The Jewish People and Our Spiritual Heritage
4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people. (2 Nephi 29 in the Book of Mormon)
God’s chosen people in the earliest days of the earth were the Jewish people. He made promises to them throughout the ages which hold true today. Many of the prophecies He made to them of an eventual gathering and homeland are gradually being filled in these last days.
The Book of Mormon begins with Lehi, a Jewish prophet in Jerusalem. He and his family fled Jerusalem at God’s direction when his life was endangered by those who disliked his prophetic message. They took with them another family and a man who became a friend, but all were Jewish. For this reason, the Book of Mormon prophets spoke often of the persecution the Jewish people would face because of the death of the Savior. This was discussed in an earlier article on persecution. In that article we read the following quote:
“For centuries apostate Christianity used the crucifixion of Jesus as an excuse for persecuting the Jews. Occasionally people still say, “This long history of rejection is the punishment for what they did to Jesus.”
In his quoting of Zenos in 1 Nephi 19:13–19, Nephi gave us some important insights into the Jews and their tragic history. There is no indication that because they are “scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel” (v. 13) this scourging is initiated by God….
…Anyone who thinks that persecution of the Jews or other minority groups is pleasing to God is in deep need of repentance (see 2 Nephi 29:5).” Book of Mormon Student Manual)
(http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/bm-in-sm1996/manualindex.asp)
We owe much of our spiritual heritage to the Jewish people, and yet, as Nephi, the Book of Mormon prophet who is quoted at the start of this article, says, we don’t remember to appreciate this wonderful heritage. Instead, many have used a moment in their history as an excuse to persecute them. This scripture makes it clear God does not approve of this type of behavior. Instead, if we’re going to claim the Bible as our own, we need to honor and respect those who gave it to us. Without their powerful contributions to the world, our own Christian religion would not exist. Think of the glories of the Bible we would miss—the teachings of Moses, the story of the Noah, the Psalms…
Even more importantly, our own beloved Savior was Himself a Jewish man, raised in a Jewish home and educated in a Jewish school. All of his chosen apostles were also Jewish, as were Mary and Martha and the other New Testament people we love. Not all Jewish people rejected the Savior, nor was it only the Jewish people who rejected him.
“The Gospels lack any explicit treatment of the word Christian. Indeed, the word appears only three times in the New Testament, and never from the mouth of Christ himself. The word Christianity is entirely absent from the New Testament.
Acts 11:26 tells us that “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” Here, the passive construction “were called Christians” suggests that the term was first used not by Christians, but by non-Christians. (Similarly, the names Yankee and Mormon were first used by outsiders.)” (Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks, “Comparing LDS Beliefs with First-Century Christianity,” Ensign, Mar 1988, 7)
This tells us Jesus did not call himself a Christian. Therefore, He must have continued to think of Himself as a Jewish man. He lived the Jewish traditions, as we see from New Testament recordings of various Old Testament traditions. Jesus assured the people He had not come to destroy the law of Moses, which He loved, but to fulfill it. He was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, not a person come to do away with the Old Testament prophets and teachings. He was, in fact, a continuation of God’s story on earth.
And so, Jesus taught that until the actual atonement occurred, the people must continue to live the law of Moses, which was a preparatory law meant to help the people prepare for the atonement.
From this we can see that persecution of the Jewish people is not pleasing to God, since it is a persecution of the Savior’s own people and of God’s chosen. As we see from the first verse quoted in this article, God has not forgotten his chosen people of the Old Testament and has loving plans for them in the future. It’s our responsibility to assist in this great promise with love.
Ben-Gurion once told Ezra Taft Benson, a former prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “You know, there are no people in this world who understand the Jews like the Mormons.”
To learn more about why the members of the Church might understand the Jewish people better than anyone else, read the Book of Mormon and also church history.
What the Bible Says About Additional Scripture
In all the times of history that prophets lived on the earth, those prophets caused new scripture to be created. The words of the prophets were written down and some of them were gathered into books of scriptures. The Bible wasn’t just one book initially. It was a collection of writings that in time were gathered together and men decided which writings should be part of the scripture.
The Jewish people initially had only small portions of what is today called the Bible. They had the writings of whichever prophets had lived to that point. More was regularly added to that cannon. The people were not expected to keep only the words of Moses and to consider that enough.
Early in the Bible, we read of a warning to the people:
1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you.
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4 in the King James version of the Bible)
This is similar to a warning given in the Book of Revelation, which is in the New Testament of the Bible:
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (Revelation 22:18)
Needless to say, a great deal had been added to the Bible between the writings in Deuteronomy and the writings in Revelations. And, of course, although Revelations is the last book in our Bible, it wasn’t the last one written. So what did the prophets mean when they said not to add to the scriptures?
They meant that we must not add the teachings of men to the teachings of God. The prophets might be entitled to their own opinions on subjects, but what they wrote must be God’s word, not theirs, and must be written only with God’s permission. In other words, the scriptures must be purely the word of God, not a commentary that sometimes thinks to quote God.
Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of God, explained, concerning the verse in Revelations:
“However, there is now overwhelming consensus among virtually all biblical scholars that this verse applies only to the book of Revelation, not the whole Bible. Those scholars of our day acknowledge a number of New Testament “books” that were almost certainly written after John’s revelation on the Isle of Patmos was received. Included in this category are at least the books of Jude, the three Epistles of John, and probably the entire Gospel of John itself. Perhaps there are even more than these.
But there is a simpler answer as to why that passage in the final book of the current New Testament cannot apply to the whole Bible. That is because the whole Bible as we know it—one collection of texts bound in a single volume—did not exist when that verse was written. For centuries after John produced his writing, the individual books of the New Testament were in circulation singly or perhaps in combinations with a few other texts but almost never as a complete collection. Of the entire corpus of 5,366 known Greek New Testament manuscripts, only 35 contain the whole New Testament as we now know it, and 34 of those were compiled after a.d. 1000.” Jeffrey R. Holland, My Words … Never Cease’,” Ensign, May 2008, 91–94
And so, God was not saying we had to rip all the pages out of our Bible that were written after Deuteronomy, or that we can’t treasure the words of John. He meant only that we can’t put our own doctrines into the scriptures.
The Savior said he had more people than just the Jews. He was not only the God of the Jews. He was the Savior of us all. Modern day revelation tells us Jesus appeared to others between his death and resurrection, and we have the records of one of those groups. This record is the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Mormon tells of several groups of people who immigrated from the Holy Lands. The primary group was the family and friends of a prophet named Lehi. Lehi was called of God to preach to the people of Jerusalem around 600 BC. When the people rejected his words, as they did the other prophets of the time, God instructed him to take his family and flee. In time, God led them to the American continent. They brought with them religious scriptures, those that had been written to that time.
Lehi’s son, Nephi, succeeded him as prophet and was commanded to begin keeping a record of God’s dealings with the people. Future prophets added to it. As a result, when the Savior came to these people between his death and resurrection, the visit was recorded. It stands today as a testimony that Jesus is indeed our Savior, the Savior of all people everywhere. The book stands as a testimony that the Bible is true, since it reinforces the message of the Bible concerning the Savior.
Unfortunately, many people prefer to think God is unwilling to talk to anyone but the ancient Jews of Jerusalem, and that He has closed his dealings with us. The Book of Mormon predicted this very event, with a gentle reminder not to think God can’t do something. He is God…He can do everything.
3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. (2 Nephi 29)
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Nephi 29)
Prophets
Some people reject the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because they have a prophet who continues to share with them God’s messages for them. The Book of Mormon, which they read as Holy Scripture hand-in-Hand with the Bible, foretold of this challenge:
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. (2 Nephi 28)
On a personal level, I’ve always found this hard to understand. I was so excited when I found out there God continued to talk with us. I had always believed He ought to be talking to us, long before I joined the church. When I attended classes on the Old Testament as a child, I would wonder why God didn’t want to talk to us anymore. If we needed Him to prepare for the first coming, shouldn’t we also need Him to prepare us for the Second Coming of the Savior?
Shouldn’t we be thrilled to learn God continues to talk to us today, that we’re not cut off from Him until our deaths? I was. If God has things He wants us to know, I want to hear them. I love God’s words, and can’t get enough of them.
What is a prophet? Prophets have been on the earth since the very beginning. Adam spoke with God and taught His children what God taught him. Throughout all the Old Testament, God spoke often with His chosen prophets, men who were called of God to hear God’s words directly from God Himself, and then to teach the people. It wasn’t enough to have only one prophet. Adam was not the only prophet. Why did God continue to send prophets after Adam? Why wasn’t one prophet enough?
Prophets were necessary throughout all the Old Testament in order to help us continue to learn God’s word. As the verse above says, God teaches us line upon line, precept on precept. He doesn’t give us the entire gospel all at once. Imagine if the Israelites had received all the law of Moses at once. Can you picture the confusion as they tried to internalize so many rules in a few moments? There were only Ten Commandments when Moses came down from the mountain. The people could learn to internalize ten rules at once. As those became a way of life, more was added.
In the same way, gospel truths were presented a few at a time. No student in school is taught all of physics the first day. The teachers present a little more each day, and classes build upon the preparatory classes taken before. This is how God works with us. He teaches us what we can handle, and adds to it gradually. He also adapts certain things to the needs of the people—building boats when boats are needed, but not commanding boats when it isn’t going to rain, for instance.
Why do we still need prophets today? Just as we don’t have to build an ark because the entire earth isn’t going to flood soon, there are needs we have today that the people of ancient times didn’t have. The world has changed dramatically, and God wants us to navigate it successfully. The wickedness of the larger part of the people brought about a loss of prophecy, but God always promised to return it to us, and now He has.
Celebrate and listen. God is talking. His current prophet is Thomas S. Monson. Learn more about him by following the link on his name.
How Satan Battles Truth
Satan’s sole purpose in his life is to make everyone as miserable as he is, and the best way to do this is to battle truth. If he can turn people away from God, the Savior, and the saving doctrines, he can make people miserable and win his battle. He has a variety of methods he employs in this battle. Knowing some of them can help us protect ourselves from him. The Book of Mormon suggests several of these methods for us to evaluate and prepare to fight.
For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. (2 Nephi 28:20)
Sometimes when I ask people visiting my church why they came, they tell me they attended some classes on “witnessing” to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes nicknamed Mormons) and were taken aback by the rage against our church expressed in those classes. They decided to come and see for themselves if the classes were telling the truth. They felt the church, to inspire such rage must be truly evil or be so true Satan was afraid of it and trying to keep people away. Often those people convert after visiting a while and realizing the church had been unintentionally misrepresented, which led to a desire to find out for themselves what was true.
In the political field, we see great rage against those who choose to obey God instead of man. They are labeled bigots, old-fashioned, out of touch…anything that might embarrass them into “conforming.” True Christians understand that truth is truth and God’s truth matters more than the fleeting views of a self-centered world.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: 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.
Some people don’t need rage to lead them away. All they need to do is put on what is sometimes called rose-colored glasses. They go to church and then wander through their week, not doing anything to help themselves or others. They may see attacks on truth and on God, but trust everything will just go away on its own or won’t really cause any trouble. They tune out the need for good people to work incessantly until the battle is won. When those who know the truth do nothing, Satan wins, and, as this scripture points out, he can win us as well. We can be led carefully away, without even seeing it happen, simply because we aren’t paying attention.
We often focus more on the Do Not commandments than on the Do commandments. As we read the scriptures, we should note that there are things we are not to do, but there are many things the scriptures instruct us to do. When we neglect those, Satan gains an opening into our lives.
We can’t let those who oppose morality and truth do all the talking if we want God to win the battle for souls.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
This particular method seems to be one of Satan’s favorites today. We live in an atmosphere in which self-centeredness is celebrated. We’re told to do whatever we want and expect others to accept and applaud. Whether it involves turning God’s established family patterns upside down, leaving children to explore a world of freedom, or enjoying our favorite sin, many people give no thought to accountability. When we convince people that nothing is really wrong, that God won’t punish them for things the scriptures clearly state are wrong, we let Satan win. After all, if we don’t believe there is punishment for sin, most of us won’t bother to avoid it.
I find this verse’s use of the word flattereth interesting. Satan flatters people by saying there is no sin. I’ve heard atheists state there is no higher power than themselves—a scary thought when applied to anyone but God—and I think this might be what the scripture refers to. When we believe we get to make all the rules for our lives without taking into consideration God, our families, or anyone else, we make ourselves the highest authority. That is flattery, and a powerful tool for Satan to employ.
These verses outlined three methods used by Satan to win his battle against us: getting us furiously angry at righteousness, causing us to ignore the evil around us, and convincing us there is no sin. If we stay alert, we can avoid getting caught up in these traps and stay safe.
Truth is Unchanging
The Book of Mormon often prophesied of our day, and warned us of the challenges we would face. One problem foreseen by the prophets was the danger of mingling the word of God with the teachings of men. For a church to be the Savior’s church, it must teach only what the Savior wants taught, regardless of how popular or “politically correct” it might seem to be.
They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. (2 Nephi 28:14)
There are many who feel that churches need to keep up with the times and change along with the political or social styles. This is a very secular idea, since it suggests a lack of belief in God. After all, if it’s God’s church, He should make the rules, not man. God doesn’t follow the fashions. He teaches truth. Truth cannot be changed by opinion.
There are times when practices change. For instance, much of the law of Moses, created to help prepare people to understand the atonement of Christ, ended when Christ himself came. The Savior instigated new laws based on new needs, since they had the Savior Himself and didn’t need the symbols. However, practices changed, but truth didn’t. Just as gravity will continue to be a true scientific principle even if the majority of the world wakes up one day and decides they don’t like it, God’s truths are always true.
There is a difference between practices and truths. God might alter the name of an auxiliary organization, for instance, to suit current needs, or decide the four-year-olds will study one book of scripture this year instead of another normally taught. There have been commandments meant just for a specific time, such as when Noah was told to build an ark. We don’t all have to build arks—but that was a practice, not a truth. The truth of that story—the importance of obeying God however unlikely the commandment might seem, remains the same. The critical truths, those that determine our eternal destiny, are based on God’s truths, and are unchanging.
Satan does not want us to believe that. He wants us to ignore truth and love fashion, treating truth and morality as something that should be determined by polls, television, celebrities, and politics, rather than by God. He knows if he can undermine the most critical elements of the Plan of Salvation, he can win. And so he pressures people to be concerned about popular opinion. He even wants the Savior’s followers, or those who claim to follow him, to flit from opinion to opinion, and not to be ruled by truth. He would like it best if they could get their churches to follow him.
Satan has a variety of methods for getting people to flit instead of remaining steadfast. Name-calling is one such method. Remember when Lehi, the first Book of Mormon prophet, had a vision of the tree of life. Many people were pulled off the path toward that tree, which represented eternal life, because they were embarrassed when the world made fun of them and called them names. We see that more than ever today. Boyd K. Packer, a high ranking church official called a General Authority, said, “However out of step we may seem, however much the standards are belittled, however much others yield, we will not yield, we cannot yield.” (Boyd K. Packer, “‘The Standard of Truth Has Been Erected’,” Ensign, Nov 2003, 24)
He offered this suggestion for coping with the word tools Satan thrives on to embarrass or belittle those who choose the teachings of God over the teachings of men:
“Now words can be used as weapons against you. If they throw the word diversity at you, grab hold of it and say, “I am already diverse, and I intend to stay diverse.” If the word is tolerance, grab that one, too, saying, “I expect you to be tolerant of my lifestyle—obedience, integrity, abstinence, repentance.” If the word is choice, tell them you choose good, old-fashioned morality. You choose to be a worthy husband or wife, a worthy parent.”
Man’s standards, fleeting and harmful, might give you popularity. But God’s standards, eternal and unchanging, give you eternal life. The choice is yours to live for now or for God.
Accountability
Nephi, the second prophet of the Book of Mormon, foresaw our time and described it with unnerving accuracy. His portrayal of it is accurate because it was shown to him by God. The Book of Mormon was written for our day—the people of the Book of Mormon, other than the prophets who kept the records, didn’t have it. Nephi offered the prophecies in a talk to his people as warnings to them for their own day as well, but preserved the talk for us, because it was really us he was talking to.
One challenge Nephi warns us of is the relaxing of standards in our day. Not only would society tune out the commandments of God, but even some churches would try to minimize the importance of the commandments.
And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 28:8)
The Bible makes it very clear that we have to obey God’s commandments, and try our very best to live a Christ-like life. The Savior said that those who didn’t keep His commandments didn’t really love Him. (See John 14:15) He also made clear there were consequences to disobedience. In modern times, however, many prefer to ignore the scriptures about obedience and consequence and instead teach only the initial moment of conversion, as if a moment of conversion were all that were expected—giving a moment out of our lives to God and then doing anything we want all the other moments.
God requires us to obey His laws, and He has certain guidelines for handling those times when we transgress. If we can sin and just go on our way, there isn’t accountability. When you raise a child, do you let him do anything he wants, ignoring his disobedience? Of course not. If you did, your child would never grow to be a responsible, disciplined person. God, being a perfect parent, also knows we need to do certain things in order to grow.
The process of handling our sins is called repentance. Repentance helps us to deal with our sins, be accountable for what we’ve done, and to heal from the sorrow that comes when someone who truly loves God sins.
The first step is to confess the sin. We have to tell God what we’ve done, even though he already knows, just as you might insist your child confess to you when you’ve already uncovered his wrongdoing. This is a humbling experience, and there can’t be spiritual growth without humility. We have to offer this confession with true sorrow for wrongdoing—it can’t just be a matter of going through the motions. We also have to confess to anyone else we’ve harmed through our actions, and in the case of certain serious sins, we need to go to our spiritual leaders as well.
We also have to try to make restitution where possible. A stolen item must be returned or paid for. An unkind word could be replaced with great kindness. Although not everything can be fixed, we do as much as we can to pay for our sins.
We must be truly sorry for what we’ve done, a sorrow so deep it can bring about change. Repentance must be sincere. This is easiest when we’ve put a great deal of time into our relationship with God and trust Him with our faults. When we know we can be forgiven and loved even after sin, it’s easier to face God.
The final step is to completely forsake the sin. If we are unable, or worse, unwilling, to give it up, we haven’t traveled deeply enough through the repentance process and must begin again.
Going through the repentance process each time we sin allows us to be accountable for our own choices. It brings the peace of knowing we’ve made things right with God and are back safely on the path home to Him.
Is God Still in Our Lives?
There are many people who don’t believe in God, but there are many others who believe in Him, but believe that once Jesus’ earthly ministry ended, God decided His work was done and lost interest in the people yet to come until after they died.
Nephi, the second prophet of the Book of Mormon, talked about this to his people:
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—
4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work. 2 Nephi 28 in the Book of Mormon
At no time has God ever turned His back on His children. He’s our Father in Heaven and He loves us. There have indeed been times when the fullness of the gospel wasn’t on the earth and there were no prophets to guide us. After the Savior and his apostles were gone, there were no more prophets for a time, due to the way the world had treated the Savior and His followers. They killed the Savior, and they killed those who tried to carry on His work, and so God stopped calling prophets. Had they reacted differently, an apostasy wouldn’t have occurred.
However, even during this time, God didn’t abandon us. We’ve always been able to turn to God on a personal level. People throughout history have prayed at critical moments in their lives and in the history of the world. Through the Light of Christ, God could allow even those without the gift of the Holy Ghost or access to a prophet to know what was true and right if they chose to ask.
Joseph B. Wirthlin, a high-ranking church official known as a General Authority, said:
“As the sun gives life and light to the earth, a spiritual light gives nourishment to our spirits. We call this the Light of Christ. The scriptures teach us that it “lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” 2 Thus, all mankind can enjoy its blessings. The Light of Christ is the divine influence that allows every man, woman, and child to distinguish between good and evil. It encourages all to choose the right, to seek eternal truth, and to learn again the truths that we knew in our premortal existence but have forgotten in mortality.
The Light of Christ should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the Light of Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and preparatory to one’s receiving the Holy Ghost. The Light of Christ will lead the honest soul to “hearkeneth to the voice” 3 to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost.” (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Unspeakable Gift,” Ensign, May 2003, 26)
God knew we needed prophets to get us through the first days of the world and to prepare for the arrival of the Savior. The final days are equally important and also require the guidance of prophets. God has restored the fullness of His gospel to help us prepare for the return of the Savior to the earth and is actively guiding His church. While in the past, we had to seek out all answers from God on a personal level, we can now turn again, as did the people of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, to the prophets for guidance.
Of course, we are still free to turn to God individually, and in fact, He has instructed us to do so. He expects us first to find out who the prophet is, and to know for ourselves what is true. Then He asks us to continue our personal relationship with God, integrating that with our willingness to follow the prophets He has lovingly sent us.
Would you like to find out how you can personally confirm the identity of God’s own prophet, receiving the answer from God Himself? Visit, How Can I Know This is True?
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder
In Isaiah 29 of the Bible, Isaiah discusses how the fullness of the gospel will disappear and the prophets will no longer guide us.
For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. (Isaiah 29:10)
From this verse we understand that even in the days of the Old Testament, the prophets knew there would be an apostasy, a time when there would be no more prophets, no more direct guidance of the church from God, this due to the choices of the people. Because there would be no guidance, many churches would spring up with differing doctrines, chosen by men and over time, no one would remember what was true or what the Bible really meant.
But Isaiah also foresaw a time when that would end, when there would be a restoration.
“Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” ) Isaiah 29:14.
These scriptures are repeated in the Book of Mormon, quoted by the prophet Nephi. His people, though living far from Jerusalem now, had originally come from Jerusalem, and had brought with them the scriptures, including the words of Isaiah. Nephi loved Isaiah’s teachings, and quoted them often. You can read them in 2 Nephi 27.
The Book of Mormon is often referred to by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the marvelous work and wonder, but in reality, the verse refers to all of the restoration of the gospel. Of course, the Book of Mormon is important to that restoration, since it assures the world the Savior didn’t come just to convert the Jewish people or those who lived in Jerusalem. Because Jesus also came to the people of the Book of Mormon, we understand He came for all people everywhere, bringing to all the opportunity to be redeemed of our sins.
Neal A. Maxwell, a high ranking church leader, said,
“After all, the Book of Mormon’s stated purpose is for “the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ” (title page), making it a divine gift to the entire human family.
In fact, Nephi tells us that God “doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Ne. 26:24). The knowledge concerning God’s plan of salvation, repeatedly and carefully set forth in the Book of Mormon, can counter the hopelessness and despair of some who lament the human predicament in which they feel mortals are “conceived without consent” and “wrenched whimpering into an alien universe” (Morris L. West, The Tower of Babel [1968], 183). So many mortals desperately need to know there is divine design. No wonder the Lord told Joseph Smith that the Restoration came to increase faith in the earth! (see D&C 1:21).”(Neal A. Maxwell, “‘By the Gift and Power of God’,” Ensign, Jan 1997, 36)
It isn’t true that we were forced to come here. We agreed to come here and are here by choice. We could make this choice because we lived with God as spirits before we were born. This means we weren’t wrenched whimpering, but embarking on an exciting learning opportunity of our own choosing.
The teachings of the restored gospel assure us of this, which reassures us our Heavenly Father really does love us and that there is a reason for all that happens to us here.
The Book of Mormon answers many of the questions we have about mortality, God, Jesus, and the plan of salvation. It offers comfort and reassurance, but also guidance for making the most of our mortal experience. The writing is simple and clear, easily understood once you’ve become accustomed to Biblical-type language. It can be read as a fascinating storybook, and we often do read it just for that. However, it’s full value can only be realized when we treat it more as a handbook of instructions and a testament of the Savior and His Father.
You can read it online, but nothing quite equals holding it in your hands and reading it. Would you like a free copy of your very own? Visit Mormon.org.
Priestcraft
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men 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.
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish. (2 Nephi 26)
The people of the Book of Mormon often struggled with pride. One way pride showed itself was in priestcraft. Teachers and leaders in the church work for God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes incorrectly known as the Mormon Church, is a lay church, and we call our church jobs callings. This means we are called of God to do God’s will and to also serve our Savior. When on the Lord’s errand, we do things the Lord’s way and for His glory, not our own.
There are some teachers and leaders, both in callings and working in church colleges, who are very popular. As in any other field, there are very popular speakers as well. There is nothing wrong with this unless they allow themselves to become more important than the church they claim to serve. If they work to gather a following and speak so forcefully that what they say matters more than what God Himself says, when their purpose becomes fame and wealth rather than serving God, they are practicing priestcraft.
Dallin H. Oaks, a high ranking church official, said:
“Some may serve for hope of earthly reward. Such a man or woman might serve in Church positions or in private acts of mercy in an effort to achieve prominence or cultivate contacts that would increase income or aid in acquiring wealth. Others might serve in order to obtain worldly honors, prominence, or power. . . .
Unfortunately, not all who accomplish works under that heading are really intending to build up Zion or strengthen the faith of the people of God. Other motives can be at work.
Service that is ostensibly unselfish but is really for the sake of riches or honor surely comes within the Savior’s condemnation of those who “outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within … are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matt. 23:28.) Such service earns no gospel reward.”
Our leaders serve without pay, in part so they can avoid priestcraft. No matter how large a congregation becomes, the leaders become no wealthier. In the world, we often hear of popular, charismatic leaders who gather large followings and who use the offerings from their services to live expensive, lavish lifestyles. It is always a challenge for a leader who finds himself to be popular to be certain his motives stay pure and so our leaders avoid this entirely by working for God, not money.
Before the world began, we lived with God. When God told us He was sending us to earth to live, and said we would need a Savior, Satan volunteered. However, He did not intend to follow the plan God had created for us and in addition, He demanded all the glory be given to Him, not God. Jesus also volunteered, but said He wanted to follow God’s plan exactly, and He wanted no glory or honor for Himself.
As we serve our Heavenly Father and our Savior, we want to be certain we do so by following the example of our Savior, not Lucifer. We should teach God’s truth in God’s way, and do it with all the honor and glory given to God.
The Great Apostasy
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.
21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice. (2 Nephi 26)
Jesus taught the gospel for only three years in his lifetime, a very short time to change the world. He reached many, but at the time of His death, there was still a great deal to do. The membership was so new and the changes they had to make were great. There was intense persecution of those who followed the Savior. The apostles, who were recent converts themselves, did not have years of training and experience to fall back on. Peter became the new president of the church when Jesus was killed, but he had been a member of the church for just a short time. The leaders worked hard to preserve what the Savior had introduced, but in the end, Satan won. Over time, the leaders Jesus had chosen were killed, except for John the Beloved, and so were many of the Savior’s followers. There was now a great deal of work for one leader and his small group of followers. The authority to operate God’s church disappeared when the priesthood ended, and there were no more prophets to guide the church and keep it on track.
Although Christianity survived, there were no prophets and there was no priesthood. This had been prophesied by the early apostles themselves. Paul, talking of the second coming, said, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Over time, with no clearly defined leadership and no one to receive revelation, men began to decide for themselves what the doctrine should be. This, naturally, led to disputes and disputes led to the formations of break-away sects, as groups divided over differences of opinion on what the Bible meant, what should be in the Bible, and what God would want from a changing world.
The Nicene Council met to decide on “official doctrine.” They voted and many things that modern churches teach as Biblical actually were chosen in that council, not having been strong beliefs prior to that meeting in 325 BC. Christians today might be surprised, as they read about this council, just how their doctrines came to be.
Of course, despite the council’s desire to be the final word, there continued to be reformers who felt religion was straying further and further from God’s original plan and the Savior’s teachings.
Some leaders were inspired, but others developed churches for worldly reasons, intentionally misleading people. Many began with noble purposes, doing the best they could without a prophet to lead them the way the people of the Bible had been led.
What happened next was not a surprise. Peter himself foretold of a day when the apostasy, the disappearance of God’s complete truth, would end:
“19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3, King James version of the Bible.)
Would you like to know about this time of refreshing, the restitution of all things which Peter said the prophets had foretold since the beginning of time? For more information, visit The Restoration of the Gospel.