The 'MOR' or Mormon Bible

     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

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rev. April 12, 2013