Joseph Smith changed the Bible and did so purposely. He had the King James Version (KJV) in his possession, but because he did not trust it, he rewrote it according to his own man-made desires. And this false prophet didn’t just change a portion of the Bible but 3400+ verses from each book of the Bible, but his changes continued into the Book of Revelation. We will look at one such change in Revelation 9:16. This can be found in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). As for this verse, the following change took place. The word “heard” was changed to “saw”. As well as the phrase, “and I heard the number of them.” was changed to “and I saw the number of them.” But what does the word “hear” mean? It is to perceive with the ears, the sound made by a person or something. How about the word, “see”, It means to perceive with the eyes and to discern visually. So seeing a “number of the army of the horsemen” would mean seeing them with our eyes this vast army. Where hearing a “number of the army of the horsemen” would mean hearing the army round about us but not being able to see them. This is not a small change but a big one. See below…
Revelation 9:16 (KJV)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Revelation 9:16 (Joseph Smith Translation)
16And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand. And I saw the number of them.
So what are the consequences of Joseph Smith’s actions? He purposely changed the Bible, which includes the Book of Revelation, after all. Should he be punished or allowed to go scot-free when it comes to God and Him being just? Absolutely not. As the warning in Revelation 22:18,19 describes, because Joseph Smith added to the Book of Revelation, the plagues found in the Book of Revelation are also designated for him. This includes being removed from the blessings that are spoken of in this book’s prophecy. As for taking away from God’s Word, his name is also removed from the book of life. He will not be able to enter the holy city, nor be able to enter the new earth or have part in the new heaven. Instead, the lake of fire is his portion from God come judgment day and to all eternity. Currently, Joseph Smith is in hell awaiting his final sentence on judgment day. Is he thrilled to be there? No. Is he ashamed of leading people astray? Of course. But can he undo what he did on earth? He cannot. This means that he will continue to suffer now and even after he gains his resurrected body. While in the lake of fire is where he will experience the second death. See below for details…
“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)
