The Book of Mormon, Mormonism, and Where do We go from Here?

​This week we wrap-up our review of the Book of Mormon and begin a new journey. But before we start our new journey let’s review what we know about the Book of Mormon. Then we’ll compare what the Book of Mormon says about its founder and a latter-day church. Finally, we’ll look at three witnesses and introduce our next course of study.

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The Book of Mormon and the Law
The objectives I set to establish by reviewing the Book of Mormon is whether it could be interpreted within a Torah-Law context and did it have anything substantive to add to biblical theology. Moreover, as an adherent to Mormonism for over fifty years, I needed to know if the Book of Mormon is fact or fiction especially after leaving Mormonism and embracing the Torah as the foundation of my new faith. Paul the Apostle said to prove all things – 1 Thess 5:21.
 
The answer to the first objective is that, yes, the Book of Mormon could be interpreted within a Torah-Law context and not a Christian anti-Law context. We were able to do this by properly understanding how Yeshua fulfilled the Law and saw that the Greek word for fulfill meant to “make full” and not to “make over”, which is what Christianity does. - Matt 5:17.
 
Another aspect of my review of the Book of Mormon was to see if the complete theology, using the Law as a foundation, that I developed through the Bible was consistent and supported by the Book of Mormon. Generally, that theology looks like this –

THE GOSPEL

Redemption  >

Sanctification  >

Exaltation

Again, yes, the Book of Mormon does support this view of the Gospel.
 
 
What the Book of Mormon Is and Is Not.
When we summarized the major themes that we see in the Book of Mormon, they look like this.

IS	IS NOT
​A Testimony that Yeshua is the Messiah(Christ) (especially for Lehi’s descendants)	A Law Code
​A Command for the Gentiles to Repent	A Covenant Code
​A Prophecy of America.
​A Prophecy for the Endtime Restoration of the House of Israel
​A Historical Account of Peoples in America

The Book of Mormon and Mormonism
The Book of Mormon, as a whole, says very little about a latter-day church and Joseph Smith Jr. who originated the Book of Mormon. Moreover, references to a servant – an Elijah that returns - that appears to orchestrate the Endtime gathering of Israel is not Joseph Smith for there is no scriptural basis establishing that a resurrected being tarry on the earth to fulfill another purpose. There are more likely candidates for this Endtime Elijah. Furthermore, the vast majority of references of latter-day churches the Book of Mormon warns of is that they are built up to get gain and Moroni says they all become polluted and Isaiah prophesies that they all teach false doctrines.
 
 
Where Does the Book of Mormon Take Us?
So if the Book of Mormon doesn’t direct us to a latter-day church or to the originator of the Book of Mormon where does it take us? Another recurring theme that we see in the Book of Mormon is the repeated references to Isaiah. There are 24 references to Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and Nephi quotes Isaiah heavily. Indeed, Joseph Smith himself refers to Isaiah on numerous occasions. Moreover, Yeshua quotes the 54th chapter of Isaiah at 3 Nephi 22 and then in chapter 23 commands us to read Isaiah. 
 
1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.2 For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. 3 And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.
 
We can also extrapolate from these verses that the writings of Isaiah included a gospel that sets out the  plan of salvation. Furthermore, when we consider a progression of themes in the Book of Mormon and Isaiah we see this.

Yeshua(Jesus)  >

Isaiah  >

God's Endtime Servant

Three Witnesses
Studying Isaiah then appears to be where the Book of Mormon wants us to go.  We can substantiate this through the law of witnesses. The Bible requires that two or three witnesses establish all truth - 2 Cor. 13:1. The Book of Mormon ramps this standard up by indicating three witnesses – Ether 5:4. As a personal testimony, these three witnesses came to me as follows.

​First Witness
The first witness that I received as a member of the Mormon Church was a testimony through the Book of Mormon that Isaiah was a prophet that was specific for us for our day. I remained in Mormonism until I discovered Torah and the Law, which filled-in a lot of missing theology that I was not finding in Mormonism.

​​Second Witness
My second witness was a meeting with Dr. Gileadi in 2002 when he was promoting his book Isaiah Decoded in Logan Utah.  Isaiah Decoded sets out a framework for the Plan of Salvation based on the spiritual categories of Humanity. I found the structure and order in his interpretation of Isaiah compelling.

​Third Witness
My third and final witness occurred when I accepted the Torah and the Law as still being relevant and took a Hebrew name.  When I surveyed my ancestry for an appropriate name, I discovered that I was name after my father and great-grandfather who both shared the name of Isaiah. These three witnesses solidified my course of faith.

GENE ELMER HAGLOCH
v
​Elmer Isaiah Hagloch
v
Sherman Christian Hagloch
v
Jesaias "Isaiah" Eugen Hageloch

A New Journey
This all brings us to our next journey. I will be reviewing Dr. Gileadi's book Isaiah Decoded and integrate the Law in with Isaiah's Hebrew Gospel that Dr. Gileadi sets out. Isaiah Decoded has no non-biblical scriptural references and does not denigrate or dismiss the Law. So it is fertile ground for adding the Law in with his analysis. If you would like to follow along, his book can be purchased at the Isaiah Institute website - HERE.