More Evidence For The Book of Mormon And Joseph Smith

For the full article, visit: http://www.jefflindsay.com/BM_Jerusalem.shtml - This video highlights the top mentioned article and puts to rest whatever the critics have to say against Alma 7:10 or any other verse they assume somehow disproves the Book of Mormon. If they're wrong about THIS verse, they MAY BE incorrect about everything else.

To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, go to http://www.lds.org

A special thanks to Jeff Lindsay - http://www.JeffLindsay.com for all the research and complete bibliographies on ALL content for this video!

Feb. 2001 Update: (almost 10 years old...)
More Evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls:

Two non-LDS scholars, Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, discuss an example of the phrase "land of Jerusalem" in the Dead Sea Scrolls in a passage discussing the time of the prophet Jeremiah. They write that the use of this term "greatly enhances the sense of historicity of the whole, since Judah or 'Yehud' (the name of the area on coins from the Persian period) by this time consisted of little more than Jerusalem and its immediate environs" (The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992, p. 57, referring to a passage translated on p. 58).

Jeremiah's time overlapped with Lehi's time, and in that time, what was latter called Judah or the land of Judah could appropriately be called "the land of Jerusalem," a term that "greatly enhances the sense of historicity of the whole" when used in a document linked to Jeremiah's time. Should not the same be said of the Book of Mormon?

Lehi and his people left "the land of Jerusalem" in Jeremiah's day. With the Dead Sea Scrolls before us, we now know it would be perfectly logical for them to refer to the place where Christ would be born as "the land of Jerusalem." Use of that term was utterly illogical for Joseph Smith, who published the Book of Mormon over a century before the Dead Sea Scrolls were even discovered.

Further notes from Jeff Lindsay:
My computer search of the Book of Mormon reveals 40 cases where the exact phrase "land of Jerusalem" occurs in reference to the Old World (there was also a Lamanite place in the New World named for Jerusalem), plus several other places where the Old World Jerusalem is referred to as a "land" (most notably, Alma 7:10). This usage is found in multiple books of the Book of Mormon, from Nephi in the 6th century B.C. (who used the phrase most frequently) to Mormon near 400 A.D.

The following verses use the phrase "land of Jerusalem": 1 Nephi 2:11; 1 Nephi 3:9; 1 Nephi 3:10; 1 Nephi 5:6; 1 Nephi 7:2; 1 Nephi 7:7; 1 Nephi 16:35; 1 Nephi 17:14; 1 Nephi 17:20; 1 Nephi 17:22; 1 Nephi 18:24; 2 Nephi 1:1; 2 Nephi 1:3; 2 Nephi 1:9; 2 Nephi 1:30; 2 Nephi 25:11; Jacob 2:25; Jacob 2:31; Jacob 2:32; Omni 1:6; Mosiah 1:11; Mosiah 2:4; Mosiah 7:20; Mosiah 10:12; Alma 3:11; Alma 9:22; Alma 10:3; Alma 22:9; Alma 36:29; Helaman 5:6; Helaman 7:7; Helaman 8:21; Helaman 16:19; 3 Nephi 1:2; 3 Nephi 5:20; 3 Nephi 16:1; 3 Nephi 20:29; Mormon 3:18; Mormon 3:19; Ether 13:7.

J.L.'s note: The "offending" passage is Alma 7:10, where the prophet Alma predicts the birth of Christ, saying, "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel..."

In Alma's time, 500 years after Nephi arrived in the New World, details of the geography of Israel were long forgotten. We should not be surprised to see that the land of Jerusalem is referred to as the place of Christ's birth - an entirely accurate and useful description, given the meaning of the phrase - rather than the nearby village of Bethlehem, a virtual suburb of the city of Jerusalem, roughly 5 miles away.

On this point, critics have long argued that the Book of Mormon is false because "everybody knows that Christ was born in Bethlehem." Certainly Joseph Smith knew that - he was familiar with much of the Bible and had heard the story of Christ's birth numerous times. If he were making the Book of Mormon up, why on earth would he make such a terrible blunder, placing Christ's birth in Jerusalem? How could he make such a thoughtless and stupid blunder in the midst of an otherwise enormously clever fraud? The "blunder" makes no sense if Joseph Smith were the author - but it is not a blunder at all and makes perfect sense if he were only translating an authentic ancient document. The use of the term "land of Jerusalem" in Alma 7:10 and many other locations can now be viewed as powerful evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, based on recent discoveries about the use of that term in the ancient world. Joseph Smith could not possibly have made that up.

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[Jack44M]

@THELDSLIFE

"sure it was conditional."

Post the EXACT verbiage, from the prophecy, that states it was conditional. What I see is Smith claiming God himself is saying a temple WOULD be built in that generation....not that it might be built or build it when it's convenient in the next couple hundred years. It's another example of your church's leaders making claims and members making excuses.

We aren't talking about Israel or "goals" so let's not try to change the subject

[THELDSLIFE]

@Jack44M - sure it was conditional. Conditions would have to take place, events, places , people and other preparations ...

Israel has missed nearly every goal set for itself... 40 years late into the promised land... Moses didn't even get to see it.

And no, Joseph Smith did not live into his 80's, another condition that upset what could have been the ushering in of the second coming... but it seems like you're 100% convinced of everything you already believe in leaving LITTLE TO NO room...

[Jack44M]

@THELDSLIFE

There are a couple of problems with your argument:

1. An LDS Apostle, in General Conference, defined what "generation" means specific to the Independence Temple Prophecy. What it means in another instance is not relevant to that application.

2.  There is nothing in the prophecy that denotes it was conditional

[Jack44M]

@THELDSLIFE

Quick question for you....do you have the priesthood authority to correct an Apostle of your church?

[THELDSLIFE]

@Jack44M - Prophecies that have yet to come to pass can still do so. There is no time-limit given upon the Lord's return yet it is said that his return was to come within "This Generation..." said centuries ago and yet, no Second Coming. The Lord has promised that even though the heaven and the earth shall pass away that his word shall not pass away but shall all be fulfilled.

There are differences also between Prophecy and Conditional Prophecy pending one's faithfullness or promised blessings.

[Jack44M]

@xSparky117x

The Painesville Telegraph (adj to Kirtland, OH) printed an editorial 4 days BEFORE Smith's Civil War Prophecy that contained the same information about SC and the coming of a Civil War. Was the editor the true prophet? lol

In addition, quite a few sections of the CWP did not come true.

Add another failure; his Independence Temple prophecy. The list of failures grows.....

False prophecies = False prophet

[DutchCourageWhoohoo]

@THELDSLIFE Funny you should say that, since there was someone named "Zadok" who had a son who was driven out for teaching about the Messiah.

[THELDSLIFE]

@LDSfaithDefender - they have barely begun to show their ignorance... they have yet to perpetuate their atheistic methods under the guise of "Mainstream Christianity" for we know that TRUE Christianity had NEVER EVER EVER been MAINSTREAM! What the saints of old fought to keep alive and died as faithful martyrs would be turning over in the grave TODAY if they would be told that their religion was mainstream EVER! Because we all know that even Christ himself suffered at the hands of ignorance

[THELDSLIFE]

@LDSfaithDefender - they have barely begun to show their ignorance... they have yet to perpetuate their atheistic methods under the guise of "Mainstream Christianity" for we know that TRUE Christianity had NEVER EVER EVER been MAINSTREAM! What the saints of old fought to keep alive and died as faithful martyrs would be turning over in the grave TODAY if they would be told that their religion was mainstream ... EVER! Because we all know that even Christ himself suffered at the hands of ignorance

[LDSfaithDefender]

@ChristianAmerican You implied that mormons are uneducated, and asked them to "give up their religion for Jesus." That shows how uneducated u are, and the true nature of anti-Mormon activists: asking a religious denomination whose name is "the church of Jesus Christ" to give up their faith for Jesus? How more stupid can you get?