How can the Mormon Church be true if it contradicts the Book of Revelation?

Question

Good Day Gramps,

With all due respect the word of God says do not add on or take away a single word from the bible. So with that said how can we believe that the Mormon church or any other religion be considered? Isn’t it obvious if God wanted Joseph to be in any part of worshiping  it would of been so from the beginning of it all? Or is God not so perfect to leave it for many many years for some to figure out? God forbid. I also have attended a Mormon church service and I tell you  it is not Jesus Christ’s followers. They actually testified to this Joseph rather then the glory of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. My thoughts……

Evelyn

Answer

Dear Evelyn,

You evidently hold the Bible as a sacred document, and to be literally followed. I agree with you completely in this sentiment. But let’s look critically at the passage from the Book of Revelation that you refer to—

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Rev 22:18-19).

We must ask ourselves, what was John the Beloved referring to when he wrote those words? As near as scholars can determine, the Book of Revelation was written about 96 AD, after John was banished to the Isle of Patmos. At that time, there was no New Testament, in which that book is compiled today. So John could not have been referring to the Bible by the phrase “the book of this prophecy,” because when he wrote that statement there was no Bible. There indeed was the Torah, which Christians today have incorporated in the Bible as the Old Testament. But the New Testament as such was not put together as a book until much later than the writing of John’s Book of Revelation. We don’t even know if John wrote his Gospel before of after the Book of Revelation. But let’s assume for the moment that somehow that statement of John’s in the Book of Revelation refers to the entire Bible, as you apparently believe. So what are we going to do with the statement recorded in Deuteronomy  4:2? —

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

To be consistent with your belief that John’s statement refers to the entire Bible, then we much accept that Moses’ statement in Deuteronomy must also refer to the entire Bible. Therefore in order that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you, we must reject everything written in the Bible following the Book of Deuteronomy. Obviously that cannot be the correct interpretation of that phrase. Likewise, we must understand that the statement in Rev 22:18-19 must refer only to the Book of Revelation.

Next subject—

You mention that you went to a Mormon meeting and heard people testify of Joseph Smith rather than of Jesus Christ. Again, it may be a bit risky to make a complete generalization of Mormon belief from what you heard in that one meeting. It is true that we do recognize Joseph Smith as the great prophet of the restoration–i.e. the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth following the long, dark years of complete apostasy of gospel truths. But Joseph Smith is but one of many prophets who receive revelation from Jesus Christ to guide His church and kingdom in these last days. Mormons worship Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of mankind, who gave himself as an innocent lamb on the alter of sacrifice, and endured an infinite pain and suffering for the redemption of man. In His own words—

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit–and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink– Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men (Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19).

Gramps