¶ Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.
6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Jeremiah 17:5-7
A continued conversation with a fellow YouTube Subscriber:
He wrote:
Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price all HERESY! Read Revelation 22:18-19 for me. No other text can be considered sacred other that what is in the BIBLE! Even a fifth grader can understand that.
First of all, I'm not upset. I always welcome a good scriptural challenge but folks? Revelations 22:18-19? This perhaps is the most mis-quoted passage used the most frequently and yet it's the easiest to explain when read in context. Even easier than Galatians 1:6-9; which has also been bastardized beyond it's original context and vomited out onto the tables for the good Christians to "eat right up."
I'm not even upset that he considers me a 5th Grader. I happen to know a few 5th Graders that are much SMARTER than some adults; hence, "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader" has made for such a popular T.V. game show... so no, I'm not upset that he insulted my intelligence one bit. They are just believing what they are told and have continued in a long line of just "Believing in what someone else says is true..." or else we would have all came to a "Unity of the Faith" long ago. And if all unified in the faith, we would have welcomed ANY new information about our lost bretheren found upon the Isles of the Sea and all jumped for joy to learn that the Lord has had his hand in this mighty work upon all nations and within the House of Israel for centuries before and also after the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon would have then been HAILED as a marvelous addition to the mighty works of GOD...but I digress.
Straight up. Here is my response as follows
You only believe in the Bible the way that you do because someone told you that their way is correct and our way is wrong... but if you went about believing everything that you were told, then there is someone out there willing to sell you beach front property in Arizona.
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." 1 John 5:9 -
This is what we should seek above all else.
I'm willing to suggest that your religious persuasion comes mostly from what others tell you to believe and they have not encouraged you to inquire of the Lord over the matter at hand or else they'd have no problem with encouraging you to pray and ask God whether there is a current true prophet in Israel and a re-established Zion: The Kingdom of God.. (James 1:5-6)
Keep reading... I'll have your theory about Revelations 22 completely turn a 180, if you'll let it.
If you were told that The Book of Revelations, written by John on the Isle of Patmos, that this was the absolute LAST book ever written chronologically, and that around the final part of Revelations, it means to say that John meant the entire Bible, then history may just not support this theory. Many scholars agree that Revelations came before 1,2, and 3rd John. Some even suggest it came before the "Gospel of John" was recorded; written well before the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as these were written in the Twilights of their Apostleship.
Secondly: Moses paraphrased the same words in Deuteronomy; which if taken literally, would have disqualified any additional writing after his mysterious death and burial by the Lord. (See Deuteronomy 34) leaving ancient Israel in a bind not being able to receive any additional revelation from God. The Books of Joshua and all other books that would follow would be rendered as "Heresy" being unnecessary and adding to the already 5 written books of Moses...but this is not comparing literally to the context of Revelations 22 either.
The critics misuse Revelation, misunderstand the process by which the Bible cannon was formed, and must ignore other, earlier scriptures to maintain their position. (Deuteronomy 4:2-4) Their use of this argument is a form of begging the question whereby they presume at the outset that the Book of Mormon and other scriptures are not the Word of God, which is precisely the point under debate. In its proper context, the passage in Revelation actually supports the teachings of the Book of Mormon that many plain and precious things would be taken away from the Bible. It also shows clearly the need for another book of scripture like the Book of Mormon to restore those lost and sacred teachings. (See Revelations 14:6-7, where John also discloses the need for an Angel to return to the Earth in order to restore the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" by bringing with him that record.)
If the Book of Mormon and other modern scriptures are the work of uninspired men or the arm of flesh, then of course one ought not to trust them. If, however, they are indeed the word of the Lord to prophets, then all who desire to be saved ought to carefully heed them.
I, for one, do not rely on my religious leaders, professors, teachers, pastors, or friends when it comes to understanding and becoming aligned with the gospel message or whether the Lord has called modern prophets to help guide Israel in the latter-days. I go to a higher authority to obtain answers. None in our church are told to believe the prophet and to never question things. In stark contrast, they are encouraged to inquire (or ask) of the Lord to receive a witness of the spirit surrounding the truth of new prophets, the book of Mormon, and the once-again-restored Church.
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