As miraculous as the Bible is it is also a challenge. The simple truth is that is is not possible for us to the read the words of the prophets as they came straight form their mouths. The writings of the Bible are the result of millennia of translations by imperfect human beings, and while certainly the power of God has been in the preserving of this record, even the most faithful Bible scholars recognize the limitations of translation and admit that there are likely errors in translation.
The great reformers like Tyndale and Luther were all too familiar with the challenges of translation and addressed what were believed to be errors in the text from both deliberate corruption within the church and innocent human error. Since the first days of translating the Bible from the Latin and Greek -- which themselves are not the native languages of the Bible prophets -- there have been over 100 complete translations of the Bible and approximately 50 incomplete translations of the Bible. The choices that translators make in word choice, sentence structure, syntax, and error corrections all contribute to how doctrines of the scriptures will be interpreted and understood. But this is not all, translators bring with them their own religious ideas and traditions which have significantly impacted the translations of the Bibles we use today. When you consider these realities and the undeniable confusion that persists in the Christian world as different churches provide different Biblical interpretation, it is easy to see why greater clarity is needed.
Joseph Smith was an honest boy of faith who was born at the dawn of America's Second Great Awakening and the religious excitement of his time, and his inquisitive nature, led him to ask difficult questions about why there were so many Christian churches teaching the "same" gospel is so many different ways. Joseph Smith observed:
"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people... For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling... when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another... a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions." (Joseph Smith History)
"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people... For, notwithstanding the great love which the converts to these different faiths expressed at the time of their conversion, and the great zeal manifested by the respective clergy, who were active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling... when the converts began to file off, some to one party and some to another... a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions." (Joseph Smith History)
Joseph was a 14 year old boy when he began to grapple with the confusion that different interpretations of the Bible caused among the Christians of his day. He was a faithful boy whose family were faithful followers of Christ and read the Bible regularly in their home. He had many questions that he did not have clarity on, and while many of those he could set aside, the primary concern he had was that the different Christian sects fought over simple fundamental portions of the gospel such as the nature of God, repentance, baptism, and what one must do to be saved. The Book of Mormon he would later translate through the gift and power of God recorded a vision of an ancient prophet who saw our day. The prophet Nephi saw the difficuties that would arise in the Christian world because some of the "plain and precious truths" would be lost from the Bible text. Nephi saw that "because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God... an exceedingly great many do stumble" (1 Nephi 13:26-29, 34, 40) This state of confusion in the Christian church is referred to by Latter-day Saints as "The Great Apostasy," which was foretold by Paul when he said that Christ would not come again until there was a "falling away first." Joseph records:
"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?" (Joseph Smith History)
It was with these questions and feelings that Joseph was touched when he read these words from James chapter 1 verse 5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." He recorded that: "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know; for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible." (Joseph Smith History)
Joseph needed clarity but he wasn't alone in this, it was evident that the entire Christian world needed clarity. It was evident that the Bible was inadequate to give this clarity to the Christian world. What Joseph did to receive clarity was not extraordinary, many Christians over the centuries had prayed for their own clarity, but Joseph entered a grove of trees as an innocent boy with an innocent and pure faith to ask God which church to join and the answer he received was anything but ordinary. In time the Lord would make his mission clear, he was to be a prophet and that through him the Lord was to bring forth a "marvelous work and a wonder." The work he would do would bring clarity and shed light upon those plain and precious points of the gospel of Jesus Christ which so far the Christian world had been unable to work out by means of study, debate, or counsel. Through the power of God alone Joseph Smith became an instrument through which the Lord Jesus Christ would bring to the world an ancient record of scripture preserved untouched for nearly 1,500 years. The sole purpose of this record was to provide "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" and to restore plain and precious truths that had been lost in translation. After the work of translation was complete the Lord would continue this work by restoring His church and the power of his priesthood to the earth.
This day of restitution was prophesied of in the Old and New Testaments and even the coming forth of the Book of Mormon was testified of by old Testament prophets. When you read and study the text of the Bible with the companionship of the Book of Mormon these prophesies are made more plain, for this reason this is my first "truth clarified" by the Book of Mormon in this section of my Book of Mormon study. Let's look at a few of these Bible scriptures that prophesy of the Book of Mormon and subsequent restoration in the "fullness of times."
The prophesies of Isaiah, which are hard to understand and often neglected because of the mystery of his language are used by ancient prophets in the Book of Mormon to teach important truths about the "last days" when Christ would set his hand again the second time to restore his gospel.
Isaiah 29:13-14 "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid."
2 Nephi 25:17 "And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men."
Ezekiel is another Old Testament prophet who prophesied of Christ's first and second comings but many of his prophesies are incomprehensible until you see them in the light that the Book of Mormon sheds.
Ezekiel 37:15-17 "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
Because of the Book of Mormon we understand that these sticks represent two records, one that would come from Judah, the Bible, and one that would come from Ephraim, the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of Israelites from the lineage of Joseph who come out of Jerusalem before it's destruction. Ezekiel saw that these two records would join together to create one complete gospel. The Book of Mormon does not destroy the first stick it becomes one with it.
Peter also prophesied that Christ would not come again until the "times of the restitution" of all things and taught that this restitution, or restoration, had been prophesied of by all the holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21) These scriptures are bridges between the Bible and the Book of Mormon and prophesy of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the last days before his second coming, but they are not alone, I share them particularly because they are the easiest to understand without greater scholarship in both the Bible, Book of Mormon, and doctrines of Christ.
I believe that the ancient prophets looked forward to our times and placed their hopes in this restitution of all things. The unity that Ezekiel prophesied of when these two records would come together as one was the unity of faith Joseph Smith sought when he entered the grove of trees to ask God which church to join. Sadly, much of the world would not receive this restitution, as the world did not receive the Savior the first time he came; but as in times of old if the faithful will "come and see" they can know for themselves that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that Joseph Smith was a prophet and this knowledge will provide beautiful clarity to the gospel of Jesus Christ taught in the Bible and beloved by Christians throughout the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment