Does Mormonism attack other Religions?

Mormons do not like it when their Church is labeled a cult by Christians. This bothers them and they want desperately to be accepted as Christian by the Christian community. The Mormon church spends a great deal of time and money on public relations with the aim of portraying a loving, family-oriented, non-condemning Christian denomination. But Christians react to this and cite the great differences in doctrine between Mormons and Christians and continue to pronounce the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a non-Christian cult.

The battle continues and Mormons try to claim that they do not go around condemning other religions like "anti-Mormons" do. They say they are forgiving, tolerant, good Christian people who don't have anything against anyone. They claim they are being more Christ-like.
Their desire for a good image is understandable. But the question remains. Does the Mormon church condemn other religious systems? The answer is definitely, "Yes." Let's look at Mormon writers and see what they have said.

Joseph Smith said . . .

(Regarding Joseph Smith's alleged first vision where celestial personages appeared to him.) . . .) "My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right — and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt . . ." (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 5-6).

"What is it that inspires professors of Christianity generally with a hope of salvation? It is that smooth, sophisticated influence of the devil, by which he deceives the whole world," (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 270.)

(In questions directed to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. . .)
First -- "Do you believe the Bible?"
If we do, we are the only people under heaven that do, for there are none of the religious sects of the day that do."
Third — "Will everybody be damned, but Mormons?"
Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness." (Teachings, page 119.)

Brigham Young said. . .

"But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong," (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, 1855, p. 171).

John Taylor said . . .

"We talk about Christianity, but it is a perfect pack of nonsense.... Myself and hundreds of the Elders around me have seen its pomp, parade, and glory; and what is it? It is a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; it is as corrupt as hell; and the Devil could not invent a better engine to spread his work than the Christianity of the nineteenth century," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, 1858, p. 167).

"Where shall we look for the true order or authority of God? It cannot be found in any nation of Christendom," (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, 1863, p. 127).

James Talmage said . . .

"A self-suggesting interpretation of history indicates that there has been a great departure from the way of salvation as laid down by the Savior, a universal apostasy from the Church of Christ," (The Articles of Faith, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, p. 182).

Bruce McConkie said . . .

"With the loss of the gospel, the nations of the earth went into a moral eclipse called the Dark Ages," (Mormon Doctrine, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City, Utah, p. 44).

Joseph Fielding Smith said . . .

"Again, following the death of his apostles, apostasy once more set in, and again the saving principles and ordinances of the gospel were changed to suit the conveniences and notions of the people. Doctrines were corrupted, authority lost, and a false order of religion took the place of the gospel of Jesus Christ, just as it had been the case in former dispensations, and the people were left in spiritual darkness," (Doctrines of Salvation, page 266).

The Book of Mormon says. . .

"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" (1 Nephi 14:10).

"And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose foundation is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence. . ." (1 Nephi. 14:17).

The Doctrine and Covenants says . . .

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face" (Doctrine and Covenants, 112:23).

When the Mormon missionaries come to the door and do their "gospel" presentation, they mention an apostasy and the need for a prophet, their prophet, to restore the true Teachings of Jesus. Of course, these ‘restored' teachings are completely false.
Nevertheless, the Mormon church clearly condemns other religious systems. Those Mormons who complain about poor treatment should familiarize themselves with their teachers' words.


www.carm.org

Contradictions between the Book of Mormon and Mormon Doctrine

The Book of Mormon vs. Mormon Doctrine The Book of Mormon Mormon Doctrine There is only one God Mosiah 15:1,5; Alma 11:28; 2 Nephi 31:21 Mormonism teaches there are many gods. Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 5. The Trinity is one God Alma 11:44; Mosiah 15:5; 2 Nephi 31:21 The Trinity is three separate gods. James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 35. 1985. God is unchanging Mormon 9:9,19; Moroni 8:18; Alma 41:8; 3 Nephi 24:6 God is increasing in knowledge. Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 120. God is spirit Alma 18:24,28; 22:9,11 God has the form of a man. Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 3. Eternal hell Jacob 3:11; 6:10; 2 Nephi 19:16; 28:21-23. Hell is not eternal. James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 55. Polygamy condemned Jacob 1:15; 2:23,24,27,31;3:5; Mosiah 11:2,4; Ether 10:5,7 Polygamy was taught and practiced. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 266.
So how does this work?

What Mormon Missionaries will not tell you(Joseph Smith)

by Richard Packham

Until recently, the missionaries were required to present Mormonism in six "discussions", which were a series of memorized sales talks. They are now encouraged simply to "follow the spirit" in their presentations. The basic message and approach, however, is still essentially the same. A thorough, thoughtful and balanced discussion of each of the six "official" lessons as the missionaries formerly presented them to investigators is at http://www.lds4u.com, together with the techniques and strategies which the missionaries are instructed to use. (The actual texts of the discussions were also on this site at one time, but the Mormon church threatened the webmaster with a lawsuit, and he removed them; click on "next" at each window to read a summary and commentary.)

Here is a summary of important facts about the Mormon church, its doctrine, and its history that the missionaries will probably not tell you. We are not suggesting that they are intentionally deceiving you --most of the young Mormons serving missions for the church are not well educated in the history of the church or in modern critical studies of the church. They probably do not know the all the facts themselves. They have been trained, however, to give investigators "milk before meat," that is, to postpone revealing anything at all that might make an investigator hesitant, even if it is true. But you should be aware of these facts before you commit yourself.
Each of the following facts has been substantiated by thorough historical scholarship. And this list is by no means exhaustive!    For links to articles substantiating each of these points, CLICK on the word NOTES    following the item.

• The "First Vision" story in the form presented to you was unknown until 1838, eighteen years after its alleged occurrence and almost ten years after Smith had begun his missionary efforts. The oldest (but quite different) version of the vision is in Smith's own handwriting, dating from about 1832 (still at least eleven years afterwards), and says that only one personage, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. It also mentions nothing about a revival. It also contradicts the later account as to whether Smith had already decided that no church was true. Still a third version of this event is recorded as a recollection in Smith's diary, fifteen years after the alleged vision, where one unidentified "personage" appeared, then another, with a message implying that neither was the Son. They were accompanied by many "angels," which are not mentioned in the official version you have been told about. Which version is correct, if any? Why was this event, now said by the church to be so important, unknown for so long?    NOTES
  
  
• Careful study of the religious history of the locale where Smith lived in 1820 casts doubt on whether there actually was such an extensive revival that year as Smith and his family later described as associated with the "First Vision." The revivals in 1817 and 1824 better fit what Smith described later.   NOTES
  
  
• In 1828, eight years after he supposedly had been told by God himself to join no church, Smith applied for membership in a local Methodist church. Other members of his family had joined the Presbyterians.    NOTES
  
  
• Contemporaries of Smith consistently described him as something of a confidence man, whose chief source of income was hiring out to local farmers to help them find buried treasure by the use of folk magic and "seer stones." Smith was actually tried in 1826 on a charge of money digging.  NOTES It is interesting that none of his critics seemed to be aware of his claim to have been visited by God in 1820, even though in his 1838 account he claimed that he had suffered "great persecution" for telling people of his vision.
  
  
• The only persons who claimed to have actually seen the gold plates were eleven close friends of Smith (many of them related to each other). Their testimonies are printed in the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon. No disinterested third party was ever allowed to examine them. They were retrieved by the angel at some unrecorded point. Most of the witnesses later abandoned Smith and left his movement. Smith then called them "liars."   NOTES
  
  
• Smith produced most of the "translation" not by reading the plates through the Urim and Thummim (described as a pair of sacred spectacles), but by gazing at the same "seer stone" he had used for treasure hunting. He would place the stone into his hat, and then cover his face with it. For much of the time he was dictating, the gold plates were not even present, but in a hiding place.   NOTES
  
  
• The detailed history and civilization described in the Book of Mormon does not correspond to anything found by archaeologists anywhere in the Americas. The Book of Mormon describes a civilization lasting for a thousand years, covering both North and South America, which was familiar with horses, elephants, cattle, sheep, wheat, barley, steel, wheeled vehicles, shipbuilding, sails, coins, and other elements of Old World culture. But no trace of any of these supposedly very common things has ever been found in the Americas of that period. Nor does the Book of Mormon mention many of the features of the civilizations which really did exist at that time in the Americas. The LDS church has spent millions of dollars over many years trying to prove through archaeological research that the Book of Mormon is an accurate historical record, but they have failed to produce any convincing pre-columbian archeological evidence supporting the Book of Mormon story. In addition, whereas the Book of Mormon presents the picture of a relatively homogeneous people, with a single language and communication between distant parts of the Americas, the pre-columbian history of the Americas shows the opposite: widely disparate racial types (almost entirely east Asian - definitely not Semitic, as proven by recent DNA studies), and many unrelated native languages, none of which are even remotely related to Hebrew or Egyptian.    NOTES
  
  
• The people of the Book of Mormon were supposedly devout Jews observing the Law of Moses, but in the Book of Mormon there is almost no trace of their observance of Mosaic law or even an accurate knowledge of it.  NOTES
  
  
• Although Joseph Smith said that God had pronounced the completed translation of the plates as published in 1830 "correct," many changes have been made in later editions. Besides thousands of corrections of poor grammar and awkward wording in the 1830 edition, other changes have been made to reflect subsequent changes in some of the fundamental doctrine of the church. For example, an early change in wording modified the 1830 edition's acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity, thus allowing Smith to introduce his later doctrine of multiple gods. A more recent change (1981) replaced "white" with "pure," apparently to reflect the change in the church's stance on the "curse" of the black race.   NOTES
  
  
• Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon contained the "fulness of the gospel." However, its teaching on many doctrinal subjects has been ignored or contradicted by the present LDS church, and many doctrines now said by the church to be essential are not even mentioned there. Examples are the church's position on the nature of God, the Virgin Birth, the Trinity, polygamy, Hell, priesthood, secret organizations, the nature of Heaven and salvation, temples, proxy ordinances for the dead, and many other matters.   NOTES
  
  
• Many of the basic historical notions found in the Book of Mormon had appeared in print already in 1825, just two years before Smith began producing the Book of Mormon, in a book called View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith (no relation) and published just a few miles from where Joseph Smith lived. A careful study of this obscure book led one LDS church official (the historian B. H. Roberts, 1857-1933) to confess that the evidence tended to show that the Book of Mormon was not an ancient record, but concocted by Joseph Smith himself, based on ideas he had read in the earlier book.   NOTES
  
  
• Although Mormons claim that God is guiding the LDS church through its president (who has the title "prophet, seer and revelator"), the successive "prophets" have repeatedly either led the church into undertakings that were dismal failures or failed to see approaching disaster. To mention only a few: the Kirtland Bank, the United Order, the gathering of Zion to Missouri, the Zion's Camp expedition, polygamy, the Deseret Alphabet   NOTES.
•  
• A recent example is the successful hoax perpetrated on the church by manuscript dealer Mark Hofmann in the 1980s. He succeeded in selling the church thousands of dollars worth of manuscripts which he had forged. The church and its "prophet, seer and revelator" accepted them as genuine historical documents. The church leaders learned the truth not from God, through revelation, but from non-Mormon experts and the police, after Hofmann was arrested for two murders he committed to cover up his hoax. This scandal was reported nationwide.   NOTES
  
  
• The secret temple ritual (the "endowment") was introduced by Smith in May, 1842, just two months after he had been initiated into Freemasonry. The LDS temple ritual closely resembles the Masonic ritual of that day.    NOTES  Smith explained that the Masons had corrupted the ancient (God-given) ritual by changing it and removing parts of it, and that he was restoring it to its "pure" and "original" (and complete) form, as revealed to him by God. In the years since, the LDS church has made many fundamental changes in the "pure and original" ritual as "restored" by Smith, mostly by removing major parts of it.    NOTES
  
  
• Many doctrines which were once taught by the LDS church, and held to be fundamental, essential and "eternal", have been abandoned. Whether we feel that the church was correct in abandoning them is not the point; rather, the point is that a church claiming to be the church of God takes one "everlasting" position at one time and the opposite position at another, all the time claiming to be proclaiming the word of God. Some examples are:
  
  -  The Adam-God doctrine (Adam is God the Father);   NOTES
  -  the United Order (all property of church members is to be held in common, with title in the church);
  -  Plural Marriage (polygamy; a man must have more than one wife to attain the highest degree of heaven);   NOTES
  -  the Curse of Cain (the black race is not entitled to hold God's priesthood because it is cursed; this doctrine was not abandoned until 1978);   NOTES
  -  Blood Atonement (some sins - apostasy, adultery, murder, interracial marriage - must be atoned for by the shedding of the sinner's blood, preferably by someone appointed to do so by church authorities);   NOTES
  
  All of these doctrines were proclaimed by the reigning prophet to be the Word of God, "eternal," "everlasting," to govern the church "forevermore." All have been abandoned by the present church.
  
  
• Joseph Smith's early revelations were collected and first published in 1833 in the Book of Commandments. God (as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants Sections 1 and 67) supposedly testified by revelation that the revelations as published were true and correct. Because the Book of Commandments did not receive wide distribution (most copies were destroyed by angry opponents of the Mormons in Missouri, where it was published), they were republished - with additional revelations - as the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835 in Kirtland, Ohio. However, many of the revelations as published in Kirtland differed fundamentally from their versions as originally given. The changes generally gave more power and authority to Smith, and justified changes he was making in church organization and theology. The question naturally arises as to why revelations which God had pronounced correct needed to be revised.   NOTES
  
  
• Joseph Smith claimed to have received the priesthood (the only valid priesthood recognized by God) directly from resurrected beings (angels): the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist and the Mechizedek (higher) Priesthood from Peter, James and John. However, the accounts of these visitations are contradictory and questionable.   NOTES
  
  
• Joseph Smith claimed to be a "translator" by the power of God. In addition to the Book of Mormon, he made several other "translations":
  
  - The Book of Abraham, from Egyptian papyrus scrolls which came into his possession in 1835. He stated that the scrolls were written by the biblical Abraham "by his own hand." Smith's translation is now accepted as scripture by the LDS church, as part of its Pearl of Great Price. Smith also produced an "Egyptian Grammar" based on his translation. Modern scholars of ancient Egyptian agree that the scrolls are common Egyptian funeral scrolls, entirely pagan in nature, having nothing to do with Abraham, and from a period 2000 years later than Abraham. The "Grammar" has been said by Egyptologists to prove that Smith had no notion of the Egyptian language. It is pure fantasy: he made it up.   NOTES
  
  - The "Inspired Revision" of the King James Bible. Smith was commanded by God to retranslate the Bible because the existing translations contained errors. He completed his translation in 1833, but the church still uses the King James Version.   NOTES
  
  - The "Kinderhook Plates," a group of six metal plates with strange engraved characters, unearthed in 1843 near Kinderhook, Illinois, and examined by Smith, who began a "translation" of them. He never completed the translation, but he identified the plates as an "ancient record," and translated enough to identify the author as a descendant of Pharaoh. Local farmers later confessed that they had manufactured, engraved and buried the plates themselves as a hoax. They had apparently copied the characters from a Chinese tea box.   NOTES
  
  
• Joseph Smith claimed to be a "prophet." He frequently prophesied future events "by the power of God." Many of these prophecies are recorded in the LDS scripture Doctrine and Covenants. Almost none have been fulfilled, and many cannot now be fulfilled because the deeds to be done by the persons named were never done and those persons are now dead. Many prophecies included dates for their fulfillment, and those dates are now long past, the events never having occurred.    NOTES
  
  
• Joseph Smith died not as a martyr, but in a gun battle in which he fired a number of shots. He was in jail at the time, under arrest for having ordered the destruction of a Nauvoo newspaper which dared to print an exposure (which was true) of his secret sexual liaisons. At that time he had announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, set up a secret government, and secretly had himself crowned "King of the Kingdom of God."    NOTES
  
  
• Since the founding of the church down to the present day the church leaders have not hesitated to lie, to falsify documents, to rewrite or suppress history, or to do whatever is necessary to protect the image of the church. Many Mormon historians have been excommunicated from the church for publishing their findings on the truth of Mormon history.   NOTES
  
  
• Trying to determine the truth by relying entirely on the feelings one gets after praying is not a reliable way to learn the truth. One can easily deceive oneself into "feeling" something that is really not true at all. The only reliable way to get to the truth is to examine verifiable facts.     NOTES
  
  
• Mormonism includes many other unusual teachings which you will probably not be told about until you have been in the church for a long time. These teachings are not revealed to investigators or new converts because those people are not yet considered ready to have more than "milk" as doctrine. The Mormons also probably realize that if investigators knew of these unusual teachings they would not join the church. In addition to those mentioned elsewhere in this article, the following are noteworthy:   NOTES
  
  
  • God was once a man like us.
  • God has a tangible body of flesh and bone.
  • God lives on a planet near the star Kolob.
  • God ("Heavenly Father") has at least one wife, our "Mother in Heaven," but she is so holy that we are not to discuss her nor pray to her.
  • Jesus was married.
  • We can become like God and rule over our own universe.
  • There are many gods, ruling over their own worlds.
  • Jesus and Satan ("Lucifer") are brothers, and they are our brothers - we are all spirit children of Heavenly Father
  • Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father by having sex with Mary, who was temporarily his wife.
  • We should not pray to Jesus, nor try to feel a personal relationship with him.
  • The "Lord" ("Jehovah") in the Old Testament is the being named Jesus in the New Testament, but different from "God the Father" ("Elohim").
  • In the highest degree of the celestial kingdom some men will have more than one wife.
  • Before coming to this earth we lived as spirits in a "pre-existence", during which we were tested; our position in this life (whether born to Mormons or savages, or in America or Africa) is our reward or punishment for our obedience in that life.
  • Dark skin is a curse from God, the result of our sin, or the sin of our ancestors. If sufficiently righteous, a dark-skinned person will become light-skinned.
  • The Garden of Eden was in Missouri. All humanity before the Great Flood lived in the western hemisphere. The Ark transported Noah and the other survivors to the eastern hemisphere.
  • Not only will human beings be resurrected to eternal life, but also all animals - everything that has ever lived on earth - will be resurrected and dwell in heaven.
  • Christ will not return to earth in any year that has seen a rainbow.
  • Mormons should avoid traveling on water, since Satan rules the waters.
  • The sun receives its light from the star Kolob.
  • If a Gentile becomes Mormon, the Holy Ghost actually purges his Gentile blood and replaces it with Israelite blood.
  • A righteous Mormon will actually see the face of God in the Mormon temple.
  • You can identify a false angel by the color of his hair, or by offering to shake his hand.

Failed Mormon Prophecies that can not happen

In the Holy Bible of the Christians, there was a whole lot riding on a Prophecy for a Prophet to be proclaimed a Prophet of God. They had to be 100% correct. If not, they were put to death and totally discarded from considerations of being from God.

*"But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ ²¹ "And you may 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 come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him," (Deut. 18:20-22).

So there you have it. Below I am listing the quite frankly outrageous and failed Prophecies of Joseph Smith of the Mormon Church.

Are you ready for this?

 History of the Church

1. Prophecy about Jesus' return within 56 years - "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, for the coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." (History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 189). See context.
   1. Jesus did not return within fifty-six years when 1891 arrived. 
   
   
   2. Doctrine and Covenants
      1. Prophecy that the temple would be built in Missouri within Smith's Generation - "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. ³ 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. ⁴ 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. ⁵ 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... ³¹ 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." (Doctrines and Covenants 84:2-5,31.)  See context. 
      2. 1.  The Mormons were driven out of Jackson County in 1833.  They were not gathered there in accordance to this prophecy dealing with building the temple.
         2. The prophecy clearly states that the generation present when the prophecy was given would not pass away until the temple was built at the western boundaries of the state of Missouri which is in Independence.  This clearly failed. 
         3.  
      3. All Nations would be involved in the American Civil War - "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," (Doctrine and Covenants 87:1-3).  See context 
         1. This is clearly another false prophecy since all nations did not get involved in the American Civil War.
      4. Prophesy that the earth will tremble and the sun be hidden in "not many days": "For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree," (Doctrine and Covenants 88:87)  See context\ 
         1. The sun hasn't yet been hidden nor has the moon hidden its face.
         2. This prophecy was given on 12/27/1832.  "Not many days hence"?  Since the writing of this article on 6/22/06, it has been 63,364 days or 173 years, 5 months, 26 days.  I think that 63,364 days is more than "not many days".
            1. For reference to January 1, 2000 it was 61,000 days (even), or 167 years, 5 days.
   3. Pearl of Great Price
      1. Prophecy that Isaiah 11 was about to be fulfilled - "In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when 'they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,' but soon would come," (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, History, verse 40).  See context
         1. Isaiah 11:6-9 says, "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. ⁷Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. ⁸And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. ⁹They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea."
            1. This has not yet been fulfilled.  The wolf is not dwelling with the lamb, the calf and the lion are not together, nor are the cow and bear grazing together.  The lion is not eating straw like an ox.  Nursing children are not playing in the dens of cobras.
   
    Joseph Smith, in biblical standards would have been stoned.
   
   
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Mark of the Beast Explained, 666...who is it?

The Mystery Number 666, who is it?
 John now provides his readers with an identification of the Beast in a very different form: Rev 13:16 - Rev 13:18 (NIV) ¹⁶He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, ¹⁷so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. ¹⁸This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

John would not give the members of the seven churches a puzzle that they could not solve. Part II section which follows shows that 666 had nothing to do with the Pope of Rome.

For John to make this apocalyptic message against the Pope and the Catholic Church would have made no sense to the first century Christians as there were no popes at this time in history. John made it clear that the “time” of the prophecy was “near”. It was not a distant 2000 years later.

Titus Flavius Domitianus

Most Bible expositors give us two candidates from Imperial Rome, Nero and Titus Flavius Domitianus.  My choice is Domitian, (A.D. 81-96) the very Roman Emperor who was beginning to demand that his citizens worship him, virtually as a god, at the very time that John penned his prophecy. This simple historical detail is beyond all quibble. Most importantly, his official title in Latin was Imperator Caesar Domitianus Augustus Germanicus. This was rendered as Autokrator Kaisar Dometianos Sebastos Germanikos for his Greek-speaking subjects. And in turn, for their coins, this abbreviated to A.KAI.DOMET.SEB.GE=666 (1+20+1+10+4+70+40+5+300+200+5+2+3+5).

How could they possibly miss John’s point, or even look elsewhere, with the very coins with his picture jangling in their pockets had his picture! And of course Domitain's name added up to 666. It is significant that, contrary to every other explanation of 666 of which I am aware, the Domitian employs every last letter of his official title in Greek in summing to 666! One of the threats facing the NT Christians was economic.

They would not be able to buy or sell. Rev 13:16 - Rev 13:17 (NIV) ¹⁷so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
http://www.usask.ca/antiquities/coins/domitian.html

Obverse: Head of Domitian laureate, encircled by CAES DIVI  AVG VESP F DOMITIANVS COS VII.

Reverse: Minerva advancing brandishing javelin in right hand and holding shield in left hand.  S C to left and right in field.

Domitian Statue:
http://www.beloit.edu/classics/main/courses/history222/flavians/Domitian_statue(75CE)large.jpg

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05114b.htm

More Domitian/Christian relationship; http://www.answers.com/domitian&r=67

Others Bible expositors choose Caesar Nero (A.D. 54-69) as the man 666.
“John obviously did not expect his readers who had understanding (v.17) to have any difficulty in identifying
 the beast, since they could simply calculate the meaning of this cryptogram. Here using English characters, the Hebrew form of "Caesar Nero" is Nrwn Qsr (pronounced "Neron Kaiser"). The value of the seven Hebrew Letters is 50, 200, 6, 50, 100, 60, and 200 respectively. The total is 666. This is the solution advocated by David S. Clark, Jay Adams, Kenneth Gentry, David Chilton, and most others.” Revelation Four Views, p. 302. I would like to note in order to get 666 from Nero, it has to be an obscure alternate spelling of Neron Caesar.

"Nero Caesar as spelt in Hebrew or Aramaic (precisely the required spelling) appears on an Aramaic document of Nero's reign from the Wadi Murabba'at, in Jordan)." New International Bible Commentary, p.1616.

The Caesars erected temples throughout Rome. Each emperor was called Augustus or Sebastos, meaning One to be worshiped; they also took on the name divus (god) and even Deus and Theos (God).  

IN CONCLUSION
The Mark of the Beast prophecy was fulfilled in the first century and not 2000 years later. The Roman Empire were persecuting and putting to death Christians by the thousands, in the arenas. They were being made human torches, killed in gladiator events, and eaten by wild animals because they would not worship the false gods of Rome. Emperor worship was required as the Caesars claimed they were gods and demanded worship. The Mark of the Beast was a warning to Christian Jews under the New Covenant as well as Gentile converts not to give worship to Rome which was due only to God.

****Here is the rest of the Article****

Part I
The Mark of the Beast-What Is It?

The following is not an exhaustive explanation of the Mark of the Beast found in Revelation 13 and 14. I have endeavored to cover some of the main points to show that the Mark of the Beast has nothing to do with the Roman Catholic Church, the observance of the Sabbath, or Christians that meet on Sunday to worship God, or having a micro chip or bar code installed on their person. I might also add the mark of the beast does not apply to any person living since the first century.

There are four major views of interpretation of Revelation.

1. Preterist view, in which all prophecy found in Revelation has happened in the past. Conditional  Preterist view of Revelation to which I subscribe. A term which may be new to many, which means some of the prophecy is based on conditionality. John's readers may not have understood all the details of the prophecy till close to the time of fulfillment. Our job 2000 years later is not to understand every minute detail, but what was meant to transpire under the correct circumstances. In the case of the "seven churches" the coming crisis for the faithful Christians subsided with the death of Domitian. The prophecy regarding the Second Coming of Christ is yet to come as it was not fulfilled in John's day.
2. Historicist view, is a minority view held mostly by the Seventh-day Adventist sect. It is a prewritten course of history from the time of the Apostles to the end of the world.  Example, the seven churches of Revelation represents seven time periods of history rather than the actual churches of that time. The SDA Church being the Laodicean Church.
3. Futurist view (good ol' Hal Lindsey's view) futurists assumes that the majority of prophecy of Revelation has never been fulfilled and they await the fulfillment.
4. Spiritual view (which comes closer to the New Ages thinking). This view is often called the idealist or symbolic approach. To them Revelation does not attempt to find individual fulfillments of the visions but a great drama depicting spiritual realities such as the conflict between Christ and Satan and the saints and the antichrist. Fulfillment is seen as spiritual or as recurrent in historical events. The prophecy therefore is to apply to Christians in any era of history and may have many fulfillments throughout history.

The book of Revelation is written in symbolic and allegorical language. As such, to try and assign an infallible literal meaning is the cause of much confusion in the denominational community.

It is important to understand to whom John was writing and its purpose and to understand the time in history that the Mark of the Beast took place. The focus of Revelation is on the Church in John's day which was being persecuted by Imperial Rome.
 
Who was John writing to when he wrote Revelation? 
Rev 1:11 (NIV) 11which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

John  was writing to the seven churches of Asia, which is modern day Turkey.
Although there were many other churches in existence at this time, God chose only these seven churches to send this message. It was not a message to the Christian world. He certainly was not writing to man/woman founded denominations and churches that came into existence 2000 years later with their hundreds if not thousands of  private interpretations of the end of the world scenario.

What was the purpose of this message?
Rev 1:1 (NIV)  1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.

To show his servants what was soon to take place. His servants would be those servants alive and hearing the message in the seven churches in the seven cities. While Daniel's vision was not to take place "soon" as he was told to seal the message till the time of the end Dan 12:4 (NIV) ⁴But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Daniel and his generation would not live to see the fulfillment. Dan 12:11 - Dan 12:13 (NIV) ¹¹“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.  ¹²Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. ¹³“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

Now notice John's instructions, that is not to seal up the prophecy as the time is near. Rev 22:10 (NIV) ¹⁰Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 

What were the results of reading and hearing this message?
Rev 1:3 (NIV) ³Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

The "blessing" comes after a lector (church leader) would read this divine message from God to those gathered in each of the seven churches, and they would hear and take to heart that the "time is near" for fulfillment.

To make this prophecy, "the time is near" applicable to us 2000 years later, is without foundation. Suppose John told the hearers that this is to take place 2000 years later. They no doubt would ask, "what do you mean then by "the time is near"?

What was God's Warning?
Rev 14:9 - Rev 14:10 (NIV) ⁹A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, ¹⁰he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

God is warning the members of the seven churches against worshipping and giving homage to the beast and his image. It was a warning about worship. The warning by God was simple. If you choose to worship the beast and his image and receive his mark you will be punished with burning sulfur.

The Sea Beast: Who is it?
Rev 13:1 (NIV) ¹And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ²The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

The Sea Beast had seven heads and ten horns which is a composite picture of Daniel's four beasts found in Daniel 7:1. The heads represented with crowns could very well represent the Roman emperor's men with kingly authority. One head seemed to have a mortal wound but was healed, Rev. 13:3. This could be Julius Caesar or Nero. The death did not kill the beast and the beast lived on with other Caesars in control of Rome. Most all Bible expositors agree that the seven headed Sea Beast is Imperial Rome.

The dragon is continuing his fight against the early church (the seed of the woman), in Rev 12:12, now using the Sea Beast as his medium. We can see the persecution warning is imminent to the NT Church. We have  the dragon, giving power and authority to Imperial Rome to persecute and put to death Christians. Rev 12:12 - Rev 12:14 (NIV) ¹²  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” ¹³When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. ¹⁴The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 

This is the NT Apostolic Church going into hiding from the dragon's inspired Roman persecution. Satan and his angels lost their place in heaven before creation and here we have the devil being cast down from heaven as "the accuser of our brothers" after Calvary, thus showing the dragon/Rome persecution was 2000 years ago.  Rev 12:9 - Rev 12:11 (NIV) ⁹The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. ¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:  “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,  and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers,  who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 

The Sea Beast makes war and conquers the saints. Rev 13:7 (NIV) ⁷He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. When Satan, the Dragon, could not kill the son of the woman (Jesus) he vents his anger on the remaining (remnant) ones by using Imperial Rome as his instrument to cause fear and death. See Rev. 12:17.

The Earth Beast
Rev 13:11 - Rev 13:18 (NIV)  11Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

The Earth Beast follows immediately after the Sea Beast and they work together in unison to persecute the saints, and not to follow after the demise of the Sea Beast, as some teach, being Papal Rome. Here we need to say that the dragon, earth, and sea beast are one as well as the Caesars that is being controlled by the dragon. The Earth Beast forces worship of the Sea Beast by setting up and image to honor him. Throughout Rome there were temples with statues and images of the Caesars and the Roman gods. This represented the Roman Empire.  And those that would worship the beast (Rome/Caesars) would receive the mark and number of the beast.

The Devil, Sea Beast, Earth Beast also Called the False Prophet Meet Their End.

The Unholy Trinity. The Dragon, the Sea Beast, the Earth Beast also called the False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire.
 Rev 16:13 (NIV) ¹³Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 

The devil, beast, and false prophet are thrown in the lake of fire.
Rev 19:20 (NIV) ²⁰But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 

Rev 20:9 - Rev 20:10 (NIV) ¹⁰And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Now the members of the seven churches know that the Sea Beast is the Roman Empire and the Earth Beast/False Prophet that forces cultic emperor worship is the temple priests. 

Written by  Robert K Sanders 1997

 Its all simple. if you begin with what is stated in the first few scriptures of Revelations are adhered to, then you know it is written of things which would soon take place, written to the 7 Churches and all about the Revelation of Jesus Christ.