Mormon Revelation?
Interesting article in Christianity Today about a Most Improbable Dialogue between Mormons and evangelical Christians. Despite our common cause with Mormons on many moral issues, theologically we will always remain divided and it comes down to the issue of Revelation and whether the Book of Revelation closed the Canon.
The key verses is this:
Revelation 22:18
"For I say to every man to whose ears have come the words of this prophet's book, If any man makes an addition to them, God will put on him the punishments which are in this book."
Here is the Mormon take (and) then Matthew Henry's orthodox view below it:
Mormon:
"In the November 20, 1999 issue of the LDS Church News (p.14), an article entitled "Warning applies to the book of Revelation" quotes LDS president Howard Hunter, who, while serving as an apostle for the LDS Church, responded to this query by saying, "A careful reading of the words makes it clear that the warning against adding or taking away does not refer to the whole Bible or even to the New Testament, but to use John's words, on the words of the 'book of this prophecy.' That is, the prophecy contained in the book of Revelation."
Matthew Henry:
"This sanction is like a flaming sword, to guard the canon of the scripture from profane hands. Such a fence as this God set about the law (Deut 4:2), and the whole Old Testament (Mal 4:4), and now in the most solemn manner about the whole Bible, assuring us that it is a book of the most sacred nature, divine authority, and of the last importance, and therefore the peculiar care of the great God."
The key verses is this:
Revelation 22:18
"For I say to every man to whose ears have come the words of this prophet's book, If any man makes an addition to them, God will put on him the punishments which are in this book."
Here is the Mormon take (and) then Matthew Henry's orthodox view below it:
Mormon:
"In the November 20, 1999 issue of the LDS Church News (p.14), an article entitled "Warning applies to the book of Revelation" quotes LDS president Howard Hunter, who, while serving as an apostle for the LDS Church, responded to this query by saying, "A careful reading of the words makes it clear that the warning against adding or taking away does not refer to the whole Bible or even to the New Testament, but to use John's words, on the words of the 'book of this prophecy.' That is, the prophecy contained in the book of Revelation."
Matthew Henry:
"This sanction is like a flaming sword, to guard the canon of the scripture from profane hands. Such a fence as this God set about the law (Deut 4:2), and the whole Old Testament (Mal 4:4), and now in the most solemn manner about the whole Bible, assuring us that it is a book of the most sacred nature, divine authority, and of the last importance, and therefore the peculiar care of the great God."
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