Gospel Principles Lesson 9
We can read in the Old Testament, Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." And so it has always been--God has spoken to men through His prophets, and those prophets have always testified of Jesus Christ.
So many today believe that there are no prophets, that all revelation is now closed, and that all we have to rely on is what we can find recorded in the Bible concerning prophets of old. These people don't believe that God can make His will known to us today. They think that we must face the challenges of life solely on our own fortitude. But because the gospel has been restored again to the earth, we know that God again communicates to the Church and to the world through His living prophet. With hearts full of gratitude and with great enthusiasm, Latter-day saints throughout the world join in singing, "We thank thee, O God, for a prophet to guide us in these latter days."
What is a prophet? He is a man called by God to be his spokesperson. He relays God's messages to us. When a prophet gives us a message, we are to receive it as though it came to us directly from God. Jesus told us in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." So we need not differentiate the two.
Prophets are special witnesses for Jesus Christ. They testify that He is the Son of God, and they teach His gospel. A prophet teaches truth and interprets the word of God. It is a prophets duty to call the unrighteous to repentance. He receives His authority to do these things directly from God. A prophet is directed by the Lord and he receives revelations from the Lord that can help us in our day. A prophet is also a seer and can see into the future and prophesy concerning things that will happen. A prophet warns us of what is ahead so that we can repent and prepare.
Prophets do not have to have formal education to serve in their calling. Prophets can come from various vocations and they can be old or young. But prophets are chosen by God and they receive their calling through proper priesthood authority (see Articles of Faith 1:5).
In Jesus's day, He ordained twelve apostles beside Him. After His death, Peter, James, and John became the presiding apostles. In our day, Latter-day Saints sustain the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators. But when we speak of our prophet, we mean the one who is the President of the Church and who holds all the keys of the kingdom in these days, (much the same as Peter did anciently).
We know of many ancient prophets since the days of Adam and throughout the Bible. Their stories are valuable and they inspire and guide us yet today. We know that Moses was called of God to lead the children of Israel out of captivity in Egypt and back to the promised land. Moses wrote the first five books of our Old Testament; He also recorded the Ten Commandments which He received from the Lord on Mount Sinai. A Book of Mormon prophet, Nephi, left the land of Jerusalem with his family 600 years before Christ was born. They settled in the Americas. We have their record now. We are told how John the Baptist was chosen to prepare the world for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in this dispensation, Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. He became a latter-day prophet, called to restore the Lord's Church to the earth. Joseph Smith was also given plates by an angel of God which he was commanded to translate so that we could have The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet on earth today. He is the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He receives revelation for the entire church, and also for the world. He holds "they keys of the kingdom." These keys constitute having authority to direct the Church and God's kingdom here on earth, including the administration of priesthood ordinances (see Matthew 16:19). The prophet is the one who can receive God's will for the entire church, and for the entire world. In Doctrine and Covenants 132:7, we learn that "there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred. The prophet has two counselors. Together they make up the First Presidency of the church. They are also assisted by the Quorum of the Twelve, who are also Apostles. These men are all ordained as prophets, seers, and revelators.
It is important to follow the words of the prophets. They will guide us aright and let us know the Lord's will concerning us. We have the assurance that no latter-day prophet will ever lead the Church astray. “The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff[2004], 199).
While many find it easier to believe in prophets from the past, it is of great import for us to believe in God's living prophets and follow them. Members of the Church raise their hand to sustain the President of the Church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Sustaining means more than we agree to him being the prophet; it means that we will pray for him; we will listen to and study his words; and, most importantly, we will follow his inspired counsel. We need to remember that it is the Lord who has told us to follow His prophets (See Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-5). We can have full assurance that as we follow the counsel of the living prophet, we are following the counsel of the Lord.
The Lord gives many promises to those who are obedient. One promise is found in Doctrine and Covenants 21:6: "The gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory." We will be blessed and protected by following the prophet.
We are told about the organization of Christ's true Church in Ephesians 2:20. The Church must be "built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. In today's world, now more than ever, we can feel great gratitude for the love of the Lord in providing us with a prophet. It is a great blessing to have a prophet in our day.
Other blogs that I have written concerning prophets:
I thoroughly trust that the prophets are called of God and that they are not running this Church alone, but that Jesus Christ stands at the head. So I will put my trust in the Lord and His prophets. And, therefore, anyone who issues calls to action to members of the Church on behalf of the Church, who does not have authority to do so, I will not follow.
I thoroughly trust that the prophets are called of God and that they are not running this Church alone, but that Jesus Christ stands at the head. So I will put my trust in the Lord and His prophets. And, therefore, anyone who issues calls to action to members of the Church on behalf of the Church, who does not have authority to do so, I will not follow.
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