The 'MOR' or Mormon Bible
by Don R. Hender
Now the concept of the 'Mormon Bible'
has been commonly set out by non-Mormon labeling of the Book of Mormon.
Like most such non-Mormon labels, that is very misleading. The English word
'Bible' is from the Latin word 'biblia' meaning 'the books'. Thus simply the
Bible is a gathering or collection of 'books', which in the case of The Holy
Bible, is a gatheing of 'scriptural books' or 'books of scripture'. In terms
of the traditional Christian Bible, it represents a 'canonized' set of
scripturally based books. Considering this, a more proper definition of 'The
Mormon Bible' would not merely include the Book of Mormon, which is in itself
a collection of scriptural texts, but the Mormon Bible would more properly
include the Old Testament, the New Testament, The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine
and Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price and furhter any additional open ended
number of true scriptural texts that have been, are now or even are yet to
be revealed of God to man.
The simple truth is that the LDS Church not only believes in the traditional
Christian Bible, accepting the King James Version of the text, but the LDS
Church believes in 'more' of a Bible than do those of the historical
traditional Christian world. The LDS Church believes in more than just the
Jewish originated Old Testament and New Testament. The LDS Church also believes
in the writings of the remnants of the tribe of Joseph of Egypt, which the
Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants of the LDS Church are.
The King James Bible speaks of there being two scriptural histories or records
that will be had. The one is the record of the Jews which is the Bible which
we have today, both Old and New Testament. (See Ezekiel 37:15-24) It also
speaks of the record of the house of Joseph, that is Ephraim and his
companions. No other church has previously come forth with such record of the
house of Joseph prior to the LDS Church, which first published the Book of
Mormon in 1830 and then later the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church. In
fact the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publishes a 'quadruple'
combination set of scriptures which provides its memebers and the public a
'complete set' of the accepted LDS Scriptures. However, even this 'complete'
quadruple combination is but a 'temporary' representation of the concept of
Mormon Scritpures as the LDS have an article of faith which more properly
presents an ever enlarging and expanding set of possible scriptures for the
children of God.
"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." ~ PoGP - Articles of Faith #9
This is truly the only realistic perspective of God. For certainly God did
not die nor has he gone away. Nor has God revealed all things concerning
Himself and His Kingdom to the children of men. All such answers concerning
God are not contained in any such limited textual edition. There is certainly
more about God that we do not know than that which we do know by merely a
study of the tradtional 'closed canon' Bible.
A number of worthy articles and sermons have been written and delivered upon
the subject of why there is a need for the Book of Mormon, that is more
scriptures beyond the historically 'canonized' Bible. To those I would like
to added what the Book of Mormon itself states concerning the Biblical record
of the Jews and the also sitpulated writings of the seed of Joseph of Egypt.
"Wherefore, the fruit of thy [Joseph of Egypt] loins shall
write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall
be written by the fruit of thy [Joseph of Egypt] loins, and also that which
shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together,
unto the confounding of false doctrines
and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit
of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter
days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord." ~
2 Nephi 3:12
Now not all that has been kept, compiled and written by the fruit of the
loins of Joseph of Egypt has been published. The Book of Mormon is but a
representative sampling of many of those larger libraries of the records of
the house of Joseph. They may be seen to begin with such as the 'plates of
brass' record as mentioned in the Book of Mormon, as well as all the other
enlarged records so written and kept by those people of the Book of Mormon.
All such as these records of the loins of Joseph of Egypt have been entrusted
to a prophet of God named Moroni. He holds the keys to the records of Ephraim
and/or of Joseph (D&C 27:5 & see Moroni). And he
it is that revealed the small abridged record we have as the Book of Mormon
today through and by the hands of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
A Bible! A Bible! We Have Got A Bible
And we need no more Bible! The Old Testament Torah and writings of the
prophets and such historic Jewish records which the Jews today still uphold
as the word of God have come to us by the hand of the Jews. Also, the New
Testament has been written by the 'Jewish' followers of Jesus Christ, his
apostles and disciples from the writings of the four gospels to the acts of
the apostles to those individual records of certain apostles and Paul who is
in truth of the tribe of Benjamin but Jewish by nationality. Just how have
we obtained a Bible but by the hand of the Jews? And do well thank the Jews
for it? (1 Nephi 13 & 2 Nephi 29) Yet just were is the record of Joseph, the
stick of Ephraim and his companions? (Ezekiel 37) Where is that 'other
testament' so spoken of and written of in the scriptures, even the scriptures
of the Jews? Where is the scriptures of the tribe of Joseph? And do they
indeed so witness and testify of Jesus Christ as being the Son of God, our
Savior and Deliver?
Another Witness
There is 'another witness' of Jesus Christ as written by the hands of those
of the seed of Joseph of Egypt and not merely by the hand of the Jews.
It witnesses that Jesus Christ is the universal God of the whole earth and of
all people and not just the seed of Abraham and of the House of Israel,
though it is through that ancestry and posterity that the blessing of the
everlasting covenant does come into all the earth, every nation, kindred,
tongue and people. Many more of the precious truths of the Gospel of Jesus
are to be found and clarified in the pages of those additional records so
supplied by and through the seed of Joseph of Egypt. And those additional
blessing unto all the earth are present on the earth today in preparation for
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ in America
After Jesus Christ's ministry in the land of Jerusalem, Jesus Christ appeared
to and visited a mainline remnant of the seed of Joseph in America. He taugth
them his same gospel which he had been teaching those of the land of
Jerusalem. And he organized his church in American just has he had done in
and about the land of Jerusalem and the eastern hemisphere. This visitation of
Christ to America is recorded in the Book of Mormon in the Third book of Nephi
primarily comprised in chapters 11-26. Jesus selected twelve disciples to
head and lead his church in the western hemisphere just has he had done in
the eastern hemisphere. Indeed Jesus made it obvious that he was in fact the
Lord and God of all the earth. After his days visiting the seed of Joseph
in American, Jesus stated that he also had other sheep as well which he had
to visit and to spread his gospel among them.
The Latter-day Restoration
Now in the latter days Jesus Christ has once again visited the earth to
restore his gospel in preparation for his Second Coming. The openning chapter
of that restoration is recorded in the Pearl of Great Price under the title
Joseph Smith History. And then there is another volume of scripture which is
so related to that restoration of revelations from Jesus Christ to those who
are the modern day remnants of the house of Joseph, particularly those who
are primarily the scattered descendants of the tribe of Ephraim. That
additional volume of scripture is entitled the Doctrine and Covenants and
more completely ought to be noted as 'The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'. The first section or chapter of that
volume of scripture opens with a preface of the words of Jesus Christ himself.
It begins:
"HEARKEN, O ye people of my
church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon
all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar, and ye that are upon
the islands of the sea, listen together. For verily the voice of the Lord is
unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is
no eye that shall
not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that
shall not be penetrated. . . ." D&C 1:1-2
~ A Deep Seated Prophecy ~
(Eyes that See, Hears that Hear, Heart
Penetrated unto Understanding)
While the Lord's preface to his book of Doctrine and Covenants continues,
within these first two verses lies a deeply seated scriptural prophecy which
dates from the times of the Old Testament, though the times of the New
Testament and down to the times and dates of the latter days, which we now are
in to see the fulfillment of this deeply seated prophecy. All through the Old
Testament and even in the New Testament the people of the house of Israel
were said to have eyes but see not, ears but hear not, and their heart was
not open to understanding.(Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 6:9-11/2 Nephi 16:9-11; Jeremiah 5:21;
Ezekiel 12:1-2; Matthew 13:15; Mark 8:18; Acts 28:27-28; Romans 11:8)
Even when Jesus taught the people 'he taught them in parables; and without
a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things
which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. ... Therefore speak
I to them in parables because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand." (Matthew 13:34-35 & 13; also Psalms 78:2)
Yet now in the latter days they may see and hear and
understand, and no
longer need the word of God be hidden in the teachings of parables, but
spoken plainly. (Isaiah 32:3-4; Matthew 13:16; Acts 28:27-28 ; and
D&C 136:32-33)
"Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and
calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see,
and his ears opened that he may hear, For my Spirit is sent forth into the
world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the
ungodly." ~ D&C 136:32-33
A modern day Apostle and Prophet and member of the First Presidency of the
Church of Jesus Christ has recently spoken and counceled that 'we should
turn our heart toward the Lord. And we should "Ask that your ears may be
opened, that you may hear His voice. Ask that your eyes may be opened,
that you may see His light." In his message Apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf sets
out just how one may come to experience this modern miracle of the fulfilling
of the prophecies of the scriptures and receive the 'light of Christ' to
have your eyes open to see, your ears opened to hear, and your hearts opened
to the understanding of the truths of the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
as so promised to those of the latter days so that they will be not as those
of ages past, lost in the darkness of unbelief.
(April
LDS Conference, 2013, Sunday morning session.)
"Jesus Christ/Jehovah is the Firstborn Son of God our Heavenly Father in the
spirit and he is the Only Begotten Son of the Father in the flesh. God the
Father selected, anointed, endowed and ordained Jehovah/Jesus Christ to be our
Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor and Ministering God of this temporal estate
and under the direction of the Father, Jesus Christ/Jehovah created this
temporal creation, he stood as Jehovah the God of the Old Testament, he
condescended to come to earth to redeem his people through his atonement as
Jesus Christ. And he will come again to rule and reign during that great
Millennial Day and to judge the earth according to the principles and
ordinances of his gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the true Gospel
of Jesus Christ that has been restored and is on the earth today in the latter
day in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ our Lord and God. I
know this to be true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." ~ drh
rev. April 12, 2013
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