The Mormon Church & Black Folks
Question #57
Q. If we already have Jesus and the Bible, then why
do we need Joseph Smith and The Book of
Mormon or this Priesthood?
We need whatever the LORD says we need. Joseph the
Seer was nothing more, nor less, than the Latter-day John the Baptist. Just as
God sent a Prophet to prepare the way for Jesus’ First Advent, so He sent
another Prophet to prepare the way for Jesus’ Second Advent. LDS Apostle Mark
E. Peterson wrote:
“Since the Creation the most significant message ever
given to mankind were those proclaiming the coming to the earth of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Through the ages the prophets have spoken of two such advents,
one in the meridian of time when he would take upon himself mortality and
accomplish the Atonement; the other His glorious second coming which will usher
in the millennial reign. For each advent a prophetic messenger was assigned to
go before Him and prepare the way. One was John the Baptist, of whom Jesus said
there was no greater prophet born of woman (see Luke 7:28). The other was
Joseph Smith, Jr., designated in modern scripture as having done more for the
salvation of mankind than anyone else on earth, with the sole exception of our
Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. (see D&C 135).
Both advents have been foretold by the prophets
throughout the ages. The people were amply forewarned concerning the Lord’s
first coming: for as Peter told Cornelius the Gentile:
To him give all the prophets witness, that through
his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.’ (Acts
10:43)
For each advent, however, a forerunner was chosen to
prepare the way. Each coming would require its own particular kind of advance
preparation. Hence, each was given its own forerunner, specially chosen for the
work. John the Baptist prepared the way
for the first coming. Joseph Smith, Jr., was the forerunner of the second, and
his word has been and is now being sustained and furthered by each succeeding
prophet called to lead the Church. This
will continue until Christ Himself shall come as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords to reign on earth with His Saints for a thousand years.” (The
Forerunners, pp.7-8)
*John the Baptist & Joseph the Seer
The Prophet Joseph Smith is sometimes referred to as Joseph
the Seer; because his calling was to receive visions and revelations from
the LORD; in preparation for His Second Advent. John Bar Zechariah is called John
the Baptist; because he was called to baptize for the remission of
sins in preparation for the First Advent of the LORD. Neither man is a Savior,
but both are Prophets of God and sent from God, and therefore are His
authorized agents. If we reject either of them, we ultimately reject the One who
sent them; whether we know it or not. The Jews who rejected John the Baptist
ultimately rejected Jesus as well; although they believed they were followers
of the coming Messiah. Christians who reject Joseph the Seer are also in fact
rejecting the One who sent him (Jesus Christ); although they are as ignorant of
this fact as were the Jews who rejected both the Prophet John and the Messiah
Jesus.
*Jesus Christ NOT Joseph Smith
The Mormon Church isn’t about the man Mormon, nor
about Joseph Smith, it’s all about Jesus Christ! Joseph Smith once said:
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the
testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ,
that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into
heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages
to it.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.121)
*The Elect Church
One can be a Mormon and a Christian at the same time
just as one can be a Lutheran and a Christian, or a Baptist and a Christian, or
a Presbyterian and a Christian at the same time. One need not believe in Joseph Smith or The
Book of Mormon to be a Christian, and be saved from death (resurrection)
and Hell (redemption). But one must be a faithful Latter-day Saint in
order to be saved from sin (exaltation); because to be saved from sin is to
become perfect, and the perfection of the soul can only come
through keeping (obeying) all the
laws and ordinances that Jesus has commanded, and they only exist in
total in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They only
exist in total in this Church because the LDS Church is nothing more, nor less,
than the Divine Restoration of Original Christianity. It is the divine
restoration not of the Universal
Church, but of the Elect Church; the Assembly
of the Saints. Jesus sent His Apostles 2000 years ago to preach the Gospel to
“all nations”. This is still going on today. But Jesus restored His Church and
called latter-day Apostles to “gather his elect” from the four corners of the earth.
This is the purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
*For The Perfection Of The Saints
The Priesthood is not necessary for Redemption;
to be saved from Hell-fire. But it is absolutely necessary from Exaltation;
which is also referred to as Immortality and Eternal Life. Jesus commanded His
Saints:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in
Heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48)
If accepting Jesus as Lord and becoming a Christian
was all that was necessary for perfection, as Jesus here
commanded, then there would be no reason for Jesus to command His
disciples to “be ye therefore perfect”. If they had already accepted
Jesus, which they had, they did not need to do anything further; since,
in Evangelical theology, all they needed to do was accept Jesus to go to
Heaven. Since Heaven has no varying degrees of reward, as Evangelicals believe,
then there would be no reason to become perfect!
Of course, the Catholic and Evangelical beliefs about
Heaven and Hell come mainly from the
traditions of men, and not from the Bible itself; which clearly
teaches varying degrees of rewards in Heaven:
Perfection
is salvation from sin; or 100 fold salvation. It is the third degree of
salvation. It is the highest form of salvation. Only true Saints will receive
this level of salvation, and the rewards entitled for those who achieve it.
When we say “Saints” we don’t mean Catholic “saints”, but rather the kind of
“saint” that the New Testament refers to: a Christian who “overcomes” their
sinful nature; who “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
(Philippians 3:12)
Achieving perfection does not mean a perfect body or
perfect intelligence. It does not refer to human perfection, but the perfection
of the soul. Divine perfection comes from obeying all the laws and ordinances
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the fulness of one’s ability. It has to do
with humility and sacrifice; with worthiness and obedience. It means to become
a perfect servant of the LORD. The perfect servant of the LORD is
humble, and bows his ego before His LORD in complete subjection. That perfect
servant is the Elect of God, and shall become an Adam or an Eve upon other
worlds; world without end.
*The Latter-day gathing of the Elect of God
The very purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints can be summed up in the words of Jesus when He said,
referring to the latter-days:
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of
a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31)
On the top of most Mormon Temples is a statue of an
angel blowing a trumpet; which symbolically represents the latter-day gathering
of the Elect of God from the four corners of the earth. The literal fulfillment
is the missionaries (messengers) who carry the message of the Restored Gospel
to all the nations of the earth, and gather those who are converted into the
Stakes of Zion.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said:
“Man and angels are to be co-workers in bringing to
pass this great work, and Zion is to be
prepared, even a New Jerusalem, for the Elect that are to be gathered from
the four quarters of the earth, and to establish an holy city, for the
tabernacle of the Lord shall be with them.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p.84)
The term “Zion” means “The Pure-in-Heart”. The Elect
of God are the ‘pure-in-heart’; of whatever race, color, lineage, or nation
they are. The very purpose of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is to fulfill Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 24 verse 31.
*Summary of the Curse of Cain Doctrine
1. Adam was given the Priesthood; the power and
authority from God, given to men, to offer sacrifices and perform divine
ordinances on earth.
2. Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, had the
birthright to this Priesthood. He and his posterity were supposed to receive it
first. However, because he offered a sacrifice to the LORD in a state of
unrighteousness (unworthiness) his offering was rejected, and the birthright
fell to Abel; the second-born son. In an effort to get his birthright back,
Cain killed Abel.
3. In response to the murder of Abel, the LORD placed
a curse upon Cain; called the “Curse of Cain”. It included a loss of the
Priesthood for Cain and his posterity (descendants). Instead of receiving the
Priesthood first, they would receive it last. The LORD also placed a ‘mark’
upon Cain (either this refers to Cain the man or Cain the people, or perhaps
both). The Cainites became black-skinned; to distinguish them from the Sethites
(to discourage intermarriage so the Sethites would not fall under the curse),
and as a protection.
4. The Cainites and Sethites were all killed in the
Flood; except for Noah (a pure Sethite), his three sons, and their wives. The
wife of Ham was Egyptus; a Cainites woman. So the Cainite bloodline (lineage)
survived the flood. The Hamites were thus also Cainites (as well as Sethites),
and settled in Canaan (now Palestine) and Northeastern Africa. The Hamitic
bloodline was passed from the Egyptians to the Nubians, and from the Nubians to
native African tribes; until, over thousands of years of migration, the Hamitic
bloodline was diffused throughout Africa.
5. There is evidence (Coptic Church, etc.) that the
early Christians did not, as a rule, ordain black men to the Priesthood. There
were exceptions in cases of exceeding faith. With the
Restoration, Elijah Abel and his male descendants were granted the Priesthood;
as an exception to the rule. In 1978, passed upon the pleadings and
supplications to the LORD of President Spencer W. Kimball, his Counselors, and
the Twelve Apostles, in response to the exceeding faith of the Negro and
Mulatto Saints of Brazil, and of the
other faithful Negro Saints in Africa and America, the LORD revoked the Curse
of Cain, and the Priesthood was no longer banned from worthy males of the
Hamitic lineage. Since June 8th, 1978, Mormons of Hamitic lineage
have the exact same blessings and opportunities as any other lineage in the LDS
Church.
Please feel free to e-mail Darrick Evenson
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