Alma 7:10 — Part 3

Looking for a resource written for young people.

That explains the Mormon religion from a biblical worldview. Mormonism 101 contains my Mormonism research ministries. Eric Johnson addresses basic LDS doctrine while answering important questions such as, is it okay to date my Mormon friend. This book will help you better understand what can otherwise be a complicated religion. Mormonism 101 for teens available at the Utah lighthouse bookstore in Salt Lake City for purchase online and MRM.org .1 examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint on Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism. So glad you be with us for this edition viewpoint on Mormonism. I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM. We are continuing our look at a phrase in the book of Mormon, the phrase being at Jerusalem phrase that comes out of Elma 710 Elma 710 says, and behold, he speaking of Jesus shall be born of Mary at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers. She being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel shall be overshadowed and conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost and bring forth a son gay. Even the son of God. Critics of the Mormon church and we would be included in that would say that that sounds anachronistic. There's certainly no way that Jesus could have been born at Jerusalem and the Mormons argue will wait a minute at Jerusalem can mean around Jerusalem that can be a suburb that can be in the region and the location not necessarily in the city of Jerusalem. That's how many Mormon apologists have been arguing in our last broadcast. We brought out how Dr. Daniel Peterson says that the most reliable way to determine what a given phrase means.

In the book of Mormon is to look at the book of Mormon so that's what were going to do what Mormon apologists have told us is that, for instance, that Lehigh who was a prominent character near the beginning of the book of Mormon narrative when Lehigh is ordered by God to flee because of the pending destruction is about to happen on the city of Jerusalem. They argue that Lehigh did not live in the city of Jerusalem. He must've lived outside of the of Jerusalem and they argue that the phrase at Jerusalem which describes where Lehigh lived means outside or the region but is that really the case. Today we are going to look at some of the statements to determine whether or not the argument that not only is given by Dr. Hugh Nibley but also Dr. Kelly Ogden have any weight whatsoever.

I think we need to point out to that we don't have the original reformed Egyptian that supposedly the book of Mormon was written in by the prophets. In the book of Mormon time so we can do an analysis at all on the word at we don't know if that could have met other things, I think, though, when it comes to any kind of Scripture. And I'm even referring to LDS scripture.

I think it needs to stand for what it is that simple meaning is the plain meaning and it's going to be typically what it is and if you have to read so much as you have pointed out with Hugh Nibley and Kelly Ogden to read so much into this to protect Joseph Smith as a prophet and that is about what's going on folks they are protecting Joseph Smith because they see this as a major issue. We said we look at it as a mere slip of the pen we demonstrated in past broadcast out. That is easy to do and that's all we think it was but they know it's much more important that that's why they're making a big issue out of this were not there making the big issue out okay will working to take on your challenges in working to see if it holds water not remember Hugh Nibley and Dr. Kelly Ogden argued that the phrase at Jerusalem. Even when it speaks about Lehigh's dwelling place means outside of Jerusalem in order to protect the phrase at Jerusalem, and Elma 710. But what we want to show you is they can believe that if they want, and I'm sure they do, but that is certainly not how that phrase is been understood, at least not when it comes to the dwelling place of Lehigh. Now let's look here, for instance, Joseph Smith himself, founder of the Mormon movement made it very clear that Lehigh was from the city of Jerusalem. This is what it says in the documentary history of the church volume for each 537 quoting.

We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people.

The first were called Jared-ites and came directly from the Tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem from the city of Jerusalem. The second race was led by Lehigh and he said it came directly from the city of Jerusalem, not a suburb of Jerusalem, but directly from the city of Jerusalem and other places page 13 of the book of Mormon student manual which is the religion 121 and 122 this is a correlated and vetted manual it says Lehigh's colony left Jerusalem and journey to the promised land.

When is speaking of Jeremiah's arrest at page 15 says this had Lehigh remained in Jerusalem. He likely would have received the same fate or worsen.

So here it seems that Lehigh is it showing that he lives in the city and not a suburb of Jerusalem had Lehigh remained in Jerusalem in Jerusalem noticing their understanding the phrase at Jerusalem that speaks of his dwelling place as being in Jerusalem and that's my point again and these are LDS sources. Of course these come from the church itself, but the simple meaning is how they're taking it at Jerusalem means in Jerusalem. We have page 30 of the book meet the Mormons that this was published by Deseret book, which is owned by the LDS church in the 1965 edition on page 30 it says this the book of Mormon narrative begins about 600 years before the birth of Christ in the ancient city of Jerusalem, then the home of God's chosen people and his prophets. How much clearer can you get, then the home of God's chosen people and his prophets would not Lehigh be one of those profits that's being discussed here on page 30 of course he is, of course, he is a prominent prophet in the book of Mormon narrative in their doctrinal commentary out of the book of Mormon Joseph Fielding McConkie, the son of Bruce R. McConkie is and also Robert L.

Millet, a professor over BYU. This is what they write. Lehigh receive direction to take his family and sufficient provisions and leave Jerusalem.

Having learned earlier of the impending destruction of the great city that set volume 1, page 30 now look at this Lehigh receive direction to take his family and sufficient provisions and leave Jerusalem if they didn't live in Jerusalem. Why does it say they left Jerusalem, the destruction of the great city great city. We also have in a forms newsletter now forms was foundation for ancient research and Mormon studies.

They now change their name to the Neal Maxwell Institute.

They put out a newsletter called insights, and in one of those additions January 2000 Jeffrey Chadwick. He's a archaeologist in Israel and I've actually had communication with him about a year ago, I asked him some questions so so Jeffrey Chadwick is at the time of the farms newsletter called insights. This noun known as Neal Maxwell Institute, but this is what he wrote. He believes that evidence suggests that Lehigh's house was in the Mishnah quarter of Jerusalem. The present Jewish quarter, Lehigh's ancestors.

He writes and thus Lehigh must have lived in the city of Jerusalem. Now that newsletter.

Insights comes from January 2000 and that's agreeing with what Reynolds and Soto said that Lehigh was a man of commendable means and of good repute among the Jews.

He had dwelt in Jerusalem all his life and that's volume 1, page 12 of the commentary of the book of Mormon commentary so if you're going to take the Nibley position of the Kelly Ogden position that Lehigh lived outside of Jerusalem and therefore at Jerusalem could mean outside of the city that seems to be a minority position that were not seen in manuals or even by other Mormons that have studied the subject.

You have Bruce McConkie Mormon apostle.

He also stated that Lehigh lived in the city. If you look at his book the moral Messiah. Volume 1, page 189 he writes Lehigh and Ishmael and their families left Jerusalem just before that great city was overrun by Nebuchadnezzar.

Again, you would not get the impression that they lived anywhere but in the city of Jerusalem and remember why is this important focus because Mormon apologists are going to try and argue like you Nibley that at Jerusalem can mean outside of the city. Okay suburb, but we were not seeing this really taking root in a lot of these explanations of some of these passages let's go to the 19th century and Orson Pratt and Orson Pratt wrote in the your Journal of discourses, volume 7, page 181 that about 600 years before Christ, a prophet was raised up in Jerusalem by the name of Lehigh so this is in a new idea with these we quoted mainly modern people but it's also 1/19 century idea. Certainly, as if Orson Pratt understood that Lehigh and remember he's reading the same pretty much same book of Mormon that were reading today and he understood that Lehigh even though it says that he dwelt at Jerusalem understood that he was in Jerusalem. That's how the phrases understood and as we've demonstrated here. We've given you think seven examples of other manuals outside sources and other other text quotations and such.

That shows that Lehigh lived in the city. Therefore, contradicting the assumption that Dr. Kelly Ogden and Hugh Nibley were trying to make in order to make the phrase at Jerusalem. Sound like it could be used to mean outside of now they may point to some examples that could probably support that. But