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It is written:
Ezekiel 37:16-17-“As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ 17 Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.
Our LDS friends claim that the stick to Judah is the Bible (given to the Jewish people), and the stick to Joseph is the Book of Mormon (given to the Gentiles).
“Note that the Lord said he would do this and would make them one in his hand. Now, granting that the Bible is the stick of Judah, where is the stick of Joseph?…Should anyone object to God’s doing exactly what he promised Ezekiel he would do? Could this promise be fulfilled in a simpler and more perfect manner than it was through the coming forth of the Book of Mormon?…“The two records have now been joined together, constituting a complete fulfillment of another great prophecy. Again, who could object to God’s doing the thing he promised to do? Until someone can explain where the record of Joseph is, the Book of Mormon stands unrefuted in its claim to be “the stick of Joseph.”” (LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, 948-957 (Kindle Edition); Salt Lake City, Utah; Desert Book Company)
However, notice that the Bible itself tells us what the two sticks are!
Ezekiel 37:21-22- “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them ONE NATION in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be TWO NATIONS, nor shall they ever be divided into TWO KINGDOMS again.
The Word “Sticks” Typically Did Not Refer To “Scrolls” (see Numbers 15:32; 1 Kings 17:10; 2 Kings 6:6; Lamentations 4:8).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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