Book of Mormon Predictions

Heart of the Matter Broadcast

“LIVE FROM THE MECCA OF MORMONISM”

• SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH –

This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity, face to face. Show 35 BOM 57 Peeling the Onion K August 28th, 2012.

And I’m Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host. We praise the True and Living God for allowing us to participate in this ministry. May He be with you (and us) tonight.

Ministry Engagement

Want to learn the Word of God? Join us SUNDAYS at the University of Utah either at 10 am or 2:30 as we go through the Word verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty.. Go to www.c-a-m-p-u-s.com for more information. In between these gatherings, tune in to AM 820 as they replay Heart of the Matter every Sunday from 1 to 2. AM 820 – the Truth, is a great Christian radio here in Utah.

You know, there are a LOT of ways you all keep the ministry going. We often recognize those who so generously support us and those who pray for us (which is just vital) and those who volunteer, but I want to personally thank ALL of you who send us information from the world of Mormonism, Religion, and Christianity. Your time and efforts are a great part of this ministry. Thank you, thank you.

Transitions Training and Upcoming Series

You all know we support the “Transitions training” program here at Alathea. Two things about it:

First, there will be a FREE LDS in Transition Leaders Training Seminar on Saturday, September 8, 9-noon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church 8575 South 700 East Sandy, UT 84070.

"Something special is coming soon in the programming that follows my show. You have heard me mention Transitions, a resource for those coming out of Mormonism that is being used by churches along the Wasatch Front. Starting Tuesday, Sep. 4, immediately following this program there will be a four-part series on Transitions. So stay where you are after our program and look forward to Transitions."

Speaking Engagements and Events

Speaking this Wednesday night in Southern California if anyone is interested. On Wednesday night, 7 pm I will be speaking at New Life Presbyterian 615 West Citracadle Escondido, CA 92025.

Okay, this coming Saturday join us at MURRAY PARK for our 7th Annual Burning Heart Celebration. What’s happening? Stuff for kids – bounce houses, dunk tanks, booths and snocones. Stuff for adults – Book and CD booths, t-shirts, Subways boxed lunches, fellowship with believers from all over the state. We’re going to have entertainment by Chris Cooper, Paul Wright, and the McCraney sisters.

Then we’re going to calm everything down and hold a state-wide communion service in honor and memory of our Lord. I think this will be the first ever, multi-church, never-denominational communion service ever held in the State of Utah – so come and be a part. Then afterward we’ll move out for our annual open water baptisms for any and all who want to publicly profess their inward commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s this Saturday, September 1st 3 pm to dusk. Murray Park Amphitheater located at 495 East 5300 South in Murray Utah. Oh yeah, and the first 500 cars through the gates will, yes, it is hard to believe, will be given their very own “Joseph’s Myth bumpier stickeir” (voted favorite bumper sticker of 2012 by paint and auto body shops statewide)! We will also be offering the newly released Joseph’s Myth t-shirts too.

I have been making some errors of late and I want to apologize for them. A few weeks ago I named Al Dager as a proponent of the Dominionist movement. Nothing could be further from the truth as Al Dager has fought against Dominionism with heart and soul, even to the point of writing two books on the subject and a number of excellent newsletters covering the topic. I called Al and apologized explaining that in my research I must have taken his name as being anti-dominionist and inadvertently lumped him in with all those who are stupidly pro. He was gracious and kind in receiving my heart-felt apologies. Keep going, brother.

We’ll if you are tuning in tonight to watch an interview with Tom Scott, a one-time Christian who is now a Mormon, you can change the channel. Right after we went off air last week I received a call from Mr. Scott’s booking agent who cancelled the appearance. She said that in between the time she accepted the invite and the end of the show the Scotts were able to look into the program and do not believe the format would enhance their goals. We’ll I…

Invitations Declined

I have to admit, they would be right about that. Because I would have tenaciously (but kindly) pushed to prove – prove!

• That EITHER Mr. Scott does NOT know nor understand biblical Christianity AND/OR he is wholly ignorant of Mormon doctrine.

Unfortunately, author Tom Scott saved face and backed out completely from being our guest. We have had a standing invitation for ANY official representative of the LDS church to be a guest on this program. No go. We have not only extended an invitation to Scott Gordon of FAIRS to be on the show but have offered to give him a full hour on the set alone to explain what Christianity has failed to understand about Mormonism, to clear up all the misconceptions he says float around. Not willing! We’ve invited BYU professor “Bob Millet” numerous times… not willing! And now we extended an invitation to the author of this, this, this… whatever it is, book, Tom Scott, and he too has refused.

But notice… they are more than willing to be interviewed by people who are NOT representatives of biblical Christianity, but who are instead talk show hosts, news reporters, secular humanists, or cowardly Christian sell-outs who have sold their born-again birthrights out to promote the Mormon machine. Lord help us.

John 14: The Way, Truth, and Life

How about a Moment From the Word? Tonight we come to John 14. Jesus has been telling His disciples that He was going to go away and prepare a place for them in the many mansions available in His Father’s house. This caused Thomas to say (in verse 5):

“we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”

This statement, seemingly delivered with some anxiety and earnestness, set Jesus up to say one of the single most important lines in all of Scripture. For the Lord replied:

6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Over the course of time since the Lord stated these simple words, men and women have taken them and renounced and rejected them, misinterpreted them, altered them, added to them, and even put themselves in the mix. But again, Jesus said:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The LDS/Christian Debate

In the LDS/Christian debate, how these words are received is telling. Christians take what Jesus said at total and complete face value. There is no thing added to what He said, nothing taken away. Any Bible believing Christian openly and happily admits that Jesus… is

The ONLY way…
The ONLY truth…
The Only life…

And that nobody who has ever lived or who will ever live can or will go to the Father unless it is “BY Him.”

Naturally, the LDS, by way of Joseph Smith (and a certain amount of tweaking by their supposed LDS apostles and prophets along the way), Jesus makes “the way” possible, is “the truth” as long as His Words are translated correctly, and provides “resurrected life” to all but not “eternal life” – this must be earned. How we long for the day when the LDS will read passages like John 14:6 and embrace it fully without ANY hesitation, qualifier, or exception. When they do, then we could consider Mormonism Christian.

Run “From the Word” here

The LDS and FLDS Divide

I read a dialogue a good friend (Stevewa) was having with a member of the LDS church. He asked:

“Are the FLDS – you know all the Warren Jeffs groups and others down in Southern Utah – Mormon?”

The Mormon responded and emphatically replied,

“Not at all. We have nothing to do with them. They are not Mormon in any way.”

This is the stance the LDS Church takes from the top to the bottom. Then Stevewa made a really good point, saying:

“Between the FLDS and Salt Lake City Mormons there are very, very few things you all differ on – maybe five or six. But you say, “they are NOT Mormon and have nothing to do with us.”

“But then at the same time, when we compare Mormonism with biblical Christianity, there are hundreds and hundreds of differences between them, yet you claim to be Christian! How does that work?”

Excellent point, Wah. I mean, what would the Mormon church do to someone who opened a church and called itself, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?” They’d shut

Mormonism and Christianity

it down with lawsuits before the paint dried on the sign.

If you think about it, this is really no different than homosexuals wanting the right to be married.

Marriage has always been defined as being between people of the opposite sex, but the homosexual community wants to be part of the marrying community – and the Mormon’s fought hard to say this is not gonna happen. It’s not right. And they base whether its right or not on what the Bible says.

But Mormonism wants to be part of the Christian community now, and there are all sorts of ways Mormonism opposes what the Bible says – and yet we are allowing them to have their way. What an interesting, and terrifying time we are living in. May those who are truly His keep their feet on their Rock and their eyes in His Word.

And with that, let’s have a word of prayer.

Book of Mormon Interpretations

Of late we’ve been covering BOM “glitches” located right in the text and a few weeks ago I made an error (so hence I present you with apology #2 of the night): Rich Samuelson wrote me thus: (read letter)

So we left off last week in our analysis of the Book of Mormon with Father Lehi “seeing in vision” the future of his family tree. “Yea,” Lehi saw that some would remain ever so white and delightsome but others (from those nasty Laman and Lemuel brothers) would become nasty race and culture of “dark, loathsome, filthy, idle, and abominable people,” (or as most Mormons my age and older were taught were the forefathers of the American Indians.)

So let’s continue through the pages and chapters of the first book in the BOM (first Nephi) and just pick out those verses that smack of something not so heavenly.

As the visions of Lehi and Nephi continue in the Book of Mormon Nephi sees what he calls the "great and abominable church" and its founder, the devil. (1st Nephi 13:6) Now, when I was a member these passages always referred to the Catholic Church and Mormon leaders made no bones about it. But today, they say the “great and abominable” church is represented by ANY church that is not the true church, or that is not Mormon. So, a great thing to do when the Mormon missionaries are humbly teaching you about how open and loving Mormonism is to every faith is to turn to 1st Nephi 13:6, read the passage, and then ask them to what the term “great and abominable church” refers.

Historical Context in the Book of Mormon

Now what is happening here in Joseph’s text is he is tapping into all sorts of discussions and facts known in his day, but he includes them here as if they were being prophetically revealed 600 before Christ. This would be like me producing a book that I said was written in 1500 AD and discussing, “yea, a great and wonderous park of amusments, laying yea, in the shadow of Mt. Matterhorn, yea, and it will be filled with giant and yea colorful creatures, even the rat, the duck, the doggerel and yea, the goofious.”

Along this line of deception, the angel shows Nephi the fact that an ocean (the "many waters") divides the old and new worlds. (1st Nephi 13:10) And that a man (Christopher Columbus) will cross the "many waters" (1st Nephi 13:12) And that "other Gentiles" (meaning the Pilgrims) would come to the New World (1st Nephi 13:13) What a marvelous book!

I mean, I remember sitting in classes as a Mormon and teachers literally saying, “Did you know that the Book of Mormon foretold of Christopher Colombus, and the Pilgrims, and where the American Indians came from . . . hundreds of years before any of it ever happened!”

But Joseph didn’t stop there. In 1st Nephi 13:17 it predicts the Revolutionary War – and tells how God helped the colonists win the thing! The angel shows Nephi a book that "procedeth out of the mouth of a Jew" (the Bible) and says that the good American people liked the book a lot. (1st Nephi 13:20-24). And then it goes on to say the Gentiles that came to America had essentially two choices – to embrace the Great and Abominable Church (and head to hell) or the true church (which Mormonism says, “is them!”) and be saved. (1st Nephi 14:1-3)

The angel showed Nephi the Mormon church (or “the church of

Nephi and the Book of Mormon

the Lamb of God”) but that darn whore church that sat on many waters kept a lot of people from becoming part of it. 1st Nephi 14:12

Essentially at this point, the Book of Mormon is setting up the need for both a restored church AND a new book of scripture. The angel told Nephi to look over there. You see that guy in the white robe? That's the apostle John who will write the Book of RevelationA symbolic prophecy fulfilled in 70 A.D.—not a prediction of future global events. about 700 years from now. (Which doesn't make a lot of sense since the apostle John didn't write Revelation, but oh well.) 14:18-22, 27

Then we come to a whole bunch of references to John the Beloved writing the Book of Revelation (even though Jesus wrote it) and then Nephi goes back to the Vision of the Tree of Life (that we were introduced to last week). Well, it's back again to help Joseph move his plot along. And bottom line, it all winds up being: Nephi and Sam good who do a lot of inquiring of the Lord and Laman and Lemuel bad, who do not do much inquiring of the Lord. This is the basis for chapter 15. And it can be summarized in terms of clean and filthy – Nephi (audience: CLEAN!) Laman (filthy). Nephi (clean) Laman (filthy)

“Clean goes to heaven, filthy to hell,” 1st Nephi 15.

The Magic of the Liahona

After going back to Jerusalem for women folk Nephi, his brothers, and Laban's servant all got married to Ishmael's daughters (who all remain nameless). It is here in 1st Nephi chapter 16 that the magic brass ball known as the Liahona shows up on the ground outside of father Lehi’s tent. (The Liahona is nothing but a product of an imaginative folk-magic practicing Joseph incorporating into his religious narrative.)

So with the magic ball in hand, the group “gathered up seeds of every kind,” crossed the River Laman, and took off in whatever direction God's brass ball pointed. After traveling for four days in a SSE direction, they set up camp at a place they called Shazer. (1st Nephi 16:11-13) (Good old Nephi, took the time to carve names of nearly every place they traveled by didn’t take the time and energy to carve his own wife’s name for us!) 1st Nephi 16 provides the reader with the story of the broken bow.

The Story of the Broken Bow

To summarize the story, Nephi breaks his bow and nobody seems to be able to hunt except Nephi so everyone is hungry and everyone fails and falls into murmuring – everyone – Father Lehi too! The only one who remains true is the hero Nephi. (Nephi was so good it is believed by some that he made it all the way through teenage-dom without ever flogging the dolphin! That is how good Nephi was) Anyway, God tells Nephi to go to the magic ball and there would be a message on it telling him where to hunt. He followed orders and was able to save the day. Later when Father Lehi looked upon the magic ball there was a warning that frightened the living hell out of the man. But the family ate wild beasts, and continued to travel, amidst normal traveling difficulties (like Nephi’s brothers wanting to kill him several times).

Chapter 17 brings on some serious traveling for the group where they “waded through much affliction and their nameless women bore them children in the wilderness. According to the text God fed them raw meat, which apparently gave their women “plenty of suck,” and the children grew up in these eight years super strong, or as the BOM says, “strong as men.” (1st Nephi 17:2-4) (Them’s some mighty strong babies!) Like the Children of Israel, God was a “light” to the party as they traveled in the wilderness (1st Nephi 17:13)

After arriving in a place called Bountiful (because of its much fruit and also wild honey) they saw the sea which they called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, means, “a really good place to surf.” – Just kidding. According to 1st Nephi 17:5 the word means, “many waters”) and it was here, after “the space of many days” that Nephi is commanded to build a ship.

So God told Nephi where to find “ore” to make tools so he could make the ship, and Nephi made bellows of animal skins to heat the stuff ore up. Nephi, I’m sure so that the reader would understand that he didn’t use a bic lighter to get his fires started, actually says: “and I did smite two stones together that I may make fire.” (1st Nephi 17:11) Thanks Joseph.

Nephi's Journey and Challenges

Really useful. Inspiring. Amazing. Anyway, the ship building was underway. Now, things really start getting imaginative at this point. I think Joseph is beginning to get his rhythm at this point because Nephi, his literary counterpart, starts to really kick some serious old-evil-brother butt. See, once Neeph gets the ship going, his brothers started in on the “mocking and a-murmurin.” This launches the “no Bishop I promise, never” character Nephi into new realms of religious piety.

Conflict With Nephi's Brothers

At one point Nephi delivers a scathing thousand word diatribe of righteous indignation against the evil brothers. (1st Nephi 17:19-47). In verse 41 Nephi reminds the brothers of the fiery serpent story from Exodus and in verse 45 he reminds them that angels along their trip had gotten so fed up with their obstinance that their voice shook the very earth upon which they stood! But the speech didn’t work. And the evil brothers, like the men on the boat with Jonah, tried to throw him into the sea. But here the power of Nephi came forth, because he was so filled with righteous indignation that he told his evil brothers if they even touched him they would whither like a dried reed (1st Nephi 17:48). This so frightened the brothers they “durst not touch Nephi for the space of many days.”

1st Nephi 17:53

“And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me; Stretch forth thine hand again to thy brethren, and they shall not whither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this I will do that they may know that I am the Lord their God.” So Nephi does it and shakes the hell out of those rambling rascals. And that seems to have done the trick. It was so convincing that the brothers tried to worship Nephi, to which Nephi said, “Ah, flip, you ol dogs! I’m just Nee-nee, you lil bradda. Don cha all go worshippin me!” And chapter 17 ends.

Building the Ship

In chapter 18, where we’ll end tonight, Nephi explains how he constructed the ship. Now some LDS call passages like this chiasmus, but I call it redundant rhetoric intended to fill pages with uninspired nonsense. So here is Nephi explaining the method used to build the ship: “Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown me, wherefore it was not after the manner of men.” 1st Nephi 18:2 Did you build the ship after the manner of men or not after the manner of men because the ship would have to be after the manner of men because you are a man after the manner of men.”

1st Nephi 18:4

It two verses the ship was built and according to the BOM it was “exceedingly fine.” Verses 5-6 tells us they gathered up their stuff and boarded the craft and by verse 8 they are headed toward driven by the wind. But the high seas was no walk in the park and "after a space of many days" Nephi's brothers, Ishmael's sons, and all their wives began to merrily dance, sing, and speak with exceeding rudeness.” 1st Nephi 18:9 Nephi, fearing that God would not like the merriment, once again took it upon himself to speak with his brethren with much soberness. When is Nephi going to learn? Naturally they all resented and rejected the words of Nephi. In fact, Laman and Lemuel tied him up . . . again (See 1 Nephi 7:16). 18:11 And the magic compass stopped functioning. (1st Nephi 18:12) and they didn't know which way to steer. Then a great and terrible tempest came up for the space of three days. Everyone was exceedingly frightened. But still, Nephi remained bound. (1st Nephi 18:13).

1st Nephi 18:15

Nephi’s now aged parents were broken-hearted by the scene, and his unnamed wife and unnamed children prayed and cried that their heroic dad be untied. Then, just when they were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea, the brothers untied Nephi, whose informs us that his “wrists and ankles had swollen exceedingly and great was the soreness thereof.” (1st Nephi 18:15) (my how the holy Nephi suffered) But Nephi never complained. The magic compass magically started working again and there was a great calm. 18:21 And after the space of many days,

Arrival in the Promised Land

They arrived in the promised land. (And they did call it the promised land.)
1st Nephi 18:23

And they began to plant the seeds that they brought with them from Jerusalem.
1st Nephi 18:24

(I wonder if any botanists have ever compared the plants in Jerusalem with those of America?) Also, Nephi said that they found “when they arrived in the New World in 590 BCE they found “cows, horses, oxen, and asses.” (I supposed Joseph didn’t realized that none of these domesticated animals existed in North America before the Europeans brought them over 2000 years later.)
18:25a

Finally, 1st Nephi 18:25 says they also discovered plenty of gold, silver, and copper. We’ll pick it up from here next week.

Ministry Support

Our ability to continue on in ministry is directly related to you and your support. We are not requesting financial support from widows or widowers or elderly people who are on limited budgets. We are simply asking those who are in the financial position to prayerfully consider the following – that’s all. Have a look.

For those of you who wonder about things like this, let me make a comparison for you. It would take our ministry 80 years of annual income to bring in what the LDS church takes in every 24 hours.

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Conclusion

Saturday, September 1st 3PM to 9PM

Bounce houses Face painting Boxed lunches from Subway (at a very good price) Lots of products Entertainment from State wide communion – with the elements distributed by the pastors in attendance. And wrapping it all up with our annual “Open Water Baptisms.”

Tell your pastor, your neighbors and friends, and your LDS family and friends who are seeking.

Saturday, September 1st
Murray Park Amphitheater
3-9PM