Chapter 13 (BOMC)

Without God leading a church, many things can creep in without people knowing it. False doctrines can be instituted as if they came from God. These times we live in are very dark, so we must be alert and willing to test all religious teachings to see if they are correct. In so doing, if any religion adds another book of scripture, we must test it. The Bible is the Word of God, and I challenge any other book that says it is also God’s Word. Let’s focus our attention on the Mormon Church. They have in their midst many other books, one of them indicates that it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. This is a bold claim and must be examined carefully. Instead of just throwing it out I will examine it with a fine-toothed comb.  Let’s do this in order to see if it is of God or not.  This examination starts with the Book of Mosiah, chapter 4.  In that chapter, it is recorded that before Jesus Christ’s birth, people were being forgiven by the blood of Jesus. Let’s examine what this really means.  A few different verses will be examined in detail to see if it makes sense and is Biblical or not...

In 124 B.C, it is written, “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins.” (Mosiah 4:2) These people then “received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come.” (Mosiah 4:3) If this was in the New Testament timeframe, it would make sense what the people were doing.  However, seeing that Jesus’s blood atonement was used prior to Jesus’s birth, this indicates that Joseph Smith wrote this. It is quite astounding that Joseph Smith allowed his scribe to pencil it in. He must have had limited knowledge of the Bible.  If this is not the case, then somehow, the people of the Book of Mormon thought that they could be forgiven by the blood of Jesus before His birth. This doesn’t make sense since in the Old Testament times people were forgiven by animal sacrifices.  See Leviticus, chapter 17, for details. Nobody was forgiven by the blood of Jesus, but were forgiven through these animal sacrifices.

Joseph Smith must not have known that people offered up animals as sacrifices for sins in the Old Testament. I mention this since in 124 B.C, people in the Book of Mormon were asking God that Jesus’s atoning blood would cover their sins. See for yourself in the following verse. “And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them. And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.” (Mosiah 4:1,2) How is this possible when Jesus hadn’t even been born yet? Without God coming to earth, there was no payment for sins made. Can you see an issue with these verses?

When reading the Bible, Paul helps us understand how the atonement takes place.  How the atoning blood of Jesus covers people’s sins, where animal sacrifices are done away with. It was in His death, that the sins of all men and women were paid for. It is written, “but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” (Romans 5:8-11) If only people would receive Jesus into their lives, then they could be sanctified through His blood. The Lamb of God came down from heaven and died for our sins.  Christ's death on the cross fulfilled the need for blood atonement done through animals. Around 124 B.C, these animal sacrifices would have been expected in the Book of Mormon.  It was a mistake, adding the part about Jesus's blood atonement in that timeframe.

While living in the Old Testament times, the name “Jesus” was not known, let alone used to pray for the redemption of people’s sins.  So, when we spot things like this, where somehow people in the Book of Mormon were aware of the name Jesus, but the people of the Bible did not, this should cause some concern.  Those who are avid Bible readers would spot this right away. As for when the blood atonement took place, it was after Jesus came to earth and died for our sins on the cross.  In His death, we receive the atonement.  God became flesh and dwelt among us before giving His life as a ransom for mankind.  Jesus “died for our sins according to the scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3) His blood was shed for us on the cross. Through His atoning sacrifice, we can come to the Lord and be forgiven.  There is true mercy for the sinful things we do in this life. As for the Book of Mormon people, received knew to call upon His Name for mercy until Jesus came.  Do not trust the Book of Mormon as it is fictional and not of God. Beware of false teachers, prophets, churches and books. It is important to keep your eyes open so that you may not be led astray.

As Christians, we know the importance of the cross. It is essential to the gospel of Jesus and vital to understand its importance. The Bible teaches that we are saved through the blood of Jesus, that was spilled for us on the cross. This is in stark contrast with what we see in the LDS faith.  They believe that the people in the Book of Mormon were forgiven by Jesus before his birth.  Because this is a big problem, let’s look at Mosiah, chapter 4, once again. It is written, “O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ.” (Mosiah 4:2). I see two problems here. Jesus hadn’t died on the cross yet and His name was never mentioned in the Old Testament timeframe. Can you also see the conflict here? Mormons read the Book of Mormon but cannot see these issues? The fact that Joseph Smith continued to place events such as forgiveness of sins before Jesus had even been born, demonstrates how little he knew of the Bible. Christians know that forgiveness through the blood of Jesus happened on the cross, not before His birth. See 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 for details. If you read the Bible, you will see why this is very wrong and how this could not have happened at all before Christ came to earth.

The whole purpose of Jesus coming to this world was to pay the price for our sins. Speaking of His birth, it is recorded, “she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) For so many years, people waited for a Savior. Jesus is that person, and we now have free access to Him and His mercy. The cross gives us hope for a new day. Through His mercy, we are covered by His blood. Not before Jesus came but because He did and died for us, our sins can be covered.  The Bible teaches that the blood of Jesus is vital to our salvation. Our sins can be covered, because of the cross. Jesus died for us so that we can be forgiven and considered worthy. Before Christ came to earth, it was a different story as things happened much differently. People that lived before Christ, looked for the God of Israel to save them. The high priests were responsible for performing burnt offerings to atone for the sins of the people. They built altars and performed animal sacrifices. There was no forgiveness by the blood of Jesus but a sin offering, through the blood of the animal. These verses can be found in Leviticus, chapter 17.

The world underwent a profound transformation when Jesus descended and took on human flesh.  This is especially true when Jesus died on the cross for the payment of our sins. We can ask for forgiveness by calling upon His Name.  He is the last sacrifice for sins. He is the Lamb of God. After Jesus died on the cross, the doors were opened to be forgiven by His blood. The Book of Mormon teaching is contrary to God. If it was in line with the Bible, there would be burnt offering for their sins in Mosiah, chapter 4, but instead they thought Jesus’s blood would cover them before His birth.  Can you now see how this doesn’t make sense, making the Book of Moron false? If you think about it clearly, these extra Biblical teachings don’t make sense. It goes against the core principles of Jesus and Him dying on the cross. For this reason, I declare to the world that the Book of Mormon is a fraud. I was once a part of this church, but evidence like this is enough to have me know the book is not of God. If you are a Mormon, how do you refute these verses in Mosiah? I pray that your heart is open. Read the Bible and don’t be so fast as to accept what you believe is true from books like this.  Compare and contrast your beliefs with the Bible.  The truth of God will set you free. Amen.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, will you open the eyes of the blind? Will you help those who are lost to see Your truth? What is true is plain to see for those that seek You. You have unfolded to me Your mysteries and the veil has been lifted. I was blind but can now see. I once put my trust in man, but You have awakened my soul to trust in You. Thank you for leading me from darkness and into your light. For many years I thought the truth was before me. I would not accept anything but what my church taught me. Saying anything contrary to what the church said was beneath me. But Lord, You saw how closed-minded I was. I needed something to help me think clearly. In sin, You came to me. My heart was open, and You rescued me. Your mercy and forgiveness are real, for I have felt it. Because of You, I am filled with hope. You have taken my hand and led me on Your path. You have set me on a course to heaven, while helping me leave false teachings behind. It is better to live for You than to live for people that cannot save. I will continue to compare the teachings of men to the Bible. Your words are true and are a delight to my soul. I love You. I praise Your holy Name. Amen.