When you read the entire OT as a whole you will see that the scriptures use Jews and Israel or children of Israel interchangeably in reference to the same people group, though there were different tribes.
That is not at all accurate.
Descendants of Abraham were referred to as "Hebrews" up until their captivity in Egypt - when they were designated Israelites - after their patriarch Israel.
The term "Jew" originally referred to descendants of Judah (son of Israel) but later - after the schism - it was also used to refer to citizens of the Southern Kingdom of Judah in general - which contained the entire tribe of Judah and the majority of Benjamin.
Although - referring to citizens of Judah as "Jews" was not a reference to lineage - but to national/cultural identity.
It's like how everyone in the Untied States can be referred to as an "American" - even though that descriptor does not allude to their lineage.
Also - since the Northern Kingdom of Israel was generally less faithful to YHWH - faithful members from every tribe moved to Judah.
Therefore it makes perfect sense that Lehi - a Manassehite and faithful worshiper of YHWH - would dwell in Jerusalem.
Lehi and his family never referred to themselves as Jews - even though they had come from Jerusalem.
Nephi - Lehi's son - made it clear that they were not Jews in his admonition to the readers of the Book of Mormon to come to Christ,
"And now, my beloved brethren, and also
Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and
believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall
believe in Christ ye will believe in these
words, for they are the
words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they
teach all men that they should do good." (2 Nephi 33:10)
The reason that we today refer to the culture and religion of Hebrews as "Jewish" and "Judaism" is because the majority of the survivors of the Babylonian Exile were descendants of Judah and they were allowed to return and retain their distinctive cultural and religious identity.
Simply put - all Jews are Israelites - but not all Israelites are Jews.
Either way, DNA has shown that the native people of America are of Asian descent, not from Israel, not Hebrew, and not from the Middle East. So the story of Lehi leaving Jerusalem, coming from Israel to America is false.
I always find this assertion to be laughable.
The idea that a handful of Israelites would make any sort of dent in the genetic makeup of the Amerindians - especially after thousands of years of genocidal wars and plagues - is absurd.
Not to mention that we don't have any Manassehite DNA to compare anything to.
Also - the discovery of Haplogroup X in Native American populations - which is shared by descendants of Syria, Lebanon and Israel - proves that not all ancestors of the Native Americans were Asian.
And if anyone did flee Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity then according to ( Jeremiah 28 and 29 ) they were in opposition to God’s will who said they were to serve the king of Babylon.
I don't know how you came to this conclusion.
Jeremiah 28 recounts a false prophet who claimed that Babylon's dominance/occupation or "yoke" upon Judah would be broken in two years - contrary to the prophesies of Jeremiah and other prophets.
It does not claim that Israelites were not allowed to leave Judah or Israel.
Jeremiah 29 was a letter which was obviously written
after the desolation caused by Babylon because it was addressed to Israelite captives in Babylon that had been scattered,
"Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;" (Jeremiah 29:1)
Many question if Jeremiah even wrote this letter or if someone wrote it based on his works.
Either way - the letter was written
after Babylon destroyed Israel and Judah and experts claim that it could not have been written any earlier than 540 B.C.E - which was 60 years
after the Book of Mormon claims Lehi and his family left Jerusalem.
Basically - neither of these chapters apply to Lehi and his family or contradict any claims made in the Book of Mormon.
Certainly God takes imperfect people and uses them for His glory. The difference is that they don’t continue in their sinful behavior, as Joseph Smith did with occult practices.
That is demonstrably false.
The Genesis account claims that Noah became drunk
after the Flood - well after he had been called to be a prophet - which caused some significant commotion.
Moses not only refused to circumcise his son at the command of God (his wife had to do it) but he also took credit for God's miracle of providing water from the stone - which cost him entrance into the promised land.
Jonah complained against God after the inhabitants of Nineveh repented - which was his mission - and lamented that God did not destroy them.
Peter not only denied the Lord three times - but he stubbornly clung to the traditions of the Law of Moses in defiance to revelation he himself had received.
Just for curiosity sake - what do you mean by "occult" and what "occult" practices are you referring to?
The NT is full of warnings and examples of people who are deceived by demons or angels of light when they reject God’s already revealed word and truth. That is exactly what Joseph Smith did when he rejected the clear gospel message concerning salvation through Jesus Christ, which was already being preached in his day and community, for something different and new. So it is easy to see he was open for deception.
The New Testament is
filled with these warnings? You mean a
handful - right?
Either way - the Gospel taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith is the same one that is taught in the New Testament.
"We believe that the first principles and
ordinances of the Gospel are: first,
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second,
Repentance; third,
Baptism by
immersion for the
remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of
hands for the
gift of the Holy Ghost." (4th Article of Faith)
The temple ceremonies are a perfect example of Joseph Smith continuing to practice occultism and incorporating these Masonic practices into his new religion in contradiction to the biblical scriptures.
I fail to see how Temple worship is proof of any kind of "occultism".
Unless you are using that term to describe "studying truth that dwells beneath the surface" (the actual definition of "occultism").
The Masonic influence on the Temple Endowment is obvious - but what do you mean when you say the Prophet incorporated "Masonic practices"? What exactly are you referring to?
Also explain how any of these things contradict the Bible.
Just before Jesus died on the cross in payment for the sins of the world, He said “It is finished” and the veil in the temple was torn.
And you believe to know exactly what the Lord meant when He said that and what the renting of the veil signified?
The book of Hebrews states that the temple and priesthood ceremonies of the OT were shadows of the final sacrifice of Christ who is the High Priest now seated at the right hand of Majesty in the heavens as the only Mediator.
Yes - latter-day scripture - such as the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham - agree with these teachings.
However - the Book of Hebrews does not claim that anything happening in latter-day Temples is incorrect or what the Lord meant when He said, "It is finished" or what the renting of the veil signified.
The Mormon temple rituals are anti- biblical not only because the old covenant has been replaced with the new covenant, but also because the Mormon temple and the ceremonies which take place there are based on Masonic Lodge rituals which are simply demonic witchcraft.
If Temple worship is "anti-biblical" - then why did the first practitioners of the new covenant - Peter, James, John and Paul - frequently worship and teach at the temple in Jerusalem?
I'm not about to make any judgments about the Freemasons - but nothing that happens in latter-day Temples is "demonic" or related to "witchcraft".
What exact practices and rituals are you referring to?
