Beware of False Prophets Among Us

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 They generally do not quote from other authorities nor include clever quotes and emotional spiritual stories that tend to “move people”, who think they are feeling the spirit, but are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?