Prophecy is central to the LDS church. From the time of Joseph Smith to the present, the title for every president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been “prophet, seer, and revelator.” Most members of the church believe that the word of the current prophet takes precedence over the words of former prophets. As I am told repeatedly, “That’s why we have a living prophet.”

The faith of most church members is rooted in a unique revelation that their church is the true church. These members believe their church’s departure from Biblical Christianity is justified, not because they can prove that “all Christian churches are apostate” or that Joseph Smith restored the gospel, but because they have a personal testimony that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. This personal revelation, often described as a spiritual witness, is a cornerstone of their faith. So, the church relies on special revelation for every claim it makes, and the people depend on revelation (rather than objective reasons) for believing these special revelations. We could argue that the church hangs entirely on prophecy – the prophecies of the Book of Mormon as revealed by Joseph Smith, the living prophet, and the personal revelation received by the faithful.

The Apostle Paul gives a rule for handling prophecies and a prophetic word.

And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. (I Corinthians 14:32)

Likewise, John teaches us,

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (I John 4:1)

This aligns with the noble Bereans, who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). The Bible, as the authoritative voice of God, serves as the litmus test for any prophetic word. All revelations must be measured against this standard. Testing prophetic words with the Bible is not just a suggestion but a necessity for maintaining the truth and ensuring that the church’s teachings agree with the divine word.

Our examination of the Book of Mormon centers on a desire to hold it up to the standard of God’s Word. We have already pointed out several contrasts between the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Here is another: the Book of Mormon doesn’t handle prophecy like the Bible. Let me demonstrate.

A Contrast of Prophetic Messages

The Book of Mormon has several notable prophecies in it. Consider this example from I Nephi 10:7-11.

Continue reading “The Bible vs. The Book of Mormon, Part 3: A Contrast of Prophetic Messages” →