Understanding the True
Origins of Mormonism
The Incredible Story of a Race of Celestial Beings
that once Came to the Earth...
by Clare Gregory
Chapter 26
Baptism for the Dead
“After this vision closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon
us[Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery]; for Elijah the prophet, who was
taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:
Behold, the time has fully come, which has been spoken by the mouth of
Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and
dreadful day of the Lord come—To turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be
smitten with a curse—Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are
committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and
dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.” (D&C 110:13-16.)
Nothing is more damaging to our souls than twisting the meaning of the
Word of God. What is the “great and dreadful” day of the Lord? Is it
the First or Second Coming of Jesus? Or Both? If it is the Second
Coming, the LDS have a logical interpretation, and perhaps the angel
that appeared to Joseph Smith could have been from God. But if Mormonism
is true, then we have to pretend the New Testament does not exist! But
that is OK , for Joseph Smith changed by revelation all four gospels in
the Bible to “force-fit” the Nephilim doctrine of Elijah. Is the Bible
true and complete or not? That is the fundamental question that
Mormonism either stands or falls on. If we believe in Mormonism, then
we also need to understand the assumptions that are being made about the
“corrupt Bible” and examine the logic to see if the assertions of Joseph
Smith are reasonable or absurd. This chapter examines the doctrine of
baptism for the dead in detail, so that those interested in Mormonism
can conclude for themselves whether or not the LDS view is Biblical.
The Great And Dreadful Day Of The Lord
The great and dreadful “day of the Lord” is a day that most Christians
are well aware of, but the meaning is hidden in the Bible, and it can
not be understood unless we look for the truth in the life of Jesus
Christ. Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins. It is a great
day for those who receive Jesus and are saved by his blood. It is
dreadful day for those who disbelieve and reject their Savior! The
spiritual day of the Lord is not dependent upon a specific point in
earth’s history or future, but it refers to a time for each person’s
individual salvation. No two people are saved in the exact same way or
at the exact same time. There is order and time that God follows, and
He saves each individual person a little differently, for all of us are
unique, and God responds to this uniqueness. We are not parts on an
assembly line saved in a “factory”, but we are individuals who are
treated with our own unique blend of trials and circumstances that God
sets up to teach us about Him.
Many LDS assume that “great and dreadful” day refers to the Second
Coming based on Elijah appearing to Joseph Smith with the “sealing
keys”. Mormonism assumes this day will come suddenly upon all
people—that all at once both good and bad people will see Jesus Christ
when He returns, and it will be a great day for the righteous who are
good enough to survive, but it will be a dreadful day for the wicked who
will be destroyed. I suppose there may be some truth in this view,
however, it is not the intent of the writings of Malachi to teach
salvation and damnation in a future event that treats everyone as a
“part in a factory” that all see, hear, and feel Jesus at the same time.
For if this interpretation is true, then the Bible verse only has
application to those few souls who are still on earth when Jesus
returns, which limits the scope of the Bible to exclude salvation and
damnation from those who are not part of the Second Coming. For this
reason, there must be a different answer. And there is: Malachi
explains in greater clarity than Mormonism the meaning of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord, if we study both Malachi Chapter 3 and Chapter
4:
“Behold, I will send my messenger [This refers to John the Baptist--see
Mark 1:2-4 and Matthew 11:10], and he shall prepare the way before me:
and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the
messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come,
saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? And
who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and
like fullers’ soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and
silver, that they may offer unto the Lord and offering in
righteousness.” (Malachi 3:1-3.)
The coming of the Lord is spiritual--knocking on the door of our
hearts. We are His temple. To the believer, God’s coming into view is a
wonderful meeting of joy and light. And in most cases, when God speaks
to our hearts, it is a sudden burst of light and completely unexpected.
To the wicked, however, to meet Christ will be a day of burning and
pain. Jesus knocks and knocks and knocks on the temple door of the
wicked. He knocks patiently and quietly. And if the door doesn’t open
voluntarily, one day God is going to eventually come with a blow torch
and burn the door down, put handcuffs on the wicked, and send them away
in chains to hell. This is the meaning of Malachi’s “great and
dreadful” day of the Lord. John’s teaching of water baptism or
self-discipline is the message that prepares us for that great day!
Thus, his doctrine prepares us to meet Jesus. For the believer, the
great day of the Lord is TODAY. Right now! When we receive Jesus
Christ and meet in His Temple, even in our hearts.
But for the proud and wicked the meeting date is for another time—for
Jesus patiently waits, ensuring all have a chance to choose freely. The
dreadful day of the Lord is reserved for those who reject the cross and
refuse to open their hearts to Christ. And finally, after the time of
grace has passed the door will burn down with heat, and the wicked will
see their Maker. It will be a horrible day! Thus, all the proud and
wicked will be as stubble, for the Lord of hosts will burn them up.
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.” (Mal 4:1)
This day of burning will leave the wicked neither “root nor branch”.
This symbolism is the spiritual key of truth that unlocks the mystery of
Malachi. The Mormons claim the meaning of “root nor branch” is
referring to the physical world. It is our family tree, both ancestors
and progenitors. They believe we are welded together in eternity by the
priesthood of Elijah through sealing ordinances in the LDS temple. It is
the sealing power given to Joseph Smith in 1836 in the Kirtland Temple
at the hand of Elijah the prophet. Salvation is with our physical
families. It is a very attractive doctrine. We love our families and
relatives, and our human love bubbles over with hope of preserving our
family relationships in Heavenly glory forever. What joy such a
doctrine brings to the heart! On the other hand, the wicked who reject
the LDS priesthood doctrine will be severed from Heavenly Father’s
Celestial kingdom. They will be placed in lesser kingdom of heaven, cut
off from God the Father and their families forever. They will loose
both roots and branches, being left just a single “stub” with no family
connections. Without the sealing powers of the priesthood, how can they
be saved as families?
As usual the LDS Church misunderstands the Spirit of God. God is a
spirit [Gk. "God is spiritual"], and we must worship him in spirit and truth. (John 4:24.) Why
do the Mormons constantly worship God with the flesh? The True Spirit
is the spiritual Kingdom of God in each person. It is like a seed that
grows. It is planted, cultivated, and watered; it bears the good fruit
of the kingdom. We see the kingdom of God in us. Thus, Jesus comes to
us, knocks, enters, and we become his temple. But if we do not plant the
spiritual seed of Christ in our hearts, then instead, evil and wicked
seeds grow in us. Rather than knocking quietly, the devil pounds loudly
and forces his entry into our hearts by intimidation and fear, and then
he remains in us with a mask of pride. The evil seeds grow into wicked
trees. They produce the fruits of sin. At the last day, all the trees
of pride will be uprooted and the fruit cut off, and all will be burned,
just as God has declared. But we are not just one tree. We are a
forest of different trees, of both good and evil. Therefore John
teaches:
“And now also, the axe is laid unto the root of the trees [plural]:
every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire.” (John 3:9.)
God will burn all the corrupt trees in our hearts, but the good he will
preserve unto himself. And thus we will be judged by our fruits of
character, whether they are good or evil.
Confusion of Malachi
Thus, the confusion of Malachi comes to the LDS people in
misunderstanding the “great and dreadful day of the Lord.” The Mormons
believe Elijah restored the temple sealing keys to Joseph Smith in 1836
prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of Biblical
prophecy. It is the “simple message” the LDS convey to the average
member. But the actual deeper doctrine of Elias and Elijah is much more
complicated and convoluted. Few if anyone in the church can even
understand it. I certainly don’t. There are SIX appearances of angels
related to Elijah and Elias: 1) John the Baptist in the New
Testament, 2) John the Baptist [Nephilim] appeared to Joseph Smith in
1829, 3) Elijah the prophet appeared to Jesus on the Mount of
Transfiguration, 4) John the Baptist appeared on the Mount of
Transfiguration [Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, Mark 9:4], 5)
Elijah [Nephilim] appeared to Joseph Smith in 1836, and finally, 6)
Elias [Nephilim], who is an unknown prophet from Abraham’s day, appeared
to Joseph Smith in 1836 [D&C 110:12.]
[I ought to add a seventh and eighth appearance, in which John the Baptist appeared
to Otto Fetting in 1929 and later to William Draves, as explained in Chapter 3. But since the largest
faction of Latter-day Saints reject Fetting’s experience, I won’t add
it.]
Mormonism is very confusing and vague. John the Baptist supposedly
holds the Aaronic priesthood keys, not the sealing keys. Elijah has the
sealing keys. They both came before and after the ministry of Jesus
Christ in the flesh. And thus, the entire prophecy in Malachi becomes
muddled and perplexing. Before and after Jesus? See the confusion?
Finally, Elias lived in Abraham’s day? He came to Joseph Smith after
the ministry of Jesus?
On the other hand, the New Testament plainly teaches John the Baptist
fulfilled the prophecy of both Mal 4:1 and 3:1, as has been explained.
He came before Jesus Christ’s ministry in the flesh. His doctrine of
repentance proceeds Christ’s spiritual coming in our hearts. The Bible
is straightforward, clear, and succinct. But in Mormonism, TWO or THREE
messengers fulfill Biblical prophecy. Why didn’t the Bible say:
“Behold, I will send you two Elijahs in several appearances?” Or:
“Behold, I send you my two or three messengers before and after the
great day of the Lord. And a third will come called Elias.”
Thus, Mormonism promotes multiple angels zipping around with priesthood
keys that save us, but the Bible is silent on the doctrine. The biggest
obstacle in accepting the LDS understanding of Malachi is the New
Testament! In Mormonism, John came THREE TIMES [five if we include
Fetting and Draves]: 1) John’s personal ministry. 2) The mount of Transfiguration,
and 3) To Joseph Smith in 1829. To explain the complications, Joseph
Smith was inspired to “correct” the Bible. He changed all four gospels
regarding the ministry of John: Matthew (Matt 3:38-40;13:15;17:14), Luke (Lk
3:4-11), Mark (Mk 9:3.), and John (John 1:20-34;3:38-40). These changes
allow the LDS Church to interpret and justify these multiple appearances
of John as well as the other messengers that did appear to Joseph Smith
in visions, rather than accepting John’s earthly ministry as a
fulfillment of Malachi.
How Reasonable is the Assertion?
Now I ask the reader: how reasonable is this assertion made by the LDS
Church? All four gospels needed to be specifically altered to slip in
the doctrine of multiple appearances of angels to deliver priesthood
keys? What are the chances that this Bible corruption actually occurred
as claimed? The Mormons assert that evil and corrupted men deliberately
executed a plan to remove the priesthood doctrine of Elijah from all
four gospels simultaneously! The implications are mind boggling. Such
action could not have happened by accident — not to all four gospels!
Only through wicked priests who sought power and control could anyone
have target the specific scriptures on John and changed them all of
them. But why would they make the changes? By removing the concept of
legalistic priesthood sealing keys of Elijah, they would diminish their
own power and authority, right?
When a person is arrested for a crime, the subject of motive is clearly
defined to accuse the suspect. One could argue that the priests were
concerned about the implications of Elijah restoring priesthood keys in
the future, and thus, expose their own apostasy that Elijah would
correct later. If this were true, however, we would see discussions
about the Elijah’s second appearance to Joseph Smith debated in the
history of the ancient church, right? It is a very weak argument, for
there are no facts to back it up. Joseph Smith’s translation of the
Bible makes it clear another Elias was to come besides John, and if
Jesus clearly taught this, then we should see evidence of the teaching
somewhere in history. Such doctrine would attract A LOT attention!
Malachi’s prophecy predicting Elijah’s return is an obscure statement in
one verse in one short book of the Old Testament — and the Jews haven’t
forgotten it until this day. However, Jesus supposed teaching of
Elias/Elijah appearing before his Second Coming was supposedly in the
four books of the gospel and were widely distributed to believers, then
ripped out later?
The ancient Jews were fanatical about the prophecy of Malachi, and held
onto the prophecy as evidence of God’s power to predict the future. If
Joseph Smith’s translation is correct, then the entire Christian Church
would have known of a future time that more messengers would appear as
RESURRECTED ANGELS to restore the priesthood keys. Thus, we would
expect that the Church would have spoken and written much more about the
priesthood doctrine of Elijah than what is in the current Bible, right?
The Jews, for example, still to this day keep an open seat at the
passover for Elijah. The doctrine has not been forgotten after
thousands of years. Although twisted by a carnal interpretation, the
basic idea God sending Elijah has been preserved. But why hasn’t the
tradition in Christianity remained? The Christian Church has no
traditions or writings on the subject. Antiquity is silent. Something
this important would have been carried on by word-of-mouth at least. It
would be prevalent in Church writings of the 1st and 2nd century. But
the idea is only in Judaism and Mormonism! The LDS Church claims the
original New Testament Church believed that another “Elijah/Elias” was
going to come in person and “restore all things”.
But history is silent except with the Jews? Until the concept suddenly
appears in the 1800s with Joseph Smith and Mormonism?
When we look at these facts before us, the most reasonable conclusion is
that the assertion of Elijah holding priesthood keys is LDS vapor
doctrine from false angels. The Bible is reliable. Wicked priests did
not conspire to change all four gospels. But rather, false revelation
inspired Joseph Smith to add the theology to the Bible that was never
there to begin with. This better explains the silence in history on the
subject. For there are no debates. No speculations on when the
“future” Elijah will come. Why? Because everyone in the ancient
Christian Church understood that John the Baptist fulfilled Malachi’s
prophecy. It’s a no brainer. The church was anticipating the Second
Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is all!
Esoteric Doctrines
Having the Holy Spirit in our hearts, the principles of eternal life are
quite easy to see. But Joseph Smith was not prepared to understand
these truths, for the Nephilim had taken control of his ministry. For
example, when he read about baptism for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29, and without having received Jesus Christ in his heart, he was
open to receive false light and inappropriate interpretations and
conclusions of the Word of God. A bogus Elijah appeared to him in the
temple. He saw brilliant glory of light. He boasted to other ministers
of his doctrine. Few Christian ministers could challenge him
Biblically, for he was filled with imitation power. He shared his
powerful experiences. He testified that Jesus lives. He saw Him in
1820. Of course the ministers could not “win” a debate! Joseph Smith
expounded on the most obscure passages that have little historical
support or Biblical understanding, and thus, we are sometimes left to
speculate and wonder about some things written in the Bible. But as we
persist, God gives us answers in his own time, according to his
purposes. With this book, the truth shines Biblical light on the
darkness of the Nephilim, and God has called me to teach the truth from
the Bible for your consideration. We’ve discussed the LDS priesthood
in depth, and I have demonstrated from the Bible the errors made by LDS
regarding the Mount of Transfiguration, the Melchizedek Priesthood, and
the promise of God sending Elijah. The LDS priesthood cascades into a
myriad of doctrines that are presumed to be true. For example, the Holy
Grail of the Church is baptism by the proper priesthood authority. If
salvation requires baptism by the LDS priesthood, then our dead must
also be baptized to be saved. LDS Temples are build so that the living
can perform baptisms for the dead by proxy.
Joseph Smith’s Doctrine Refuted
Doesn’t it seem strange that God would pick just one man to suddenly
shake Christianity with all kinds of bizarre and strange notions? LDS
baptism for the dead is an excellent example of mixing truth and error.
The truth is our spirit does go to a place of spirit paradise or spirit
prison before the resurrection. Jesus went to the spirit world and
preached the gospel to those in spirit prison so they could be saved
before the resurrection of the body:
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the spirit: By which also he went and preached to the
spirits in prison;” (1 Peter 3:18-19.)
People are naturally attracted to the idea of continuing to learn after
death and before the resurrection. It makes sense, and it is supported
by the Bible. Those souls who have never heard of Jesus will have an
opportunity to hear the Word of God in the spirit prior to the
resurrection and final judgement. Thus, God is a merciful and just, and
everyone will have a chance to hear the good news of Christ and either
receive him or reject him. But the LDS add the false priesthood
requirement and build temples to perform the saving ordinance work for
the dead, and the half-truth in Mormonism is born. And the Latter-day
Saints lap up the doctrine like flies. And they are proud of it. “No
other Church knows what we know! We are so special! We are going to
save everyone! I’m so grateful to be of service to my dead ancestors.
I love them so much. I’m so glad God has given us His priesthood power
to save our families!”
Obviously, the Latter-day Saints don’t go around saying this out loud.
But if we examine the spirit behind the temple work, these are the kinds
of thoughts that drive it forward. Satan has twisted the “priesthood
keys” doctrine taught by Jesus in Mathew 16:19, and that Mormons believe
that baptism by proxy for the dead opens the gates to God’s Kingdom for
the dead. If this is true, wouldn’t God have provided more than just
one obscure verse in the Bible?
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead
rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor
15:29.)
The Mormons quote this one verse in the Bible to prove that we need the
LDS priesthood and temples to save our dead. They claim that early
Christians baptized relatives by proxy. But were they? Have we really
looked at the logic behind that argument? Does the verse say that they
were baptizing by proxy in temples? No. Does it mention the LDS
priesthood powers? No. There is a much better explanation of this
verse than what is provided by Mormonism. The key pronoun to understand
in the verse is the word “they”. In Mormonism, it is referring to the
living patrons and matrons that do the proxy baptisms in temples.
Therefore, the verse would read:
“Else what shall [the living proxies] do which are baptized for the
dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are [the living proxies]
baptized for the dead?" (1 Cor 15:29)
Now the next key word is “else”. Else what shall the living proxies
do? Do what? Eat lunch? Drive to the movies? What is Paul talking
about? To understand this verse, we must look at the prior verse, which
is never quoted by the LDS Church:
“And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may
be all in all. Else what shall [the living proxies] do which are
baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are [the living
proxies] baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor 15:28-29.)
Paul is defending the resurrection. All things, including death (verse
25), will be subdued in Christ, and when Christ’s has finished His work,
He will present the kingdom to God the Father. Thus, after the
resurrection God will be all in all. Our bodies will be spiritual and
eternal, filled with the light of God. ELSE what shall the [Living
proxies] do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at
all? Why are the living proxies baptized for the dead? Did our minds
buzz? Something is logically wrong. Paul refers to living proxies
“doing” something to justify the previous verse about God’s light being
all in all? Are the living supposed to go buy sandwiches and have
dinner? Or are they supposed to go to school? Are they supposed to do
their laundry? The LDS argue that Paul is asking the Corinthians why
they are baptizing “by proxy” if there is no resurrection of the dead
spirits. But they ignore the fundamental question of Paul: what shall
they do? In the LDS view the focus is on the living, not the dead.
And that is where the LDS logic breaks down. The Corinthians were
baptizing for the dead, and yet, they still did not believe in a
resurrection. Why? Just bringing attention to “live proxies” doing
“something else” does not leave persuasive evidence of a resurrection.
There is a much better explanation. Paul was dealing with a group of
Christians that did not believe in the resurrection. Why didn’t they
believe in the resurrection? Surprisingly, I believe it actually can be
explained using this verse. The Corinthians were baptizing a person’s
dead body hoping that the spirit of that dead person would likely linger
around the body until it was buried. Therefore, the church reasoned if
they baptized the dead person’s body, and they prayed diligently for him
or her, then hopefully that person would see the ordinance and by the
power of prayer and faith he or she would receive Jesus in the spirit
world and be saved. Thus, Paul only uses their baptismal practice in
defense of the resurrection, pointing out that the “dead body” that they
are baptizing is going to be raised again from the dead — when God is “all
in all”. If not so, then why are they baptizing it? What would the
dead bodies do if they were not resurrected? Nothing! Paul’s argument
is much more persuasive in context, as we visualize a “dead body” going
under the water and then being lifted back up out of the water by two or
three brethren, representing the resurrection of the dead. To
paraphrase Paul, his basic question to the saints to prove the
resurrection is this: “If the dead do not rise, then why are you
baptizing dead bodies that will never have life?”
Now, watch the Bible teach us when the pronoun “they” is understood
correctly:
“And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also
himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may
be all in all. Else what shall [the dead bodies] do which are baptized
for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are [the dead bodies]
baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor 15:28-29.)
After the judgement and resurrection, God’s life and light will be “all
in all”, and death will be conquered. Else what shall those dead bodies
do, if there is no resurrection? (Nothing)
It is likely that because the Corinthians were focused so much on saving
their dead friends in the spirit world, believing they accepted Jesus in
the spirit world, their belief was naturally taken off the physical
resurrection, and a disbelief of the physical resurrection entered into
the flock. Thus they reasoned: “If a person can be saved without a body
in the spirit world, why do we need a bodily resurrection? Our
resurrection must be spiritual and not physical, etc.” Baptizing dead
bodies not only explains Corinthians 15:29, it also explains where the
false idea of a spiritual and not physical resurrection could have
originated!
Thus, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the baptismal ordinance, which is
symbolic of the resurrection of the body to prove his point. He also
points out that they were using a dead body to save another, again
pointing to the need of the body for salvation — even a dead one!
Considering the circumstance, it was an excellent argument to present to
the Saints in defense of the resurrection.
This explanation makes more sense than the LDS view. Who in the spirit
world is going to be standing next to “proxy” temple patrons three
hundred years after the person is dead? Or after a thousand years? Or
what if the ordinance is performed, but the dead person has not accepted
the gospel? Will they view the ordinance? No. The only dead spirits
involved in LDS temple work are going to be dead Latter-day Saints.
These believers are the ones that actually do appear in the LDS temples
and communicate with human beings because they believe in the false
priesthood and are anxious to have the ordinances done for their
families in preparation for the resurrection.
Many Mormons have been deceived by this false light, and perhaps even
more have been deceived in the spirit world. Many of the founding
fathers of our country came to Wilford Woodruff to ask for their temple
work to be done. Very interestingly, many of these men were Masons,
which is the source of the occult temple ordinances! It’s probable that
Joseph Smith went on into the spirit realms gathering a following of
believers, and continues to preach his “white light” to others, just
like he did on earth! And we can imagine the large following he could
gather when he passed on to the next world and discovered the spirit
world existing just as he had been taught by false angels! The devil is
surely pleased that Joseph Smith is continuing his damning work beyond
the veil. On the other hand, perhaps Wilford Woodruff was simply
deceived by false angels impersonating the founding fathers. Who knows?
But what I know or sure, is the burning in the bosom behind Mormonism is
“false light”. Or rather, it is a twisted form of God’s light filtered
through pride and sin. It is impure and half-true light. For that I
experience myself.
Reasonable Explanation
My argument to the LDS is that just because someone appears in a LDS
temple doesn’t mean that the temple is from God, even if that spirit has
noble intentions or is even a relative. I’m providing a very reasonable
explanation for all the “visitations” and documented spiritual
experiences that occur in Mormonism, and it is just as valid and is more
“reasonable” than the LDS view. Reason dictates that the angels that
appeared to Joseph Smith had to be false. There are too many historical
and doctrinal changes since 1820, too many contradictions and
inconsistencies with the Bible, and too many strange and bizarre
doctrines that mirror the occult. It is the explanation that best
supports all of the contradictory evidence in Church history. It is the
best explanation that fits with the Bible. It ties together almost all
the loose ends of known facts.
For example, if the LDS position on baptism for the dead were true, Paul
the apostle would NOT have written to the saints and instructed them to
avoid genealogies:
“Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister
questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.” (1
Timothy 1:4.)
“But avoid questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings
about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:9.)
If LDS priesthood baptism saves the dead, then Paul surely would not say
anything negative about genealogy work, right? It’s very tedious
labor. It’s hard enough to motivate the Latter-day Saints to do the
research. Why would Paul say anything critical about it? Why are these
Biblical scriptures not quoted from the LDS pulpit? It is the Word of
God, right? Many Mormons could be loosed from the pressure they feel
to do genealogy work with these two verses. They may even see the truth
and conclude such is “unprofitable and vain” as Paul wrote.
What must God say in the Bible to get the Latter-day Saints to believe
the Bible? Does God need to say, “Genealogy and temple work will not
save us?” But how could he have said this in the Bible? The priesthood
doctrine and practice did not exist in the early church. Why did they
need to do genealogy if they were merely baptizing the dead person’s
body?
If baptism for the dead were so important, more than one verse would be
recorded in the Bible about it! The Bible puzzle just doesn’t fit!
A Drunken Festival
In my transitioning out of Mormonism, one of my last sacred cows to be
killed was the Kirtland Temple dedication in 1836 and the transfer of
priesthood keys by Elijah, Moses, and other prophets to Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdrey in D&C 110. I’ve always assumed that was of a most
sacred nature. The opening of the explanatory notes of the D&C section
110 read:
“In the afternoon, I assisted the other Presidents in distributing the
Lord’s supper to the Church, receiving it from the Twelve, whose
privilege it was to officiate at the sacred desk this day. After having
performed this service to my brethren, I retired to the pulpit, the
veils being dropped, and bowed myself, with Oliver Cowdrey, in solemn
and silent prayer.” (Introduction to D&C 110)
Then Joseph and Oliver had a glorious vision, and Jesus, Moses, Elias,
and Elijah appeared to deliver priesthood keys. I remember telling my
non-member friends and investigators with great excitement of this
glorious meeting and vision. This proved the Church was true. It
fulfilled Bible prophecy.
Wrong again. For when I investigated the other side of the debate, my
view completely changed. Most members don’t understand that Joseph
Smith liked to drink a little. He was not a bum, but he did like to get
drunk once in a while when the occasion was appropriate. When I read
about the temple dedication and what “partaking of the sacrament”
really meant in 1836 in this temple meeting, it opened my eyes to a
whole new world of Mormonism. On special occasions, feasts of bread and
wine where partaken as a token of celebration. What happened on that day
of temple dedication is quite different than is recorded in official
Church publications. This is some of the “secret stuff” that is buried
in LDS Church vaults.
The people had been laboring hard and long to finish the Kirtland
temple. Joseph felt it was right for the people to celebrate. He had
everyone fast for 24 hours and promised the Lord would send a divine
manifestation of acceptance of the temple. Then they ended the fast
with the sacrament. But the sacrament was an actual meal of bread and
wine. They ate bread and drank wine until they were full. Joseph, it
is recorded, had five glasses of wine for the “sacrament”. They passed
around an offering plate, and with the money, went to the nearest tavern
and purchased a keg of liquor. It was party time! The women were not
allowed to participate, but only the priesthood. (I wonder why?). The
men drank until 5:00am. During this time, Hyram threw up out the
window, and Joseph expelled into a spittoon. The brethren got up at the
pulpit and pronounced cursings on all of their enemies, contrary to the
Lord’s instructions to bless our enemies and pray for them. After the
party was over, Joseph justified the entire event by pointing to Noah’s
drunkenness after the waters receded from the flood and his family
finally settled on dry land.
And now I ask a question. Do we really think a Holy God would come and
reveal himself in that environment? Of course not! They were false
angels in 1823, 1829, 1830, and in 1836. If you don’t believe me, go do
the research. David Whitmer is a credible source. He was a witness to
the Book of Mormon. Go research what he writes about the Kirtland
temple dedication. The whole doctrine of baptism for the dead hinges on
Elijah appearing and transferring keys during this celebration. Have
you read about the mass apostasy in Kirtland after the temple
dedication? After seeing all of these spiritual manifestations, why on
earth would everyone turn against the prophet? The reason is they all
knew the spiritual manifestations came during a drunken festival. They
all had doubts that what was happening was not right.
With this new understanding, how comfortable do we now feel about the
doctrine of baptism for the dead through the power of the holy
priesthood of God? Hmmm…let’s see. We have only one scripture from
Corinthians 15:29 that has been taken out of context, which is
contradicted by two scriptures that direct the saints not to do
genealogies. And we have Elijah appearing during a drunken
celebration, with Jesus clearly teaching John the Baptist fulfilled this
prophecy.
The LDS viewpoint sounds convincing, doesn’t it? So convincing that
Joseph Smith changed all four gospels to bring the doctrine of Elijah in
harmony with the Bible?
Another View
But let’s look at it from even another angle. Millions of names are
being processed in the LDS temples, are given a “new name”, and are
being baptized for the dead in LDS temples. Let’s consider further.
Look at the “actions” and “activity” that is going on. All of it
presumes that the “keys” of the priesthood are “external and legalistic”
and unlocks heaven’s door, which nobody has seen. It is vapor doctrine
and goes against common sense. God is all-powerful! Why does he need a
human being to save anyone? That’s what Mormonism teaches! God gives
his power to human beings! God needs human beings to perform an
earthly ordinance for dead people or God can not save them! Not only
that, it must be recorded on a piece of paper to be accepted in heaven!
What kind of God would initiate such nonsense? Only the devil would.
Only a fallen being who thought he was God would create such doctrine.
See the pattern? Who is trying to be God? This chapter and the truth
in the Bible is more solid evidence that the doctrines came from a
false, imitation god.
Absurd? It gets even worse on the brain! Let us consider furhter. If
I get sealed to my parents and then the parents get divorced, now
what? Who am I “sealed to”. In my case, I left the Church and my wife
stayed. Who will my wife be sealed to? And my children? What happens
to them? The everlasting priesthood power has been severed. And me?
I can’t live with Heavenly Father! My salvation is in the hands of
God. It’s in the hands of a man who holds God’s authority! A man who
is equal to God, for he holds the saving priesthood keys!
Think! That is a most illogical and absurd doctrine on earth, if we
assume God is Almighty. And what about the billions upon billions of
people who have ever lived! How are those names going to be found? Or
what if we are in the temple and we forget the “new name” during the
temple ceremony, but we don’t tell anyone. We are too embarrassed to
stand up in front of the congregation and admit we forgot! This
certainly does happen occasionally. Is that dead person now condemned
because we didn’t do the ordinance correctly? Or what if we say or do
other parts of the ordinance incorrectly, and nobody catches the error?
If the ordinances truly save us, then we have condemned that person by
our mistake, right? That ordinance wasn’t really “performed”, but it
was only imagined to be done correctly! Oh, there are so many
absurdities in this snake pit of logic, I could write another book on
this topic alone!
But I already know the standard LDS answer. “During the Millenium all
these things will be worked out in the temple.” That’s an easy trip to
the future that no one can truly see. Any illogical and irrational
question can be answered by taking it to a place that no one knows
about. Suddenly, the absurdity vanishes away, and everyone is happy!
It’s like the priesthood keys that “open a door” that nobody has really
seen, except for a few men that have testified to seeing an angel and
hearing God’s voice. But what if they were honestly deceived? Where
does that leave our belief? On an assumption, and not on the Word of
God, and not on the truth.
Again, this book is a mental stimulus for change. It will hopefully
motivate readers to go and research the other side of the LDS story.
What? Do you think Oliver Cowdrey and David Whitmer who left the church
in Kirtland were not credible sources? My goodness, they saw the bogus
gold plates and false angels. Go check the details out yourself. Read
what they wrote! There are plenty of references in the appendix.
This page was first created on 23 January 1999
Last Updated on 16 April 1999
Created and Maintained by The New Covenant Assemblies of Yahweh
Not all the views expressed in this book are necessarily those of NCAY