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Does Modern Scripture Add to or Take Away from the Bible?
Another chapter from A Mormon Answers the Hard Questions Posed by Anti-Mormons.
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The first time most Christians hear about the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, their mind flies back to a scripture they had learned from their preacher or Sunday school teacher from the Book of Revelation:
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)
In their minds, they mistakenly think, "Case closed!" The blinders go on and it becomes impossible to continue any further discussion. No one in their right mind would want to add to themselves the horrible plagues that are described in the Revelation of John. This is fallacious thinking, however. It shows a tremendous misunderstanding of how the Bible itself came to be.
I suppose, since you're here, that you at least have a mind that is open to rational discussion. Let me ask you, how did the Bible come to be THE BIBLE? What is the Bible? Where did we get it? Is it perfect and inerrant? Is this all that God has provided mankind in its quest for a meaningful mortal life and the possibility of eternal life? Let's consider a few of these questions first.
WHERE DID WE GET THE BIBLE?
Where did the Bible come from? The first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch in Hebrew, are accredited to Moses as having written them. These books contain the account of the Creation, of Adam and Eve, the Fall, and the consequences thereof. They provide the lineage of ancient patriarchs down to Noah, who survived the Great Flood with his family in an Ark he built with his own hands.
The narrative continues on through Melchizedek, a descendant of Noah. It was to Melchizedek, a great high priest, whom Abram paid tithes and from whom he received great blessings. This man Abram was later renamed Abraham by God. Abraham became the father of all the Semitic peoples of the Middle East. His descendants included the Jews through his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. He was also the ancestor of the Arab peoples who are descendants of Ishmael, Isaac's brother.
Thus the Bible is the history of a family - an exceedingly great and important family. Abraham's family and their history are important, because it was through his posterity that Jesus Christ would be born. Abraham earned this blessing when he obeyed God and offered up his son Isaac as a sacrifice, in similitude of the sacrifice Jesus Christ.
The Exodus contains the story of Moses and how God led Abraham's descendants from bondage in Egypt. Leviticus and Deuteronomy deal with the laws that God gave his people and the covenant he established with them. This is known as the Law of Moses.
Over the centuries, prophets were sent to the descendants of Abraham to encourage them in faith and to keep the commandments. Many of these prophets’ words were recorded and preserved. Most of these were not written by the prophets themselves, but by their faithful followers.
Eventually the writings of the prophets and the teachings of prominent scholars and rabbis formed the Talmud. The Levite priests in Israel were responsible for the ministrations of the House of the Lord. The rabbis formed a council called the Sanhedrin to maintain the canon of scripture and preserve it. When Jesus ministered among men, these are the scriptures he used and referred to.
Think about it. In the days of Jesus and the Apostles, what scriptures could they use? The New Testament hadn't been written yet, because they were still living it! The occasions where the word "scripture" is used in the Old and New Testament refer to the Old Testament: the Jewish Torah and the Talmud.
Thus, when Paul tells Timothy: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..." (2 Timothy 3:15), he is referring to the Torah and the Talmud because the New Testament hadn't been compiled at the time.
WHEN DID THE NEW TESTAMENT BECOME SCRIPTURE?
Jesus was born in 1 A.D. He was crucified and was resurrected when he was 33 years old, so that would make the year 34 A.D. The New Testament did not exist at this time. Any reference in the New Testament to "scripture" is always to what we now call the Old Testament.
Around 69 A.D., John Mark, one of Jesus' disciples was in Rome. Roman Christians wanted to have a written account of the ministry of Jesus because the witnesses were all getting up there in years. They weren't going to be around in a very short time. Mark wrote his Gospel around this time. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the Gospels to be written.
Before this time, the apostles led and directed the Church by writing letters. These epistles contained counsel, guidance, exhortation, and revelation. Some of them contain personal greetings to their friends. Some contain references to personal matters, such as when Paul asks Timothy to bring him his cloak, some books and parchments when he comes to visit. (See 2 Timothy 4:13.)
The operating concept behind the Church as an organization was that apostles, chosen witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, were in charge. Jesus Christ ordained these servants for this purpose. They had authority. As long as living oracles of God were there to receive revelation from God, scripture was useful, but revelation to the apostles was what guided the Church.
The earliest of the epistles is believed to be that of James, written around 45-49 A.D. Paul's epistle to the Galatians was his first, around 45 A.D. Over the rest of the first century, the gospel authors and the other apostles made the writings we have today.
As these books were collected and compiled, there were disputes as to whether they should be included in the canon of scripture. It was not until 397 A.D. at the Council of Carthage, that the New Testament was compiled as we have it today.
Now, let me say something that is acknowledged by every Bible scholar: NO ORIGINAL TEXTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT EXIST. There is nothing we can say was written by Peter, James, John, Matthew, or Paul themselves.
The earliest Greek manuscripts are a thousand years old, but they originate almost a thousand years after the time of Jesus and the apostles. The current scriptures we use were made by comparing ancient texts and examining them for similarities and differences. The commonalities between them were used to validate the accounts contained in the documents.
There is dispute among scholars as to which book was written last. The New Testament was compiled with the four gospels first, then the book of Acts, which is followed by the epistles. The books are not in chronological order. The Revelation of John is the last book by editorial choice. It could have been the first, the fifth, or the last book. It seems logical to put the book about the last days at the end, but it was not put there by God. Men decided what order to put the books in.
The last books of the New Testament were written by John because he outlived his contemporaries in the apostleship. The historical reference book Foxe's Book of Martyrs says that John was the only apostle who escaped a violent death. It even recounts that he was thrown into a vat of boiling oil and miraculously escaped injury. He eventually was exiled to the island of Patmos.
John wrote his epistles and his gospel between 95 and 101 A.D. Many scholars believe that he wrote the Gospel of John AFTER he received and recorded the Revelation of John.
Thus, I propose that the statement about "adding to" the book or "taking away" from it has to do specifically with the Book of Revelation itself, not the entire Bible. It is merely circumstantial that the Book of Revelation is the last book. In all likelihood, John may have written his gospel account AFTER the Book of Revelation, thus "adding to" the Bible himself. Furthermore, as already explained, the Bible didn't exist in John’s time and it wouldn't exist for another 300 years until the Council of Carthage.
THE PROBLEM WITH DEUTERONOMY
Finally, some hard-headed, unreasonable people believe a fantasy that God dictated or wrote the Bible and gave it to man. This is not taught by any Christian faith. It is a superstition. No pastor, priest, or minister can preach such doctrine and expect anyone to believe it. Nevertheless, even if we assume that to be true and used that logic, there is a serious problem with any scripture appearing after Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. The Lord told Moses:
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. (Deut 4:2, italics added)
Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Bible. Using the reference above, does that mean that anything that comes after the Book of Deuteronomy adds to or diminishes (takes away) to what God gave Moses? In that case, we could toss everything except the Torah, because God told Moses to not add anything else. Goodbye, prophets. Goodbye, gospels. Goodbye, epistles. Goodbye, Book of Revelation.
You see now, each book of the Bible is unique in itself. Each has its own history. Each has its own circumstances. Each of them came to join the Bible over the centuries. The warning at the end of Revelation is the same as the one in Deuteronomy. The text of the individual book was not to be tampered with. To reiterate the point, John himself may have added to it by writing the Gospel of John after he wrote the Book of Revelation.
A BIBLE A BIBLE...
The ancient Book of Mormon prophet Nephi described our day, when people would reject additional revelation because they felt they already had all that God had offered mankind.
Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Nephi 29:6-10)
The Book of Mormon is a companion to the Bible. It is another testament that Jesus Christ is real, that he died for us, and that he was raised from the dead. Christians everywhere will find it in harmony with the Bible if they will open their minds and listen to the voice of the Spirit of God as they read it. It is a marvelous work and a wonder that was brought to pass in modern times in fulfillment of ancient prophecy. I hope you will consider the arguments I have made in its favor and consider reading it with genuine curiosity and with a desire to know if it is true. You will find great blessings in doing so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first time most Christians hear about the Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ, their mind flies back to a scripture they had learned from their preacher or Sunday school teacher from the Book of Revelation:
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)
In their minds, they mistakenly think, "Case closed!" The blinders go on and it becomes impossible to continue any further discussion. No one in their right mind would want to add to themselves the horrible plagues that are described in the Revelation of John. This is fallacious thinking, however. It shows a tremendous misunderstanding of how the Bible itself came to be.
I suppose, since you're here, that you at least have a mind that is open to rational discussion. Let me ask you, how did the Bible come to be THE BIBLE? What is the Bible? Where did we get it? Is it perfect and inerrant? Is this all that God has provided mankind in its quest for a meaningful mortal life and the possibility of eternal life? Let's consider a few of these questions first.
WHERE DID WE GET THE BIBLE?
Where did the Bible come from? The first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch in Hebrew, are accredited to Moses as having written them. These books contain the account of the Creation, of Adam and Eve, the Fall, and the consequences thereof. They provide the lineage of ancient patriarchs down to Noah, who survived the Great Flood with his family in an Ark he built with his own hands.
The narrative continues on through Melchizedek, a descendant of Noah. It was to Melchizedek, a great high priest, whom Abram paid tithes and from whom he received great blessings. This man Abram was later renamed Abraham by God. Abraham became the father of all the Semitic peoples of the Middle East. His descendants included the Jews through his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob. He was also the ancestor of the Arab peoples who are descendants of Ishmael, Isaac's brother.
Thus the Bible is the history of a family - an exceedingly great and important family. Abraham's family and their history are important, because it was through his posterity that Jesus Christ would be born. Abraham earned this blessing when he obeyed God and offered up his son Isaac as a sacrifice, in similitude of the sacrifice Jesus Christ.
The Exodus contains the story of Moses and how God led Abraham's descendants from bondage in Egypt. Leviticus and Deuteronomy deal with the laws that God gave his people and the covenant he established with them. This is known as the Law of Moses.
Over the centuries, prophets were sent to the descendants of Abraham to encourage them in faith and to keep the commandments. Many of these prophets’ words were recorded and preserved. Most of these were not written by the prophets themselves, but by their faithful followers.
Eventually the writings of the prophets and the teachings of prominent scholars and rabbis formed the Talmud. The Levite priests in Israel were responsible for the ministrations of the House of the Lord. The rabbis formed a council called the Sanhedrin to maintain the canon of scripture and preserve it. When Jesus ministered among men, these are the scriptures he used and referred to.
Think about it. In the days of Jesus and the Apostles, what scriptures could they use? The New Testament hadn't been written yet, because they were still living it! The occasions where the word "scripture" is used in the Old and New Testament refer to the Old Testament: the Jewish Torah and the Talmud.
Thus, when Paul tells Timothy: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..." (2 Timothy 3:15), he is referring to the Torah and the Talmud because the New Testament hadn't been compiled at the time.
WHEN DID THE NEW TESTAMENT BECOME SCRIPTURE?
Jesus was born in 1 A.D. He was crucified and was resurrected when he was 33 years old, so that would make the year 34 A.D. The New Testament did not exist at this time. Any reference in the New Testament to "scripture" is always to what we now call the Old Testament.
Around 69 A.D., John Mark, one of Jesus' disciples was in Rome. Roman Christians wanted to have a written account of the ministry of Jesus because the witnesses were all getting up there in years. They weren't going to be around in a very short time. Mark wrote his Gospel around this time. Most scholars agree that the Gospel of Mark was the first of the Gospels to be written.
Before this time, the apostles led and directed the Church by writing letters. These epistles contained counsel, guidance, exhortation, and revelation. Some of them contain personal greetings to their friends. Some contain references to personal matters, such as when Paul asks Timothy to bring him his cloak, some books and parchments when he comes to visit. (See 2 Timothy 4:13.)
The operating concept behind the Church as an organization was that apostles, chosen witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, were in charge. Jesus Christ ordained these servants for this purpose. They had authority. As long as living oracles of God were there to receive revelation from God, scripture was useful, but revelation to the apostles was what guided the Church.
The earliest of the epistles is believed to be that of James, written around 45-49 A.D. Paul's epistle to the Galatians was his first, around 45 A.D. Over the rest of the first century, the gospel authors and the other apostles made the writings we have today.
As these books were collected and compiled, there were disputes as to whether they should be included in the canon of scripture. It was not until 397 A.D. at the Council of Carthage, that the New Testament was compiled as we have it today.
Now, let me say something that is acknowledged by every Bible scholar: NO ORIGINAL TEXTS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT EXIST. There is nothing we can say was written by Peter, James, John, Matthew, or Paul themselves.
The earliest Greek manuscripts are a thousand years old, but they originate almost a thousand years after the time of Jesus and the apostles. The current scriptures we use were made by comparing ancient texts and examining them for similarities and differences. The commonalities between them were used to validate the accounts contained in the documents.
There is dispute among scholars as to which book was written last. The New Testament was compiled with the four gospels first, then the book of Acts, which is followed by the epistles. The books are not in chronological order. The Revelation of John is the last book by editorial choice. It could have been the first, the fifth, or the last book. It seems logical to put the book about the last days at the end, but it was not put there by God. Men decided what order to put the books in.
The last books of the New Testament were written by John because he outlived his contemporaries in the apostleship. The historical reference book Foxe's Book of Martyrs says that John was the only apostle who escaped a violent death. It even recounts that he was thrown into a vat of boiling oil and miraculously escaped injury. He eventually was exiled to the island of Patmos.
John wrote his epistles and his gospel between 95 and 101 A.D. Many scholars believe that he wrote the Gospel of John AFTER he received and recorded the Revelation of John.
Thus, I propose that the statement about "adding to" the book or "taking away" from it has to do specifically with the Book of Revelation itself, not the entire Bible. It is merely circumstantial that the Book of Revelation is the last book. In all likelihood, John may have written his gospel account AFTER the Book of Revelation, thus "adding to" the Bible himself. Furthermore, as already explained, the Bible didn't exist in John’s time and it wouldn't exist for another 300 years until the Council of Carthage.
THE PROBLEM WITH DEUTERONOMY
Finally, some hard-headed, unreasonable people believe a fantasy that God dictated or wrote the Bible and gave it to man. This is not taught by any Christian faith. It is a superstition. No pastor, priest, or minister can preach such doctrine and expect anyone to believe it. Nevertheless, even if we assume that to be true and used that logic, there is a serious problem with any scripture appearing after Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. The Lord told Moses:
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. (Deut 4:2, italics added)
Deuteronomy is the fifth book in the Bible. Using the reference above, does that mean that anything that comes after the Book of Deuteronomy adds to or diminishes (takes away) to what God gave Moses? In that case, we could toss everything except the Torah, because God told Moses to not add anything else. Goodbye, prophets. Goodbye, gospels. Goodbye, epistles. Goodbye, Book of Revelation.
You see now, each book of the Bible is unique in itself. Each has its own history. Each has its own circumstances. Each of them came to join the Bible over the centuries. The warning at the end of Revelation is the same as the one in Deuteronomy. The text of the individual book was not to be tampered with. To reiterate the point, John himself may have added to it by writing the Gospel of John after he wrote the Book of Revelation.
A BIBLE A BIBLE...
The ancient Book of Mormon prophet Nephi described our day, when people would reject additional revelation because they felt they already had all that God had offered mankind.
Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Nephi 29:6-10)
The Book of Mormon is a companion to the Bible. It is another testament that Jesus Christ is real, that he died for us, and that he was raised from the dead. Christians everywhere will find it in harmony with the Bible if they will open their minds and listen to the voice of the Spirit of God as they read it. It is a marvelous work and a wonder that was brought to pass in modern times in fulfillment of ancient prophecy. I hope you will consider the arguments I have made in its favor and consider reading it with genuine curiosity and with a desire to know if it is true. You will find great blessings in doing so.
Tags: bible, book, continuing, mormon, of, revelation, scriptures
4 Comments
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Comment by Greg West on July 4, 2008 at 7:10am -
Thanks for your comment. I don't wish to engage in an unseemly debate here. There are legitimate historical and scriptural proofs to Mormon beliefs. I respect your right to believe what you believe and preach whatever doctrine you like. However, it is inappropriate for you to characterize or define my beliefs when you don't fully understand them. The CARM.org web site you listed is an anti-Mormon site, which is just as objectionable as being anti-Semitic. It represents a biased view not an objective one. I invite you to visit www.spamlds.org where there are many articles that address your "objections."
I believe the moderator's policy here is to not allow the posting of hyperlinks to other sites; however, since you posted the link to the CARM site, I feel it is only right (in the interest of fairness) to include the one that will provide a more informed view.
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Comment by TS Owens on July 4, 2008 at 6:05pm -
Dear fellow sinner, I DARE YOU to call into the carm.org radio show!!!
Sadly, the Mormons are a cult and not CHRISTian. They have a false Gospel of works and a false Jesus (the real Jesus is the Creator, not a created man. They get those last two doctrines wrong because they believe the book of Mormon instead of the Bible alone. Thats why Jesus is into anti-Mormon literature. Joey Smith was a proven false prophet. He fails the test of a prophet in Deut. 18. If He didnt repent before He died He is in Hell waiting for you if you dont repent before you die. I love you. I dont want that. Please go to wayofthemasterradio.com and take the good person test and see what I mean. Then call Matt Slick who is the owner of carm.org, he has a the daily radio show I dared you about. I listen to it on itunes when Im at work everyday. Its scripturally accurate and really funny at the same time. I highly recommend it.
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Comment by Greg West on July 4, 2008 at 9:45pm
- Yeah, I can "feel the love." I don't want to fight. None of you have addressed the content of the topic I posted. How about a reasonable discussion of those points instead of name-calling? Does modern scripture "add to or take away from" the Bible? I cordially invite you to actually read the above blog post and evaluate its premise.
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The reason Mormonism is not Christian is because it denies one or more of the essential doctrines of Christianity. Of the essential doctrines (that there is only one God, Jesus is God in flesh, forgiveness of sins is by grace alone, and Jesus rose from the dead physically, the gospel being the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus), Mormonism denies three of them: how many gods there are, the person of Jesus, and His work of salvation.
Mormonism teaches that God the Father has a body of flesh and bones (D. & C. 130:22) and that Jesus is a creation. It teaches that he was begotten in heaven as one of God’s spirit children (See the Book, Jesus the Christ, by James Talmage, p. 8). This is in strict contrast to the biblical teaching that he is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14), eternal (John 1:1, 2, 15), uncreated, yet born on earth (Col. 1:15), and the creator all (John 1:3; Col. 1;16-17). Jesus cannot be both created and not created at the same time. Though Mormonism teaches that Jesus is god in flesh, it teaches that he is "a" god in flesh, one of three gods that comprise the office of the Trinity (Articles of Faith, by Talmage, pp. 35-40). These three gods are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This is in direct contradiction of the biblical doctrine that there is only one God (Isaiah 44:6,8; 45:5).
Repent and believe the true Gospel while you still have time. Mormonism is in harmony with the father of all lies, Satan, rather than the truth of the Holy Scriptures that are God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16,17)
http://www.carm.org