God of All the Testaments

by Don R. Hender


Most people, even LDS Mormons, when they hear it said that Jehovah is the God of the Testaments will generally consider only the two testaments of the Christian Bible, convienently stipulated in terms of only two, the Old Testament and the New Testament. So what other Testaments are there? Well one might start by pointing out that the Bible is actually dividable into any number of testaments beginning perhaps with at least one per book. But even then any given scriptural book may contain more than one testament per any number of people within that book such as the Book of Acts which contains the witnesses and testimonies of a number of the apostles and desiples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is as well true of the book of Genesis, which begins with Adam and ends with the 12 sons of the tribes of Israel. Then also such testaments might well be counted as per various testaments of 'lands', such as the land of Adam, the land of Noah, the land or lands of Abraham, Issac, Jacob and the tribes of Israel. But there is also another manner of counting the testaments of God, and that is by the number of scriptural witnesses of different times, places and people, which are NOT solely confined to the Biblical scriptures alone.

Times Before the Flood

Now these are the testaments which will be inspected here beginning with the first group of such testament or testaments which comes from the times and lands of Adam, which include such monumental testament witnesses of such as Enoch and Noah in that land before his departure upon the ark. The LDS Mormons have at least two additions to that record of these testaments, one is called the Book of Moses, which is actually a part of the Joseph Smith, or Inspired Translation of the Bible. But then also there is the book of Abraham which also touch upon that era.

Times After the Flood in the Old Testament

Then of course there are the times of the witnesses and testaments of the Old Testament since the time of the Flood of Noah. This includes the ancient fathers Abraham, Issac, Jacob and those of the 12 tribes of Israel. Out of these also comes the records of Moses, Joshua and the Judges of Israel. And then come the records of the Kings, the Chronologies, of the Prophets and various other assorted records as well. But before the jump from the Old Testament to the New Testament two other testaments need to be considered.

The Jaredite Testament

One of the most destinct records which testifies that our God is God of the whole earth and is both Jehovah and Jesus Christ, is the testament of the people known as the Jaredites. First abridged upon 24 plates of gold and then even condensed further by the prophet Moroni into the short one book record by the name of Ether, comes the history of another 'Old Testament' era people who were brought back to the land of Adam by the hand of God and who dwelt in Adam's land from just after the time of the tower of Babel until about 600 B.C. A prophet by the name of Mahonri Moriancumr gives pure and clear witness from personal vision and revelation that the Lord Jesus Christ is the same as the God Jehovah from the very words spoke to him by God. And perhaps another of the greatest of prophets, Ether, is one who has received of the Lord the 'vision of all' spoken of by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah.

The Nephite Testament

And before we get back to the 'New Testament' of the Bible, there is the Testament of the Nephite record which span just over 1,000 years from about 600 B.C. to just after 400 A.D. There are many books and of course even more prophets and there witnesses and testaments again of Jesus Christ who is the same as Jehovah and confirm the fact that he is the God of all people of all the earth. And again this is the testaments of people who lived in the Americas or Western Hemisphere as well as in the land of Adam. That record of scripture is called the Book of Mormon, named after the major abridger of that record.

The 'New Testament' of the Bible

Again the New Testament is dividable into many testaments and books. But there are to major divisions and that is the testaments of the Life of Christ and then the testaments of the Apostles and followers of Jesus after his death and resurrection. And these books and testaments would seem to be the most generally familiar by those of Christian belief.

The Testaments of the Restitution or Restoration
and
the Testament of the Fullness of Times

And finally there is one additional Testament of set of Testaments which are continued on into the more modern era of today. It is a record which is being written and kept by those who may well be denoted as those of Ephraim, All of Israel and His Companions. And membership into this last and living group of witnesses is open to all men in all the world, of every nation, kindred, tongue and people. It begins with the History of Joseph Smith and the early church book of scripture know as the Doctrine and Covenants which gives its witness and testament of Jesus Christ and his church today. And it is being added to by the living voices of living apostles and prophets of the Lord who are upon the earth today preparing the way for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it two is a testament, on going and growing as to the Divinity of Jesus Christ, who is the same as Jehovah; and that he is the God of all the earth, of every people, nation, kindred and tongue.

Others As Well

Now in summary, there may or I should state that there will be other such testaments to yet come forth of peoples of the past among whom our Lord and God has ministered unto. Remember that Moses received his priesthood and position from one not of the 12 tribes, that is from his father-in-law Jethro. There, that is evidence of at least one other group. And there is the city of Enoch and the people of Melchizedek if you will. And there are likely others as will. And one day these testament records will be had among us. And would we deny them because they are not merely within the pages of the Jewish prepared and sorced Bible? I would think not!


Rev. December 5, 2013