Was Joseph Really a Martyr...Or Just a Gunslinger

In D&C 135:4 the Prophet Joseph Smith is quoted as having said “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter”. The critic claims that this is a knock on a scripture in Isaiah that refers to Christ: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb…”(Isa 53:7).

The critics claim that this phrase is an insult for Joseph to use to describe himself. They claim that since Joseph used a gun to defend himself against a mob, that he could in no way be likened as “a lamb to the slaughter”!

First, let’s address the weapon used when Joseph was killed. In Christ’s final hours he met with his apostles and tried to prepare them for his arrest and eventual death.  In the last meeting he would have with them before he was taken, Christ instructs “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said Nothing. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one…And they said, Lord, behold here are two swords, And he said unto them, It is enough.”(Luke 22:35-36,38)

Here the Lord instructs his apostles not only to take a sword, but if none can be found they should “sell (their) garment, and buy one.” Looks like the critics have a problem here.  Like Joseph and his companions were armed before his death, Christ and his companions were also armed! Of course, I am sure that the apostles of Christ never used those weapons like Joseph and his companions did…..right!?! Actually, if you read further in the same chapter of Luke 22 in verses 48-50 it says, “But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.”

So it seems from the scriptures that Jesus who was going as a Lamb to the slaughter also armed his companions, much like Joseph. Now it is true that in the next verse Jesus picks up the ear and heals the servant of the high priest, but this doesn’t negate the fact that the Lord instructed them to get armed.

As for the critic who says it was wrong for Joseph to liken himself to Christ with the phase “as a lamb to the slaughter”, I would redirect them to the scriptures. In Ps 44:22 it says “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” This chapter tells us of the persecution of the saints and the psalmist makes it clear that “we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” for his sake.

The apostle Paul quotes this same scripture when he talks about the persecution of the saints in Rom 8:35-36 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

According to these scriptures above the Prophet Joseph Smith was not wrong in his usage of the phrase “going as a lamb to the slaughter.” For his religious beliefs he was martyred by a mob! Joseph’s martyrdom wasn’t lessened by the fact that he was armed anymore than Christ’s was lessened when he instructed his servants to arm themselves! The fact is that the critic will take any cheap shots against Joseph Smith in hopes of keeping people from believing the truth….even if the scriptures prove otherwise!

Do the Dead Live?

I met a critic of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the other day, who believed that the LDS church was in error because of our views regarding the dead. The critic asked me what I believed happened to a person’s spirit when they died. I informed him that the spirit lives on separately from the body and that it lives as a Spirit person in paradise or prison until the Judgment! He informed me that my views were incorrect because the Bible teaches that a man’s spirit ceases to exist when his body dies; that the spirit is not alive and cannot interact in this non-existing state! He claims this comes from Eccl 9:5 “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”

The critic claimed his church understands the scripture above to mean that the dead can’t know anything and they forget or don’t remember because the spirit is not alive without the body! I had to clarify to make sure I heard him correctly.  These are the viewpoints in which the critic claims we are in error according to his view of the Bible:

1. When the body dies the Spirit ceases to exist!

2. This means that the spirit (the Dead) doesn’t think, speak, or act!

3. The spirit does not come back into existence until right before the Judgment only!

I will address the three challenges listed above by seeing what the Scriptures say about the Spirit person of  man and his existence after death!

What does the LDS church teach about the Spirit of Man?

There are many doctrines that the LDS hold that help us understand the spirit of man. For the question above, the following scriptures should suffice. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we are told very plainly “that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person”(D&C 77:2).  Alma 40:11, “Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection…the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” So as LDS we believe that every person is made up of two parts, a body and a spirit person. The spirit person looks like the bodily person, and that our spirits live on after the body is dead. These statements are very clear and are conveyed throughout the scriptures.

What happens to the Spirit of man when they die?

In the book of Ecclesiastes we are told, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl 12:7).  The Spirit of man doesn’t just stop existing, it “returns to the God who gave it.” The apostle Paul says the same thing in 2 Cor 5:8, “We are confident, I say and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Paul confirms that the spirit of man goes to the Lord just as the book of Ecclesiastes stated.

Paul wasn’t alone in thinking that some form of man (ie his spirit person) existed after death. When Jesus was dying on the cross he had a conversation with the two thieves beside him. The thief who recognized that Jesus was the savior asked the Lord for a favor before Christ died. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom”(Luke 23:42). What was Jesus’ reply? “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus’ promise was that the thief that day would be in paradise and the Lord would be there with him! What happened to the Thief and the Lord Just a short time later?  They both died! Was the promise of the Lord then unfulfilled? Was Christ in fact lying to the thief about being in paradise according to the critic?

Three verses later we read, “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46). Christ commended his spirit to the Father so the spirit could “return unto God who gave it” (Eccl 12:7).

So where did Christ and the Thief go after death?

When Christ was resurrected he first appeared to Mary Magdalene and she was so excited to see him that she tried to hug him. Christ told her “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).  We know that Christ’s body lay in the grave for three days.  We know that Christ claimed that the Thief would be with him that first day in paradise, and we know that Christ, up until the third day had still not “ascended to” his Father! So is the critic right? Is paradise just another way of saying the body ceases to exist?

Peter tells us what happened to Christ when he was in the spirit after his death. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah” (1Pet 3:18-20). Peter claims that instead of Christ going out of existence he was quickened by the spirit, and while he was quickened, Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison! So we learn two things  in 1Pet 3:18-20; Christ had the ability to preach the gospel as a spirit man and the dead had to be able to hear that preaching or it would have been in vain!

Peter confirms that the dead were able to hear the message in the next chapter, “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” (1 Pet 4:6). According to this scripture we understand the preaching to the dead was done so they “might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit”! It would be highly interesting for God to allow the dead to be taught and judged if they weren’t living “according to God in the spirit”!

Is the Spirit of Man Conscious after death?

Jesus was teaching his disciples and told them, “verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation”(John 5:25,28-29). Jesus, are you sure “the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God”? Because the critic has informed me that the dead can’t hear anything! In fact according to the critic Christ must also be confused about the “evil” being raised “unto the resurrection of damnation,” since after the dead are judged they once again cease to exist!

John the Revelator saw the dead in a vision.  Look at how he described them, “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doest thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled”(Rev 6:9-11).  Once again, we see the dead are speaking and being spoken to. This is another clear sign that the dead do not just stop existing but live on after this life as a spirit man!

In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus informs his listeners of the fate of two men who died, one righteous and the other…well, not so righteous.  Luke 16:22 says “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.” So to make sure there is no confusion as to whether the men died or not, we are told they were buried.  According to the critic the two men would then be non-existent, meaning they would not communicate, see, feel, hear, think, reason, etc….but is this what Jesus tells us happened to 

these two men?

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son,….between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence”(Luke 16:23-26). From this scripture only one of two things is true- either Jesus has no idea that the dead are supposed to be non-existing and he is teaching false doctrines here, or the critic is wrong about the dead and the spirit lives on after death!

The Dead seen and heard by the living

Not only are we told that the dead speak, hear, and have consciousness, but the scriptures show us some examples of the dead appearing unto men.  In 1 Sam 28:3-20, we are told about a visitation of a former prophet who is dead, to a living king. “Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city…and when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets”(1 Sam 28:3,6). “And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment,…they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee…And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing” (1 Sam 28:8,10).  According to this account, Saul couldn’t get an answer from the Lord so he went to a woman who claimed to speak to the dead.  Notice in the next verses that the woman was scared because she didn’t expect Samuel to appear from the dead (because she was a charlatan).

But Samuel did come back from the dead and delivered a message from the Lord about the demise of King Saul. “And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice…and Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me…Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David”(1 Sam 28:12, 15-17).

Also Saul asked the woman when she saw Samuel how he looked since he could only have been a spirit at this time (since no one was resurrected until Jesus).  Her response, “And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle” (1 Sam 28:14). We see from the verses above that the Spirit person of Samuel not only was seen by Saul, but Saul was able to ask him questions and receive answers. Samuel also prophesied and those prophecies came true!

This is not the only time in the scriptures where dead prophets have come to deliver God’s messages. In Revelation 22:8-9 an unnamed dead prophet appears to John to deliver a vision and message as an angel of the Lord.  John was so impressed with this message that he fell down to worship this dead prophet. “And I John saw these things, and heard them.  And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book.” The angel here claims to have been alive once as a “fellow servant”, and even as one of “the prophets.” Once again we see that these spirit persons didn’t just stop existing, but they continued to live, speak, and interact with others.

The early church knew that these kinds of interactions happened, in fact, a short story illustrates this for us. Peter was being kept in prison and the church expected that he would be killed.  So when he escapes from prison and shows up at the house of some of the disciples they immediately think they are seeing his angel (ie spirit person, as we saw in Rev 22:8-9). “And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness…And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel” (Acts 12: 13-14). The early saints had no problem attributing Rhoda’s tell of Peter to the fact that she had seen him as a spirit. This of course would not have been a plausible conclusion if the man’s spirit ceases to exist after death.

Conclusion

Well this conclusion should be short! The Critic claimed that the LDS view of the dead was wrong because we believe that the spirit of man continues to live after the death of the body. The critic also believed the LDS view is wrong because we believe that these spirit persons continue to hear, speak, move, interact etc… There is only one conclusion to arrive at when we look at all the scriptures above….The critics argument ceases to exist!

Conversations with a local Pastor: Barnabas was not an Apostle.

At a recent meeting with a local Pastor, we discussed his criticism of my LDS beliefs. During a previous conversation, I showed him from the scriptures that God meant for the twelve apostles to function as a quorum after the original members had died. The pastor took all of the names of additional apostles that I had mentioned and said he would look into my claim. One of the additional Apostles I mentioned was the Apostle Barnabas. During our most recent meeting, the Pastor informed me that he had done a study on the life of Barnabas, and assured me that according to the Scriptures Barnabas was definitely not an Apostle! 

The pastor claimed that Paul was called to be "an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.)"(Gal 1:1). The pastor insisted that this meant that Paul did not have the apostleship conferred on him by man. He believes that Paul's vision (Acts 9:1-8) and acceptance of Jesus Christ made him an apostle independent of any ordination by man, and that this qualification allowed him to write canonical scripture! The Pastor also believes that since the scriptures record no such event in the life of Barnabas, that he wasn't one of the original twelve, and that he has no recorded canonical books in the scriptures: he therefore is not an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ!

How were Apostles called?

This of course would be entirely out of the norm from the scriptural account of those who received the apostleship. The scriptures do acknowledge that Christ made a call for his disciples to fellow him without any conferral of apostolic rights (Matt 4:17-22 Peter,Andrew, James and John called to follow Christ). But the scriptures are clear that out of his disciples he choose twelve as apostles! "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles"(Luke 6:12-13). But Christ did not just choose twelve he also ordained them and gave them power! "And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils"(Mark 3:13-15).

When Judas died the twelve could have become the eleven, but it was prophesied that one would take Judas’ place. So who was it that took Judas' place and was numbered among the twelve? You guessed it....Matthias! That is correct, it wasn't Paul or Barnabas! "For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas (not to be confused with Barnabas),…and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles"(Acts 1:20,23-26). This story assures us that new apostles would be called by the former apostles under the inspiration of heaven, and other apostles were meant to be called (or else the apostle Paul who wrote most of the New Testament would be a fraud).

With the addition of the apostle Matthias, the apostles again numbered twelve. Some may ask what evidence there was that any other apostles would need to be called. The Bible only records two apostles who died, one was Judas (who was replaced by Matthias) and the other is James the brother of John (Acts 12:1-2). We know only by tradition that most of the other apostles were also martyred. The time frame for the deaths of the apostles are unknown, so new apostles could have been called to fulfill the vacancies caused by martyrdom, or the Lord could have called more apostles to help with the churches scattered aboard. The fact is that the scriptures do record the call of additional apostles! (see my post on apostles and prophets)

Who was Barnabas?

The life of Barnabas is not covered as much as some of the other apostles! The first mention of him that I know of occurs in Acts 4:36-37. The scriptures tells us that during this time the church had all things in common and that "Barnabas...a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet"(Acts 4:36-37). From this account it would appear that he was a very devoted follower of Christ and that he was known to the Apostles.

Barnabas appears to have been a very important member of the early church, after Christ’s death and resurrection. One indication of this is when Saul (who becomes Paul the Apostle) believes in Christ and seeks to join the Church; it is Barnabas that embraces Saul and introduces him to the Apostles. "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way"(Acts 9:26-27). We can see that Barnabas was with Saul from the beginning of his conversion.

Barnabas was even chosen by the Apostles as a missionary, and who did Barnabas select as his missionary companion? "Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people"(Acts 11:22, 24-26). Barnabas and Saul served together as missionaries among the Gentiles in many places. "But the word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry"(Acts 12:24-25).

Was Barnabas called to be an Apostle?

The Scriptures affirm that Barnabas and Paul were both apostles of the Lord! When Barnabas and Paul where teaching in Iconium, the Greeks believed them to be the gods Jupiter and Mercury and tried to worship them, "the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes"(Acts 14:13-14). This is the first time that either of these two men are referred to as apostles. What changed, what happened that allowed these disciples to now be called apostles? The answer is found in the previous chapter, where Barnabas and Paul are selected and ordained as apostles.

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen,…and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away"(Acts 13:1-3). Of the five prophets in Antioch, Barnabas and Saul received a special calling by the Holy Ghost and by the laying on of hands. As I have stated in chapter 14 while they were serving on this new assignment they were identified correctly as apostles.

Paul acknowledges that he was ordained as an apostle of Jesus Christ. "Jesus Christ; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith"(1 Tim 2:5-7). So we see that Paul was ordained to be an apostle of the Lord, and Barnabas was ordained an apostle at this same time. None of the major Christian religions deny that Paul was called to be an Apostle of the Lord, but few will acknowledge that Barnabas was also called to be an Apostle.

The pastor believed that Paul was given a special call as an apostle among the Gentiles and that Barnabas never received such a call. But this isn’t what the scriptures teach.  In Gal 2:9, Paul recounts "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision." It seems clear in this verse that Barnabas as well as Paul was to be an Apostle to the Gentiles! But if that wasn't clear enough Acts 13:46 says, "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

Paul even wrote a defense to the Corinthians to show them that he was just as much an apostles as the other apostles were!  In his defense he not only refers to himself but also includes Barnabas as having power as well as the other apostles. "Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas have not we power to forbear working?"(1 Cor 9:1-2,5-6).

Conclusion

Some may ask, why we don't have more written about Barnabas if he spent so much of his time as an apostle with Paul.  Acts 15:36-40 sheds some light on this question, "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them,...And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, ...and Paul chose Silas and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God." Because Barnabas and Paul did not remain together, the story of Barnabas would cease to be recorded in the writings of Paul.

For critics of the Church to deny that Barnabas is an Apostle is akin to claiming that Paul was not an Apostle. As it has been stated above, Barnabas helped Paul to enter the church, took Paul as his missionary companion, was selected by the Holy Ghost at the same time as Paul to be ordained an apostle, served with Paul in the apostleship to the Gentiles, and is acknowledged by Paul as being an apostle with him as well as the other apostles.

It is true that of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament that over half (an estimated 16 books) where written by the apostle Paul, while the Apostle Barnabas had no canonical books written by himself. But if writing a canonical book of scripture is what qualifies someone to be an apostle, then I would ask the critic to show me the book of Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, or even the book of Judas Iscariot etc.....(Matt 10:2-4). 

The Holidays have taken there Toll!

The Holidays have taken there toll, I looked on my blog and found that my last post was over a month ago! I have seen that the critics have not rested and so I will have my next post up shortly. Check back soon for my latest update, on my conversations with a local Pastor!