Chapter 16 (BOMC)

Mormons insist that the Book of Mormon is correct about Jerusalem being the birthplace of Jesus. They say that Bethlehem is in Jerusalem, so they justify it.  However, Bethlehem is south of Jerusalem, roughly 6.2 miles away. The prophecy of Jesus’s birth was specific to the town of Bethlehem in Micah, chapter 5.  We will look at Matthew, chapter 2, where the priests and scribes of King Herod tell of the birthplace of Jesus, the Messiah. It is in this chapter that the three Wise Men went to Jerusalem looking for the King of the Jews, who was to be born.  The star had been leading them to Jerusalem and would continue to lead them to their destination. Given word that Bethlehem was where Jesus would be born, the Wise Men went to find the promised babe. It was then that they continued their journey and found themselves where Jesus laid.  They came to Him and worshiped the baby Jesus.  Now, let’s look at the true prophecy of Jesus’s birth, along with a false prophecy...

“But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.” (Alma 7:9,10)

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.” (Matthew 2:1-8)

If you look at a map, Jerusalem and Bethlehem are in two different places.  They are not a suburb of one another, like LDS believe. To say that someone was born in Jerusalem means they were born in Jerusalem and not in Bethlehem. The same goes with people that say they are in Jerusalem.  This does not mean they also went to Bethlehem. However, the Book of Mormon claims that Jesus was born in Jerusalem. This is a contradiction to what the Bible says. Let’s look at this in more detail as we examine this verse in Alma, chapter 7.  It reads, “but behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.” (Alma 7:9,10)

Is Bethlehem the land of our forefathers? No. Jerusalem is. Therefore, these passages in the Book of Mormon are referencing Jerusalem alone. This is in contrast to the Bible, where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It is written, “now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1,2) Herod’s chief priests and scribes also quoted from Micah, chapter 5, verse 2, in reference to Jesus being born. It reads, “and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” (Matthew 2:6) Micah, a prophet of God, knew that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Therefore, what we see in Alma, chapter 7, is a clear contradiction to the Bible. Jesus was supposed to be born in Jerusalem.

The Book of Mormon is wrong about the location of Jesus' birth.  This is a contradiction, seeing that the Bible says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  It is up to you how you want to respond to these accusations. You can hate me for exposing what is false or appreciate what I have done by helping people come to know the truth of God. From this message, persecution will come from the Mormon community. I will get a lot of backlash for attempting to lead people out of their church and to Christianity. My response to all Mormons is: You can come and join us at our services at Calvary Chapel. There are many wonderful Bible-believing churches out there, and Calvary Chapel is just one of them. The fact of the matter is that being part of a specific denomination or non-denominational church will not save you. Jesus saves people from all church buildings. This is difficult, however, when a false gospel is being taught. This results in an entire community that is lost as a result of it. In conclusion, Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem two thousand years ago. He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the grave the third day.  Amen.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, thank You for giving me clear guidance and direction when it comes to seeing what is true and what is false. For many years of my life, I thought I knew the truth about You and how to go to heaven, but it was all for naught. Everything I had ever learned about working my way to heaven was a lie. And I give You thanks for helping me know this for a fact. You have helped me understand that the Bible is the Word of God. People can slap the name Jesus on their book, church, or a name tag, but it doesn’t mean it is for You in any way. Lord, the time that we are living in is very dark. Not only are there many corrupt churches like in Mormonism, that it can be hard to know what is true in this life. As Mormons are led astray by their false prophets, we have church leaders who are also leading their congregation astray by denying what the Bible says about sin. Lord, help us to know Your will and to also be willing to deny what is false and sinful in our lives for your sake. It is worth it. I love You, God. Amen.