MORMON DISTORTION
OF EZEKIEL 37
The LDS claims that Ezekiel 37:15-20 proves that the Book of Mormon
and the Bible are one in God's hand. They maintain that the two
sticks mentioned in this passage of scripture are actually scrolls;
the scroll of Judah representing the Bible and the scroll of
Ephraim representing the Book of Mormon.
But this passage isn't talking about the Bible or about the Book of Mormon. It is talking about the Jewish kingdom of Israel that had been split into two and then dispersed, and about God's promise that they would become reunified.
The prophet Ezekiel was ministering to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, and was encouraging them not to give up hope. He prophesied that the day would come when the dispersed Israelites from both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms would return to their homeland, and would once again become united into one Kingdom under one King.
DECEPTIVE INTERPRETATION
Changing one word for another word with a completely different meaning as the LDS has done here in substituting the word "scrolls" in place of the word "sticks," is a well known ploy used by cults to make it seem as though the Bible backs up their own unbiblical ideas. Scholars call it "word substitution." The Hebrew word word "ates," which is translated as "stick" in Ezekiel, is never, ever translated as "scroll." The word "scroll" is represented by a different Hebrew word altogether, "ciphrah," which can also be translated as a roll or a book.
Besides using the word substitution ploy, the LDS has quoted only a part of the message, omitting the three verses immediately following their quote, that clearly invalidate the false interpretation they have given to it. This dishonest strategy is known as "selective quoting."
The writer once spoke to a Mormon missionary who had been so discouraged by the way that the LDS constantly distorts the Bible in order make it fit in with their own unbiblical doctrines and teachings, that he had decided not to bother to read it at all in his private capacity. His argument was that anybody can make the Bible say whatever they want it to. In his mind this had invalidated it as a book of any standing, and he genuinely felt that reading it would be an utter waste of time.
However, his statement that anyone can make the Bible say whatever they want it to, is only true if one is prepared to use dishonest methods in order to make it do so. And to treat God’s holy word in such a disrespectful way shouldn't even enter our minds. There is only one true meaning to what the Bible says, and if it is read sensibly with a humble, teachable and honest heart, taking into account the background and the immediate context as well as the "big picture" of the whole of the rest of the Bible, that one true meaning will become evident.
The whole object in reading the Bible should be to discover what God is saying to us and what we can learn from it, not to look for devious ways and means of distorting it so that it appears to back up our own ideas.
In order to understand more fully what Ezekiel 37 means, we will have a look at the background behind that section of scripture. The following information is taken only from the Bible, and can easily be checked.
THE BACKGROUND TO EZEKIEL 37
It is a historical fact that in Old Testament times the tribes of Israel used a rod of some sort, on which their name was written, to represent their tribe. (Some primitive tribes of today still have this practice.)
The book of Ezekiel refers to these two kingdoms of the divided Israel as Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom). But because Ephraim was the offspring of Joseph (Genesis 41:51-52), Ezekiel also links Joseph to the tribe of Ephraim (a common practice in those times.) In the passage under discussion, Ezekiel prophesies that these two opposing kingdoms will become unified and will once again be one great nation with one king, under God:
Furthermore, seeing that the Book of Mormon actually denigrates the Bible in several places by saying that only a fool would consider it to be adequate as a spiritual guide (c/f 2 Nephi 29:6, 10), and in other places it contradicts the Bible, no true prophet of God would ever link the two as being one in God's hand.
Copyright 2007 by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.
But this passage isn't talking about the Bible or about the Book of Mormon. It is talking about the Jewish kingdom of Israel that had been split into two and then dispersed, and about God's promise that they would become reunified.
The prophet Ezekiel was ministering to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, and was encouraging them not to give up hope. He prophesied that the day would come when the dispersed Israelites from both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms would return to their homeland, and would once again become united into one Kingdom under one King.
DECEPTIVE INTERPRETATION
Changing one word for another word with a completely different meaning as the LDS has done here in substituting the word "scrolls" in place of the word "sticks," is a well known ploy used by cults to make it seem as though the Bible backs up their own unbiblical ideas. Scholars call it "word substitution." The Hebrew word word "ates," which is translated as "stick" in Ezekiel, is never, ever translated as "scroll." The word "scroll" is represented by a different Hebrew word altogether, "ciphrah," which can also be translated as a roll or a book.
Besides using the word substitution ploy, the LDS has quoted only a part of the message, omitting the three verses immediately following their quote, that clearly invalidate the false interpretation they have given to it. This dishonest strategy is known as "selective quoting."
The writer once spoke to a Mormon missionary who had been so discouraged by the way that the LDS constantly distorts the Bible in order make it fit in with their own unbiblical doctrines and teachings, that he had decided not to bother to read it at all in his private capacity. His argument was that anybody can make the Bible say whatever they want it to. In his mind this had invalidated it as a book of any standing, and he genuinely felt that reading it would be an utter waste of time.
However, his statement that anyone can make the Bible say whatever they want it to, is only true if one is prepared to use dishonest methods in order to make it do so. And to treat God’s holy word in such a disrespectful way shouldn't even enter our minds. There is only one true meaning to what the Bible says, and if it is read sensibly with a humble, teachable and honest heart, taking into account the background and the immediate context as well as the "big picture" of the whole of the rest of the Bible, that one true meaning will become evident.
The whole object in reading the Bible should be to discover what God is saying to us and what we can learn from it, not to look for devious ways and means of distorting it so that it appears to back up our own ideas.
In order to understand more fully what Ezekiel 37 means, we will have a look at the background behind that section of scripture. The following information is taken only from the Bible, and can easily be checked.
THE BACKGROUND TO EZEKIEL 37
It is a historical fact that in Old Testament times the tribes of Israel used a rod of some sort, on which their name was written, to represent their tribe. (Some primitive tribes of today still have this practice.)
Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. (Numbers 17:2, KJV)After Solomon's death in 931 BC, Israel was split into two factions, commonly called the Northern and the Southern kingdoms (see 1 Kings 12). Because of their unfaithfulness and idolatry, God permitted both of them to be conquered by their enemies, and most of the inhabitants were dispersed to other lands by their captors.
The book of Ezekiel refers to these two kingdoms of the divided Israel as Judah (the Southern Kingdom) and Ephraim (the Northern Kingdom). But because Ephraim was the offspring of Joseph (Genesis 41:51-52), Ezekiel also links Joseph to the tribe of Ephraim (a common practice in those times.) In the passage under discussion, Ezekiel prophesies that these two opposing kingdoms will become unified and will once again be one great nation with one king, under God:
The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.As you can now clearly see, this passage of scripture has nothing whatsoever to do with the Book of Mormon or any other book. The subject under discussion is solely the reunification of Israel.
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 37:15-23, KJV) (Author's italics.)
Furthermore, seeing that the Book of Mormon actually denigrates the Bible in several places by saying that only a fool would consider it to be adequate as a spiritual guide (c/f 2 Nephi 29:6, 10), and in other places it contradicts the Bible, no true prophet of God would ever link the two as being one in God's hand.
Copyright 2007 by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.