Biblical And Non-biblical Evidences For The Book Of Mormon: THAT SHOW ITS VALIDITY AS SCRIPTURE: A Layman's Thesis

By Joseph Dean DeBarthe

What about the Book of Mormon? That it is a controversial book cannot be denied. Many do not accept it as scripture. They believe that Joseph Smith, Jr., "wrote" it. They also believe that the Bible is the only scripture ever written, but nowhere does the Bible make that claim. This belief is not biblical. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Bible testifies to the existence of other written scriptures and specifically a second scripture written about the tribe of Joseph (Ezekiel 37:19). This Joseph is the same Joseph of the coat of many colors, the same Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt and the same Joseph that saved Egypt and all of the tribes of Israel from the seven-year famine that occurred. Due to his lack of knowledge and education, if Joseph Smith, Jr., had written The Book of Mormon, it would have been disproven years ago. Instead, as time passes, more and more of it is proven to be correct. Joseph Smith could not have written it for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he was a barely literate man. He knew very little of the scriptures and no Hebrew at all. Yet The Book of Mormon is clearly written by highly educated men with a strong background in Hebrew customs and writing techniques, none of which were known by any American in the 1800s. More information on this subject will be explored within this book. This book was begun by direction of the Holy Spirit and written to the entire body of Christ. Some might ask why they should read it. Some will read it to try to refute it; others will read it to learn, and still others will use it to further their own agendas. However, you should read it and pray over it, asking God through His Holy Spirit to give you a witness as to its validity. We need direction from the Holy Spirit because we are always vulnerable to error. Even prophets can be deceived (2 Chronicles, Chapter 18). Satan will do anything he can to prevent us from gaining unity in our fight against him. For years he has used the "divide and conquer" plan, and we have fallen prey to it. It is time we stop fighting over our petty differences and start working together for the salvation of all mankind. The harvest is plentiful; it is time to bring it in, and we can do it! With the help of God through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, we can accomplish what would otherwise be impossible on our own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642581775

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BIBLICAL AND

NON-BIBLICAL

EVIDENCES

FOR THE

BOOK OF MORMON

That Show Its Validity as Scripture

A Layman’s Thesis

Joseph Dean DeBarthe

Edited by Pat Elliott Winholtz and Faye Shaw

ISBN 978-1-64258-176-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64258-177-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Joseph Dean DeBarthe

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All Book of Mormon quotes are from the Restored Covenant Edition (RCE).

All Biblical quotes are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

The words of Christ are printed in red.

Cover Photograph from

http://www.freeimageslive.co.uk/

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 - What Does the Bible Tell Us about God’s Character?

CHAPTER 2 - What Promises or Covenants Did God Make with the Twelve Tribes of Israel?

CHAPTER 3 - What Happened to the Northern Kingdom of Israel (the Ten Lost Tribes)? How Was God Involved?

CHAPTER 4 - What Was the Population of All of Israel When the Lord Scattered the Northern Kingdom?

CHAPTER 5 - What Prophetic Writings in the Bible Refer to The Book of Mormon?

CHAPTER 6 - What Prophetic Writings in The Book of Mormon Refer to the Bible?

CHAPTER 7 - What Christian Doctrines Are Found in The Book of Mormon?

CHAPTER 8 - What Do the Bible and Book of Mormon Teach about the Gifts of the Spirit?

CHAPTER 9 - What Are Two Main Objections to The Book of Mormon?

CHAPTER 10 - What Are the Non-biblical Evidences That The Book of Mormon Was Translated, Not Written?

CHAPTER 11 - What Are Some Recent Historic, Scientific and Archeological Discoveries That Confirm The Book of Mormon?

CHAPTER 12 - Words Spoken by Jesus Christ (In Red) In The Book of Mormon During His Visit to the Americas

Conclusion & Works Cited

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks go to my editor, Pat Elliott Winholtz, for understanding what I was trying to say and helping me to express it correctly. I am also indebted to Faye Shaw of the Christian Center for Book of Mormon Study and Research for the time and editorial skills she so generously provided. The helpful criticism and guidance of these two women has kept me on the straight and narrow path. However, sometimes, as you might suppose, we had to compromise. In the same context, I must also say thank you to the people who freely allowed me the use of their research. Their openness and willingness to share information was a great blessing. Not to be forgotten is the kind attention of the members of my Harvest Hills Sunday school class who reviewed my preliminary draft of this book. Finally, I thank Maria, my wife, for her patience throughout this lengthy undertaking and you, the reader, for going on this journey with me.

Joseph Dean DeBarthe

September, 2012

Introduction

What about the Book of Mormon? That it is a controversial book cannot be denied. Many do not accept it as scripture. They believe that Joseph Smith, Jr., wrote it. They also believe that the Bible is the only scripture ever written, but nowhere does the Bible make that claim. This belief is not biblical. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Bible testifies to the existence of other written scriptures and specifically a second scripture written about the tribe of Joseph (Ezekiel 37:19). This Joseph is the same Joseph of the coat of many colors, the same Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt and the same Joseph that saved Egypt and all of the tribes of Israel from the seven-year famine that occurred.

Due to his lack of knowledge and education, if Joseph Smith, Jr., had written The Book of Mormon, it would have been disproven years ago. Instead, as time passes, more and more of it is proven to be correct. Joseph Smith could not have written it for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he was a barely literate man. He knew very little of the scriptures and no Hebrew at all. Yet The Book of Mormon is clearly written by highly educated men with a strong background in Hebrew customs and writing techniques, none of which were known by any American in the 1800s. More information on this subject will be explored on the following pages.

This book was begun by direction of the Holy Spirit and written to the entire body of Christ. Some might ask why they should read it. Some will read it to try to refute it; others will read it to learn, and still others will use it to further their own agendas. However, you should read it and pray over it, asking God through His Holy Spirit to give you a witness as to its validity.

We need direction from the Holy Spirit because we are always vulnerable to error. Even prophets can be deceived (2 Chronicles, Chapter 18). Satan will do anything he can to prevent us from gaining unity in our fight against him. For years he has used the divide and conquer plan, and we have fallen prey to it. It is time we stop fighting over our petty differences and start working together for the salvation of all mankind. The harvest is plentiful; it is time to bring it in, and we can do it! With the help of God through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, we can accomplish what would otherwise be impossible on our own.

My goal has not been to write a scholarly work, and since I do not have the expertise to do that, I therefore am writing from a layman’s point of view. My intention is to give you, the reader, useful information. I hope to provide enough support from the Bible and other sources to create a preponderance of evidence to show that The Book of Mormon is authentic. What I have in mind is to create a nuts and bolts approach, a set of tools or a manual, which anyone can use in discussing The Book of Mormon with the broader Christian community. I am trying to help people understand what the book has to offer, and for those who already believe in it, a reference to help them support their point of view. For non-believers, who are well acquainted with the Bible, I would like to offer some new relationships between scriptures that they might not know. My approach is to provide a large number of biblical and non-biblical evidences to show that The Book of Mormon is scripture and was not written by Joseph Smith.

I take full responsibility for the opinions expressed herein and pray that the book will meet your needs. I do not know how God will use this book, but I am trusting that He will use it for His purposes. I wish you well and pray that you will allow God through the power of His Holy Spirit to determine your beliefs and not man, not even me. Nevertheless, as a beginning, can we agree that scripture is whatever the Holy Spirit witnesses that it is?

Joseph Dean DeBarthe

March 2012

CHAPTER 1

What Does the Bible Tell Us about God’s Character?

Do you think God’s word is trustworthy? One of the best scriptures I have found about His reliability is:

Isaiah 55:11:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Remember, God is omnipresent; by definition that means that He exists in every second of time and in all places at the same time, throughout all of what He has created.

Psalms 139:7-10:

Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

There are many examples of the word of God being fulfilled, starting with the creation of this world:

Genesis 1:2:

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Job 26:13:

By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

Genesis 1:3-5:

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Throughout the entire creation process (Genesis 1-2), God’s commands were fulfilled. These scriptures mean that any word spoken by God is ever present across all of what we see as time. Once it is spoken, it cannot be taken back, or changed, even by God. Further on in the Old Testament, we read:

2 Samuel 22:31:

As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to them who trust in him.

Once again, the scripture tells us of God’s truth and perfection. He is incorruptible. Consider what Isaiah says:

Isaiah 45:15-19 (The Living Bible Paraphrased):

Truly, O God of Israel, Savior, you work in strange, mysterious ways. All who worship idols shall be disappointed and ashamed. But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with eternal salvation; they shall never be disappointed in their God through all eternity. For Jehovah created the heavens and the earth and put everything in place, and he made the world to be lived in, not chaos. I am Jehovah, He says, and there is no other! I publicly proclaim bold promises; I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so that no one can know what I mean. And I did not tell Israel to ask me for what I did not plan to give! No, for I, Jehovah, speak only the truth and righteousness. (Emphasis added)

Next:

Isaiah 45:22-23:

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: For I am God, there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. (Emphasis added)

Since God always speaks the truth, and He never recants, new messages must always agree with everything He has previously stated. Why? Because He never changes; therefore, He never disagrees with Himself.

Malachi 3:6:

For I am the LORD, I change not;….

Deuteronomy 32:4:

He is the rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Psalms 25:10:

All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Furthermore, we also know that God speaks the truth through His holy prophets:

1 Kings 17:24:

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

The New Testament also tells of God’s faithfulness:

Matthew 24:35:

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Everywhere in the Bible, God’s character is one of honesty, righteousness and fulfillment. Throughout His word He makes many promises and covenants. While many were accomplished within the timeframe of the Bible, some have been completed between the end of the Bible and today, and, as we know, there are many yet to be realized. Can we honestly say that promises not fulfilled within the confines of the Bible cannot be believed or trusted in? I think not. The Bible is clear: God’s word can be trusted and believed, no matter how long it takes because He is the Alpha and Omega of time. Whereas we are restricted by time, He is not. That is why He knows the answer before we even know what the question is, let alone the answer.

CHAPTER 2

What Promises or Covenants Did God Make with the Twelve Tribes of Israel?

To Abraham

God made many covenants with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, but most of them were conditional. He required faithful obedience to His word for the fulfillment of those covenants. Even though His people failed Him, He was willing to return to them whenever they chose to obey Him. However, God’s first covenant with Abram, when He gave land to him and his descendants, was unconditional (See Jeremiah 16:14-15):

Genesis 15:18:

In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

Jeremiah 16:14-15:

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall be no more said, The Lord liveth, that brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But the LORD liveth, that brought the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again unto their land that I gave unto their fathers.

Then God changed Abram’s name (Exalted Father) to Abraham (Father of Nations):

Genesis 17:4-5:

As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, And thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name be Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Following that, God made another covenant with Abraham, the covenant of circumcision:

Genesis 17:6-11:

And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make Nations of thee, and Kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee, in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.

God also changed Abraham’s wife’s name:

Genesis 17:15:

And God said unto Abraham, as for Sarai your wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

Then God fulfilled His promise:

Genesis 21:1-4:

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

Later on in Isaac’s youth, God tested Abraham, and he passed the test:

Genesis 22:1-14:

And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Following this severe test, God made a covenant with Abraham:

Genesis 22:16-18:

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Abraham’s obedience to God became a type and shadow portraying the sacrifice of His beloved Son Jesus for our sins. Prior to Sarah’s having Isaac, Sarah gave her handmaiden (Hagar) to Abraham and she bore him a son, Ishmael. He also had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes that bore their names:

Genesis 25:12-16:

Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Abdeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according unto their nations.

These twelve tribes became the Arabic nations of today as a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham.

Genesis 21:12-13:

And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bond woman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

To Isaac

When Isaac was of age, and Abraham was well stricken in years, Abraham sent his servant to his kindred, where he found Rebekah and brought her back to be Isaac’s wife. Rebekah became pregnant with twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau became a hunter and Jacob a farmer. One day Jacob talked Esau, the firstborn, into selling him his birthright for some food. This created much animosity between the brothers. When Isaac was about to die, Jacob pretended to be Esau, and received Esau’s blessing from Isaac. (That blessing was to have been a double portion for Esau.) This angered Esau very much, and after Isaac died, Jacob traveled back to the land of his kindred because he feared Esau. After Jacob arrived at his uncle Laban’s house, he fell in love with Rachel. He worked for seven years to marry her, but Laban gave him Leah instead. So Jacob had to work seven more years for Rachel, which he did. Rachel was jealous of Leah because Leah was fertile and she was not, so Rachel gave Jacob her servant girl Bilhah, and Leah gave her servant girl Zilpah to Jacob also.

The following are the children of Jacob’s two wives and two concubines:

In time, Jacob returned home and made peace with his brother Esau. Along the way God changed Jacob’s name to Israel:

Genesis 32:22-28:

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

To Joseph

So Israel (Jacob) had thus found much favor with God. His favorite son was Joseph, whose mother was Rachel, his beloved wife. As part of God’s promise to make a great nation from Isaac, God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt. Joseph prevailed through his many hardships to finally become the second most powerful man in Egypt. He thus saved Israel, Egypt and many other people in the countries surrounding Egypt from the seven-year famine that occurred just as the Pharaoh had dreamed and Joseph interpreted. Joseph was reunited with his family, including his father Israel, who promised Joseph that God would return them to Canaan.

Genesis 48:21:

And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Genesis 50:26:

So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Eventually, a new king came to the throne of Egypt who was fearful of the Israelites because of their great numbers; therefore, he enslaved them, putting great burdens on them. The harder he oppressed them, the more they seemed to multiply and, in return, the greater he mistreated them. It was during this time that Moses was born, and through the grace of God, became a member of pharaoh’s household. But he learned that he was an Israelite and hated the way his people were being abused. One day he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. He lost his temper, killed the Egyptian and hid his body:

Exodus 2:12,15:

And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

So Moses escaped, and God remembered His promise:

Exodus 2:23-25:

And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard