Discovering the Multiple Identities of the Jesuses in the Book of Mormon
View PDF Tract / The Older The Bolder – Marshall Almarode
Testimonies of the Book of Mormon
To be a “good” Mormon, one must have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Most Mormons have developed a testimony based on feelings rather than on facts. Mormons are encouraged to follow their feelings rather than look at the facts. This brochure will review the facts concerning what the Book of Mormon says about two basic fundamental issues:
Question 1. Is the Book of Mormon the source of God’s truth?
Question 2. Who is the Christ in the Book of Mormon?
- Is the Book of Mormon the source of God’s truth?
Joseph himself stated, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 461, Nov. 28, 1841).
According to Joseph Smith, the translation was authenticated by the Lord’s voice in June of 1829: “We heard a voice from out of the bright light above us saying, … These plates have been revealed by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct” (History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 55).
The problem with this is that God doesn’t make mistakes and he doesn’t translate mistakes. His work does not contain errors. Here is what the Book of Mormon says about its own errors:
“Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been. And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof” (Mormon 9:31-34).
Rather than writing according to God’s knowledge, many of the Book of Mormon prophets claim they wrote according to their own knowledge. This is the work of man, not the work of God, and therefore not a reliable source of God’s truth.
- Who is the Christ of the Book of Mormon?
The original version of the Book of Mormon contained three different Jesus the Christs.
- Jesus Christ the Very Eternal Father
- Jesus Christ the Son of the Father
- Jesus Christ the Grandson
You say, “No way!” Here are the page numbers in the 1830 first printing of the Book of Mormon and the modern verses teaching that Jesus is the Very Eternal Father. The first four verses that originally stated that Jesus is God the Eternal Father were changed by Joseph Smith in the second edition in 1837. The first two are on page 25. First Paragraph, “Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh.” The 1837 (page 27) and newer versions say, “Behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of the son of God, after the manner of the flesh” (I Nephi 11:17). The second one on page 25 states, “Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Eternal Father!” Again, Joseph Smith changed this verse in 1837 (p. 28) and modern editions agree, “Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!” (I Nephi 11:21). The third change is on page 26 of the 1830 original and page 29 of the 1837. The last change was on page 32 of the 1830 first edition and on page 35 of the 1837. In all four verses the Printer Manuscript matches the first edition. (The Printer Manuscript pages are 16, 17, & 22.)
The following are some original verses that still teach that Jesus is the Eternal Father:
First Edition, page 107 & II Nephi 26:12, page 171 & Mosiah 7:27, page 185 & Mosiah 13:34, page 186 & Mosiah 15:1-5, page 189 & Mosiah 16:15.
Jesus the Grandson
Alma 5:48 – “The Son of the only begotten of the father” (1830, p. 236); Alma 13:9 – “After the order of the son of the only begotten of the father” (1830 p. 259). Mormon Leaders have taught that it was Jesus (the son of the Eternal Father) who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Bruce R. McKonkie states in his book “Mormon Doctrine,” page 35, under the topic “Angel,” “It was not an angel in the usual sense of the word but the Lord Jesus who appeared to Moses in the bush.” Thus, Mormon scriptures still contain at least six more references to “Jesus the grandson.”
Moses 1:6 (Jesus the Son speaking) – “And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior.”
Moses 1:17 (Jesus the Son speaking) – “And he also gave me commandments when he called unto me out of the burning bush, saying: Call upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.”
Moses 1:33 (Jesus the Son speaking) – “And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.”
D&C 29:42 (Jesus the Son speaking) – “But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.” (Cross reference verses 1, 27, 29, & 46.)
D&C 29:46 (Jesus the Son speaking) – “But behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten.”
Joseph Smith even added a verse like these in his Inspired Version of the King James Bible. Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 3:1:
“AND I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying, That Satan whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning.”
There is no manuscript of the Bible in existence that contains any of the changes that Joseph Smith claimed that he translated into the Inspired Version of the Bible. This is one of the many examples where Joseph added his own mistakes into the Bible without any basis of truth from any manuscript.
Inspired from the True God?
There is a consistent teaching in the original edition of the Book of Mormon, the D&C, the Pearl of Great Price and Joseph Smith’s Inspired Bible of redemption through faith on the name of Jesus’s only begotten son – the grandson. If the Book of Mormon was given through true prophets by the inspiration of God the Father, it would be a perfect record when it was first written down the first time. The manuscript would be without error because it was translated by “the gift and power of God.” When we compare the first edition of the Book of Mormon with the modern editions, we discover that the modern editions have been changed and no longer match the Printer Manuscript. If the Book of Mormon was given by “the gift and power of God,” then there would be no reason to change any verses. Joseph Smith was responsible for the first four editions of the book of Mormon and all the changes (1830, 1837, 1840, 1842).
False Teachings
As we have seen, when it comes to defining who Jesus is, the Book of Mormon is in error. Foundational errors like these can not be ignored. Anyone who claims to have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is equally in error. They have ignored the facts and their false testimonies lead people astray. The Bible is the only book that still holds the truth about the real Jesus.