Testing the words of LDS leaders with Biblical Truth:
January 2010
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual
*God chooses those who are noble and great (page 6):
• In the vision recorded in Abraham 3, the Lord showed Abraham the Council in Heaven that was held before the earth was created… Who was present at this council? (Heavenly Father and his spirit children.) What do we learn about this council from Abraham 3:22–23? [Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; 23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.]”
• Who are the “noble and great ones” described in Abraham 3:22–23? (The prophets and other Church leaders. Explain that in 1918, President Joseph F. Smith saw some of these “noble and great ones” in a vision of the spirit world. Whom did President Smith see? (See D&C 138:53 [53 The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work,]
Test these LDS Words with Biblical Truth:
The teaching of the Preexistence is false. The belief that God chooses Spirit children who were “noble and great” in the Preexistence to be His “prophets and other Church leaders” in this world is false. We can know this because scripture explains why God chooses one person over another, and it is not because they are “noble and great.” In fact, it is for the exact opposite reason. God calls those who are NOT noble:
“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
Notice why God chooses whom He chooses: “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” And, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
LDS prophets claim that the reason they have been called as prophets of God is because they were more noble in the preexistence. Not only does this show a lack of scriptural knowledge, it also exposes the arrogance of LDS prophets who teach this doctrine. Doing so attempts to bring glory upon themselves and not on the Lord Jesus Christ who is made “unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”
The Bible further explains that before someone is born, they have done neither good nor evil. We see this in the example of Jacob and Essau and the reason that God choose Jacob to rule over his brother Essau. The Bible explains that God chose Jacob before the twins had even been born—before they had done any good or evil:
“And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.” (Romans 9:10-12)
The Bible does tell us about a group of people who were considered “more noble.” Paul testified that the Bereans were “more noble” than the Thessalonians. The reason? Because when Paul and Silas brought them the news that Jesus was the Christ, the Bereans tested them. They searched the Old Testament scriptures to make sure that what Paul taught them was in agreement with already revealed scripture:
“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:10-11)
Please, follow the example of the “noble” Bereans and “search the scriptures daily” to discern whether what your LDS leaders tell you is true to the Bible, God’s already revealed scripture. And, test the things I am telling you with the Bible. To read more about why God chooses someone, go to this blog Post: “Do You Have An Eternal Family?” written April 24, 2009; or, Click Here:
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* Satan and 1/3 of God’s spirit children are cast out of heaven (page 7):
• What happened to Lucifer (Satan) and those who chose to follow him? (They were cast out of heaven and denied the opportunity to have physical bodies. See Moses 4:3; Abraham 3:28; Revelation 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–37.)
• What are Satan and his followers doing now? (They are still trying to destroy our agency. They are on the earth today as evil spirits who tempt us to sin. See Moses 4:4.)
Test these LDS Words with Biblical Truth:
I bring up this false LDS belief for this reason:
Jesus taught that there are only two eternal destinations in which a person can be sent to on Judgment Day: either a person is judged as righteous and they will live eternally in Heaven with God; or, a person is judged as evil and they will live eternally in Hell with Satan. On Judgment Day we will not be graded on a curve. Many LDS members emphatically say this teaching is false. They claim that our loving Heavenly Father would never send so many people to live eternally in such a place of horrible torment.
Now, I come back to the false LDS belief which claims that 1/3 of Heavenly Father’s Spirit children were cast out of heaven. According to LDS teaching, these spirit children merely made one wrong choice during the supposed Premortal War in Heaven! They used their agency unwisely and followed Satan’s plan instead of Christ’s. According to LDS teaching, these spirit children were cast out of heaven and sent down to earth as demons. They will never have an opportunity to receive a body, nor can they ever repent for that one wrong choice they made. After Judgment Day, they will be cast into Outer Darkness to spend eternity in torment–in the very same domain as Satan.
I bring up this false LDS teaching to ask: If you believe that God would send 1/3 of His Spirit children to Outer Darkness simply for making one wrong choice, why is it so hard to believe that God will send to Outer Darkness all who are judged as sinful?
To read the truth about what Jesus taught regarding Judgment Day, go to this blog Post: “Have LDS Prophets Changed God’s Definition of Hell?” written May 29, 2009; or, Click here:
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* Our purpose for coming to earth is to prove ourselves worthy (page 8):
1. “And we will prove them herewith”
• Abraham 3:24–25 specifies one of the main purposes for which Jesus Christ, under the direction of Heavenly Father, created the earth. Why was the earth created? How does it help you to know that you chose to come to earth knowing that you would be tested here? [Abraham 3:24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; 25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; 26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.]
Test these LDS Words with Biblical Truth:
No one will prove themselves worthy with their works. Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul revealed that mankind is so sinful that no one is even “good“:
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” (Luke 18:19) “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:9) The prophet Isaiah declared “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
To read more about whether you are capable of proving yourself worthy by your obedience, go to this blog Post: “Are You on Earth to Prove Your Worthiness?” written October 29, 2009; or, Click here:
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