The Massive Mormon Scripture Mess

STICKS AND SCROLLS

Of the several other key biblical prophecies of the Book of Mormon, one other stands out as the most common of all LDS "proof" scriptures. It is in Ezekiel 37:15-17. The Scripture reads as follows: "The Word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."

The LDS Church teaches that the sticks mentioned above are really scrolls (rolled on the sticks). They teach that the stick of Judah is the Bible and the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. The joining together of the two sticks is a prophecy that the two books would become one witness as they would be joined together by the LDS Church. This is made clearly evident in the LDS scripture: ". . .and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto to you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fullness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim...." (D&C 27:5)

In actuality, the Hebrew word used here for stick is "ES," or "ETS," meaning wood, tree or stick. The Hebrew words for scroll, roll, book, or writing, include Sepher, Dabar, Sephar, and Siphrah. Now, the Old Testament talks about sticks, rolls, books, writings, scrolls and so on. Yet, in no case has God ever used the word for stick to mean anything but a piece of wood. He never interchanged these words.

What was happening in this scripture? If you read the very next few verses, the people ask Ezekiel what he meant and he explained that the sticks represented the two kingdoms of Israel which shall be joined together just as the sticks were in his hands (verses 18-22).

Further, it was Ezekiel who wrote on both sticks. He obviously did not write both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Again, the point is that the evidence of such an interpretation of this prophecy just does not exist. Ezekiel clearly defined the exact conditions and scope of the prophecy and we have concrete historical evidence of its fulfillment.

There is no external evidence from the Bible of a future set of scriptures such as the Mormons claim. The LDS effort to fit the Book of Mormon into biblical context has no point of reference.