If anyone doesn’t know already. Joseph Smith purposely changed the King James Bible in over 3400+ locations. He didn’t think that what we have in the current translation was perfect, hence he needed to edit it in order for it to sound better. Did he accomplish what he set out to do? Not in the eyes of Christians, but in the sight of Mormons worldwide. They also believe that Joseph did God’s will by changing the KJV Bible. The funny thing is, no other translation is on par with this corrupt version. Even the Dead Sea scrolls that date close to the original are not the same. Speaking of what happened with the Joseph Smith Translation, it reads, “Joseph Smith, the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, made a “new translation” of the Bible, using the text of the King James Version (KJV). This work differs from the KJV in at least 3,410 verses and consists of additions, deletions, rearrangements, and other alterations that cause it to vary not only from the KJV but from other biblical texts.” (Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST))
An example of what Joseph Smith changed, look no further than the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, verse 21. The comparison with the KJV and JST is below…
Revelation 19:21 (KJV)
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 19:21 (Joseph Smith Translation)
21 And the remnant were slain with the word of him that sat upon the horse, which proceeded out of his mouth. And all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The primary difference between the two verses lies in one term. In the King James Version (KJV) of Revelation 19:21, the “remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth.” In contrast, the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) says that the “remnant were slain with the word of him that sat upon the horse, which proceeded out of his mouth.” The difference between “sword” and “word” are nothing alike and indicates a different interpretation of the original text. KJV uses “sword” to represent punishment for the wicked, while JST uses “word” to show God’s power and truth for punishment. Joseph reinterpreted the symbol “sword from the mouth” to mean the spoken word or command of God, instead of leaving it alone and as possibly a tangible weapon. Truly, what we see happen here is someone not thrilled with the original text and therefore, had a need to give it more light and understanding. However, this is when man-made doctrines came into play and corrupted the whole KJV Bible.
We are warned in Revelation, chapter 22, about not changing the words from the Book of Revelation, which we know Joseph Smith did. Therefore, because he went as far as to corrupt God’s Word with his own man-made thinking, God’s plagues are upon him. What this means is his name is also removed from the Lamb’s book of life. And if our name is not found in that book, that means that he died and went to the torments of hell. He is currently suffering while he awaits the judgment. It is After judgment, he will be cast into the lake of fire. See below for these references in scripture…
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18-19)
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12-15)
