Out with the Old [2006] In with the New [2007] - Happy New Years

Just a simple note to say I wish everyone a happy New Year and may all have a better year than last year. It is my hope that all people of all nations will come closer to Christ and bare witness of his greatness and atoning grace. I continue that thought with my hope that all will be blessed with health and happiness of all that read this and their families and friends. May any financial strains be eased and the burdens be lifted in your faith in Christ. May each person find it in their heart this year to be more charitable than last year.

I have a greater hope for world peace, may we put on the armor of God and come to a unity of faith. Thank everyone who has read and posted to this blog.

H a p p y N e w Y e a r s and W e l c o m e 2 0 0 7

Which Day is the Sabbath Day - Saturday or Sunday

Some denominations today believe that much of Christianity is observing the wrong day of the week as the Sabbath. They contend that Saturday is the seventh day of the week and should, according to Bible scripture, be observed as the true Sabbath [Ex 16:29-30; 20:8-11; Lev 23:1-3; Deut 5:12-15]. There are several flaws with this assertion:

1. The research of Samuel Walter Gamble, a Methodist minister, suggests that the original Hebrew calendar was not like our modern calendar. His findings published in a study called "Sunday, the True Sabbath of God" [reprinted in Kenneth E. Coombs, The True Sabbath - Saturday or Sunday], indicates that differences in the Hebrew calendar caused a one day shift in the Sabbath each year when compared to our modern calendars. He points out that the Hebrew calendar was composed of a system of fixed date Sabbaths each seventh day until the day of Pentecost [a high holy day]. At which point, a 48 hour Sabbath was celebrated. This double Sabbath effectively shifted the Sabbath one day each year when compared to our own calendar [See also Mormon Doctrine, p. 658, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:841; 440-441]
   
   
2. It appears that the Sabbath day was change by early Christians to the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of the Lord [Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, Acts 20:7; 1 Cor 16:2]. Note that the resurrection day is referred to in all Greek Testaments as "Sabbath" [sabbaton] and was translated in the King James Version as "the first day of the week" to avoid confusing the two Sabbaths. John thereafter referred to it as the Lord's day to differentiate it from the Jewish Sabbath [Rev 1:10]. Both Old and New Testament scripture foretold this change [Hos 2:11; Heb 4:7-9; 10:9] and early Christians affirmed it.
   
   Ignatius, in about 110 AD, said that Christians were "no longer keeping the Sabbath but . . . . the Lord's day on which our life also arose through him" [Letters of Ignatius, 2:9]. Barnabas [ca 75 to 130AD] declared, "this is why we spend the eight day in celebration, the day which Jesus both arose from the dead and . . . ascended into heaven" [Epistle of Barnabas, 15:8] justin Martyr [ca 140AD] also recorded that Christian services were held on Sunday "because Jesus Christ - our redeeming Savior - rose from the dead on the same day" [First Apology, pp. 65-67]
   
   If this is not enough proof that the Sabbath day was changed, we can add the testimonies of Bardaimsan [b 154AD; Irenaeus [ca 178 AD]; Clement of Alexandria [ca 194 AD]; Cyprian [200-258 AD]; Origen [201 AD] and author of the Didache [80-120 AD]. Each of these men affirmed that early Christians observed the "Lord's day" on the first day of the week rather than the Jewish Sabbath [see also LDS Bible Dictionary pp. 725, 765; LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder pp. 342-50]
   
3. The Latter-day Saints keep the Sunday Sabbath because the Lord so commanded them by direct revelation [D&C 59:9-13- Note: this revelation was given on Sunday; see also James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, pp 451-52; Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:58-63].
   
4. Paul taught that we should let no man judge us with respect to observance of Sabbath days [Col 2:16].

The above demonstrates two things relative to revelation: first, not all revelations given to the early Church were recorded in the Bible; and second, without modern revelation, men can err in interpreting scripture and God's will today.

Is the Bible Complete? - Portions are Missing Nephi Said So

In 1 Nephi 13:24-26 we have a claim by Nephi that portions of the gospel were lost.
Many scriptures mentioned in the modern Bible either no longer exist or have been altered to the point they are no longer accepted as authoritative. These include:

1. The book of the covenant - Ex 24:4, 7*
2. The book of the wars of the Lord - Num 21:14
3. The manner of the kingdom recorded by Samuel - 1 Sam 10:25*
4. The book of Jasher - Josh 10:13; 2 Sam 1:18
5. A book of statutes - 1 Sam 10:25
6. The book of the acts of Solomon - 1 Kings 11:41
7. The book of Samuel the seer - 1 Chron 29:29
8. The book of Nathan the Prophet - 1 Chron 29:29; 2 Chron 9:29
9. The book of Gad the seer - 1 Chron 29:29
10. The prophecy of Ahijah 2 Chron 9:29
11. The visions of Iddo the seer - 2 Chron 9:29; 12:15; 13:22
12. The book of Shemaiah the prophet - 2 Chron 12:15
13. The book of Jehu - 2 Cron 20:34
14. The acts of Uzziah recorded by Isaiah - 2 Chron 26:22*
15. The sayings of the seers - 2 Chron 33:19
16. An epistle of Paul to the Corinthians - 1 Cor 5:9
17. An epistle to Paul to the Ephesians- Eph 3:3
18. An epistle to Paul to the Laodiceans - Col 4:16
19. An additional epistle to Jude - Jude 1:3
20. The prophecies of Enoch - Jude 1:14

Note: Listings with the "*" may be included in other books of the Bible but are not readily identifiable.

Some have objected to the above list, saying that those writing not included in the Bible must not have been truly inspired. We might then ask, why would we exclude the books of Samuel and Gad the seers, the prophecies of Ahijah and Enoch, the visions of Iddo the seer, the book of Shemaiah the Prophet, the three missing epistles of Paul, and a missing epistle of Jude? It is hard to believe that the writings of prophets , seers, and apostles would be considered uninspired, especially when they are mentioned in the scriptures as worthy of further study.

To the above list we can add missing prophecies which include: Mathew's references to a prophecy that Christ would be a Nazarene [Matt 2:23; see LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 726], a prophecy that Elias "shall first come, and restore all things" [Matt 17:10-13], and a prophecy by Jeremiah concerning teh 30 pieces of silver [Matt 27:9]. None of these prophecies is found in our modern Old Testaments. We might also add to the above prophecies reference that do not match Old Testament scripture, such as Matthew's quote from Jesus referring to Zecharias, son of Barachias, being slain between the temple and the alter [Mat 23:35; see also Jesus the Christ, p. 567, note 9], Johns reference to a scripture about envy [James 4:5], and John's reference to wicked deeds of Balaam not specifically mentioned in the Old Testament [Rev 2:14].

Stephen E. Robinson makes an interesting point regarding the Bible "canon" which deserves mention:

The real Achilles heal of canonical exclusion . . . lies in the idea that there is one single Christian Canon or one single Christian Bible, for historically there has not been one Christian canon or one Christian Bible, but many. For example, just before 200 AD someone in the Christian Church at Rome wrote a list of books that were accepted as canonical by the Roman church at that time. A copy of this canon list was discovered in 1740 by Lodovico Muratori in the Ambrosian Library in Milan, and for this reason it is called the Muratorian Canon. According to it, the Roman church at the end of the second century did not consider Hebrews James, 1 Peter, or 1 Peter to be scripture, and they accepted only two of the letters of John, although we cannot be sure which two. They did accept as canonical, however , two works now considered to be outside the New Testament, the Apocalypse of Peter and the Wisdom of Solomon. Clearly their canon of scripture was different from that of modern Christians, but does that mean that the second and third century Roman Church was not Christian? Remember that they were the same people who were dying in the arenas for the sake of Christ. Can anyone seriously argue that they weren't Christians just because their canon was different?

The famous church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, writing about the 300AD, proposed another canon [Eusebius, History of the Church, 3.25.1-7]. He listed only twenty one books as "recognized", and listed Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation as questionable or spurious . . . Metzger summarizes, "The Eastern Church as reported by Eusebius about 325AD, was in considerable doubt concerning the authority of most of the Catholic Epistles as well as the Apocalypse" [The Canon of the New Testament, p. 209].

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus rejected the book of Revelation in the fourth century cannon list, which was ratified three centuries later in 692 by the Trullan Synod,. . .

Before the fifth century the Syrian Christian cannon included 3 Corinthians and Tatian's Diatessaron, but excluded the four Gospels, Philemon, and seven general Epistles, and the book of Revelation. Syrian Christians from the fifth century on accepted the Syriac Peshitta version of the Bible which included the four Gospels in place of the Diatessaron and excluded 3 Corinthians, but recognized only twenty two books in all as canonical: the four Gospels, the book of Acts, the fourteen letters of Paul, James, 1 Peter, and 1 John. To this day both the Syrian Orthodox church and the Chaldean Syrian church recognize only these twenty-two books, rejecting 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude and the book of Revelation. It is also interesting to note that the Greek Orthodox Church has never included the book of Revelation in its official lectionary. . . .

The Abyssinian Orthodox church has in its canon the twenty-seven books of the modern New Testament, but adds the Synodos and Qalementos [both attributed to Clement of Rome], the Book of the Covenant [which includes a post resurrection discourse of the Savior], and the Ethiopic Didascaleia. To the Old Testament the Abyssinian canon adds the book of Enoch [cited as prophetic by the canonical book of Jude] and the Ascension of Isaiah. . . .

Among Protestants, Martin Luther suggested that the new Testament books were of varying worth and divided them up into three separate ranks. In the prefaces of his early editions of the New Testament, Luther denied that the lowest rank [Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation] belonged among "the true and noblest books of the New Testament" and went so far as to call the Epistle of James "a letter of straw." He complained that Hebrews contradicted Paul by teaching justification by works; and that Jude merely copied from second Peter and from apocryphal books; and that Revelation dealt with material inappropriate for an Apostle, it didn't teach enough about Christ, and its author had too high an opinion of himself [W.G. Kummel, Concordia Theological Monthly, #37 [1966], "The Continuing Significance of Luther's Prefaces to the New Testament" pp. 573-78]. As a direct result of Luther's judgement, some subsequent Lutheran editions of the Bible separated Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation from the rest of the New Testament, and even went so far as to label them "apocryphal" and "non canonical." As Bruce Metzger points out: "Thus we have a threefold division of the New Testament: 'Gospels and Acts', 'Epistles and Holy Apostles' and 'Apocryphal New Testament' - an arrangement that persisted for nearly a century in half a dozen printings". . .

Finally, it should be understood that there is still no single Christian canon or Bible, for Protestants and Catholics disagree on whether the "Deuteroncanonical books" [what Protestants call the Apocrypha] are scripture. At the Council of Trent in 156, Roman Catholics officially adopted a canon of scripture that included the Apocrypha as fully inspired and fully the word of God. Consequently these twelve books are found in modern Catholic editions of the Bible. The collection of books includes Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Eccesiastics or Ben Siriach, Baruch, the Letter of Jeremiah, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, additions to Daniel [comprised of prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna and the Elders, and Bel and the Dragon].

These books were part of the Greek translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint which was used in Egypt as early as the second century BC. The Septuagint was also the version of the Old Testament used by the early Christian church, and so had passed into the Latin Vulgate of the Roman church, and is still the version used by the Greek Orthodox. The conciliar decree De Canonicis Scripturis, issued on April 8 1546, declared that all who did not accept these deuterocanonical books [the Apocrypha] as Christian scripture were anahema [accused]. . . .

On the other hand, most protestants broke with centuries-old tradition of accepting the Septuagint and all its contents, and preferred the version of the Old Testament which had been preserved in Hebrew by the Jews. These medieval copies of the Hebrew Old Testament did not have the Apocrypha in them as the Greek Septuagint translation did, and consequently the books of the Apocrypha are not generally accepted as scripture by Protestants. . . . in the interests of Christian unity Protestants and Catholics have "agreed to disagree" among themselves on the issue of canon [Stephen E. Robinson, Are Mormons Christians? pp.51-55; see also Hugh Nibley; Since Cumorah, pp. 32-51].

Many scholars have observed that several other books not included in the King James Bible were routinely quoted by early Christians. These include:

1. The Testament of Levi [3:1-4 quoted by the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount [Eugene Seaich, Mormonism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Nag Hammadi Texts, p. 48]
2. The Testament of the 12 Patriachs
3. The Shepard of Hermes - widely quoted in the church from the Second to Fouth Century AD [Mormonism, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Nag Hammadi Texts, p. 48]
4. 2 Baruch - considered as legitimate Christian scripture by the early church
5. 4 Ezera - considered as scripture by the early Church
6. Odes of Solomon - considered as scripture by the early Christians
7. The Assumption of Moses - quoted in Jude 1:9
8. Wisdom - quoted in 1 Clement [ca 95 AD] and Barnabas [70-132AD] and by Irenaeus [ca 190AD], [J.N.D.Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, pp 52-60]
9. Ecclesiasticus - quoted in Barnabas
10. Tobit - quoted by Polycarp [ca 136AD]
11. Didache - quoted by Polycarp [ca 136AD]
12. Hisotry of Susannah - quoted by Irenaeus
13. Bel and the Dragon - quoted by Irenaeus

Justin Martyr gave two examples of writings in the Second Century AD that had been removed from Meremiah [Dialogue with Trypho as quoted in Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1:234-35]. Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth [168-177AD], complained of falsification of the gospels and his own letters [Joseph Fielding McConkie, Sons and Daughters of God pp. 60-65].

To these we could add other Apocryphal books [such as the Maccabees, Judith ect.] quoted or listed as inspired by Tertullian [ca 200 AD], Hippolytus [ca 200 AD], Clement of Alexandria [ca 200 AD], Origen [ca 240 AD], and Cyprian [246 AD]

Modern scriptures also attest to the fact that large portions of scripture have been lost [1 Nephi 19:10-16; 2 Nephi 3; Jacob 5; 6:1; Words of Mormon 1:1-11; Alma 33:3-17; 34:7; Helaman 8:19-20; 15:11; 3 Nephi 10:16; Ether 1:1-5; 4:1-4; D&C 84:7-13; 107:56-57; Moses 6:5 and others; see also History of the Church, 1:363 and other texts to many to mention. All the foregone omissions attest to the fact that our present Bible does not contain all the words that the Lord revealed to his people in former times. We can only conclude that our modern Bible is incomplete since so many important prophecies, sacred books, and epistles now appear to be missing from our modern Bible text [see Michael T. Griffith, Signs of the True Church of Christ, pp. 86-87] and Peterson and Ricks, Offenders for a Word pp. 117-28 for additional references on the subject].

How can Latter-day Saints accept Joseph Smith as a Prophet when He Prophecied Falsely?

Critics of Joseph Smith sometimes cite Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and state that God's test for a prophet requires 100 percent accuracy in fulfillment of his prophecies or the prophet is a false prophet. D&C 84:2-5 is occasionally used as an example of what they consider to be false prophecy. It is asserted that this prophecy predicated that the New Jerusalem would be built in Joseph Smith's day. Several factors should be considered in judging this prophecy"

It should be noted that the time of the accomplishment uses the same identical words "this generation" which Jesus used in referring to his Second Coming and "the gathering of his elect" [Matt 24:27-34]. It appears that the word "generation" as used in scripture, may have no set time limit [D&C 5:8, 10; 6:9; and others]. Jesus stated, for example: "an evil and adulterous generation seekth after a sign; there shall be no sign given it" [Matt 12:39]

Similar prophets are found with words like "eternal", "forever", "ever-lasting", "hereafter", "quickly" and others. John Aylor explained: "The word forever used in the Old Testament does not necessarily mean to the end of time but to the end of a period" [John Taylor, Mediation and the Atonement]. Thus, it seems quite possible that D&C 84:2-5 and other similar scriptures are simply being misinterpreted because the Lord's perspective of time is not the same as man's [See also Matt 10:23; 12:39-42; 24:34; 26:64 {hereafter}; Re 22:6-7, 12, 20 {quickly}]

Furthermore, it is clear to Latter-day Saints that promised blessings may be revoked when man does not obey God [Jer 18:8-10 D&C 58:31-33; 130:21]. That the blessing in D&C 84:2-5 was revoked "for a little season" is made clear by the Lord in D&C 105:1-9 and 124:49. This particular promise was made contingent on obedience to the commandment "that they shall not boast themselves of these things... before the world" [D&C 84:73]. In this case, the saints did boast, and the blessing was withdrawn for a time. Some may scoff at this explanation, but God nevertheless frequently grants and revokes blessings based on obedience. The reader might note that the children of Israel were similarly denied blessings as a result of disobedience at Mount Sinai [Ex 32] and in the boarders of Canaan [Num 14]. Other promises, as well be noted shortly, were revoked for thousands of years. Many prophetic teachings and prophecies as contained in our present King James Bible are difficult to understand or appear to be conditional:

1. Passover feast to be an eternal ordinance [Ex 12:14 and circumcision and eternal covenant [Gen 17:13; Acts 15:1-11].
2. Jacob prophesied that Judah would not be without a ruler until Shiloh [the Messiah] had come. [Gen 49:10; see also Talmage, Jesus the Christ pp. 54-55]
3. Children of Israel given "a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more" [2 Sam7:10]
4. Isaiah's prophecy of Hezekiah's death [Isa 38:1-5]
5. Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Zedekiah [Jer 34:4-5; 52:10-11].
6. prophecy concerning Nineveh [Jonah 3:4, 10]
7. Jesus prophesied that "the end wold come" after the gospel was "preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" [Matt 24:14]. Paul later stated that, in that day, the "gospel . . . was preached to every creature which is under heaven" [Col 1:23; see also Mark 16:15 and Matt 28:19]. Many other prophecies of Christ seemed to confirm the nearness of fulfillment to that day but have not yet been fulfilled. [Matt 10:23; 16:28; 24:34; 26:64; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:24-27, 32; see also Heb 9:26; 1 John 2:18; JS-M 1:34-35

Were Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nathan, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah and Jesus false prophets? If we use Deuteronomy 18:20-22 as an absolute rule and believe the Bible to be inerrant, we might be led to this conclusion. It is clear that the information presented above must be considered in judging prophecies. As Paul said, "We know in part, and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" [ Cor 13:9-10]. The time element and the conditions specified must be clearly understood and we must be patient and exercise faith in the Lord's servants [D&C 21:4-5.] Most importantly, we must rely on the Spirit, not man's understanding, to guide us in all truth [John 16:13].

Duane S. Crowther and other authors have made exhaustive lists of hundreds of modern prophecies which have been fulfilled. Duane Crowther lists 141 prophecies which were made by Joseph Smith and have been fulfilled. [Prophecies of Joseph Smith; see also Kirk Holland Vestail and Arthur Wallace, The Firm Foundation of Mormonism, Chapter 21; Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth About the God Makers, Appendix C, pp. 387-98. For additional information on prophets and prophecy see Sustaining and Defending the Faith, pp. 69-71; Teachings, pp. 255 and 278; and Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:111-15. ]

What Are Some of the Errors in the Bible?

For centuries Bible scholars have written volumes documenting the errors, omissions and contradictions found in the Bible after the "plain and precious" parts were removed [1 Nephi 13:26-40]; yet today some are still unaware that errors have crept into the modern biblical texts. These errors may have been introduced inadvertently because of imperfect sight, inattentiveness and copyists, human frailties, or they may have been introduced intentionally where contradictions, variations, inconsistencies, or alleged errors were detected during copying, translation, or revision. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, there are still many "fundamentalists" today that insist that "the Bible" [presumably some unspecified Protestant version] is inerrant and infallible.

I will attempt to name some but not all of the errors in the Bible here in this article.

• Jeremiah's false prophecy concerning Zedekiah - Jer 34:4-5; 52:10-11
• The three varying accounts of Paul's vision - Acts 9:3-8; 22:6-11; 26:13-18
• Contradictions regarding marriage, women's rold, and drinking wine - [To be Avoided - Lev 10:8-9; Prov 20:1; 23:29-35; Jer 35-13-14; Hos 3:1; 4:11; Rom 14:21; Eph 5:18; 1 Tim 3:3; Titus 1:7 Allowed Gen 14:18; 27:28; Deut 14:26; Ps 104:15; Prov 9:5; 31:6; Isa 25:6; Luke 5:39; John 2:1-11; 1 Tim 3:8; 5:23
• God's need to repent - [NO: Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 110:4; Jer 4:28; Ezek 24:14; Zech 8:14 YES: Gen 6:6-7; Ex 32:14; Deut 32:36; Jud 2:18; 1 Sam 15:11, 35; 2 Sam 24:16; 1 Chron 21:15; Ps 90:13; 106:45; 135:14; Jer 18:8; 26:3, 13, 19; 42:10; Joel 2:13; Amos 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:10]

Hebrew and Greek manuscripts in our possession today contain these same errors and offer little help in explaining the above contradictions. Other errors and contradictions may be added to the above list. Following sampling of some of the more obvious problem scriptures gives an idea of the abundance of errors found in our modern King James Bibles:

1. Number of Israelites killed by a plague - Num 25:1, 9; 1 Cor 10:8
2. Sisera's death - Judges 4:21-22; 5:25-27
3. Jepthah's burnt offering - Judges 11:30-40; see Ex 20:13
4. Evil spirits from the Lord - 1 Sam 16:14-16, 23; 19:9
5. Saul's death, a suicide or murder? - 1 Sam 31:4-5; 2 Sam 1:10; 21:12
6. Number slain of David - 2 Sam 10:18; 1 Chron 19:18
7. God or Satan provoked David - 2 Sam 24:1; 1 Chron 21:1
8. Dead arose - 2 Kings 19:35; Isa 37:36
9. God creates evil - Isa 45:7
10. Lord makes us err and hardens our hearts - Isa 63:16-17
11. Differences in the genealogies of Christ - Matt 1:6-16 Luke 3:23-38
12. The Lord leads us into temptation - Matt 6:13; James 1:13
13. Mean or men with an unclean spirit - Mat 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-18; Luke 8:26-39
14. The sign of Jonas [2 or 3 nights] - Matt 12:40; 28:1; Mark 15:42; 16:1-2
15. Christ baptized followers - John 3:22; 4:2
16. Blind man or men healed at Jericho - Matt 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
17. Mother or apostles request - Matt 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45
18. Death of Judas - Matt 27:5; Acts 1:18
19. Masturbation - Matt 27:9-10; Zech 11:13
20. Crucifixion inscriptions - Matt 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19
21. Christ's last words - Luke 23:46; John 19:30
22. Angels at the tomb - Matt 28:2; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4; John 20:12
23. Mistranslations of Hebrew words: Book - [Gen 5:1; Ex 17:14; ect.] - Scroll or tablet / Brass - [Gen 4:22; Ex 25:3 ect. ] - possibly copper / Oak [Isa 1:29; Ezek 27:6; ect.] - possibly elm / Whale [Gen 1:21; Job 7:12; ect.] - large fish
24. Mistranslations of Greek words: <Virtue [Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19; 8:46] - Should be power / Parable [John 10:6 - should be allegory / Easter [Acts 12:4] - should be Passover / Charity [1 Cor 13:1-4, 8 ; ect.] - Should be Love

To there can be added errors of grammar, punctuation, and numerous misquotations of Scripture, but these flaws are admittedly more trivial. What is important is that we realize that our modern Bible translations do contain some errors and therefore cannot be read without discernment. The fact that we find most of the above contradictions and errors in all available manuscripts leads us to one of two conclusions: either the originals , as written by inspired writers, contained the same errors, or the copying errors were made in the very earliest manuscripts and continued to be propagated in subsequent copies of copies. Neither of these conclusions is acceptable to those who hold the Bible to be inerrant and infallible. When confronted with these problems, some avoid the issue, stating that these differences are compelling evidence of the historicity of the events and the lac of conclusion on the part of the writers. Although this statement is certainly true, it nevertheless fails to explain the contradictions in these various accounts and demonstrates that either the writers, scribes or translators have introduced errors at some point.

The inconsistencies and errors listed above do not shake the faith of Latter-day Saints for several reasons: first modern scriptures and Joseph Smith's inspired revision of the Bible restore many plain and precious portions of the gospel that were lost [see 1 Nephi 13:24:26]; second, we have the additional witness of modern prophets and apostles to help us; third, we have an assurance that the Holy Ghost will guide us in understanding not only the scriptures but "all truth" [John 14:26; 16:13; Moroni 10:4-5; D&C 121:26]. Many other Christians today have no such assurance because they rely solely on their interpretations of the Bible for all truth. They have also chosen to ignore all of God's word revealed in these later days and have denied the need for a restoration of God's priesthood power through with the gift of the Holy Ghost is given [4th and 5th Articles of Faith]. As Paul taught, no man knoweth the things of God except the Holy Ghost reveal it unto him [1 Cor 2:10-13. Though member of various Catholic and Protestant denominations may gain and understanding of many Gospel truths by the inspiration of the Spirit, they will not be guided to "all truth" without receipt of the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on the hands from those authorized to bestow it.

Do Bible Teachings Contradict Modern Revelation Regarding the Need for the Priesthood?

Detractors of the LDS faith incorrectly assume that every Christian is automatically a member of the priesthood. They cite 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:4-6 and Hebrews 7:21 as proof texts, asserting that all Christians are now priests and that Christ is the one and only high priest forever. Some claim there is no official priesthood in the New Testament. They ask why we would need official priests now since Christ came and shed his own blood as a sacrifice for us. They also claim that there was no further need for a temple since blood sacrifices were done away with after Calvary.

We should first note that the above cited scriptures were not written simply to the general membership of the Church, but to the elect [1 Peter 1:2, 22-23], and especially to those called as priesthood bearers [Heb 3:1; 1 Peter 2:5; Rev 1:4; JST Rev 2:1]

Christ was "Called of God as a high Priest" [Heb 5:10; 6:20] but he was not the only one [Heb5:1]. Despite Protestant claims to the contrary, there are absolutely no scriptures stating that Christ was the last high priest. He was also a priest [Heb 7:15-17], a bishop [1 Peter 2:25], an apostle [Heb 3:1], and a prophet [Matt 21:11; John 4:19, 6:14; 7:40] - positions also held by other men. Paul wrote to the Hebrew saints after the Ascension of Christ into heaven: "the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity" [Heb 7:28]. "For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices [not blood sacrifices]" [Heb 8:3]. John the Apostle also testified that Jesus Christ "hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father [Rev 1:6]

While there are few New Testament references to priests other than Jesus Christ and converted Levite priests [Acts 6:7], we should not assume that this office was abolished. The early church has priests along with bishops and deacons. Origen [ca 240AD] spoke of the church hierarchy in the 2nd century, describing the priest's office as being between that of the deacon and bishop [Jean Danielou, Origen, p 44-45, 49-50]. Eusebius [ca 300AD] clearly distinguished between those holding the priesthood [i.e. bishops, presbyters, or elders, deacons etc] and the lay members both men and women [Eusebius, History of the Church, 6:19, 23, 43, 7:30; 10:3, 4]

Eugene Seaich observers that "documents from the early Church show that the Aaronic Priesthood did not immediately disappear from Christianity. 1 Clement [ca 96AD] divides the priesthood into High Priests, Priests, and Levites. The latter was also called "Deacons" and, according to Jusin's First Apology [ca 150AD], were responsible for passing the bread and wine to those attending service" [Ancient Texts and Mormonism, p. 59]. Though the title of "priest" was rarely used in the New Testament, so also were simular priesthood titles such as pastor [Eph 4:11], evangelist [Acts 21:8, Eph 4:11, 2 Tim 4:5], presbytery [1 Tim 4:14], and seventy [Luke 10:1, 7]

Perhaps this question is raised because those protestants who admit there was an official priesthood have a problem. They have no claim to authority by succession, since the Catholic Church long ago cut them off. On the other hand, if protestants can claim that the priesthood is legitimately inherent in Christianity, then this justifies their claim to authority. However, if the Protestant line of reasoning is correct, then anyone can start a new church and claim the authority. Unfortunately, this is exactly what has happened today as confusion reigns among the hundreds of Christian churches. This cannot be God's way, for his is a house of order, not of confusion [D&C 132:8].

There was definitely an official, unchangeable [Heb 7:24] and everlasting [Ex 40:15; Num 25:13] priesthood in the early church which was given to those called and ordained [John 15:16, Acts 1:22, 14:23; 15:22-23, 32; Eph 2:20; 4:11-12; 1 Tim 2:7, 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:5]by the laying on of hands [Acts 6:1-6; 13:1-3]. These priesthood holders referred to as elders [Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4; 20:17 etc.] bishops [1 Tim 3:1, 2; Titus 1:7; Peter 2:25], deacons [Phil 1:11; Tim 3:8, 10, 12, 13], the presbytery [1 Tim 4:14], and other titles, accomplished healings [James 5:14-15] and other miracles [Mark 16:17-18] and led the Church [Acts 15:2-6].

In conclusion, one cannot claim priesthood authority out of thin air and without the laying on of hands by someone of authority. The doctrine of "priesthood of all believers" cannot be of God and definitely is not Biblically supportable based on their standard proof texts when applied to the rest of the scriptural support concerning the subject.

Christmas - Somthing We Can All Agree On!

As I spend time with my family this Christmas morning I am thinking of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and the wonderful gift he has given us. Coming to Earth and dying for our sins so that we all have the opportunity to accept his gift of salvation. His Virgin Birth a miracle by a pure vessel Mary who was foretold by angles and prophecy. The day of his birth marked by a bright star in the sky that drew the three wise men to a manager in which the Baby Jesus lay. This scene is so often overlooked as the ultimate King of Kings, Lord of Lords lay in the most humble of birth places a manger in which the average person would fail to recognize the significance of event at hand.

This day, Christmas, even though not the actual day of Jesus Christ's birth but celebrated as such where mankind can be humble and charitable toward his fellow man. My hope for this day that we can take Jesus Christ's humble beginning and follow the pattern He has shown us to create peace and harmony and charity for at minimum the next 24 hours. We should remember our Christ and savior daily and remember the birth is the start of a greater journey to save us all.

I wish all who read this a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2007 bring you peace and harmony.

Wer62