True prophets do not advance their own
agenda or volunteer to deliver a message of their own. They don’t
look at their own wisdom, intelligence, or bona-fide acceptance of
man to prepare a conference or sabbath sermon. The words they speak
and the message delivered are not determined by popular vote,
surveys, or public opinion polls. They generally do not quote from
other authorities nor include clever quotes and emotional spiritual
stories that tend to “move people”, who think they are feeling
the spirit, but are deceived through emotion.
False prophets, imitators and deceivers
often use charismatic influence, religious rhetoric, calculated
language, prestige, and wealth to gain favor and respect from the
people. It is common that they preach and set themselves up for a
light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world;
but they seek not the welfare of Zion. (2 Nephi 26:29) In one form or another, they
try to place themselves between you and God and profit from it.
Priestcraft has gone viral and priesthood that is a Holy Order after
the Order of the Son of God and includes an association with the Father is rare indeed.
Although they claim to speak the word
of God with power and actually do throw in verbal phrases and words
about Zion that sound good and pleasing to the majority, the
delicious fruit they vaguely talk about or occasionally refer to is
utterly void and non-existent in them.
Unlike the cherished hypocrites and
honored impostors with religious and worldly credentials, the true
Prophets of God have been in and came from the Holy presence of God
with an authorized message from God Himself. This being the case,
true messengers receive a commission from God to call repentance,
which is seldom a pleasing message to the hearers. The fruit of their
work is to offer those who will listen a chance to be humble, repent, and return
to God. Very rarely are these prophets popular or appreciated by the
beholder, much less recognized, honored and received for who they
actually are and what they have to offer.
These prophets that come from the
presence of God do not take the Lord’s name in vain. They cannot
take the Lord’s name in vain when they are speaking His word that
He (God) told them to speak, nothing more and nothing less. They have
been authorized to speak in the Lord’s name, and therefore their
words are His. (D&C 1:38) He will vindicate the words of His
servants because they do not speak an idle thing or in their own
behalf. They speak with His authority and deliver His message as He
commanded.
It's important to understand, as the
Book of Mormon teaches and bears multiple witnesses, how prophets are
called. They come into God’s presence alone and experience a one on
one meeting of redemption with God Himself and receive individual
instruction from Him. These individuals receive from Him an endowment
of knowledge pertaining to the ways of God to sufficiently enable
them to deliver a valid and authorized message of repentance.
That's probably why it is so important
to be able to correctly identify His messengers with His message and
why He warned saying, "Beware of false prophets, which come to
you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye
shall know them by their fruits ..." (Matthew 7:15-16)
"And many false
prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. For there shall
arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
(Matthew 24:11,24)
Like in every other dispensation, the
test is precisely the same today, here and now! Each individual must correctly
identify and give strict heed to the messages from God delivered
through true prophets in order to gather further light and obtain
knowledge. It is perhaps at least equally important to recognize and
reject the false ones, even if they appear as "an angel of
light" or in any other desired, above normal, or convincing
manner. Based on history and prophecy, almost everyone is deceived
and gets it wrong, therefore, very few indeed choose correctly.
Joseph Smith warned, “When a man goes
about prophesying, and commands men to obey his teachings, he must
either be a true or false prophet. False prophets always arise to
oppose the true prophets and they will prophesy so very near the
truth that they will deceive almost the very chosen ones”
He also taught: “The world always
mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of
God they considered to be false prophets; and hence they killed,
stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and they had to
hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth’;
and although the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them
from their society as vagabonds; whilst they cherished, honored, and
supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of
men”
Sooo … What do you choose today? Who
speaks His word as an authorized servant of God? Have you chosen
correctly? Are you sure? Upon what are you basing your judgments and
decisions? For a common sojourner in this world of deception, chances
are that you have chosen incorrectly. If you are certain that you
have chosen correctly, then you are not likely concerned about it.
On the other hand, if you are unsure, what are you going to do about
a matter of such importance?
It may be wise to correctly identify a
voice that you hear and to whom it is speaking before replying or
acting?
