“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his Subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit which ye have not received, or another gospel which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”  2 Corinthians 11:3-4

Latter-day Saint leaders admit they teach another Jesus.

In bearing testimony of Jesus Christ, President Hinckley spoke of those outside the Church who say Latter-day Saints do not believe in the traditional Christ. He responds, “No I don’t!” “The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak.” [Gordon B. Hinckley, “Crown of the Gospel is upon our Heads,” Church News, June 20th, 1988, page7]

“As a church we have critics, many of them.  They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. [Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Look to Christ.” Ensign Magazine, May 2002, page 90]

The following diagram was published in a 1972 Church manual to help parents explain the Virgin Birth To their children during Family Home Evening. “Discuss in your own words how Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God. All boys and girls have a mother and father on earth.

Your mother and father, of course, are mother and I. Jesus is the only person ever born On this earth that is different.

“Christ was begotten of God, He was not born without the aid of man and that man was God. They tell us the Book of Mormon states that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost. I Challenge the statement. The Book of Mormon teaches no such thing! Neither does the Bible.” Book of Mormon, Alma 7:10. “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefather, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the Power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth son, yea, even the Son of God.” Matthew 1:18 (KJV)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Luke 1:35 (KJV)

“And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called Son of God.” Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (God with us) John 6:46 (KJV)

“Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the father.  John 6:46 (NASB)

“Not that any man has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.”  Here, Jesus is making it clear that he has a different relationship with God than all other humans. He was the Son even before Creation. John 1:18 (KJV)

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

John 5:37 (NASB) And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen his form.” [Shape] 1 Timothy 6:16 (KJV)

“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honor and power everlasting, AMEN

After reading all of this, how can Joseph Smith Founder of Mormonism Claim he saw both God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ in the sacred grove?

REMEMBER - 10th President, Joseph Fielding Smith, said: “The Lord will never permit the living prophet to lead the church astray.”

“By definition, exaltation includes the ability to procreate the family unit throughout eternity.  This our Father in heaven has power to do.  His marriage partner is Our Mother in Heaven.  We are the spirit children, born to them in the bonds of Celestial Marriage.” [“Achieving a Celestial Marriage,” LDS Church Manual, page 129]

“Is an eternal quality which is indestructible?  The relationship between men and women is eternal and must continue eternally.  Since we have a Father, who is our God, we must also have a Mother, who possess the attributes of godhood.” “Whatever is on this earth is SIMPLY a representation of spiritual conditions of deeper meaning that we can here fathom.” [John a. Widtsoe, “Rational Theology,” 1915, page 64]

“Only those who accepted Jesus to be their Savior can have bodies of flesh and bones.  We know, because we have bodies of flesh and bones, that we accepted Jesus to be our Savior. We chose the right things in heaven. [Church publication “Gospel Fundamentals,” 2004, page 11]

Do you understand what is being said here? Mormonism teaches that you accept Jesus as your savior BEFORE you came to earth. What does being “BORN AGAIN” really mean to a Mormon?

“In premortal life, we obtained gospel knowledge, testimony, and faith in the Savior and his atonement.  These things became an important protection and strength in the war in heaven.

Those who followed God overcame Satan and his angels by the ‘blood of the Lamb’ and by the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)

“When we learn the gospel and gain a testimony here on earth we are essentially re-learning what we once knew and felt in our premortal life.”

[“What we know about Premortal life,” Norman W. Gardner – Seminaries & Institutes.]

QUESTIONS

* If we accepted Jesus and His Atonement before we came to earth and before he shed his blood, what is the purpose of being MIND WIPED      by the veil of forgetfulness?

* WHY did Jesus say that a man must be Born Again?  Didn’t Jesus say we must place our faith in Him while he was on earth!

* WHY did Jesus die such a horrible, painful and humiliating death on the cross if everyone on earth, who has a body, has already accepted His atonement in Heaven!

“Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of Salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2                                                                                    

Paul uses Isaiah 49:8 to remind the Corinthians that his invitation to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ is a LIMITED TIME OFFER.

God never suggests that people need to be saved “SOMEDAY” but under the conviction of the Holy Spirit they are to turn to Jesus NOW.

“And according to the Law, one may almost also say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.  Hebrews 9:22

Jesus did not shed his blood in the (pre-existence). Jesus had to become a man to do this.  Jesus did NOT shed his blood for angels.  Their fate is eternal – they cannot be saved once they rebelled. Fallen angels made one fatal decision they will regret for all eternity.

Angels & man are two different creations in two different categories.

Angels were spoken into existence and can never be “Born Again.”

Man was created from the earth, given a soul, and has daily opportunities to call upon God for forgiveness & salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:46

“However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.” Zechariah 12:1

“Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.”

[Apostle Richard G. Scott, “The Atonement can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign, May 1997, page53]

“To qualify as the redeemer of all our Father’s children, Jesus had to be perfectly obedient to all the laws of God.  He had to qualify because He subjected himself to the will of the Father, He grew from grace to grace, UNTIL he received a fullness of the Father’s power. Thus he had all power both in heaven and on earth.”

“Even Christ himself was not perfect at first.  He received grace for grace and he continued to receive more and more UNTIL he received a fullness.” [President, Joseph Fielding Smith, “Gospel Doctrine,” 1966, page68]

“Our Lord revealed anew, some of the writings of John.  Writings which explained how Christ himself had worked out his own salvation, finally receiving all power in heaven and on earth.” [Bruce R. McConkie, “Mormon Doctrine.” 1966, page 849]

“Jesus became a god and reached his great state of understanding through consistent effort and continuous obedience to all the Gospel truths and universal laws. [Milton R. Hunter, “The Gospel Through the Ages,” page 51]

Atoning blood sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane “It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him.” [“Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson,” 13th President, page14]

“To possess a testimony of Jesus is to know that He voluntarily took upon Himself the sins of all mankind in the Garden of Gethsemane, which cause Him to suffer in both body and spirit and to bleed from every pore.  All this He did so that we would not have to suffer if we would repent.

[“Sermons and writings of President Ezra Taft Benson,” page 12]

HOWEVER

In the passage depicting Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane,  the Garden is never mentioned in relationship to the atonement, but The Cross Is

CONSIDER

“For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of non-effect.”     1 Corinthians 1:17

                                                               

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

“And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:20

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross.”       Colossians 2:14

“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances.” Colossians 2:20

“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace.”  Ephesians 2:15

“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 5:9

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14

“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22

The atonement did not come about through the PERSPIRATION Of the sacrifice but through its EXPIATION. The price for sins of all believers was paid through the blood shed on the cross NOT IN THE GARDEN. So, if you neglect the cross, what happens?

“As Latter-day Saints, we refer to His mission as the atonement of Jesus Christ, which made resurrection reality for all and made eternal life possible for those who repent of their sins and receive and keep essential ordinances and covenants. [Current President, Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our lives,” April 2017 General Conference]    

Mormon Atonement is RESURRECTION

We all get a body after we die and this is the LDS concept of the atonement.

“Your heavenly Father has promised forgiveness upon total repentance and meeting all the requirements, but that forgiveness is not granted merely for the asking.”

“There must be works, many works, and an all-out total surrender, with a great humility and a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” “It depends upon you whether or not you are forgive, and when.” “It could be weeks, it could be years, it could be centuries, before that happy day when you have the positive assurance that the Lord has forgiven you.”

That depends on your humility, your sincerity, your works and your attitudes.” [Spencer W. Kimball, “The Miracle of Forgiveness.” pages 324-325]

Consider the Apostle Paul “For we maintain that a man Is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” Romans 3:28