Chapter 60 (BOMP)

• The Bible = Original •
"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall." (Malachi 4:1,2) – About 433–424 B.C.

• The Book Of Mormon = Plagiarism •
“For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.” (1 Nephi 22:15) – About 588–570 B.C.

“Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.” (2 Nephi 25:13) – About 559–545 B.C.

“But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.” (2 Nephi 26:9) – About 559–545 B.C.

Verses from the King James Version of Malachi, chapter 4, were copied and pasted into the Book of Mormon. These verses can be found in 1 Nephi, chapter 22, and 2 Nephi, chapters 25 and 26. Details of what took place can be found below…

The Book of Malachi was written between 433 to 424 B.C. This was 170 years after the people in the Book of Mormon supposedly crossed the ocean to the Americas. Therefore, if the characters in this book are real, they wouldn't have a copy of Malachi's writings. However, we see his writings in 1 Nephi, chapter 22. This is a big problem, and for Joseph Smith to think that people would not notice is ridiculous. Here is that verse from the Bible. It is written, “for, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1) Pay close attention to the words in bold. For they are seen in the same fashion from the mouth of a fictional character named Nephi. I am speaking of the words and phrases “proud”, “burn”, “stubble”, “that do wickedly”, and “day that cometh”.

God will destroy the wicked on the day of Jesus’s coming. How interesting that the proud is mentioned, for this includes those who are part of the LGBTQ community. Anyone who is prideful will be burned like an oven. Nephi, a character in the Book of Mormon, somehow knew this, although the words of Malachi were recorded 170 years after his birth. This isn’t possible, but it didn’t stop Joseph Smith from adding his words to his book. Here is the copy of Malachi in the Book of Mormon. It reads, “For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.” (1 Nephi 22:15) It is true that those who are wicked will be punished. This goes for Joseph Smith, as he took the words of Malachi and made them his own. This is not a small blunder, but must be exposed for the sake of Jesus.

Let's now look at 2 Nephi 25:13 when compared to Malachi 4:2. If you look at the phrase “with healing in his wings” in the Bible, this reference only comes from Malachi and nowhere else. However, it is also found in the Book of Mormon. It is written, “behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.” (2 Nephi 25:13) This is in comparison to the Bible here. “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” (Malachi 4:2) Comparing these verses many Mormons will say that it was a stretch to see any plagiarism here. They don’t realize that this comparison is just the beginning of the issues I’ve found.

But there is more. Malachi mentions the rising of the Son of righteousness before referring to "with healing in his wings." Joseph Smith saw this and thought it would be a perfect example of this referencing Jesus’s resurrection. This is why Joseph Smith penned in the Book of Mormon the following also. It is written, “behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead.” (2 Nephi 25:13) Here, we see Joseph Smith taking the verse in Malachi and interpreting it to be Jesus rising from the dead. However, this is not the proper interpretation. Instead, those who fear the Lord, our God, shall He come unto us and bring healing to our souls. We are then able to grow up as His sheep, having a shepherd. Therefore, we are kept safe from the evils of this world. Jesus’s resurrection is important, but this is not what Malachi, chapter 2, is referring to. So Joseph Smith not only added to the verse, but changed the meaning entirely.

Joseph Smith must have really loved Malachi 4. This one chapter has been imported into the Book of Mormon in three different places. Namely, in 1 Nephi 22 and 2 Nephi 25, 26. I’ve already covered the plagiarism in 1 Nephi 22 and Malachi 4, and will be covering 2 Nephi 26 now. So let’s look at Malachi 4:2 in comparison with 2 Nephi 26:9. As you read the following verses, you will see a compelling similarity to the two. See for yourself. It is written, “but unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” (Malachi 4:2) This is compared to the following. “But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.” (2 Nephi 26:9) Is there plagiarism here? Absolutely, there is! Joseph Smith took the phrase "Son of righteousness", and Him healing us, while adding it to his book.

The only reference in the Bible to the Son of righteousness appearing, and also healing us, comes from Malachi 4. Let’s examine verse 2 and see what it means. Those who fear God shall the Son of righteousness come into their lives with healing. We were a far off, being an outcast to God. Because of willful acts of sin, we didn’t care about God or His dealings in our lives. Therefore, Jesus could not come into our lives and save us. Those who have faith in Christ and acknowledge Him as their Lord experience His miraculous healing power. What Jesus did for us on the cross means more to us than anything else. The penalty for sins was paid, and our sins are forgiven. He cleanses us and we are made clean. In conclusion, like all verses in the Bible, they are sacred. If referenced, it should be quoted with the source next to it. Malachi lived long after the fictional character, Nephi, which means that what was written was plagiarism by Joseph Smith. Amen.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that You will wake Mormons up to know You. I know that nothing can happen when we reason with them without the power of the Holy Spirit with us. But only if You are doing the convicting can people be taught by the Spirit and then be led into all truth. In the world we live in, there are many evil spirits. These same evil spirits are causing people of many religions to think they are right and others are wrong. Therefore, we need the Holy Spirit to be our guide. So come and take the blindfolds off the Mormon people and cause a revival to be set in their hearts. If only they would begin to teach what is true and denounce what is false, then they could be saved. I love the Mormon people, even though many of them would say I hate them. They don’t realize that my witnessing to them is out of love and respect. You put this passion in me to reach the lost. Thank You, Lord, for changing me. I prioritize you above all and reject anything wicked. Lord, help me lead more people to You. I love You, Jesus. Amen.