Where are the Golden Plates?
Mormon Doctrine, p. 327; “Moroni deposited the plates in the Hill Cumorah in about 421 A.D., and then as a resurrected being revealed the hiding place to the Prophet on September 22, 1823. Four years later the Prophet was permitted to obtain possession of them, but the actual translation of the portion we now have as the Book of Mormon did not take place until between April 7 and June 11, 1829. Thereafter the plates were returned to the custody of Moroni. (Jos. Smith 2:27-65; D. & C. 27:5; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 215-226.)”
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Psalm 40:8 “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”
This God of the Bible – (our God!) – has done so much for us! From the time of the Law to the last word penned by the Apostle John, the Lord provided direction for everything and in the bargain gave us assurance of our salvation.
What is there to gain in anything else but God’s word? Where is the eternal promise of God in a gospel with continuing revelations?
If there’s anything tangible in this new revelation from God then where is it and why can’t we see it? While original texts from the Bible are no longer extant we have enough available to verify what the Bible says – not to mention the findings of the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls showing us that 99% of our Bible is textually pure. We have a great chapter in our Mentoring Handbook on facts about the Bible you can access here.
God doesn’t just have people write things down and then demand they be given back to some mysterious angel.
Where is Hill Cumorah or the cave these golden plates were originally buried in?
Why didn’t anyone ever physically handle, touch or see the plates but Joseph Smith?
Why won’t any credible non-LDS Egyptologist substantiate that Reformed Egyptian is a verifiable language of Ancient Egypt?
And finally, why wasn’t the Bible good enough for Joseph Smith? What proof did he have our Bible wasn’t translated correctly and showing us that God is unreliable?
His word tells us that it’s trustworthy. Paul told the Corinthians to hold onto the gospel that he preached – 1 Cor. 15:1-4. The Bible reminds us to continue in the faith that we learned and knew as children – 2 Timothy 3:14-15. Isaiah told us His word endures forever – Isaiah 40:8.
And of course we can’t forget Jeremiah. It’s here when God told His children that He’d write His law on our hearts and make a new covenant with the Israelites. This happened with the advent of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
Why would God just out of the blue introduce this evolving gospel on golden plates that no one can verify? And why would He change the game plan after giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins?
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