Take note of these statements made by the Mormon church in their writings:
-Doctrine And Covenants 135:3 “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world than any other man that ever lived in it.”
-Doctrines of Salvation: Joseph F. Smith: “There is not salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth…then this knowledge is of the most vital importance to the entire world. No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences for he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Vol. 1, pp. 189-190
-History of the Church: Brigham Young: “Every spirit that confesses that Joseph Smith is a Prophet, that lived and died a Prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true, is of God, and every spirit that does not is of anti-Christ.” Vol. 7, p. 287
These statements made by the Mormon church are obviously some very bold statements. They tell us that there can not be salvation outside of the teachings of Joseph Smith. His name must be given to enter heaven. These statements exalt Joseph Smith up to the level of Jesus Christ, whose name the Bible says is the only name that can be given under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
The Mormon faith, as even their own leaders will say, stands or falls on Joseph Smith’s claims. If Joseph Smith was a prophet, then what he taught was from God and the above statements of Mormon leaders is true. But if it is proven that Joseph Smith is not a prophet, then the organization that he started is a false prophet and should not be listened to. One Mormon leader said this:
“[The] Church stands or falls with Joseph Smith. Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false…If his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions… The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures.”[1]
I agree with Mr. Smith. There are only two choices. There cannot be any middle ground. Either Joseph Smith is from God or he is a fraud. The way we can know whether or not a prophet is from God is to look at the things that they prophesy and teach. In Deuteronomy chapters thirteen and eighteen, the Lord gives us criteria to use to know whether someone is a prophet sent from God:
-“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 "You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery , to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you” (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
-“But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’– 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
From these two verses, we see that God tells us that we need to test the things that were prophesied by someone to see if they came to pass. If the prophesies do not come to pass, then they are a false prophet. But even though prophecies may come true and a prophet does miracles, we must compare what they teach and say about God to scripture to make sure they are telling us to follow after the same God. If they are teaching a different God that teaches different doctrines, then we must not follow them.
So let’s put the prophecies and teachings of Joseph Smith to the test so we can see the truth and be able to show this truth to our Mormon friends.
On Dec. 25, 1832, Joseph received the following revelation about the American Civil War, now printed as Section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
-“Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; 2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. 3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations. 4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war. 5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation. 6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations; 7 That the cry of the Saints, and of the blood of the Saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”
He also prophesied in Doctrine and Covenants 130:12:
-"I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina. It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832."
On July 14, 1832 (more than five months before the date of Smith’s prophecy), Congress passed a tariff act which South Carolina declared null and void in November of 1832, one month before Smith’s prophecy. Because tensions were high, President Andrew Jackson put the U.S. army on alert and the United States expected war in 1832! Many U.S. newspapers reported that information before Smith’s prophecy! If any one of us were living at that time in this country, we could have predicted a war. Joseph Smith’s prophecy doesn’t even seem to confident. He says that the war “may probably arise” because of slavery.
Some things in this prophesy did not happen. Great Britain never got involved in this war. The south never made calls to other countries. War was not poured out on all nations beginning at this time. The war was contained to the states. The remnants (the Indians) did not play a major part in the outcome of the war. A full end of nations didn’t happen. The whole earth did not mourn; there was no earthquake, plague, or famine during the war. THE MAJORITY OF THE SLAVES REMAINED FAITHFUL TO THEIR MASTERS! Many specifics of Joseph Smith’s prophecy did not come true, including that this bloodshed would come before the coming of Christ.
Joseph Smith also made the following prophecy about the return of Christ:
-"President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion–our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh–even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." [2]
This prophecy of Jesus’ return fifty-six years later did not come to pass. We are all still here.
One final prophecy of Joseph Smith that did not come to pass:
-"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion,i which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house… Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed."[3]
This prophecy tells us that during the present generation of Smith’s time, a temple would be built. This event never happened. The Mormons were driven out of the area designated by Joseph Smith here in this prophecy.
These prophecies are false, showing that Joseph Smith should be rejected.
The second test of whether a prophet is true is whether or not they teach different doctrines than scripture or teach us to go after different gods. Joseph Smith also fails this test.
Joseph Smith taught the following in April 1843, later recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 130:22:
-“The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”
He also said:
-“I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.”[4]
-“God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make Himself visible,—I say, if you were to see Him today, you would see Him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another… Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach Him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to Him, He begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to Him, He is ready to come to us.”[5]
Does the Bible teach that God the Father used to be a man like you and I, and is an exalted man today? Does the Bible teach that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are three separate Gods? It does not. Also, there are not many Gods [6], and there is not a mother goddess that the Father has relations with to make spirit babies [7], as Mormonism teaches. The Bible makes it clear that there is only one God":
-"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me” (Isaiah 43:10).
-"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me” (Isaiah 44:6). Isaiah continues in verse 8, ‘”Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none."
Joseph Smith’s teachings clearly contradict what the Bible says. He teaches a different god than the God of the Bible. He teaches multiple gods, when the Bible only teaches that there is one true God.
This is only scratching the surface of the false teachings and false prophecies of Joseph Smith. These are enough to show that Joseph Smith does not meet the criteria given in Deuteronomy 13 and 18 about a true prophet from God. In spite of such great evidence, Mormons in many instances will not listen. Their faith is not in the God of the Bible. It rests solely on the evidence that they were given when the prayed the prayer of Moroni 10:4. They believe the Holy Spirit has witnessed to them that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I wrote an article below showing how even this prayer that they pray is contrary to biblical teaching.
As God’s servants, all we can do is share the truth with our Mormon friends. After this, we have to leave it up to the Lord to give the increase.
1. Smith, Joseph Fielding. Doctrines of Salvation. Vol. 1, p. 188
2. History of the Church, Vol. 2:189
3. Doctrines and Covenants 84:2-5,31
4. History of the Church, 6:474
5. History of the Church, 6:303-305, 308
6. Mormon Doctrine, p. 163
7. Mormon Doctrine, p. 516
