Applying Truth Tests And Learning How To Examine Fruits
The purpose of this post is to show how to use the tests discussed in my previous post, “Are There Prophets Today? Truth Tests To Know”. As I began to question things in my former religion of Mormonism, I discovered many things that the leaders of my former church did and taught that were not in harmony with what was taught in the Bible. I have already discussed some of these things in previous posts and will continue to discuss more in the future. There are so many past and current leaders in the LDS Church that have taught or done things that were not or are not in harmony with the Bible. It is impossible to discuss them all so in this post I will just focus on the foundational leader, Joseph Smith. Since he is the founder of the Mormon religion and the most revered prophet of the LDS members, it seems most important to prove his claim to being a prophet, because if he does not pass the tests then an entire religion has been false for almost 200 years and millions have been deceived.
One prominent LDS apostle during the 1930’s was J. Reuben Clark. He made an important statement that I believe all LDS Church members should take seriously.
“If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.”
J. Reuben Clark
President George A. Smith was the eighth Mormon prophet and president of the church. He stated:
“If a faith will not bear to be investigated; if its preachers and professors
George A. Smith, Journal of Discourses 14:216
are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.”
So it seems that many early leaders encouraged people to investigate and examine their religion, however, the ability to do that was not an easy task before the internet came along. The internet was like a Pandora’s Box for the Mormon Church because it allowed every member easy access to information about the church and it’s leaders that had long been kept covered up for the most part. Things that were once viewed as anti-Mormon lies quickly became acknowledged as fact and the LDS Church had a lot of explaining to try to do. Their attempt at explaining many such issues resulted in what is known as The Gospel Topics Essays found on the LDS Church’s official website.
False Prophet or True Prophet?
Okay let’s test Joseph Smith using the three Deuteronomy tests.
- This is the first test to know whether a person is teaching truth. That person should never add to or subtract from the word of God.
Deut. 4:2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
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Deut. 12:32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
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Did Joseph Smith add to or subtract from God’s written word? This is a huge YES! Not only did he write three entire new books of so called scripture (The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price) but he also re-translated a big chunk of the Bible known as the Joseph Smith Translation. Let’s look at the Book of Mormon since it is the foundational book of LDS scriptures. The Book of Mormon was first published in 1830 and was claimed to have been translated by Joseph Smith from gold plates that he claimed God had shown him and given to him. The topic of The Book of Mormon’s authenticity is a HUGE one and would probably take multiple posts for me to cover, so instead of spending a lot of time doing that, I will simply refer you to a few sites that do a great job explaining this topic. They are: letterformywife.com and cesletter.org. Both these sites go through many of the concerns and issues that cause doubts about the Book of Mormon’s authenticity among many other topics. Also for more extensive information on this topic, look up a thesis written by Shannon Caldwell Montez called The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922. Let’s move on to the second test.
2. This is the second test to know whether a person is teaching truth. That person must teach you to worship and obey the One True God and no other gods and must teach you to walk in the Way of the One True God which is His Law or Instructions, the Torah. Even if a person performs signs and wonders, if their teachings do not align with God’s Instructions, then they are not sent by God.
Deut. 13:1-4 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
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During Yeshua’s mortal ministry, He constantly preached God’s Law or Torah and lived it perfectly. Joseph Smith and all preceding presidents of the LDS Church did not and do not preach the Torah found in the Bible. For example, they do not teach the church members to live and obey God’s Holy Feasts or to keep the true Sabbath Day holy, among other things. These two particular topics require entire posts in order to explain them, which I will be writing about in the near future, so you will just have to trust me on this one for now. The LDS Church claims that it is God’s restored church here on Earth. It claims that the true church was taken from the Earth during the Dark Ages and that God restored it through Joseph Smith in the early 1800’s. The problem with this idea is that the Mormon Church and it’s gospel look nothing like the church and Gospel that Yeshua proclaimed during His mortal ministry. Yeshua never preached about the importance of temple attendance in order to perform rituals that would save people both living and dead. He Himself never did these so called “saving ordinances” or commanded His followers to do them. These ordinances were not part of temple services in Yeshua’s day. If something is restored then it is brought back to it’s former state. The LDS Church is not the same church and does not preach the same Gospel that Yeshua proclaimed. Mormons believe that God and Yeshua require that people perform these ordinances in LDS temples in order to be saved and to be able to live with Them again. This is evidence that Mormons believe in a different Christ than the one in the Bible.
Gal. 1:6-9 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
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2 Cor. 11: 1-4 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
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Matt. 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
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The Greek word for evildoers is defined here: Strong’s Greek 458: Lawlessness, iniquity, disobedience, sin. From anomos; illegality, i.e. Violation of law or wickedness.
Lawlessness is disobedience to God’s Law, His Torah. Yeshua taught the people to go back to the Torah, God’s Law and to quit obeying the commandments of men. The religious leaders of His day added to and took away from the Law of God and taught others to obey their man-made laws instead of God’s Law. Yeshua came to correct that and to atone for us breaking God’s Law. Too many people today ignore God’s Law. Even in the LDS Church, people believe that the Bible is not important any more. When Yeshua comes again there will be many surprised and shocked Christians because they thought that they were doing the right thing but in fact, got it all wrong. I was once on that ship of deception but thankfully I jumped ship and found an amazing lifeboat in God’s word.
Ezek. 22:25-29 There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says’—when the LORD has not spoken. The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.
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3. The third test is that if someone prophesies something and then that prophecy does not happen, then you know for sure that the person is not called of God. It is very important to test people in leadership positions who claim authority of any kind to determine if what they teach aligns with God’s word.
Deut. 18:20-22 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
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If all prophesies of a prophet come true except one then according to the Deuteronomy 18 test, that person is a false prophet even with just one false prophesy. Well, it just so happens that seven of Joseph Smith’s prophecies did not come true–SEVEN!
Prophesy #1–Joseph Smith said that God had made it known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit that certain people were to be ordained and go out to “prune the vineyard” for the last time because the second coming was near. He then specified that in 56 years the coming of Christ would happen. He prophesied this in 1835 (History of the Church, vol. 2, page 182). The 56 years went by and nothing happened. Yeshua’s second coming still has not happened.
Prophesy #2–On April 17, 1838 Joseph Smith prophesied about a man named David W. Patten and this prophesy can be found in one of the Mormon books of scripture called the Doctrine & Covenants.
D&C 114:1 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world.
Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants 114:1
Mr. Patten never went on this mission foretold by Joseph Smith because he died in October 1838.
Prophesy #3–Joseph Smith made this prophesy on May 6, 1843.
President Smith, in concluding his remarks, said that if the government, which received into its coffers the money of citizens for its public lands, while its officials are rolling in luxury at the expense of its public treasury, cannot protect such citizens in their lives and property, it is an old granny anyhow; and I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left, for their wickedness in permitting the murder of men, women and children, and the wholesale plunder and extermination of thousands of her citizens to go unpunished, thereby perpetrating a foul and corroding blot upon the fair fame of this great republic, the very thought of which would have caused the high-minded and patriotic framers of the Constitution of the United States to hide their faces with shame. Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of this day will stick to you through life.
History of the Church, vol. 5, page 394
The government did not redress any wrongs committed against the Mormon people in Missouri and yet the United States government was not overthrown and wasted in a few years.
Prophesy #4–Joseph Smith petitioned Congress in 1939.
While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by virtue of the holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government, and God shall damn them, and there shall be nothing left of them – not even a grease spot.
Millennial Star, Vol. 22, p. 455
While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by virtue of the holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government.
History of the Church, vol. 6, page 116
Notice that the last part of the prophesy was left out of the History of the Church…hmmm. Were they trying to make Joseph look and sound better? Anyway, this petition wasn’t heard by Congress and protection was never granted and yet Congress, made up of Democrats and Republicans, is still in existence. In an attempt to explain this prophecy, the compilers of the History of the Church made an editorial note stating, “This prediction doubtless has reference to the party in power; to the “government” considered as the administration; not to the “government” considered as the country; but the administration party, the Democratic Party, which had controlled the destiny of the country for forty years. It is matter of history that few years later the party then in power lost control of the national government, followed by the terrible conflict of the Civil War. The Party against which the above prediction was made so far lost its influence that it did not again return to power for a quarter of a century; and when it did return to power it was with such modified views as to many great questions of government, that it could scarcely be regarded as the same party except in name.” It amazes me how they can twist and bend things to make it fit their narrative and belief.
Prophesy #5–In D&C 111, another prophecy was recorded on August 6, 1836. It was at this time that the leaders of the Mormon Church were in a great deal of debt because of their labors in the ministry.
D&C 11:1-5 I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies. I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality. Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you. And it shall come to pass in due time that I will give this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not discover your secret parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours. Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them.
Doctrine & Covenants section 111
This prophecy was speaking of the city of Salem, Massachusetts and it never did fall into the hands of the Mormon people and treasure was never discovered.
Prophecy #6–In 1833 Joseph Smith prophesied this:
And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the requirements of the new covenant, have already commenced gathering together to Zion, which is in the state of Missouri; therefore I declare unto you the warning which the Lord has commanded to declare unto this generation, remembering that the eyes of my Maker are upon me, and that to him I am accountable for every word I say, wishing nothing worse to my fellow-men than their eternal salvation; therefore, “Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.” Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant, and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled. Remember these things; call upon the Lord while He is near, and seek Him while He may be found, is the exhortation of your unworthy servant.
History of the Church, vol. 1, pp. 315-316
This never happened during his generation.
Prophesy #7–On September 22-23 of 1832, Joseph stated this prophesy:
D&C 84:1-5 A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high. Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily, this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.
Doctrine & Covenants 84:1-5
A temple was never built on the “temple lot” in Joseph’s generation. The Mormons were forced to flee Missouri because of persecution and the LDS Church no longer owns the property of the “temple lot”.
Ezek. 13:1-7 The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD. Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. Even though the LORD has not sent them, they say, “The LORD declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken?
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Joseph Smith’s Fruits
Joseph Smith failed all three Deuteronomy tests so he is therefore a false prophet. I know that most Mormons will deny all this, being overpowered by cognitive dissonance, but God’s word is true. God gave us tests to help determine lies from truth. Hopefully many will have their spiritual eyes and ears opened to the truth. Now that Joseph Smith has been proven to be a false prophet, let’s examine some of his fruits.
Matt. 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
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Remember that fruits not only apply to deeds but also to doctrines and teachings that are taught to others. A person’s character can also be considered his/her fruits. False prophets can deceive many because they appear to be good and Godly in many ways and yet underneath the facade lies a wolf that thrives on power, profit and/or popularity. In all my research, I have found that Joseph Smith craved all three of these.
There is so much to touch on when considering Joseph Smith’s fruits. In order to keep this post from becoming a book, I will refer you again to letterformywife.com and cesletter.org and also to https://beggarsbread.org/2018/07/08/the-fruit-of-joseph-smith/. These sites do an excellent job at documenting many of the fruits of Joseph Smith including his involvement in superstitious magic and fraudulent treasure digging, his dishonesty to his wife and all church members about his polygamy, his adulterous and polygamous relationships to over 30 women (including married women and teenagers), his arrest for banking fraud and the destruction of a printing press that criticized him,etc. Joseph Smith was also arrested 42 times and among those charges was treason and conspiracy to murder the former governor of Missouri. These things can all be found using all LDS or LDS friendly sources. Joseph Smith himself gave evidence in “The History of the Church” (go to the online edition of “The History of the Church” archived at BYU). Most LDS members will deny these claims as anti-Mormon lies fabricated to ruin their beloved prophet’s reputation, but there is plenty of evidence that implicates Joseph Smith in all these things.
I never knew these things about Joseph Smith growing up because in the LDS Church, Joseph Smith was painted as a hero, a martyr for his faith and the most important man to ever walk this Earth except for Christ. This is what is taught in the LDS Church, but it seems that Joseph Smith apparently thought he was even more important than Christ when he stated this:
I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.”
History of the Church, vol. 6 ch. 19
Even modern-day Mormon Church leaders proclaim that Joseph Smith was more important than even Christ.
If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 472, 1966
Wow! That is pretty blasphemous in my opinion! And here I thought that salvation can only come through Christ! I mean, that’s what God’s word says!
The Mormon Church’s second president and prophet, Brigham Young elevated Joseph Smith into a position of “President of Resurrection”. Brigham Young said, “How are you going to get your resurrection? You will get it by the President of resurrection, and that is Joseph Smith, Jun. Hear it all ye ends of the earth; if you ever enter into the kingdom of God it is because Joseph Smith let you go there. This will apply to Jews and Gentiles, to the bond, and the free; to friends and foes; no man or woman in this generation will get a resurrection and be crowned without Joseph Smith saying so. The man who was martyred in Carthage Jail, State of Illinois, holds the keys of life and death to this dispensation…
“The Essential Brigham Young”, Eugene E. Campbell, p. 99, emphasis added
In June 1994, LDS Church’s official magazine, Ensign, had an article by BYU Religion professor Robert L. Millet, who quoted Brigham Young’s words, “From the day that the priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up things of things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are – I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent.”
[Emphasis added.] (This quote is also found in the Journal of Discourses, vol. 7:289. The same is also repeated in the LDS Church’s 1984 manual, “Search These Commandments”, p. 133.)
As you can see, the Mormon Church believes and teaches that Joseph Smith is absolutely necessary for everyone’s salvation. To this day, it is still very upsetting to me that there is so much deception and cover up in the Mormon Church. Yes, I was angry, hurt and felt betrayed by a religion that I had dedicated my life to, but I worked through that inside myself and have chosen to just move forward. I have learned much from my past and I now know where to find truth. The thing that is still difficult for me is that my family and friends are still caught in the web of deceit and they do not realize it. I get upset with the LDS Church because the lies and deceit directly affects my family and friends and relationships with them. I desperately want them to come to know the truth. I pray for them daily and hope that someday they will have the desire to know the truth and search it out no matter what it costs them. I also hope that you desire truth in your life and that if you find yourself in a similar situation as I was for years and years, then I plead with you to turn to God and His word. Test the people you call leaders and teachers. Determine if they promote truth or lies. Turn your back on lies, false prophets, false teachers and leaders. Jump off the S.S. Deception and into the lifeboat that is the word of God. Follow God and His Only Begotten Son, Yeshua. Salvation only comes through Them!
