March 10 — Pointing Fingers to Hide Guilt of Missing Gold Plates. Matthew 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
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Dr. Walter Martin’s words about witnessing to Mormons is always a good thing to remember. They point fingers at Christianity to hide their guilt, and divert attention away from truth. Today’s Mormon reference is a good example of this. From one side of their mouth they claim we can’t know what the Bible said because original manuscripts are no longer extant. However, they may not realize we have copies of the original they can see known as The Dead Sea Scrolls. See August 1992 First Presidency Message. When you have the opportunity, lovingly ask if they can look at any remnants of the so-called ‘golden plates’.
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Mormon Doctrine, p. 234 “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.”
So, if I was into Greek philosophy, and I were to go to a book store and buy a copy of Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” or any of his other works, would I be purchasing a jacked-up copy, that’s been mistranslated, and drastically different from his original writings? Aristotle was born 384 BC,( before Christ). Which means his writings and teaching pre-date the new testament. The answer is no. Aristotle’s work stood the test of time, without the power of Almighty God behind it. So, why would the Bible (God’s Holy and perfect Word) be corrupted, with the power of God behind it?
Good food for thought! 🙂