Christmas and the Apostasy

CHRISTMAS.
See APOSTASY,... EASTER,... Modern day Christians celebrate December 25th as an annual church festival and as the traditional day of our Lord's mortal birth.... both Christmas itself and the whole yuletide season often take on an air of commercialism and worldliness... but the saints nevertheless join in....
- Bruce R. McConkie; Mormon Doctrine; Article "Christmas"

Yet D&C 84 says:

54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.
(D & C 84:54-58) 

Torah is Not an Obsolete Old Testament System

We read in Mosiah:

5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.

6 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.

7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

8 And he shall be called Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Miriam.

9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

10 And he shall arise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned.

12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Messiah should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.

14 Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses.

15 And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood.

16 And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Messiah atoneth for their sins.

17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Messiah, the Lord Omnipotent.

(Mosiah 3:5-17)

These verses maker it clear that salvation has always come only through the blood of Messiah.  Even in “Old Testament Times” salvation came by faith “that Messiah should come” and such persons were saved “even as though he had already come among them.” 

This means that the “law of Moses” is not an obsolete Old Testament system of salvation.  The idea that one could earn salvation through Torah Observance, is not an obsolete system, it is a false theology that was never true!

The Torah was not a schoolmaster that brought the world  to Messiah, it is a schoolmaster that brings individuals to faith in Messiah.  This in no way implies that the Torah should not be kept (any more than it did in King Binyamin;s time).

At last! A Messianic Jewish Edition of the Book of Mormon!

At last!  A Messianic Jewish Edition of the Book of Mormon!
https://stickofjoseph.info/

Nephi's Vision of the Apostasy and Jerome's Admission

In the Stick of Joseph, Nephi has a vision of the future events.  In this vision an angel of the Lord explains this vision to him and says regarding the Bible:

24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.
25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.
26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.
29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
(1Nephi 13:24-29 (3:165-172 RLDS)

Then in the next chapter Nephi's vision continues, a bit later the Angel later tells Nephi that this great and abominable church which resulted from this Gentilization of the Church is the great whore:

9 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
(1Nephi 14:9-13 (3:219-229 RLDS))

 In a letter to Augustine, the fourth century Church Father (and translator of the Latin Vulgate Bible) Jerome makes an amazing admission concerning the original Jewish followers of Yeshua (called "Nazarenes"):

“The matter in debate, therefore, or I should rather say your opinion regarding it, is summed up in this: that since the preaching of the gospel of Christ, the believing Jews do well in observing the precepts of the law, i.e. in offering sacrifices as Paul did, in circumcising their children, as Paul did in the case of Timothy, and keeping the Jewish Sabbath, as all the Jews have been accustomed to do. If this be true, we fall into the heresy… [of those who] though believing in Christ, were anathematized by the fathers for this one error, that they mixed up the ceremonies of the law with the gospel of Christ, and professed their faith in that which was new, without letting go what was old. …In our own day there exists a sect among the Jews throughout all the synagogues of the East, which is called the sect of the Minæans, and is even now condemned by the Pharisees. The adherents to this sect are known commonly as Nazarenes; they believe in Christ the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary; and they say that He who suffered under Pontius Pilate and rose again, is the same as the one in whom we believe. But while they desire to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither the one nor the other. I therefore beseech you, who think that you are called upon to heal my slight wound, which is no more, so to speak, than a prick or scratch from a needle, to devote your skill in the healing art to this grievous wound, which has been opened by a spear driven home with the impetus of a javelin. For there is surely no proportion between the culpability of him who exhibits the various opinions held by the fathers in a commentary on Scripture, and the guilt of him who reintroduces within the Church a most pestilential heresy. If, however, there is for us no alternative but to receive the Jews into the Church, along with the usages prescribed by their law; if, in short, it shall be declared lawful for them to continue in the Churches of Christ what they have been accustomed to practice in the synagogues of Satan, I will tell you my opinion of the matter: they will not become Christians, but they will make us Jews.
 (Jerome; Letter 75)


Jerome summarizes what Augustine had written to him saying of the Nazarenes: “since the preaching of the gospel of Christ, the believing Jews do well in observing the precepts of the law, i.e. in offering sacrifices as Paul did, in circumcising their children, as Paul did in the case of Timothy, and keeping the Jewish Sabbath, as all the Jews have been accustomed to do.” (Jerome; Letter 75 Jerome to Augustine)

Jerome responds to Augustine by saying of the Nazarenes “though believing in Christ, [they] were anathematized by the [church] fathers for this one error, that they mixed up the ceremonies of the law with the gospel of Christ, and professed their faith in that which was new, without letting go what was old.”  (ibid)  In other words Augustine and Jerome tell us that the Nazarene doctrine that the Torah is for all generations, forever,  began with “the preaching of Christ” and that this was the doctrine kept by Paul. "When it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord," (1Nephi 13:24) That these things went " forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles." (1Nephi 13:25)

But  after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church," (!Nephi 13:26) because  the church “fathers” declared this doctrine to be an error and a heresy.

Nephi prophesied of this Great Apostasy and the Church Father Jerome admitted it! 

\

Morning Star October 1832: Saturday Sabbath

"Brethren in the Lord, good advise is like springs in the wilderness; you may drink at one and drink at another, and pure water always tastes agreeable. Never plan your business on Saturday so that it might interfere with the solemn duties of the Sabbath, for the Lord will not hold you guiltless if you do. His sacred command is: Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy. The Lord is not well pleased with the disciple that does any thing on that holy day that should be done on laboring day. Nor should a disciple go to meeting one Sabbath here, and another there; let all that can, be strict to attend meeting in their own place, (and let those elders who are faithful, visit the several churches from time to time, instructing them in the knowledge of the truth and in the peaceable things of the kingdom,) that they may surround the sacrament table of the Lord, with a pure heart, as an earnest, that they are at peace with their brethren, and in favor with him whose still, small voice, whispers: Thy sins are forgiven thee. Neither should the children be allowed to slip off and play, rather than meet where they may be trained up in the way they should go to be saved. We are the children of God, and let us not put off his law. When a saint works on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do we. When the saints travel to do business on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do we. When the saints go from one meeting to another to see and be seen, the world can reply: So do we. When the children of the saints play on the Sabbath, the world can reply: So do ours. Brethren, watch, that you may enter into the Lord's sacred rest."
(Morning Star volume 1 October 1832.)

The Oral Law and the Nephites

The Oral Law and the Nephites

What is the Oral Law?

One of the major differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees, was that the Pharisees accepted the Oral Law, while the Sadducees rejected it.  The First Century Jewish historian Josephus put it like this:

"...the Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many  observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the law of Moses;"

(Josephus; Ant. 13:11:6)

But Sadducees rejected these traditions, as Josephus continues:

"...for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are delivered from the tradition of our forefathers"

(Josephus; Ant. 13:11:6)

Of course the Pharisees became the forefathers of Rabbinic Judaism, while the Sadducees became extinct. (Not until the middle ages did the Karite sect of Judaism arise, and again, like the Sadducees, reject the Oral Law.

If we read the Stick of Joseph, we find that the Nephites did in fact have the Oral Law, the traditions of our fathers.  We also find that a common feature of their antagonists was a rejection of these traditions.  And finally we find that proselytes from the Lamenites to the Assembly, embraced these traditions as well.

The Lamanites Sought to Destroy the Oral Law

Just one generation after the Nephites left Jerusalem under Lehi’s leadership, Enos, the grandson of Lehi and son of Ya’akov (Jacob) wrote concerning the Lamanites of his time:

14 For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers.

(Enos 1:14)

“Our records” would certainly refer to the Brass Plates (The Tanak) and the Gold Plates (The Stick of Joseph),  the written Scriptures, but the phrase “and also all the traditions of our fathers” clearly refers to the Oral Law which was being preserved by the Nephites.

The Wicked People of Ammonihah Rejected the Oral Law

When Alma first came to teach in the city of Ammonihah, the people of that city rejected his message saying:

11 Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him: Behold, we know that you are Alma; and we know that you are Cohen HaGadol over the Assembly which you have established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of your Assembly, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.

(Alma 8:11)

And when Alma returned with Amulek to teach again in Ammonihah, he rebuked them saying:

Behold, O you wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yes, how soon you have forgotten the commandments of Elohim.

(Alma 9:8)

The unrighteous majority of the city again rejected his message.  The righteous people of the city were exiled or burned (Alma 14:7-8)  and the wicked majority were destroyed by a Lamanite army in Elohim’s judgment (Alma 10:23; 14:11; 16:2,9)

Korihor Rejected the Oral Law

We read in Alma:

But it came to pass in the latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Messiah, for he began to preach unto the people against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the coming of Messiah.

(Alma 30:6)

Korihor also spoke very strongly against the Oral Law saying:

14 Behold, these things which you call prophecies, which you say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.

15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, you cannot know of things which you do not see; therefore you cannot know that there shall be a Messiah.

16 You look forward and say that you see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.

(Alma 30:14-16)

... Because I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers, and because I do not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their heads, but be brought down according to your words.

(Alma 30:23)

27 And thus you lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and you keep them down, even as it were in bondage, that you may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they dare not look up with boldness, and that they dare not enjoy their rights and privileges.

28 Yes, they dare not make use of that which is their own lest they should offend their priests, who do yoke them according to their desires, and have brought them to believe, by their traditions and their dreams and their whims and their visions and their pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, who they say is Elohim- a being who never has been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.

(Alma 30:27-28)

31 And he did rise up in great swelling words before Alma, and did revile against the priests and teachers, accusing them of leading away the people after the silly traditions of their fathers, for the sake of glutting on the labors of the people.

(Alma 30:31)

It is difficult to ignore the parallels between Korihor and the Sadducees.  Not only did Korihor, like the Sadducees, reject the Oral Law, but he also rejected, as did the Sadducees, the doctrine of an afterlife:

17 And many more such things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime.

18 And thus he did preach unto them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit whoredoms- telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.

(Alma 30:17-18)

And while Korihor admitted to being an agnostic. It is likely that many Sadducees were agnostics at heart as well.

It is indeed ironic that this man who spoke so strongly against the Oral Law was judged by Elohim by losing his ability to speak (Alma 30:48-59).

The People of Ammon Embraced the Oral Law

While we have looked at three antagonists to the Nephites who rejected the Oral Law, we also have an example of a large group of Lamanite converts, who embraced the Oral Law. 

When the sons of Mosiah taught the Lamanites, a large group, who came to be known as the People of Ammon, repented and joined the Assembly (Alma 23:4-5, 17-18).

5 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of YHWH, yes, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed down even to the present time.

(Alma 23:5)

When Korihor brought his message to the People of Ammon, they literally showed him out of their land:

19 Now this man went over to the land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who were once the people of the Lamanites.

20 But behold they were more wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people.

21 And it came to pass that he caused that he should be carried out of the land...

(Alma 30:19-21)

Was Omni a “Wicked Man”?

We read in the Book of Mormon:

1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy—

2 Wherefore, in my days, I would that ye should know that I fought much with the sword to preserve my people, the Nephites, from falling into the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites. But behold, I of myself am a wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done.

3 And it came to pass that two hundred and seventy and six years had passed away, and we had many seasons of peace; and we had many seasons of serious war and bloodshed. Yea, and in fine, two hundred and eighty and two years had passed away, and I had kept these plates according to the commandments of my fathers; and I conferred them upon my son Amaron. And I make an end.

(Omni 1:1-3)

The fact that one of the authors of the Book of Mormon, for which one of the books are named, admits being a “wicked man” has long been a target for attack by Book of Mormon opponents. 

However, if we examine this passage from a Jewish perspective, it makes perfect sense. 

The Talmud records a Jewish tradition which states that at the time a soul is sent into the world, an oath is administer to the soul by Elohim, as follows:

Be righteous and be not wicked;

and even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous,

regard yourself as if you were wicked.

(b.Niddah 30b)

The Tanya, a book written by the founder of the Chabad movement laying out the foundation for Hasidic Judaism, comments much about this passage in the Talmud.

Drawing from another passage of Talmud, the Tanya lays out five kinds of men:

We find in the Gemara [of the Talmud] [b.Berachot 7a] five distinct types—a righteous man who prospers, a righteous man who suffers, a wicked man who prospers, a wicked man who suffers, and an intermediate one (Benoni). It is there explained that the "righteous man who prospers" is the perfect tzaddik; the "righteous man who suffers" is the imperfect tzaddik. In Raaya Mehemna [in the Zohar] (Parshat Mishpatim) it is explained that the "righteous man who suffers" is one whose evil nature is subservient to his good nature, and so on. In the Gemara (end ch. 9, Berachot) it is stated that the righteous are motivated by their good nature,... and the wicked by their evil nature, while the intermediate men are motivated by both, and so on. Rabbah declared, "I, for example, am a Benoni" Said Abbaye to him, "Master, you do not make it possible for anyone to live," and so on.

(Tanya Chapter 1)

After some analysis of terms, the Tany goes on to say:

And as for the general saying that one whose deeds and misdeeds are equally balanced is called Benoni, while he whose virtues outweigh his sins is called a Tzaddik, this is only the figurative use of the term in regard to reward and punishment, because he is judged according to the majority [of his acts] and he is deemed "righteous" in his verdict, since he is acquitted in law. But concerning the true definition and quality of the distinct levels and ranks, "Righteous" and "Intermediate" men, our Sages have remarked that the Righteous are motivated [solely] by their good nature, as it is written, "And my heart is a void within me," that is, void of an evil nature, because he [David] had slain it through fasting. But whoever has not attained this degree, even though his virtues exceed his sins, cannot at all be reckoned to have ascended to the rank of the Righteous (tzaddik). This is why our Sages have declared in the Midrash, "The Almighty saw that the righteous were few, so He planted them in every generation,..." [for,] as it is written, "The tzaddik is the foundation of the world."

(Tanya Chapter 1)

So the Tanya teaches that the true definition of a “righteous” man (a Tzadik) is one who has no influence from his evil inclination at all.  It does not even occur to this rare type of man to sin.

Later, in Chapter 13 the Tanya states:

Yet, inasmuch as the evil in the [heart's] left part of the benoni is in its innate strength, craving after all the pleasures of this world, not having been nullified in its minuteness in relation to the good, nor having been relegated from its position to any degree— except in so far as it has no authority and power to diffuse itself throughout the limbs of the body, because the Holy One, blessed be He, "Stands at the right hand of the poor man," helping him and irradiating his divine soul— such a person is likened to a "wicked man." In the words of our Sages, "Even if the whole world tells you that you are righteous, in your own eyes regard yourself as if you were wicked"— not as actually wicked. But one should consider oneself to be an "intermediate" person and not accept the world's opinion which would have him believe that the evil in him has been dissolved by the good, which is the category of a tzaddik. Rather should he consider himself in his own estimation as if the very essence of the evil is in its full strength and might, in the left part, as from birth, and that nothing of it has ceased or departed; on the contrary, with the passing of time it has gained strength, because the man has indulged it considerably, in eating and drinking and other mundane pursuits.

(Tanya 13)

In other words, the intermediate man, who struggles to do the right thing, should not be misled by those who tell him he is a Tzadik (a righteous man) but should instead regard himself as if he is a wicked man, always on the alert against his evil inclination.

Now let us go back to what Omni says about himself in the Book of Omni:

2 Wherefore, in my days, I would that ye should know that I fought much with the sword to preserve my people, the Nephites, from falling into the hands of their enemies, the Lamanites. But behold, I of myself am a wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done.

(Omni 1:2)

Notice that Omni not only regards himself as if he were wicked, but he says: “I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done.”  If Omni were truly a wicked man, why not simply say “I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord”, why add the phrase: “as I ought to have done.”? 

Omni is not an apostate, he recognizes that he ought to keep the statutes and commandments.  So what does he mean by “as I ought to have done”?

Again we read in the Tanya:

all the good that the nations do, is done from selfish motives. So the Gemara comments on the verse, "The kindness of the nations is sin,"— that all the charity and kindness done by the nations of the world is only for their own self-glorification, and so on.

(Tanya Chapter 1)

The Tanya teaches, based on the Talmud and the Tanak (Old Testament) that if we keep the Torah with wrong mindset, for selfish motives, that in itself is sin. 

So when we look at Omni’s statement from a Jewish perspective, we actually see a man who is engaged in the personal struggle between right and wrong, and who struggles internally with the question of whether or not he is keeping the Torah as he ought to, without any selfish motives of self-glorification etc.  Omni regards himself as if he is wicked, less he be misled into believing that his evil inclination has been dissolved.