For those confused about relevance: Every single point in that presentation is an “implicit polemic” against Mormonism. It contradicts Mormonism in all the major points. In short:

1. Contra Mormonism’s priesthood authority, the authority of Jesus was typically exercised by the mere word of his power, not by any priestly system of ritual or bestowing by laying of hands. Mormonism perpetuates a false narrative — it provides false “background information” — about the OT and NT patterns of authority.

2. Contra Mormonism’s Great Apostasy, the kingdom grows steadily, perpetually, durably to the end of the age in an unbroken, unstoppable manner, even when hard to identify, even beginning small, even when coexisting with tares. The kingdom never needed a reboot or a restart or a restoration.

3. Contra Mormonism’s celestial marriage and focus on heavenly nuclear family units that perpetuate earthly family units, Jesus orients to a new kind of family (those united in Christ, who do the will of the Father). The kingdom often divides and breaks up earthly family units. Marriage does not persist into the resurrection — we will be as the angels. And we should trust Jesus that the new family we have in the kingdom of God is even better than our natural families.

4. Contra Mormonism’s primary atonement in the garden, the Gospel of Matthew narrative treats the cross event as the climax and centerpiece of the atonement. It treats the garden as Jesus’ preparation for drinking the cup of suffering at the cross.

5. Contra Mormonism’s multiplicity of temples, the Gospel of Matthew tells us something greater than the temple has come, and foretells the destruction of the single temple. When on the cross the veil of the temple tore in two, ushering in an age when we have no such temple veil. As Hebrews elsewhere puts it, Jesus has “opened a new and living way.” The thrust here is not that of multiplying temples, but of Jesus’ fulfillment of the temple.