Reply to "Prophet and Living Apostles to speak to the world"

To start with gbrk,

It’s hard to add anything to Dwight’s answer to you. But there is one scripture he missed.

Actually he didn't miss it he did address the topic but failed to include the scripture. I thought responded there, as I have below here.

John 10:16

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

         This scripture is plain and simple. It states Christ speaking of his other sheep that will hear his voice. And that both they and those of the Holy Land will be as one with one shepherd. This one shepherd he speaks of is he, The Lord Jesus Christ. The other sheep are those who live in the American Continents. One must ask himself, would God favor just those who are in the Holy Land. They are an Ocean apart. All other areas can be traversed by the means of the day for missionary efforts. We are all the Father’s children are we not? Why would they (Jesus Christ or His Father) not bless and inspire those who by any means would not have access to the Gospel other than direct revelation?   

          Again why would God have direct revelation through-out all early history thru Prophets yet not afford us those same blessings. The book of Mormon is the equivalent to the Holy Bible but written for and of the peoples of the Americas it also has the earlier scriptures brought with those from the Holy Land such as Isaiah.

I have repeated that response here also:

I do realize that different people interpret the scriptures different ways.  Along with adding my personal feelings about John 10:16 let me ask you a question about this.  Christ was speaking to Jewish people at this time.  Would you not concede or accept that Christ could have been talking about the Gentiles as the "other Sheep"?  

If you do take this interpretation then it's also easy to see this from Galatians 3:28 and Romans 11 as well as Romans 10:12, Ephesians 2:11-22 and Ephesians 3:1-13.   Would you not agree that another interpretation of John 10:16 was the Christ was preparing the Jews for acceptance of Gentiles that would be brought into the Body of Christ and not just Jews.  

It's pretty clear that Christ was using a parable with them from verse 6 and He saw that they were not getting it so He restated it by explaining it to them.  Christ IS the gate for the sheep (all the sheep)  and that's clear from vs 7.   

Also John 10:15 can be compared to John 10:30.  Jesus is providing a link between Him and the Father.  This would be a very tough thing for Jewish followers to accept, that Christ was in fact God in Flesh come to Man.  Also tough for the Jews to accept would be that the Gentiles would be added to their flock, grafted in (Romans 11) yet Christ was preparing them for this in vs 16?  Given the scriptures in John 10 along with the Jews and other scriptures to reinforce what the other sheep would mean I can only believe Christ is talking about the Gentiles and teaching the Jews that salvation will be opened upon unto the Gentiles. 

In gbrk’s questions it is asked,

“1) What I would like to see is where in the scriptures of either the Old Testament or New Testament (or Both) about the future prophecy for the apostles you mentioned?”

        Please read thru the Old Testament and tell us where it tells anywhere of the future Apostles? It tells us of the coming of The Fathers Son Jesus Christ but not of his Prophets or Apostles. 

There are many references to prophets in the Old and New Testaments and as you correctly indicated there are many references to Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah.  As for the other part of that statement, here is your answer as I have two answers for you or two examples:

#1 Matthew 3:1-3 (NIV)
{1} In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
{2} and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
{3} This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

Compare to

Isaiah 40:3 (NIV)
{3} A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

 

#2 is the Prophecy in Revelation 11 of two witnesses that will come in the End times

Revelation 11:3-6 (NIV)
{3} And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth."
{4} These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
{5} If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
{6} These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

 

A third prophecy of a kind for a future coming, other than Christ second coming is the predicted coming of the Antichrist

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV)
{3} Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
{4} He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Also 1 Jn 2:18,

 

Daniel 9:27 (NIV)  reference to the Antichrist although the name is not mentioned as such.
{27} He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him".

The above Scripture was referenced by Christ in Matthew 24

Matthew 24:15-21 (NIV)
{15} "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--
{16} then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
{17} Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house.
{18} Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
{19} How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
{20} Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.
{21} For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again.

 Within the Old Testament we have a New Testament prophet in John the Baptist who would precede and show the way to Christ and we have in the New Testament future instructions about the coming 2 Witnesses to expect in Rev 11 as well as prophecy of the coming Antichrist from Old and New Testaments including the words of Christ.  We also have warnings about unnamed False Prophets and although they are not named we are told how to tell if they are false prophets and false teachers and that is that they teach/preach a different gospel then was taught by Christ and His Disciples as recorded in the New Testament scriptures.   So YES I do very much believe there are some prophecies other than Christ that are pointed forward to from the Old Testament to the New and some that are yet to come.

2) Where in the scriptures (OT or NT) does it foretell of Joseph Smith?

         Again in the Old or News Testaments it tells nothing of future Prophets.

 I believe I addressed this adaquatly in the above responsse as to future prophecies about future prophets/witnesses/men, other than Christ Himself.

3) Where in the Old Testament or New Testament do you have confirming and correlating prophecy to those you say are within the Book of Mormon or where even is the prophecy of a coming Book of Mormon?

        Before the compiling of all the different books, where did for the most part one book testify of another book that was also compiled into what will be in the future known as the Holy Bible. If the Books written in the Americas were written in the Holy Land it also would have been included in the Holy Bible.

Every book included in the New Testament has references back to the Old Testament and also parallels information found in other New Testament books.  These were taken from various manuscripts including the dead sea scrolls (for some of the newer translations).  Naturally the dead sea scrolls were a contemporary finding with ties to the Old Testament scriptures and references events as recorded in some New Testament books so there is collaborating references from New Testament to Old and fulfilled prophecies from Old to New as well as some references which elaborate on some old testament prophecies related to the End Days or the Day of the Lord.  My question was due to the fact that in all my readings and studying I never found any reference to any future prophet that would come with another gospel of Christ before or during the end days.  So I was just wanting to see if the LDS taught that there was some section that referenced Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon or any of the locations mentioned in the Book of Mormon or collaborating prophecy that would point toward any of the stories in the Book of Mormon or any of the other accepted Books.

4) Also why is it that the Mormon Church supports only the King James Version and rejects all other translations of the Scriptures which were not only taken from many of the same manuscripts that the King James was?

          The King James Version though meaning the same as many versions, is the most direct and un-altered version from the times of old. Also sometimes even one small word being changed can completely alter the meaning that God intended. The Book of Mormon comes directly from under the ground from the Hill Cummora. Directly from the Ancients and translated by a Prophet of God thru the power of God. 

As for the source of the Book of Mormon I will have to delay any comment as I am not sufficiently informed or studied to answer either way.  As for the "times of old" those would be many manuscripts that were used by any translation committee or group drafting a translation for either King James or any contemporary version.  As times have moved forward in time, from the KJV translation many new archaeological discoveries and manuscripts have come forward that have been considered more accurate to the original language and written word or elaborated upon other manuscripts even including the dead sea scrolls.  Although there hasn't been any great changes in translations or thoughts regarding scriptures with the possible exception of the Book of Mark the language and words used have changed.  Many of the words in vogue during 1611 have changed altered meaning and do not have as clear a meaning to readers today.  

Two types of translations come into play today one which translates and reads according to the thought or contextual meaning and the other direct translation of the word itself.  The most accurate translation to the word for word is said to be the New American Standard.  NIV is one on thought or passage translation and others fall all between.  I do agree that paraphrases are to be excluded from any serious consideration as a translation as they are not, they are mere commentaries, so to say.

5) Does the Mormon Church teach that God had a beginning/Origin like man or any other created thing? Was this revealed through the KJV or through the Book of Mormon?

          All things had a beginning. God his Son Jesus Christ, the Universe (that God Created), even the material that have created many other universes and un-seen forces.

And no not anywhere in the Book of Mormon or The Holy Bible does it tell of the Father’s Beginnings. This has been revealed to us but not in detail in other The Doctrine and Covenants another book of God as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Please sometime listen to the Prophet and Apostles in World General Conference and see if anything said is out of line with The Lord Jesus Christ.

Skippy