Josh516 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 Hey guys! I haven't been here in years! Thought I'd come back to ask this question. I know it's kind of an old anti mormon attack, but I'm curious what you guys think. How do you explain Joseph Smith prophesying that the temple would be built in his generation?
Bernard Gui Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) Could mean in this dispensation. There is scriptural precedent for such. I realize it doesn’t say dispensation and that we use both words distinctively in gospel timelines, but here are two definitions for generation in Webster’s 1828 dictionary that could apply if one were open to them... 5. A family; a race. 6. Progeny; offspring. Edited November 13, 2020 by Bernard Gui 2
mfbukowski Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 33 minutes ago, Josh516 said: Hey guys! I haven't been here in years! Thought I'd come back to ask this question. I know it's kind of an old anti mormon attack, but I'm curious what you guys think. How do you explain Joseph Smith prophesying that the temple would be built in his generation? This is a little too bare boned as written. Both Kirtland was built and Nauvoo were completed temples in Joseph's time But the word "generation" is pretty ambiguous. What constitutes a generation precisely if you want precision? Based on whose lifetime? Are we in the WWII generation because there are people still alive who saw that? What if a whole dispensation is a generation? What does the Bible mean in these places? Quote "Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." — Matt. 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32 It's a semantic problem nothing more or less, a translation issue
Maidservant Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 "the temple"? The fact that I don't readily know what you are talking about shows that I can be a member without needing to know this. I do need to know that Jesus is my Savior. The real answer might be that we don't need to explain predictions nor live by them (if indeed they were meant to be timeline predictions), but rather live a Christlike life right now regardless. 3
JustAnAustralian Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 Is the use of shall/shalt in the 10 commandments a promise of what the people will do, or a directive of what God wants the people to do?
Kenngo1969 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 Are, perhaps, the words "generation" and "dispensation" used interchangeably in some contexts? 2
mfbukowski Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 12 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said: Are, perhaps, the words "generation" and "dispensation" used interchangeably in some contexts? If the words "rabernacle" and "robe" can symbolically mean "body" I think there is no end to what can be what in a given context. 1
pogi Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) 17 hours ago, Josh516 said: Hey guys! I haven't been here in years! Thought I'd come back to ask this question. I know it's kind of an old anti mormon attack, but I'm curious what you guys think. How do you explain Joseph Smith prophesying that the temple would be built in his generation? As always, fairmormon is a very helpful resource. As JustAnAustralian points out above (rep point), it was written as a commandment and not a prophecy. D&C 124 directly answers your question though. Quote The supposed "prophecy" was actually a commandment and it may have already been fulfilled. After the Saints settled in Nauvoo, Illinois, Joseph recorded another revelation rescinding the earlier revelation given to build the Independence temple: 49 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.... 51 Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson county, Missouri, and were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God (DC 124:49,51). https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Question:_Was_Joseph_Smith's_prophecy_that_the_Independence,_Missouri_temple_"shall_be_reared_in_this_generation"_a_failed_prophecy%3F Edited November 13, 2020 by pogi 1
Kenngo1969 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 2 hours ago, mfbukowski said: If the words "rabernacle" and "robe" can symbolically mean "body" I think there is no end to what can be what in a given context. Rabernacle? Who are you, anyway, Roobie, Roobie, Roo?
mfbukowski Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 22 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said: OH MAN! Talk about LOL- -> ROFL!!! I think I started typing "robe" while thinking "tabernacle" and my fingers didn't catch up to the brain or something- the brain left and the fingers carried on on their own!!
Kenngo1969 Posted November 13, 2020 Posted November 13, 2020 15 hours ago, Kenngo1969 said: Are, perhaps, the words "generation" and "dispensation" used interchangeably in some contexts? 3 hours ago, mfbukowski said: If the words "rabernacle" and "robe" can symbolically mean "body" I think there is no end to what can be what in a given context. 47 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said: Rabernacle? Who are you, anyway, Roobie, Roobie, Roo? 19 minutes ago, mfbukowski said: OH MAN! Talk about LOL- -> ROFL!!! I think I started typing "robe" while thinking "tabernacle" and my fingers didn't catch up to the brain or something- the brain left and the fingers carried on on their own!! Okay, but I like my explanation more betterer!
mfbukowski Posted November 14, 2020 Posted November 14, 2020 11 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said: Okay, but I like my explanation more betterer! I beg to differ sir, considering the view of Richard Rorty we know that language cannot possibly represent reality and that your paradigm of the usage shown, in an attempt I presume to illustrate correspondence between linguistic utterances and the alleged real world, you have failed in attempting to deconstruct an experiential expression taking into account the phenomenological qualiae and hermeneutics indicated, it is clear that YA SHOULDA SAYD MO"BETTAH. 😠 1
RevTestament Posted November 16, 2020 Posted November 16, 2020 On 11/12/2020 at 8:22 PM, Josh516 said: Hey guys! I haven't been here in years! Thought I'd come back to ask this question. I know it's kind of an old anti mormon attack, but I'm curious what you guys think. How do you explain Joseph Smith prophesying that the temple would be built in his generation? Yeshua: "I will return in this generation." Was He wrong? Was He speaking of a human generation or a generation of the earth?
Damien the Leper Posted November 17, 2020 Posted November 17, 2020 I love that Jesus said to destroy the temple and He'll rebuild it in 3 days. That simple but powerful prophecy and declaration about Himself brings me to my knees in love and gratitude. 1
The Nehor Posted November 18, 2020 Posted November 18, 2020 On 11/16/2020 at 1:10 AM, RevTestament said: Yeshua: "I will return in this generation." Was He wrong? Was He speaking of a human generation or a generation of the earth? Immediately followed by a confession that only the Father knows when He will return. Odd that the one statement Jesus made that is pretty conclusively false occurs right next to a concession about His own ignorance on that exact topic. Not sure what to make of it really. 2
carbon dioxide Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 On 11/12/2020 at 8:22 PM, Josh516 said: Hey guys! I haven't been here in years! Thought I'd come back to ask this question. I know it's kind of an old anti mormon attack, but I'm curious what you guys think. How do you explain Joseph Smith prophesying that the temple would be built in his generation? Perhaps it is a prophecy. Perhaps it is just a declaration, expectation, or goal the Lord had for his people. Whether it was to occur or not completely depended on what the people did or did not do. The temple was not going to build itself. It was going to be built by people but they have to be worthy first to realize the blessings. So like the United Order they were given something to strive for and if worthy a great blessing would be given to them. Since the 2nd Coming was not going to happen in the 19th or 20th century it was not critical that those things occurred at that time. I don't think the Lord is going to allow the temple to be built by unrighteous people just for the sake of fulfilling a prophecy to be given to the church that was not ready for it.
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