How do the Prophets of Mormon Measure Up to the Old Testament Prophets?

 Here is this week’s blog breakdown of the Mormon Hope Podcast. In this episode Dave and I dive into I Nephi 6-10 and give a review from a pastor’s perspective (for the full episode click here https://www.buzzsprout.com/1645945/14341342 ). In this section of “Come Follow Me” 2024, we deal with the question, how do the prophets of Mormon measure up to the Old Testament prophets? 

The Genealogies, or Lack Thereof. I couldn’t help but notice that in the first two verses of I Nephi 6 that the author declines to give us the family genealogy from the brass plates. In fact, he says that we just have to take his word for it that Lehi’s family hails from the line of Joseph. So to rehash, in the first five chapters Nephi and his brothers go to incredible lengths in order to secure these brass plates, even killing Laban, and nobody is going to write it down in the Book of Mormon? (sigh). Here’s a clear chance to prove the historicity of the Book of Mormon and they totally whiffed. 

The Old Testament prophets didn’t shy away from doing this. We are given extensive and detailed genealogies of Seth, Cain, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, etc. In fact, the first nine chapters of the Chronicles are nothing but genealogies. Even in the New Testament we are given two genealogies of Jesus, one from through Joseph (adoption) and one through Mary. 

So why didn’t the prophets of Mormon do this? I think that the answer is pretty simple. If you’re going to tell a lie, especially in writing, the less details that you include the less chance you have of getting caught. To write down a detailed historical genealogy that can be investigated would be social suicide unless the narrative is true. 

Prophecy Problems. Biblical prophecy is so amazing that it can never be replicated. One of the unique things about biblical prophecies is that they almost always have a near and far meaning (the book of Revelation being an exception). For example, In II Samuel 7 we see Nathan prophesying of the Davidic covenant. Through Nathan, the Lord promised David that he would have a son who would also become king. This king would build the temple and his throne would be established forever. In hindsight, we understand that this prophecy was referring to Solomon. Solomon was David’s son and he did build the Temple. However, his throne didn’t last forever, and even that Temple was destroyed by Nebucchadnezzar in 586 B.C. 

When Christ came, however, this descendant of David (through Mary by birth and Joseph by adoption) established an everlasting kingdom and He raised Himself from the dead as a temple unto God (John 2:19-21). This prophecy had a near meaning in Solomon and an ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Only a Sovereign God could make that work.  

This type of prophecy isn’t found in the Book of Mormon. Instead we see a single promise-fulfillment model. Lehi was supposedly prophesying of the coming of Christ and His ministry. Yet this promise had no near meaning at all, and had no bearing on his immediate audience. I want to again reiterate that Joseph Smith wrote these supposed prophecies in the 1800’s, long after these “prophecies” had already been fulfilled. I understand that Smith claims to have written on behalf of these prophets that lived hundreds of years prior to the coming of Christ, but we just have to take his word on that don’t we. 

Moses I know and David I know, but who is Nephi? 

In my opinion, one of the most damning pieces of evidence against the validity of the Book of Mormon is the fact that none of the Mormon prophets are ever referenced in the New Testament, not once. I mean, if it’s truly another testament of Jesus Christ, then why doesn’t Christ ever mention it? If there was one reference to Nephi, Lehi or any of the other Mormon prophets then we would have reason to take the Book of Mormon seriously. 

In contrast, the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament prophets 200 times (full citations). When you figure in the partial citations and the allusions to the Old Testament prophets, there are over 1,000 references of the Old Testament in the New Testament. This averages to around 1 out of every 8 verses in the New Testament. When Christ and the Apostles quoted from the Old Testament scriptures, they weren’t just pointing to fulfilled prophecy, but they were also recognizing the Old Testament scriptures as authoritative. 

Christ gave homage to the entire Old Testament Canon when in Luke 11:51 he referenced the prophet Abel (the first OT prophet) to Zechariah (the last OT prophet). Christ also referenced every genre of the Old Testament in Luke 24:44 when he mentioned the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. Again, if the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ, then why didn’t He mention ANY of the Mormon prophets? I think this is an Everest that the LDS church can’t climb. 

Final Thoughts

We see a pattern beginning to emerge with Lehi. That is, believe the prophet or be damned. Lehi condemns his sons, Lemuel and Laman for not believing him. He also expresses concern for their souls because of their response to his vision. On the other hand, he praises Nephi and Sam for believing his vision. This seems to set a dangerous precedent, which also seems to be the entire foundation of Mormonism. Belief Joseph Smith or else. However, Christ is the only one that has this type of authority. Personally, I’ll go with Him.

For more information on salvation by grace in Christ, be sure to visit; https://gracebaptistlogan.org/how-to-be-saved.html