The Lord Will Never Permit the Prophet to Lead You Astray?

I heard the Lord saying, “Where did you get this strange doctrine that I won’t allow a prophet to lead you astray? When did I declare such a thing? Where is it recorded? Wilford Woodruff said something of the matter, but that was his own opinion. When did I take away the agency of the president of my church? This is a test for him just as much as it is a test for everyone else. Have I taken any man’s agency away? Can’t you see examples throughout the scriptures where leaders of my church led people astray? David the prophet led people astray; Eli the prophet led people astray; Caiaphas the prophet led people astray; Noah the prophet led people astray. Why would you be given a different test than the rest of my children? What makes your dispensation so different than the previous dispensations? Am I not the same yesterday, today, and forever?” 

I heard the Lord calling Caiaphas a prophet instead of a high priest, and he also called Noah a prophet instead of a King. I wondered why. A point was being made. In 1955, we started calling the President of the Church the prophet. Up until that time they were just called the President of the Church. Joseph Smith was the only one referred to as the Prophet. We gave these presidents the title of prophet without expecting them to have the prophetic experience JSH 1:13-20, 1 Nephi 11-14, Mosiah 8:14-17. (That’s not fair or kind to do to any leader.) If we can call the President of the Church a prophet, then under those same rules any leader, who occupies the top position of a church that was originally set up by God, can also be called a prophet, even Caiaphas and Noah. 

The truth of the matter is that God wants all of us to be prophets. “And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” Numbers 11:27-29 Becoming a prophet/prophetess does not give us any right to usurp the authority or position of the President of the Church.  He has the leadership responsibility for the church. 

Where do we find the doctrine that says the Lord won’t allow the President of the Church to lead people astray? I can’t find it anywhere, and I’ve looked. The closest I’ve come to finding something is Wilford Woodruff’s statement, “I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray.” [Emphasis added] (“I say to Israel” is omitted in Official Declaration 1, but you can read the original text in Deseret Evening News, October 11, 1890, p. 2). In his statement, Wilford Woodruff does not give credit to the Lord for this promise. If anyone can tell me where the Lord establishes this guarantee, I would really like to know. A lot hangs on this belief. 

There are several that oppose the position, “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray.”

Apostle Charles W. Penrose declared: "President Wilford Woodruff is a man of wisdom and experience, and we respect and venerate him, but we do not believe his personal views or utterances are revelations from God; and when 'Thus saith the Lord', comes from him, the saints investigate it: they do not shut their eyes and take it down like a pill." Millennial Star Vol. 54 #12 p. 191
 
President George Q. Cannon expressed it thus: "Do not, brethren, put your trust in man though he be a Bishop, an Apostle, or a President. If you do, they will fail you at some time or place; they will do wrong or seem to, and your support be gone; but if we lean on God, He never will fail us.  When men and women depend on God alone, and trust in Him alone, their faith will not be shaken if the highest in the Church should step aside.  They could still see that He is just and true, that truth is lovely in His sight, and the pure in heart are dear to Him.

“Perhaps it is His own design that faults and weaknesses should appear in high places in order that His Saints may learn to trust in Him and not in any man or men.  Therefore, my brethren and sisters, seek after the Holy Spirit and the unfailing testimony of God and His work upon the earth." Millennial Star Vol. 53 #43 p. 674
 
"President Joseph Smith read the 14th chapter of Ezekiel--said the Lord had declared by the Prophet, that the people should each one stand for himself, and depend on no man or men in that state of corruption of the Jewish church--that righteous persons could only deliver their own souls--applied it to the present state of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--said if the people departed from the Lord, they must fall--that they were depending on the Prophet, hence were darkened in their minds, in consequence of neglecting the duties devolving upon themselves, envious towards the innocent, while they afflict the virtuous with their shafts of envy." TPJS pp. 237-38
 
President Joseph F. Smith said, "We talk of obedience, but do we require any man or woman to ignorantly obey the counsels that are given? Do the First Presidency require it? No, never. What do they desire? That we may comprehend all true principles for ourselves;" Journal of Discources (JD) 16:248
 
Brigham Young said: "What a pity it would be, if we were led by one man to utter destruction! Are you afraid of this? I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken that influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not. This has been my exhortation continually." JD 9:15
 
"How easy it would be for your leaders to lead you to destruction, unless you actually know the mind and will of the spirit yourselves. That is your privilege." JD 4:368

"And none are required to tamely and blindly submit to a man because he has a portion of the Priesthood. We have heard men who hold the Priesthood remark, that they would do anything they were told to do by those who presided over them, if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God who seeks for the redemption of his fellows would despise the idea of seeing another become his slave, who had an equal right with himself to the favour of God; he would rather see him stand by his side, a sworn enemy to wrong, so long as there was place found for it among men. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the Saints were told to do by their Presidents, they should do it without asking any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their minds to do wrong themselves." Millennial Star, vol.14 #38, pp.593-95 

 "I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied.  I wish them to know for themselves and understand for themselves, for this would strengthen the faith that is within them. Suppose that the people were heedless, that they manifested no concern with regard to the things of the kingdom of God, but threw the whole burden upon the leaders of the people, saying, 'If the brethren who take charge of matters are satisfied, we are,' this is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord." JD 3:45

"There are those among this people who are influenced, controlled, and biased in their thoughts, actions, and feelings by some other individual or family, on whom they place their dependence for spiritual and temporal instruction, and for salvation in the end.  These persons do not depend upon themselves for salvation, but upon another of their poor, weak, fellow mortals.  “I do not depend upon any inherent goodness of my own,” say they, “ introduce me into the kingdom of glory, but I depend upon you, brother Joseph, upon you, brother Brigham, upon you, brother Heber, or upon you, brother James; I believe your judgment is superior to mine, and consequently I let you judge for me; your spirit is better than mine, therefore you can do good for me; I will submit myself wholly to you, and place in you all my confidence for life and salvation; where you go I will go, and where you tarry there I will stay; expecting that you will introduce me through the gates into the heavenly Jerusalem

“.   .   . Now those men, or those women, who know no more about the power of God, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, than to be led entirely by another person, suspending their own understanding, and pinning their faith upon another's sleeve, will never be capable of entering into the celestial glory, to be crowned as they anticipate; they will never be capable of becoming Gods. They cannot rule themselves, to say nothing of ruling others, but they must be dictated to in every trifle, like a child. They cannot control themselves in the least, but James, Peter, or somebody else must control them. They never can become Gods, nor be crowned as rulers with glory, immortality, and eternal lives. They never can hold sceptres of glory, majesty, and power in the celestial kingdom. Who will? Those who are valiant and inspired with the true independence of heaven, who will go forth boldly in the service of their God, leaving others to do as they please, determined to do right, though all mankind besides should take the opposite course. Will this apply to any of you? Your own hearts can answer." JD1:312

Blessed are Ye When Men Shall Revile You and Persecute

What a strange phenomenon. Try wrapping your head around this one.

“And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.” 3 Nephi 3:10-12 

Does Christ really take away the pain, when we are reviled for Him, and replace it with joy?  This is exciting. You mean the blessing isn’t just a future incident?  Sounds like it's a lot of fun working for God. While men are saying all manner of evil against you falsely, you actually, in the moment, feel glad instead of sad?  If your enemies only knew! 

Alma and his fellow missionaries experienced this weird and wonderful occurrence. “And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.” Alma 31:38

If you think that's amazing, look what the scriptures say about death. “And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them.” D&C 42:46

Well, if that's how it feels to be reviled, persecuted, and killed for Christ’s sake, I’ll sign up to do it every time.

Awakening to Our Awful Situation

“While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept” Matthew 25:5. Who wants to be sleeping when He comes? Who will miss the wedding? What is the difference between the wise and foolish ones? What does it look like to be sleeping? What does it look like to be awake?

One of the most successful means the adversary uses to keep us in a state of slumber is to prevent us from seeing the obvious. Satan wants our eyes to be blind and shut. He wants our ears to be closed and deaf. The adversary damns another soul each time he manages to obscure truth in plain sight and prevent one from awakening to the awful situation in which we find ourselves.

“The devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!” 3 Nephi 9:2. He glories in trickery and deception. He proclaims, “All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” 2 Nephi 28:21.

The evil spirit seeks to cover the truth and hide the fact that “All is NOT well in Zion.” If he succeeds and we believe his lies, his deadly noose tightens and the chains of hell are wrapped around us. If he can keep us entertained or lulled in the deep sleep until the night cometh, he can forestall us from recognizing our awful situation. He then seals us his and the chains of hell hold us captive.

“For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked” Alma 34:35.

Prophets, through all generations of time sent from the presence of God, expose Satan’s deception and deceit. They declare the word of God with confidence and power. True messengers of Christ proclaim the call of repentance to the children of men. Repent! Change your course! Turn around and face God! Follow Christ, not me! He’s the only One who can save you! Helaman 5:9

Repentance is critical in the journey to salvation.  Without it, we will be damned. That’s probably the main reason repentance is the central message of the scriptures and the word of God delivered through prophets.

When a clear and direct message of truth and repentance is declared to a wicked and idolatrous people, it usually pushes many painful buttons, offends pride, and often threatens the false traditions of the fathers. “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.” 1 Nephi 16:2

“The words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken” 2 Nephi 9:40. Truth that contradicts traditions of men can turn life upside down, inside out, and backwards. To some, truth can be quite irritating, infuriating, and frightening.

Hugh Nibley observed and pointed out that there is nothing quite as annoying as being awakened out of a deep sleep (Last Call: An Apocalyptic Warning from the Book of Mormon, p. 23).  I suppose very few really appreciate being disturbed in slumber and being called to repentance. Hardly anyone enjoys hearing about the awful situation one is in and the road to hell one is actively following.

It’s not fun to discover bona-fide religious leaders acting as wolves in sheep’s clothing Matthew 7:15. It can be very disturbing to realize my misconceptions and errors. It may be unsettling to become aware that I have practiced idolatry for my entire life, trusted in men more than God, and entertained the false belief that I am saved by simply belonging to a church bearing the name of Christ. 3 Nephi 27:8

It can be distressing to become conscious and understand that when I follow other men and trust in them for salvation, I merit no more than a telestial reward and glory D&C76:98-100. It can be horrifying to be alerted to and made aware of eternal facts, truths, and realities. It can be seriously shocking and sickening to my soul to find out I have “received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant” D&C 76:101, when all along I assumed I had. It’s dreadful to realize I have only sacrificed my life for foolish and worthless returns. It’s alarming to discover I was climbing the wrong ladder that leads to nowhere.

How devastating it would be to comprehend that I cannot be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud. D&C 76:102. How terrible to be compared to liars, sorcerers, adulterers, whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. D&C 76:103

What an awful situation to suffer the wrath of God on earth, suffer the vengeance of eternal fire, and be cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work. D&C 76:104-106 

Being unconscious sometimes seems to be less stressful, less demanding, and much easier, at least for now, than facing the truth, accepting God’s words at face value, and making the necessary adjustments and corrections needed to repent and return unto God.  When it comes right down to it, deep sleep and slumber can be very pleasant until we awaken and realize the awful situation we face here.

Jacob declared, “O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death” Jacob 3:11.

Mormon describes the reaction of individuals who come into the presence of God without having been redeemed from the fall. Any person who comes into God’s presence in their fallen state of filthiness and nakedness would rather be in hell than to dwell with a holy and just God. Mormon 9:4-5

Speaking to his son, Alma the younger said, “Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds” Alma 42:27.

To obtain the waters of life, all you have to do is come. No one is compelled to come, just those who want to. It’s an open offer to all and it’s free with no strings attached. No one is forced, manipulated, or controlled. All can think, believe, and do what they want. It is absolutely voluntary and everyone has the choice to accept it or reject it.

However, there is personal responsibility. We will be held accountable for our individual choices. If the offer of God is discarded or ignored, we will receive the connected and undeniable consequences. The offer is available to all, we can choose to be awake and claim it or to sleep and lose it, but we each stand accountable for our deeds.

“O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe” 2 Nephi 1:13.

“And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he said unto his disciples: Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work” 3 Nephi 27:33.

It’s time to face the music, wake up, hear and see the truth, repent now without procrastination, come unto Christ, be redeemed, and enter the gate before the night cometh Alma 34:33.

Forgiveness, the Healing Balm of Gilead

I know I have sinned and have inflicted pain upon others, even though it is not my intention to cause harm, I continue to come short of the glory of God. I have also felt the heartache that comes when others have sinned against me. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
 

What do we do with the pain that comes upon us by the deliberate or unintentional acts of others? Forgive:)

Here are few reasons we might chose to forgive: 

God requires us to forgive. “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” D&C 64:10

We want to be forgiven, so we also forgive. “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25

We desire to love and bless others. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. . .” Matt 5:44-45

We want the Lord to stand between the enemy and us and fight our battles. “For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles.” D&C 105:14 “Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” 2 Chronicles 32:7-8

Our hearts are healed, and we receive peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 “And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them.” D&C 112:13 “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.” Psalms 29:11

The serpents of life will come, and we will all be bitten at one time or another. Many people are bitten on a continual basis. We are free to choose our response. Chasing after the snake will only drive the venom to our hearts. The result is death. The other option is to look to the one on the cross, be healed, and live. The choice is ours.

“And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” Numbers 21:6-9

Forgiveness is a balm that heals wounds. Through the power of Christ, we are able to let the pain go.

Balm of Gilead An aromatic gum or spice used for healing wounds (Gen. 43:11; Jer. 8:22; 46:11; 51:8). A bush producing the resin from which the balm was made grew so plentifully in Gilead in Old Testament times that the balm came to be known as the “balm of Gilead.”

Jesus Christ suffered for my sins and for the sins of my enemies. In anger, I might despise the idea of my enemy’s sins being forgivable, but it is true. “For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.” D&C 18:11

The bond of love grows deep between Christ and the repentant sinner. “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” Luke 7:47

I have experienced and observed a phenomenon that does not make sense to our worldly ways: 

We communicate with each other by our words and thoughts. We don’t even necessarily need to be in the same room to communicate with another person (I’m not talking about texting). You’ve probably had the experience of getting a phone call just as you were about to call that same person, or you begin to say something just to hear those words coming out of the mouth of a friend. This is the kind of communication I’m talking about. 

When we are angry we send spiritual weapons to our enemies. The enemy feels the vibes and usually reacts by sending a spiritual weapon in response. This war continues and exhausts both participants' physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual energy. The war escalates, continues to build, and often takes on forms of physical, verbal, and monetary abuse. Both are injured, loose their peace, and are left to fight it out on their own. 

Jesus gives us an alternative if we’re open to his ways. The pain in our heart is healed through following this very wise counsel:

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matt 5:38-44 

When you’re tired of the pain, experiment upon the word by doing something kind for your enemy. It’s even better if you can give of yourself anonymously. First of all, an anonymous gift won’t be rejected by your enemy. Secondly, heaven will reward you Matt 6:1-4.

When your enemy sends you a fiery, angry dart send back a ray of loving light. It might sound crazy, but it really works. It takes away the pain and turmoil. A forgiving heart is a heart at peace. When we forgive, we open the space for Christ to run interference. He stands between our enemy and us and provides a protective shield. Forgiveness really does heal broken and wounded hearts. It is a gift from God. 

Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, forgives sin. He loves us in spite of our sins and is willing to work with us even though we are weak. Through him we can be made strong Ether 12:27. 

BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD

A lamb is very easy to kill. One account I read concerned a butcher who had been asked to slaughter a family’s Passover lamb. The butcher anticipated a routine experience, as he had slaughtered many animals. He related how after slitting the small creature’s throat, the little lamb turned and licked the blood off of the butcher’s hands. This hardened butcher deeply moved and forever changed. The tender licking of the blood from the man’s hand was a sign of unconditional love and forgiveness.

Ten Commandments Made Simple

Great things surely will come to pass as the plain and simple Ten Commandments are kept as a Nation and as a people.

1. God is number one... and das' All.
2. Don't pray to nuthin' or nobody... jus' God.
3. Don't cuss nobody... 'specially da Good Lord.
4. When it be Sunday... pass yo'self by God's House.
5. Yo mama an' yo daddy dun did it all... lissen to dem.
6. Killin' duck an' fish, das' OK... people - No!
7. God done give you a wife... sleep wit' jus' her.
8. Don't take nobody's boat... or nuttin' else.
9. Don't go wantin' somebody's stuff.
10. Stop lyin'... yo tongue gonna fall out yo mouf!

The fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is straightforward and clear. The Lord reasons with us in plainness and simplicity. He desires that we might be made partakers of glories, which are to be revealed D&C 133:57.

“I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.” 2 Nephi 33:6.

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.” Alma 37:6.

This simple version of the 10 commandments is on many different sites. We don't know whom to credit for the original content.