ's return. 

Lets review the scriptures to see what the spiritual significance of these events could be:

1. The Commotion in The Environment is the Earth's way of Testifying of Christ As the Savior. See D&C 88: 88-90.
2. The Commotion in the Environment is to serve as a voice of warning of Christ's imminent return.
3. Immediately prior to Christ's return on earth, there will be earthquakes, storms, tempests and thundering. This can be clearly seen prior to Christ's appearance somewhere on the American continent after his crucifixion in 3rd Nephi chapters 8 through 10. See also Isaiah 29:6, 2 Nephi 27:2, D&C 29:13 D&C 43:18; D&C 45:33, 48; D&C 49:23; D&C 84:118; and D&C 88:87.
4. It is also a method by which God speaks to both the righteous and wicked JS—H 1:45 in the house of Israel in the latter days. See 1 Nephi 19:11
5. It will be a means of shifting the wheat among the chaff as those who do not believe in Christ are destroyed by natural disasters, disease, warfare and famine while those who believe in Christ will be preserved.  See 1 Nephi 19:11, D&C 43:25, 2 Ne. 6:15
6. Natural disasters will be used to show God's unhappiness and anger towards the wicked which will serve as means of chastening and punishing them for their sins and because they won't repent. (See Psalms 83:15, Psalms 11:6 , D&C 87:6, D&C 29:17, Moses 7:34, Moses 8:17, Moses 7:38 , D&C 97:26, D&C 97:22, D&C 112:24
7. To punish those who have killed the Prophets. See 2 Ne. 26:5, 2 Ne. 26:6 
8. He will use natural disasters such as famine to get people to repent. See Ether 9:28, D&C 43:22
9. These natural disasters are an attempt to gather the nations of the earth under the protection of Christ. See D&C 43:25. However, such events can also be used to punish the wicked and scatter them throughout the earth. See 2 Ne. 10:6 and Isaiah 30:30.
10. To release God's people from oppression. See Moses and the 10 plagues of Egypt.
11. An earthquake will occur to initiate the resurrection of the righteous. See D&C 29:13 and  
12. These natural events will be a part of God's judgment for earth. See D&C 97:26, JS—H 1:45
13. These natural events are the natural consequences of sin, wickedness, spiritual and physical pollution on the earth and is considered one of the signs of the Last Days. See Mormon 8:31.

The Book of Mormon explains in 3rd Nuephi 10:14 that these events have been prophesied by God's prophets who have recorded these prophesies in the scriptures and that these prophecies about the natural disasters on earth have been or will be fulfilled.

Granted, it is difficult to tell if a natural disaster is just a natural occurrence or if there is something more deeper than that.  1 Kings 19: 11-12 reminds us that it is important to remember that not all natural disasters are messages from God. However, for whatever reasons why these events do happen, and despite the horrible things that do happen as a result of these natural disasters, its important to remember that God still interacts with His Children today as he did in the past and that we can use these events to draw closer to Him.

The LDS Church Launches New Website Focusing On The Bible

The LDS Church has just announced during tonight's December 4th Christmas Broadcast that has launched a new website consisting of Bible videos for viewers to watch. The LDS Newsroom has more information about this new website: 

BibleVideos.lds.org is a repository for original short videos that depict scenes from Christ’s life, ranging from the angel foretelling Christ’s birth to the Savior's Resurrection.

President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency, announced the site during his talk at the devotional.

“Like the scriptures which these short films follow faithfully they may seem to you quiet,” he said. “Your faith and the Holy Ghost will create the emotion these world-changing events deserve.”

As reported from the LDS Newsroom, The Church will be releasing more videos in the future for people of all faiths to enjoy:   

The project will yield more than 100 vignettes portraying the life of Christ, taken directly from the text of the King James Version of the Bible. Over time, each video will be posted to BibleVideos.lds.org along with the scriptural text from which it is taken. The goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ by assembling one of the finest collections of Bible videos in the world.

“We intend for these videos to be used freely by individuals, families, and groups,” said Elder Lynn G. Robbins, Executive Director of the Media Services Department. “We want to help our own members strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, and we offer this freely to other churches who may wish to use these videos in a similar way. The message of the Lord Jesus Christ needs to be shared as widely as possible throughout the world.”

Subscription options, including RSS and e-mail, are available in the footer of the website for users to receive updates when new videos are provided.

The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos website is intended to provide members and their families with a new and meaningful way to learn about and share the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through these videos, individuals can explore biblical environments, watch scripture-based stories come to life, view slideshows, and discover additional insights into biblical accounts.

“It is our hope that these New Testament videos will help people to visualize what they have only been able to imagine, and to more deeply feel the truths of the New Testament as they witness the Savior’s life and not just as they read about it,” Elder Robbins said. “Hopefully, there will be entirely new insights into the Savior’s character that will help viewers feel of His love and inspire them to want to be more like Him.”

The website enables individual to share the content in order to extend the videos’ reach and impact. Items on the website can be shared through Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

“You can give a great and wonderful Christmas if you will remember the gifts God has given you, and as best you can, offer them to others as He would,” President Eyring stated.

The website has a mobile-friendly design and is available in English (biblevideos.lds.org), Spanish (videosdelabiblia.org), and Portuguese (videosbiblicos.org). A free iPad app will also be available in the future, offering a new way to experience Bible stories through sight, sound, and touch.

Given that members of the LDS Church are very active in reading the Bible and have a strong knowledge about Christianity, this will be a resource that will be enjoyed by all Mormons as well as Christians of other denominations.

Bible Wars

One of the well known theological disagreements between Christians and Latter Day Saints is the Book of Mormon. Revelation 22:18 is often cited by Christians as biblical "proof" that there can’t be a Book of Mormon because of the belief that nothing should be "added to" or "taken away from" the Holy Bible.

Yet, there is a Bible war among Christians over which Bible is the correct one. 

For example, there is the King James Only movement in which some Christians believe that the King James Version (KJV) is the only true version of the Bible. In fact, some even go far as to argue that only the 1611 version of the Bible is the only true Bible and that other versions of the KJV, such as the New King James Bible (NKJV), are not.

Yet, other Christians don't believe in the idea that the KJV is the only true Bible. Pastor Steve Weaver, in his criticism of the KJV only movement, said something that caught my eye:

"One of the favorite verses used by advocates of King James Onlyism is Revelation 22:18-19..."

Hmmm. I've heard Revelations 22:18-19 being used against the Book of Mormon. But this is the first I've ever seen that passage used against...the Bible.

For a Mormon, its fascinating to see debates over which particular bible translation is "adding" or "taking away" from the Bible.

Adding Or Taking Away: Bible Translations

The reason why I find this amusing is because the criteria for accepting or rejecting a book is based on Revelations 22:18-19, then critics of the Book of Mormon are unfair and intellectually dishonest. Why? Because most Christian denominations are united or are in agreement in their rejection of Book of Mormon based on the same passage of the Bible, but are not united in agreement which version of the Bible is true.

Although all Christians accept the Bible, they're just not sure which one does or doesn't "add" or "take away" from the Bible.

Looking around the Internet, its clear that the debate over the which Bible edition or translation is the correct one is quite fierce. For example, you'll find that some believe that the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is "corrupt."

Others do not like the New International Version (NIV) and believe that it is a "perversion" of the Holy Bible. There are those who believe that The New American Standard Version (NASV) is not the "true" word of God.

The Today's New International Version (TNIV) is under criticism because it attempted make the Bible gender neutral and as a result, this is a distortion of the Bible.

There are those who are just unhappy with the Message Translation.

Even translations that have been offered by different faiths are under criticism.

For example, there are some who have issues with the Jehovah's Witness translation of the Bible, the New World Translation (NWT). A Christian website wonders aloud if the New World Translation is "valid" version of the Bible while another site claims that the Jehovah's Witnesses have changed the Bible to "suit its own theological bias."

Another example would be the criticism towards Joseph Smith's treatment of the Bible. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (now called the Community of Christ) calls it the Inspired Version of the Bible (I.V.) where as the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints call it the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST).

As you can see, no Bible is safe from Christian critics. 

The truth is that the Old Testament and New Testament has always been under constant revision ever since the beginning of recorded scripture. For example, the earliest known editing of the Bible comes in the form of the Documentary hypothesis which  holds that the first five books of Moses were later edited and redacted by unknown scribes or writers.

 Even Liberals and Conservatives Have Their Own Books!

Furthermore, its not just different religious groups that have their own Bible. Even people with certain political or social beliefs have their own "Bible". For example, some environmentalists have the Green Bible.

On the other side of the political spectrum, there is a small minority of conservatives who believe that the Bible has been edited with a liberal bias. As a result, the Conservative Bible Project was born because they want go back to a more politically pure Bible by making it more "conservative." Naturally, there are some Christians who aren't amused by the idea that the Bible needs to be "edited" for its proper political slant.

Even a famous politician such as president Thomas Jefferson edited his own Bible.

Adding Or Taking Away: How Many Books In The Bible?

Not all Bibles are the same. Some denominations have "extra" books in their Bibles. For example, Jeff Lindsay, an LDS apologist points out that

"the Roman Catholic Bible now has about twelve books more than the Protestant Bible, meaning that about 200 pages of text have been "subtracted" - one could say - from the Protestant Bible relative to the "traditional" Catholic Bible."(Source.)

There are other Bibles that have extra books that are not found in most European versions such as the Armenian Bible or the Ethiopic Bible.

Missing Books In The Bible: Adding Or Taking Away?

A final issue is that the Bible as we know it today may not be complete. In fact, there is a long list of non-canonical books referenced in the Bible. This means that there are books, prophecies, quotes and allusions that are not in the Bible. As a result, there is a fierce debate over missing Bible verses or how many books are in the Bible.

I came across a website created by a Christian named Dr. Paul Richardson who made this statement about the missing Books in the Bible:

 "I really wish I had these missing books. I would love to read them, wouldn't you?"

The Book of Mormon is just like the Bible. There are sacred writings mentioned in Book Of Mormon that are not found in the text. Here are a few examples: the teachings of King Benjamin, the words of Amulek and Alma. These words, along with some other writings, are missing from the Book of Mormon. 

Only God Edits The Scriptures

Only God can edit the scriptures. It is authorized under the direction of the Lord himself through prophets.  For example, King Jehoiakim had "taken away" from the scripture by burning a roll written by Jeremiah . Yet, the Lord instructed him to rewrite the words that were destroyed. (See Jeremiah 36: 27-28).

We see clearly that the King had "taken away" from the Bible, and yet, the Lord told Jeremiah to "add" to the scriptures by restoring what the King had destroyed. Not only did God have Jeremiah to restore what was lost but the Lord told him there were more things to write!

The Book of Mormon is like the Bible in which God tells His servants what to write down or what not to write down. (see  2 Ne.4: 15, 2 Ne. 29: 11-12, 3 Ne. 27: 23-24 and 3 Ne. 28: 25)

Another example can be seen when God, foreknowing that Joseph Smith would lose 116 pages of translation of the Book of Mormon, inspired Mormon to include the small plates with the other golden plates. Once Joseph Smith lost the manuscript, the Lord simply restored that which was lost by instructed Joseph to translate those small plates since it had the same period of time as contained in the lost manuscript.

Conclusion 

It is fascinating how some Christians criticize others about which Bible they are using and  yet, somehow, the Book of Mormon cannot be accepted because it is an extra scripture that violates Revelation 22:18-19. 

If Revelelation 22: 18-19 is the standard for which we judge the authenticity of scriptures and if the Bible can be accepted despite the various translations, editions, additions as well as subtractions, then the Book of Mormon should be accepted based on the same standard too because The Book of Mormon is just like the Bible.

Just a postscript: the dividing of the text into numbered chapters and verses as in the King James is “adding to” the Bible, as the original manuscripts do not have them. ;)