In the Old Testament of the Bible, one would not find a single mention of the words "Church" or "Christian." This is because the church was not formed yet. During the times of the Old Covenant, the laws of Moses prevailed, where God's Tabernacle was on earth instead. However, if you were to look at the same time frames in the Book of Mormon, these words are present. It doesn’t just exist in one chapter but many. Today we will look at Alma, chapter 46, where it makes mention of both “Church” and “Christian”. This took place in 73 B.C, according to this chapter. The verses read, “for thus were all the true believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did not belong to the church. And those who did belong to the church were faithful; yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.” (Alma 46:14,15) Can anybody spot the issue in these verses? The time frame is in the Old Covenant, so what happened here does not fit the timeline of the Bible.
The first mention of the word “Church” comes from Jesus. He mentioned that Peter would help lead it and that his church would never fail. It is written, “and I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Jesus used his disciples to help usher in His church on earth. This happened on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was ushered in. These believers came “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47) Notice how they were added to Christ’s church. Speaking of these people, they were also called “Christians”. “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26) The church was formed, and people were called Christians after Jesus’s ascension into heaven.
People began to be called Christians starting in Acts, chapter 11. The gospel was preached to the Gentiles, and those who followed Jesus were called His disciples. A nickname given to the followers of Jesus is "Christians". This is the reason why we have Christianity in the world today. It is because it is made up of Christians and unbelievers. Those who are for Jesus and those who are against. This formation of Christ’s church happened on the day of Pentecost, or A.D. 33. What we see in the Book of Mormon doesn’t make sense. Things should have been very similar to the times in the Old Testament, but it isn’t. We see Christ's church being formed before His birth. People were also being baptized as members of it. This should be cause for concern if you understand the timeline of the Bible. The Book of Mormon claims to have Christ’s church formed in 73 B.C. This is not possible. As I’ve mentioned above, this contradiction leads readers to believe that the Book of Mormon is false. Don’t read or trust it. Joseph Smith has already led millions of people astray through this book. Amen.
Let us pray: Oh Lord, I pray that LDS people will wake up to the false teachings in their Book of Mormon. These people are so lost and don’t even realize it. I want to reach them for Your cause, Jesus, but I am afraid that a lot of things I do will fall upon deaf ears. These people’s hearts, minds, and ears are closed off to what Christians have to say. Only what is found in their cult do they acknowledge as truth. It is sad, God, that they reject messages that come from the Bible. The Book of Mormon teaches many false doctrines. One being, that Your church was set apart in the times of the laws of Moses or the old covenant times. The same goes with the word “Christians”, being a part of their book also at that timeframe. Lord, how is it that people in Mormonism cannot see the issues here? I know for a fact that Your church began on the day of Pentecost. You poured out the Holy Spirit upon the earth and many people were saved that day. People gave their lives to You and were added to Your church. Lord, thank You for making Your teachings so clear. Only You could open my eyes to see the truth and set me free. I love You, Jesus. Amen.
