Tag Archives: Book of Mormon evidence

How the Mesoamerica Idea Entered the Church

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Part 3 of 4 in the series “Book of Mormon Geography — And Why It Matters”

Book Cover of The Lost City of Zarahemla

Given what Joseph Smith and the prophets actually said — the plains of the Nephites, Zelph, Cumorah in New York, Zarahemla across from Nauvoo — how did the idea arise that the Book of Mormon instead took place in Mesoamerica, in Central America and southern Mexico? Jonathan Neville’s book The Lost City of Zarahemla traces that history in detail.

Here it is in brief. (The full account, with its sources, is summarized on Jonathan’s podcast page; the book itself is reviewed by the Association for Mormon Letters.)

Benjamin Winchester’s Proposal
Benjamin Winchester

According to Neville’s research, Benjamin Winchester promoted the idea that the Book of Mormon took place in Central America and Mexico.

Here I share Neville’s insightful perspective: “In 1842, a zealous, committed Mormon [Benjamin Winchester] invented a way to gain more converts. All he had to do was link the Book of Mormon to popular books, including a national bestseller, about Mesoamerica. This proof would be irresistible to the public. Except the prophet disagreed with the tactic. Convinced he was right, he battled Joseph Smith. Formally suspended and silenced, he fought back. He arranged for the publication in the Times and Seasons of articles that specifically linked the Book of Mormon to Mesoamerica. The consequences? Joseph Smith resigned from the paper. The champions of the Mesoamerican theory apostatized from the Church. And the Mesoamerican theory would undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s role as prophet, seer and revelator for the next 174 years. This man’s zeal and subterfuge have remained a secret despite the devoted efforts of historians, educators, and church leaders to uncover the truth. Until now. Joseph Smith’s response: he resigned as editor of the Times and Seasons, putting a disclaimer in the paper, and stated, in 1842, ‘I cannot read a periodical that I am not the author or accomplisher of the obligation or fact that it expresses.’”

Joseph Smith’s response: he resigned as editor of the Times and Seasons, putting a disclaimer in the paper, and stated, in 1842, “I cannot read a periodical that I am not the author or accomplisher of the obligation or fact that it expresses.”

Winchester’s associates and champions — William Smith, John E. Page, and John C. Bennett — all apostatized. With the Church’s newspaper in Nauvoo passing into other hands, the Mesoamerica idea had a publishing platform it would keep up until now among LDS.  But the number is decreasing as new truths are bring forth light about where the Book of Mormon really took place.

What the Lord Had Already Said

Here is the timing that matters most. In March 1841 — just before the Mesoamerica controversy got going — the Lord gave the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants

Zarahemla

The Lord gave the name of the city of Zarahemla in America, and He did it when the Saints were right there, ready to build. Reading the Book of Mormon reveals it also had the City of Manti directly to the southward — in what is now Missouri — consistent with what it says in the Book of Alma.

How the Idea Spread Anyway

My wife Edna has an idea about why it spread. As the Church became strong enough to send large numbers of missionaries into Central and South America, those missionaries told the people there that they were descendants of Lehi. 

Cover of 2020 Book of Mormon Institute Manual

And can you imagine telling converts that the Book of Mormon did not happen in their part of the world, after they had been converted by the truth and power of the book?

When we came back from our mission (1997-99) from the Ivory Coast, shortly thereafter I was asked to set up and teach Institute for the Moroni Stake. I did that for eleven years. It was a great experience; I learned a lot and taught a lot! When I started, the Book of Mormon manual for the course had many pictures indicating that the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. Later, they changed the manual and it had no pictures, as new information was coming forth.

Hugh Nibley is respected in the LDS  community as the most foremost scholar; he was a professor at BYU.

Coming back from a trip in 1966 to Central America, he said, “I learned more about the Book of Mormon from this trip… than from all the years I have been working on it, and that is because of the complete lack of definite information about anything Book of Mormon.” Contrast that with his assessment of the Hopewell:

Heartland Model of Zarahemla

“There is hardly a point at which the [Hopewell] earth and palisade structures do not give a closer approximation to the descriptions of the Book of Mormon than the haphazard stone structures of Mesoamerica” (Nibley, Approach to the Book of Mormon, ch. 14).

Nibley said that the Adena and Hopewell cultures better represent the Jaredites and Nephites. Now there is a large amount of evidence that confirms what he said.

In the final article of this series, we turn to the evidence itself: the stones, the DNA, and the earthworks that point to the Heartland.

David W. Allan

Next in this series: Part 4 — “Evidence in the Heartland: Stones, DNA, and the Newark Earthworks.”

In this series — “Book of Mormon Geography — And Why It Matters”:
Part 1: Where Did The Book Of Mormon Really Take Place?
Part 2: What Joseph Smith and Other Latter-Day Prophets Actually Said
Part 3: How the Mesoamerica Idea Entered the Church
Part 4: Evidence in the Heartland: Stones, DNA, and the Newark Earthworks

Where Did The Book Of Mormon Really Take Place?

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Where Did  The Book Of Mormon Really Take Place?

Part 1 of 4 in the series “Book of Mormon Geography — And Why It Matters”

Many people say the geography of the Book of Mormon doesn’t matter. I have come to believe it matters a great deal — and I would like to share why.
Let Us Start With What We Know
Hill Cumorah, New York, where Moroni deposited the records

The prophets have taught that:

  1. Hill Cumorah is in New York. Jonathan Neville has put together what he calls a “BYU Packet” of the prophets’ statements regarding Hill Cumorah being in New York
  2. We don’t know where all the other events took place — not because there is no evidence, but because there is too much evidence.
  3. From the Prophet Joseph we know that Zelph’s mound is real, and that the statements about it were received by revelation (see the Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon).
  4. Joseph also identified the Nephi altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman as real.
  5. Joseph named the City of Manti and its location in Missouri.
  6. By revelation, the Lord gave the name Zarahemla to the city across from Nauvoo (see D&C 125:3). Jonathan Neville’s book The Lost City of Zarahemla discusses this important topic well.
Why Geography Matters
A chosen land, and the land of liberty – (Alma 46:17)

Moroni, who saw our day, recorded the Lord’s everlasting decree for this land of North America:

“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God.” (Ether 2:10)

Elder L. Tom Perry proclaimed that the United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon — a land the Lord prepared so that liberty and religious freedom would make the Restoration possible. “It was no coincidence,” he taught, “that the First Vision came just decades after the birth of the United States.”

If Elder Perry is right — and I believe he is — then it is critical that the people of the United States repent and serve God, or be “swept off.” How much more clear can it be? Yet many say Book of Mormon geography doesn’t matter.

How I Came to the Heartland Model

In my early years in the Church, I believed, like most members, that Mesoamerica explained Book of Mormon geography. Decades ago, our son Sterling first woke me up to the possibility that it could be otherwise, and that the Great Lakes area had a large number of artifacts consistent with the Book of Mormon.

Since then, I have gotten to know many researchers who have opened my eyes to the Heartland model — Wayne May, Rod Meldrum, Amberli Peterson, Jonathan Neville, Timothy Ballard, Ryan Fisher, Steve Smoot, Richard Moats, and many others. Much of what I share here comes from their research, and I am extremely grateful to them. Their work shows the consistency of the Heartland model, while giving evidence that the Mesoamerica model doesn’t match the history, geography, or archaeology of the Book of Mormon message.

Heartland Model by Wayne May
How Can You Know Something Is True?

As a scientist, and as a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have three criteria I use in my search for TRUTH. I have studied the evidence around Elder Perry’s statement using these three criteria:

  1. If God says it, then I know.
  2. You cannot prove a theory or hypothesis true. We don’t know enough; only God knows enough. If something agrees with our paradigm, that does not validate it. Correlation does not provide validation.
  3. If you have reliable data proving a theory or hypothesis false, then you know it is false. Then you can move away from it and go on in your search for TRUTH.

I capitalize TRUTH because God’s TRUTHs never change. There is so much of relativism in the world that Satan uses to deceive people from knowing the TRUTHs of God.

The Lord Himself taught the first of these: “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will “know” whether the teaching comes from God (John 7:17). And “if ye continue in my word… ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32).

These criteria reach far beyond geography. Most scientists today believe the theory of evolution and the big-bang theory to be true; There is reliable data proving both false — and by the third criterion, we can know it and move on. This is really important because most of the people of the world believe otherwise leading them down satanic distorted paths.

The Lord also gave a sure promise to those who treasure up His word: “And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37). He is the Word (John 1:1).

We live in a world where credentials seem to be more important than inspiration. Well did Jacob counsel: “When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God… But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God” (2 Nephi 9:28–29). Learning is a God given opportunity He has given us. But learning that sets aside the counsel of God can be deceiving.

The Savior also gave us a test for prophets: “Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). By the Savior’s criterion, Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

Why the Mesoamerica Model Doesn’t Fit

It only takes one reliable source of data to prove a theory false, but here are several:

  • The DNA of the aboriginal peoples of Mesoamerica is mainly Asian. House of Israel DNA shows up mainly in North America’s Heartland.

    DNA map
  • The Book of Mormon peoples practiced the Law of Moses; the things necessary to observe that law didn’t exist in Mesoamerica.
  • Mesoamerica is not “a choice land… above all other lands” (2 Nephi 10:19), nor has it ever been “a chosen land, and the land of liberty” (Alma 46:17).
  • Mesoamerica did not produce the “mighty nation among the Gentiles” that would scatter Lehi’s seed (1 Nephi 22:7). That was clearly the United States.
  • The New Jerusalem was promised for this land (Ether 13:2–3) — not Mesoamerica.
  • Nephi prophesied that the Bible would be carried to this Gentile nation, and that the Book of Mormon would be “hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 13:35). That happened at Hill Cumorah — not in Mesoamerica.
What the Prophets Have Said

Joseph Smith, who knew better than anyone where the Book of Mormon took place, wrote to his wife Emma during Zion’s Camp that they were “wandering over the plains of the Nephites, recounting occasionally the history of the Book of Mormon, roving over the mounds of that once beloved people of the Lord.” (Letter to Emma Smith, 4 June 1834). On that same journey, Joseph identified by revelation the skeleton found in a mound as Zelph, a white Lamanite and warrior under the prophet Onandagus, who was known “from the eastern sea to the Rocky Mountains.”

Zelph Mound

President Oliver Cowdery, in Letter VII, described the valley west of Hill Cumorah as the place where “the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed,” and where Moroni deposited the records.

President Marion G. Romney bore a personal witness of this in General Conference in 1975, and President Ezra Taft Benson testified that this land was the place of the Garden of Eden, of Adam, of the Jaredites and the Nephites, and of the Restoration itself.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught that Joseph’s inheritance was “a land choice above all others” — choice because it would be the repository of the sacred records from which the Book of Mormon would come, and the land of liberty for those who worship the Lord.

Take the Evidence, Build Our Faith, and Come to Christ

The main purpose of the Book of Mormon is to bring us to Christ — to be, along with the Bible, another witness of Him and His infinite Atonement. Infinite Atonement is mentioned only in the Book of Mormon. But it is the most important event in the history of the world, as I describe in my last book: THE INFINITE ATONEMENT OF JESUS THE CHRIST, AND IT’S SIGNIFICANCE IN THE LAST DAYS.

But we also see the importance of knowing that North America is the Promised Land. The United States is the “Promised Land” spoken of in the Book of Mormon — exactly as Elder Perry stated. Sadly, this Promised Land has turned her back on God, and the everlasting decree is still in place: her people will be “swept off” unless there is massive repentance.

That is why knowing this land is the Promised Land matters — and why sharing the gospel message matters: to bring this people, and all people, back to the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. To come to know the Father and the Son is eternal life — the greatest of all the gifts of God.

David W. Allan

Next in this series: This article only scratches the surface. In the articles that follow, I will share what Joseph Smith and later prophets actually said about Cumorah and the plains of the Nephites, how the Mesoamerica idea entered the Church, and the stones, DNA, and earthworks that point to the Heartland.

  • In this series — “Book of Mormon Geography — And Why It Matters”:
    Part 1: Where Did The Book Of Mormon Really Take Place?
    Part 2: What Joseph Smith and Other Latter-Day Prophets Actually Said
    Part 3: How the Mesoamerica Idea Entered the Church
    Part 4: Evidence in the Heartland: Stones, DNA, and the Newark Earthworks
Sources — Check Them for Yourself

Every quotation and scripture in this article can be read at its source:

 

Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville Podcasts

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Rod Meldrum and Jonathan Neville discussed historical ground-breaking material about LDS Church history in two recent Book of Mormon Evidence podcasts. Each discussion was an hour long. (Links Below)

Did you know Benjamin Winchester changed the course of history for the Church? Did you know there were two sets of gold plates for the Book of Mormon? Did you know that Zarahemla is across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, Ill.? Did you know the Sidon River in the Book of Mormon is the Mississippi? Did you know Zarahemla and Sidon are Phoenician words? Artificial Intelligence (AI) and modern Stylometry reveal the truth, as Jonathan and Rod point out.

Benjamin Winchester

Benjamin Winchester wrote three articles appearing In the Times and Seasons indicating the Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica. These articles were attributed erroneously to Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph tried to change Benjamin’s mind and couldn’t. Joseph prophesied of Benjamin’s apostasy, and that he would do great harm to the Church. Joseph said Winchester was “rotten at heart.”

Jonathan’s book, The Lost City of Zarahemla, From Iowa to Guatemala—and Back Again, details how Winchester deceived the Church. I share Jonathan’s perspective here: “In 1842, a zealous, committed Mormon [Benjamin Winchester] invented a way to gain more converts. All he had to do was link the Book of Mormon to popular books, including a national bestseller, about Mesoamerica. This proof would be irresistible to the public. Except the prophet disagreed with the tactic. Convinced he was right, he battled Joseph Smith. Formally suspended and silenced, he fought back. He arranged for the publication in the Times and Seasons of articles that specifically linked the Book of Mormon to Mesoamerica. The consequences? Joseph Smith resigned from the paper. The champions of the Mesoamerican theory apostatized from the Church. And the Mesoamerican theory would undermine faith in Joseph Smith’s role as prophet, seer and revelator for the next 174 years. This man’s zeal and subterfuge have remained a secret despite the devoted efforts of historians, educators, and church leaders to uncover the truth. Until now.”

The Lord knows the end from the beginning and can turn bad into good. So, I find it fascinating that the Lord gave Joseph a revelation in March 1841 – “Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.” (D&C 125:3) These controversial articles in the Times and Seasons came later, and they changed the course of history significantly for the Lord’s Church. Here, the Lord has given a revelation to those paying attention to His word to avoid Winchester’s deceit.

In the infinite wisdom of the Lord, this revelation didn’t say Zarahemla was there for His all-knowing wise purposes. The magnificent ruins in Central and South America caught the eye of many Church leaders and academics in the Church. And most believed the articles in the Times and Seasons, promoting the Mesoamerica model, were attributed to the Prophet Joseph. That model came to be believed by most members of the Church. I believed it, as did Jonathan Neville!

Now, AI and modern stylometry techniques show those articles were written by Benjamin Winchester, and the Church members have been massively deceived. Now, we can prove that North America is where the Book of Mormon took place. The Book of Mormon geography is here in this “Land of Promise”—North America.

Edna Allan’s Major Insight

My wife, Edna, knowing the Lord can turn bad into good, had a major insight. She believes the Lord knowing this deceit turned bad into good. This deceit caused the Church to take the gospel to the people in Central and South America much more than otherwise. Because the Church leaders and members believed the Book of Mormon took place in Central and South America, they focused missionary work in that direction. The blessings to those good people have been enormous. Indeed, the course of history for the Church has changed for the good in spite of the deceit.

Exposing The Deceit

Now, the Lord is exposing that deceit, as the North American Indians (Lamanites) are blossoming as a rose in fulfillment of prophecy. Rod and Jonathan, in their podcasts, document this deceit in detail. They share the history of how this deceit came about.

Also, I am privileged to be part of Book of Mormon Heartland showing where the Book of Mormon really took place. This geography model exposes this deceit.  At the same time, in the above links, I prove the Mesoamerica model false.

Because the Lord turned this deceit into good, there are now 8 million members of the Church in Central and South America combined. Interestingly, there are only 7 million in the United States and Canada combined. The combined membership in Central and South America would be much fewer if this deceit had not occurred. Now, 15 million of the 17 million members of the Church are in the Americas.

Membership growth curves have changed dramatically over time. Now the membership in Africa is exploding, while the growth is flat in the Americas and in most of the rest of the world. The main cause of that flattening is Satan’s Wokeism and all the secularism that has invaded our education systems. The proven false theories of Darwinian evolution and the Big Bang are pervasive.

If you go to the statistics on the Church’s website, you will notice that there is no Central America. All the Central America countries are lumped in with North America. I had to add up the membership from the individual countries to get a Central America statistic. I did this from the Church’s Wikipedia page.

Unfortunately, the 2024 “Come Follow Me” manual for the Church still shows pictures from Mesoamerica. Even though the Mesoamerica model for Book of Mormon geography has been proven false.

However, we have seen progress. I taught the “Institute of Religion” class for the Moroni Stake in our Church for eleven years. The original Book of Mormon manual for that course of study had many pictures depicting Mesoamerica geography for the Book of Mormon. They made a new manual and took out all of those pictures.  “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32)

Two Sets of Gold Plates

Most don’t know that there were two sets of gold plates used in translating the Book of Mormon. Jonathan Neville has written an excellent book about this important topic: Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates? He also helped me with a blog article sharing this fascinating dimension for these sacred records coming forth.

Joseph shared that Moroni wrote the Title Page for the Book of Mormon. It was underneath the plates Joseph translated that were given to Joseph from the stone box in the Hill Cumorah. Two-thirds of them were sealed. These are the plates from which Joseph translated the Book of Lehi. The 116 pages of that translation were lost by Martin Harris’s wife, with Satanic designs. He was then instructed by the Lord to translate the Book of Mosiah through and including the Book of Moroni.

Notice the two paragraphs of the Title Page tell us that it is an abridgment of the record of the Nephites and an abridgment of the record of the Jaredites, respectively. These abridgments were made by Mormon and Moroni, respectively. The Title Page mentions nothing of the unabridged portion coming later from the small plates. It is estimated that the large plates taken from the stone box weighed about 60 lbs.

After finishing that translation from the large plates, Joseph was then instructed to give the large plates to a messenger. That messenger took them and put them into the repository in the Hill Cumorah. This is a room of records that was in the Hill Cumorah different from the stone box. As Jonathan points out from his research, that messenger was Nephi, one of the three Nephites. (3 Nephi 28) Nephi then took the small plates from the repository to Joseph Smith in Fayette, NY. Joseph had been instructed to go to Fayette to the Peter and Mary Whitmer home. The Whitmer family were kind supporters of the completion of this sacred work. Joseph then finished the translation from 1 Nephi through and including at least part of the Words of Mormon in the Book of Mormon.

This is a beautiful example of the FIRST shall be LAST, and the LAST shall be FIRST (D&C 29:30). “… the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit.” The last of the Book of Mormon was translated first, and the first part was translated last. “Brother Nephi” showed these small plates to Mary Whitmer, and she said that was how he introduced himself.

After the translation was finished in Fayette, the Three Witnesses were privileged to be shown the large plates by Moroni. They did not handle them but heard the Lord’s voice witnessing of their truth. All three of these witnesses later became disaffected with the Church, but never denied their testimonies. In a court of law, this would be sufficient evidence for the validation of this sacred record.

Again, as Jonathan points out, Joseph then took these plates back to the repository in the Hill Cumorah. These are the plates that Joseph showed to the eight witnesses near Palmyra. These witnesses were privileged to heft and turn the leaves of the small plates. Joseph’s father was one of those witnesses and said the plates weighed about 30 pounds.
No part of these plates was sealed.

John Whitmer, one of the scribes for the translation of the small plates, copied off some of the characters. This is the famous “CARACTERS” document. AI and Stylometry have identified John as the scribe. These characters are not “reformed Egyptian”, but Demotic Egyptian. That was the language used at the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Bryan Nettles verifies this in a blog article. You can see a picture of the “CARACTERS” document in this blog article.

Some confuse the “CARACTERS” document with the Anthon transcript. It is not. Joseph copied and translated some characters from the large plates, while in Harmony, PA. Martin Harris took these to experts to validate them. This is where we have a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the Book of Mormon: (See Isaiah 29:11-24 and JS-H 63-65)

  • Isa. 29:11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
  • 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

The Found City of Zarahemla

As mentioned, Jonathan Neville wrote the wonderful book, The Lost City of Zarahemla. He later told me, he should have named it, “The Found City of Zarahemla.” I find it fascinating that the Lord gave the revelation to Joseph Smith to name the city across from Nauvoo, Ill, Zarahemla. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord not only did it just before the Mesoamerica, Times and Seasons, deceit problem. The Lord also did not say it was the same site as the city and land so important in Book of Mormon history.

The Lord knew we would find that out later. Which we have after the massive Church’s effort to take the fullness of the gospel to the people in Central and South America. And the Church missionaries have had great success in doing so.

Now we know it is the day when the Lamanites (North American Natives) are blossoming as a rose in preparation for the Lord’s coming. We are learning more and more about the Native Americans. We now know not only where the City and the Land of Zarahemla are. Recent discoveries have shown an amazing, Spotted Bee Balm, an herbal remedy found in that area. It reminds one of the following scripture:

And some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate— (Alma 46:40)

We remember when the saints settled in Nauvoo, they had serious problems with malaria. Now you can go to www.RocktheWorldBotanicals.com and take advantage of this newly discovered herbal blend. Its purest form and greatest abundance is where the Land of Zarahemla was!

Non-member Assistance

It seems that the leadership of our church has taken a neutral stand regarding Book of Mormon geography. Since many of the religion professors at BYU believe in the Mesoamerica model, I am guessing their influence has something to do with why we see Mesoamerica images in the Church’s 2024 “Come Follow Me” program.

Yet, the Lord has set an everlasting decree that whosoever possesses this land shall serve the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. If they do not, they shall be “Swept off.” The people of North America cannot say, if they are destroyed, they didn’t know. (Ether 2:7-12) The Book of Mormon is very clear on the critical need for the people of this “Promised Land” to repent.

I find it fascinating how the Lord has orchestrated with non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Phillip Beale has shown the path of how the Lehites got to North America.  Russell Burrows has found some 4,000 ancient artifacts in the southern Illinois, Indiana area. Many North American Natives are reaching out to assist in sharing that the Book of Mormon is of their ancestry. The DNA of many of the native North Americans have strong Israelite markers. We read in the Title page the Lord’s purpose for the Book of Mormon:

It “is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.” Now the Book of Mormon is in 115 languages, and more are coming.

The printing of the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon in the Divine ratio was a major miracle. I was praying about this miracle. And, the Lord revealed to my mind and heart that these 5,000 copies were printed in the Divine ratio: 7 ½ inches / 4 5/8 inches = 1.62. In honor of this miracle, I had my new book, Time & Eternity, printed in the Divine ratio as well.

David W. Allan

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 3

Book of Mormon Evidence Part 4

Photo:  Permission Granted

Book of Mormon – Where We Are and What is Coming

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On Monday, February 10th 2020, a fireside was held in Fountain Green. Presentations were given by Rod Meldrum of Book of Mormon Evidence and myself.  Rod’s address was entitled “The Book of Mormon Current as the Daily News”. My focus was: “The Book of Mormon tells US Who and Where We are, and What is Coming”.  Here, US means the United States of America as well as “us.”

The Incredible Value of the Book of Mormon

Rod Meldrum and I shared “The Incredible value of the Book of Mormon that tells US where we are and what is coming.”  Again, US stands for United States. The main writers of the Book of Mormon are Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni.  They saw our day. What was compiled and written by them is what will best help us prepare for the Lord’s coming – bringing about the fulfillment of the covenants of the Father and gathering Father’s children into the Fold of God that they may partake of a fullness of joy and eternal life.

Fulfilling of Mormon Scripture

Rod shared some amazing insights on how many Book of Mormon scriptures are being fulfilled before our vary eyes. While the media is biased, the scriptures are both clear and accurate. I highly recommend you get Rod’s DVD, which happens to also be the  title of his lecture, “The Book of Mormon Current as the Daily News”. It can be purchased from the bookstore on his site: Book of Mormon Evidence Bookstore.   Note: I have purchased some copies of this particular DVD in bulk and you are welcome to get them from me for $5.00, if it is convenient for you.

Continue reading Book of Mormon – Where We Are and What is Coming →

Book of Mormon Conference Review – April 2019

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The Book of Mormon Evidence Conference was a smashing success (11-13 April 2019) – showing the Book of Mormon to be a Hebrew text and proving its validity with strong Jewish traditions.

Joseph Smith prophesied that the world would prove him a prophet.  We are there.  The millennials want proof and to know what is true; we have it for them.

I have never had so many sincere complements on a presentation that I have given. I offered proof of where the Book of Mormon took place and why it is very important for America to wake up and REPENT – to come to the God of this land, who is Jesus the Christ!  The backgroud for my address came from an article I have written.

Two of the conference speakers were Jewish converts.  I received permission from Robert Kay, who is a Cohen descendent and well learned in the traditions of the Jews, to tell about his conversion story and his contributions pertaining to Hebraisms in the Book of Mormon. 

I am reading again his version of the Book of Mormon showing the Hebraisms and how it profoundly ties to the Adamic language as well as to Hebrew culture.  LDS Living published an article showing my research on the Adamic language. 

Book of Mormon Midrash

Most people don’t know what a Hebrew Midrash is:  The Torah (the five books of Moses) is explained in great detail by the Tabbies in the Talmud.  In the Talmud they often uses a Midrash to show the significance and implications of meaning to a particular verse of scripture.

At the conference I was greatly impressed to learn that Nephi, Jacob, and Abinadi were doing Hebrew Midrashs on the scriptures they were quoting from Isaiah and Zenos.  In particular, Nephi is doing a Midrash on Isaiah 48 and 49 (1 Nephi 20 and 21) in 1 Nephi 22 – showing its relevance for our day.  This chapter has been one of my favorites over the years; now it has even greater meaning.  In addition, Nephi is doing a Midrash on Isaiah chapters 2-14 (compare 2 Nephi 12-24) just after he quotes them.  His Midrash follows in 2 Nephi 25-29.

Jacob is doing a Midrash on Zeno’s allegory as he shares it and his comments in Jacob 4-6.  I have a blog article showing the significance of this allegory: Some of Zenos’s writings were found in 1906.

Abinadi is testifying of the atonement of Christ in King Noah’s court as he does a Midrash on Isaiah 53 before he was martyred.  See Mosiah chapters 14-16.  Abinadi’s testimony converted Alma.  The impact of the conversions of Alma and his son, Alma the younger, have impacted millions of lives in bringing them to Christ.

Some of the protagonists say that Joseph copied scriptures from the Bible into the Book of Mormon.  At the conference, this was proven not true.  There are 433 verses of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and over half of them are significantly different, and those differences often reflect the Hebraisms.

The historical documentation around the coming forth of the Book of Mormon proves its divinity.  It was translated in approximately 65 days and the printing was a miracle also.

In contrast, it took the 51 King James scholars seven years to pull together the KJV of the Bible, then 76 % of what they used was William Tyndale’s translation.

Book of Mormon Museum

Jonathan Neville gave three great presentations at the conference and shared their grand plan to put a Book of Mormon museum in Washington D.C. with scriptures on the face of the museum showing that, “The Book of Mormon is a sacred book of ancient scripture that is evidence of God’s love for all people of the world.”

Book of Jasher

At the conference, I learned from David Hocking that the Book of Jasher, which is referenced in the Bible but not included, was found in Europe in Hebrew and translated into English in 1840 – ten years after the Book of Mormon was published.  The Book of Jasher has 91 chapters and covers from Adam down to Joshua.  Like the Bible, the Book of Mormon references contents of the Book of Jasher.  This itself shows direct evidence of the validity of the Book of Mormon.

David Hocking and Rod Meldrum are the editors of the newly published Annotated Book of Mormon, which sold 5,000 copies of the first printing last Fall.  They have printed 20 thousand more and they are nearly gone.  Rod has added quotes from the prophets and pictures of likely places for the geography.  I have read it and believe it is one the best books on the planet to build faith in the Lord and to show that America is the Promised Land spoken of in the Book of Mormon and prophesied of in the Bible.

Timothy Ballard Address

The capstone talk of the conference was Timothy Ballard’s.  Tim has probably done more than any other human on the planet to stop the horrible human trafficking problem.  He has consulted with President Trump on this problem, been on the Glen Beck show, written the bestselling book, The American Covenant, and has saved a large number of children along with arresting many of those involved with this heinous sin.  One of the amazing arrests of 15 perpetrators of child pedophelia and the saving of 125 children in that operation was so significant that Columbia Pictures is going to make a movie of it that should be out this November, “The Sounds of Freedom.”

Tim also shared a synopsis of his bestselling book, The Lincoln Hypothesis, showing how the Book of Mormon changed Lincoln’s life and religious freedom in this country.  It is an amazing story and a story everyone should know.

It is so exciting to see the Lord’s hand in sharing the gospel around the world and to be a part of it.  The best thing we can do is to “learn of me…” (Matt. 11: 28-30) “find rest unto your souls.” Live and share His glorious message of LOVE.

David W Allan