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Prophets or
Evolution - An LDS Perspective Chapter 8 Living
Prophets We should have gained sufficient
experience by this time to realize that no man, no individual, no clique, and
no secret organization can combine with force and power sufficient to overturn
the purposes of the Almighty; or to change the course of His work. Joseph F. Smith (2000-2001 Priesthood/R.S. Manual - page
114) Introduction to Church
Organization The LDS
church is led by two key quorums at the top of its hierarchy: 1) The First
Presidency (3 members normally) President (i.e. President of the
church) First Counselor in the First
Presidency Second Counselor in the First
Presidency 2) The
Quorum of Twelve Apostles (12 members normally) Each of
these quorums has equal authority under certain circumstances (actually there
is a third quorum of potential importance, the Presidency of the Seventy, but I
will not talk about that quorum). When the
First Presidency is organized, then the President in the First Presidency
presides over the whole church and the First Presidency is the highest quorum
in the church. It is higher than the
Quorum of Twelve Apostles. When the
Savior was alive, He did not need counselors, but prophets do need counselors. If the
President of the church dies, then the First Presidency of the church is
instantly dissolved and the two counselors are automatically put into the
Quorum of Twelve Apostles in their order of seniority (seniority is determined
by virtue of ordination date into the Quorum of Twelve Apostles) and the Quorum
of Twelve Apostles presides over the church. When the
Quorum of Twelve Apostles is presiding over the church, the senior apostle in
this quorum (i.e. the President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles) presides over
the church; until such time as he reorganizes The First Presidency, with
himself as President. When
reorganizing the First Presidency, any of the other apostles can be called to
be one of his counselors in the First Presidency. When the
First Presidency is organized, the second senior apostle (the first senior
apostle is the prophet) is automatically the President of the Quorum of Twelve
Apostles, even if he is also a member of the First Presidency. If the
President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles is a member of the First Presidency
(i.e. he is one of the counselors); then the most senior apostle who is not a
member of the First Presidency has the title of "Acting President of the
Quorum of Twelve Apostles." By looking
at the succession of the church president, it should be clear that the senior apostle is always the
President of the church and presides over the church. The second senior apostle is always the
President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles (if the First Presidency is
organized). New members
of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles are chosen solely by the President of the
church by revelation only he can receive. Every
president of the LDS church, since Brigham Young, has served in the Quorum of
Twelve Apostles (which includes serving in the First Presidency as a counselor)
for 30 years or more prior to becoming president of the church. Thus, the President of the church always has
many years of church leadership experience prior to becoming the president of
the church and he is well known to the church. When the
President of the church dies; no member of the church who understands how the
church is organized is confused for one second as to who is leading the
church. The President of the Quorum of
Twelve Apostles, no matter which quorum he is in at the time of the prophet's
death, immediately takes over the leadership of the church. It can be
seen that in the LDS church, there is never any campaigning by people to become
top leaders in the church. They are
chosen as apostles by the President (i.e. he is frequently referred to simply as
the "Prophet" because he alone has the authority to dictate church
doctrine and policy). Actually, even at
the local level leaders are chosen by those in higher levels in the church. The key to
the stability and effectiveness of the leadership of the LDS church is that
Christ Himself leads the church and the leaders make their decisions based on
revelation given to them on the basis
of their level of authority. In other
words, revelation from God is only given to the person in the proper level of
church authority. Only the prophet can
receive revelation for the entire church, and this includes all church
doctrine. With this
organization in mind, here are the prophets who have led this church since 1830: 1) Joseph
Smith, Jr. (1805 - 1844) President: April 6, 1830 - June 27,
1844 2) Brigham
Young (1801 - 1877) President: December 27, 1847 - August
29, 1877 3) John
Taylor (1808 - 1887) President: October 10, 1880 - July 27,
1887 4) Wilford
Woodruff (1807 - 1898) President: April 7, 1889 - September
2, 1898 5) Lorenzo
Snow (1814 - 1901) President: September 13, 1898 -
October 10, 1901 6) Joseph
F. Smith (1838 - 1918) President: October 17, 1901 - November
19, 1918 7) Heber J.
Grant (1856 - 1945) President: November 23, 1918 - May 14,
1945 8) George
Albert Smith (1870 - 1951) President: May 21, 1945 - April 4,
1951 9) David O.
McKay (1873 - 1970) President: April 9, 1951 - January 18,
1970 10) Joseph
Fielding Smith (1876 - 1972) President: January 23, 1970 - July 2,
1972 11) Harold
B. Lee (1899 - 1973) President: July 7, 1972 - December 26,
1973 12) Spencer
W. Kimball (1895 - 1985) President: December 30, 1973 -
November 5, 1985 13) Ezra
Taft Benson (1899 - 1994) President: November 10, 1985 - May 30,
1994 14) Howard
W. Hunter (1907 - 1995) President: June 5, 1994 - March 3,
1995 15) Gordon
B. President: March 12, 1995 - January
27, 2008 16) Thomas
S. Monson ( ) President: February 4, 2008 - current Note: As
mentioned above, during the time between the death of each president of the
church, and the reorganization of the First Presidency; the Quorum of Twelve
Apostles presides over the church. Prophesies The living
prophets in Biblical times made a lot of prophesies. Making prophesies was not their primary
purpose, however. The primary purpose of
living prophets is to tell the people living in their day the word of God and
to keep the people of their day on the path to know and follow the true and
living God. Of course, in
every generation, even in the generations of the Old Testament, people have had
serious problems believing there is a "living prophet" in their day. For
example, in the days of Christ, the people had the Old Testament and they had
living scholars. Many people did not see
a need for a living prophet because they had the dead prophets. Aren't all prophets supposed to be dead? In reality,
God would always place a living prophet on the earth if there were enough
people who would follow him. Today,
there are enough people and there is a nation which allows enough freedom of
religion to have a living prophet. Among the
prophesies made in the days of the Bible, were prophesies that the day would
come when there would not be a
"living prophet" on the earth and there would be a famine on the
earth of hearing the word of God from living prophets. However,
the famine of hearing the word of God was also prophesied to end; meaning the
Biblical prophets knew the day would come when there would be new "living
prophets" called after the drought of the word of God. These new "living prophets" would
be ordained prior to the Second Coming of the Savior. For
example, let us think about some of these prophesies.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
words of the LORD:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the
east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not
find it.
13 In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst. Amos 8:11-13 During the
Dark Ages the people had the Bible (though they were not allowed to read it),
but they did not have the "word of the LORD." The word of the Lord can only come from
living prophets, not scholars or politicians. This famine
of hearing the "words of the Lord" meant that there would be no
living prophet on the earth. While the
description in this prophesy existed for a few hundred years prior to the birth
of the Savior, during this time the Jews did have scribes and the Jews were
still a unified people (i.e. they had not yet been dispersed). It should be clear that the scripture in Amos
is referring to a much greater apostasy than the time just before the birth of
Christ. Another
evidence for this interpretation of Amos is that the prophet Paul, the apostle,
made a similar prophesy as did Amos. The
prophesy of Paul places the fulfillment of the prophesy of Amos after the time
of Paul. Paul stated:
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit,
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 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;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these
things? 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 Paul is
prophesying that before the Second Coming of the Savior there would be a time
when there were no living prophets on the earth. In fact, he is prophesying that the "man
of sin" would be exalted and would have great dominion on the earth. The Savior
himself was asked what the signs of the times of his Second Coming would
be. Here is part of His reply:
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive
you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:
and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and
shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:4-14 (see:
Joseph Smith - Matthew in the Pearl of Great Price) Not only is
the Savior talking about a falling away, where there would be many wars, he also
talks about the time when living prophets would once again be on the
earth. For example, in verse 14 He talks
about the "gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world." The true gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be
preached unless the forces of Christ are led by living prophets who will insure
the doctrines of the missionaries are correct. The point
is that the Bible clearly predicts not only a falling away (i.e. there would be
no living prophets on the earth), but also a restoration of the gospel, which
would require newly called living prophets and living apostles. This
restoration was not to be led by Bible scholars or reformers, though the
reformers were clearly important in opening the minds of the people. But the full restoration could only be led by
a newly called living prophet. Preparing the World For
Living Prophets While the
"world" believes that there have been no living prophets since the
days of the apostles in In LDS
doctrine, which is consistent with Bible doctrine, there was a Universal
apostasy before the Second Coming of the Savior. That apostasy included what we call the Dark
Ages. After the
death of the apostles, chosen by the Savior during his lifetime, the priesthood
of God was gone from the earth and the heavens were closed. Revelation from
heaven ceased to enlighten men and women (except in the Americas for about 400 more
years, then revelation ended in the Americas as well). The world
fell into the "Dark Ages," which were literally darkened by the
absence of the light of revelation from God to his living prophets and living apostles.
Corruption, superstition and false doctrine controlled the world (with a
foundation set by the Nicene Creed). In about
the year 1500 A.D. God started the long 300 year process of preparing the world
for new apostles and new light from heaven.
Early in this process the printing press was invented. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the world experienced
the Renaissance and Reformation, which started the process of unchaining the
minds of the population from the deep corruption which had controlled the minds
of the people for many centuries. "There is no regularly
constituted church on earth, nor any person authorized to administer any church
ordinance; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of
the Church for whose coming I am seeking." Roger Williams, Picturesque In the 18th
century the "New World," "The religion builders have so
distorted the doctrines of Jesus, so muffled them in mysticisms, fancies and
falsehoods, have caricatured them into forms so inconceivable, as to shock
reasonable thinkers ... Happy in the
prospect of a restoration of primitive Christianity, I must leave to younger
persons to encounter and lop off the false branches which have been engrafted
into it by the mythologists of the middle and modern ages." Thomas Jefferson, After
literally 300 years of preparation, it was time for the heavens to be opened
again and for the light of revelation to again be restored to the earth, this
time never to be taken away again. The words
of Peter:
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 3:20-21 [Peter, the Apostle] That
opening of revelation, in the spring of 1820, did not occur with a minor
incident, such as a dream; it occurred by a glorious personal appearance of God
the Eternal Father, and his beloved Son Jesus Christ, to a prophet chosen and called
long before his birth, named Joseph Smith (i.e. Joseph Smith, Jr.), in Palmyra,
New York. This
glorious appearance, because it opened the heavens, never to be closed again, is called the "First
Vision." Joseph
Smith was only 14 years old when this vision occurred. Why was not the vision shown to a mature
minister of the gospel? First of
all, Joseph Smith was chosen many thousands of years before he was born: "It was decreed, in the
counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid,
that he [Joseph Smith, Jr.] should be the man, in the last dispensation of this
world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness
(sic) of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had
his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father's father, and upon
their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from
the flood to Enoch, and, from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and
that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He
was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation, ..."
(emphasis added) Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:289-290 See also:
D&C 138:53. So the
question of who to call had already been decided many thousands of years before
his birth. The only question left was
when and where to put him on the earth and at what age to call him. The First Vision The
decision was made to call him in 1820, at the age of 14, in the state of In early
1820, Joseph Smith belonged to a family that had a long history of visions and
other religious experiences. Joseph was
a descendant of John Lathrop, 1584-1653, a religious pioneer in The Smith family
in 1820, however, was divided in religion. Joseph had gone into a grove of
trees by his father's farm to ask God which church to join. The result of that
prayer is called "The First vision." After
beginning his prayer, and before the appearance of God the Father and the
Savior, Joseph was first visited by a different power, the evil one. This quote starts by reference to Joseph's
attempts to escape the power of the evil one: "But, exerting all my powers to
call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized
upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and
abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of
some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had
never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a
pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which
descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found
myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon
me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description,
standing above me in the air. One of them [Heavenly Father] spake unto me,
calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear
Him! My object in going to inquire of the
Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to
join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to
speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of
all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart
that all were wrong)—and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none
of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that
all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were
all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are
far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of
godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” This is how
God opened a new dispensation of the gospel!!
The Savior now had a living prophet, called long before he was born (see
Jeremiah 1:5), who was not indoctrinated by the learning and wisdom of men. Joseph, over the next two and a half decades
of his life, would be frequently taught by angels and by Christ Himself. About 10
years after this vision, the Book of Mormon was published, a new church was
organized and soon after the organization of the church, new living apostles were
called to lead this new church. Joseph
actually received his authority to call new apostles by a visitation of Peter,
James and John. Prior to this
visitation, Joseph had been visited by John the Baptist to restore the lesser
priesthood. Oliver
Cowdery, a scribe of Joseph, was with Joseph during both of these visitations
of ancient prophets. Here is part of
Oliver’s testimony regarding his involvement in the translation of the Book of
Mormon and other early events in the church: ”These are days never to be
forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of
heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued,
uninterrupted, to write from his (Joseph Smith's) mouth, as he translated with
the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said,
"Interpreters," the history or record called "The Book of
Mormon." . . . After writing the account given of
the Savior's ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent,
it was easy to be seen, as the prophet said would be, that darkness covered the
earth and gross darkness the minds of the people. On reflecting further it was
easy to be seen, that amid the great strife and noise concerning religion, none
had authority from God to administer the ordinances of the Gospel. For the
question might be asked, have men authority to administer in the name of
Christ, who deny revelations, when His testimony is no less than the spirit of
prophecy, and His religion based, built, and sustained by immediate revelations
in all ages of the world when He has had a people on earth? If these facts were
buried, and carefully concealed by men whose craft would have been in danger if
once permitted to shine in the faces of men, they were no longer to us; and we
only waited for the commandment to be given, ’Arise and be baptized.’ . . . This was not long desired before it
was realized. The Lord, who is rich in mercy, and ever willing to answer the
consistent prayer of the humble, after we had called upon Him in a fervent
manner, aside from the abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us His will.
On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the Redeemer spake
peace to us, while the veil was parted, and the angel of God came down clothed
with glory, and delivered the anxiously looked-for message, and the keys of the
Gospel of repentance. What joy! what wonder! what amazement! While the world was racked and
distracted—while millions were groping as the blind for the wall, and while all
men were resting upon uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld, our ears
heard, as in the "blaze of day;" yes, more—above the glitter of the
May sunbeam, which then shed its brilliancy over the face of nature! Then his
voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his words, "I am thy
fellow-servant," dispelled every fear. We listened, we gazed, we admired!
'Twas the voice of an angel from glory, 'twas a message from the Most High! And
as we heard we rejoiced, while His love enkindled upon our souls, and we were
wrapped in the vision of the Almighty! Where was room for doubt? Nowhere;
uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk no more to rise, while fiction and
deception had fled forever! . . . I shall not attempt to paint to you the
feelings of this heart, nor the majestic beauty and glory which surrounded us
on this occasion; but you will believe me when I say, that earth, nor men, with
the eloquence of time, cannot begin to clothe language in as interesting and
sublime a manner as this holy personage. No; nor has this earth power to give
the joy, to bestow the peace, or comprehend the wisdom which was contained in
each sentence as they were delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit! Man may
deceive his fellow-men, deception may follow deception, and the children of the
wicked one may have power to seduce the foolish and untaught, till naught but
fiction feeds the many, and the fruit of falsehood carries in its current the
giddy to the grave; but one touch with the finger of his love, yes, one ray of
glory from the upper world, or one word from the mouth of the Savior, from the
bosom of eternity, strikes it all into insignificance, and blots it forever
from the mind. The assurance that we were in the presence of an angel, the certainty
that we heard the voice of Jesus, and the truth unsullied, as it flowed from a
pure personage, dictated by the will of God, is to me past description, and I
shall ever look upon this expression of the Savior's goodness with wonder and
thanksgiving while I am permitted to tarry; and in those mansions where
perfection dwells and sin never comes, I hope to adore in that day which shall
never cease.” Oliver Cowdery - Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October
1834) The Book of Mormon The Book of
Mormon is clearly God's tangible "sign" to the world that living
prophets have been called again. This
author has personally read the Book of Mormon more than 60 times and I can
testify that no human being, or group of human beings, including scholars, could
have written the Book of Mormon in 1830 or even today. While the
Book of Mormon is a sign to the world, more importantly it is literally true
that the Savior is again in charge of His apostles and that His living apostles
again preside over His church. The restoration
was complete before Joseph was martyred.
The darkness which enveloped the world during the Dark Ages will never
happen again. Here are
the words of one of the prophets of this dispensation, President Joseph
Fielding Smith (president of the church from 1970 to 1972): "I desire to say that no man of
himself can lead this church. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ; he is
at the head. The Church bears his name, has his priesthood, administers his
gospel, preaches his doctrine, and does his work. He chooses men and calls them to be
instruments in his hands to accomplish his purposes, and he guides and directs
them in their labors. But men are only instruments in the Lord's hands, and the
honor and glory for all that his servants accomplish is and should be ascribed
unto him forever. If this were the work of man, it would fail, but it is the
work of the Lord, and he does not fail." Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, April 1970, 113 George Mason A very
inspiring story about the restoration was told by President Wilford Woodruff
(president of the church from 1889 to 1898), which involved a long time friend
of his, Mr. George Mason. The story of
George Mason is not unique, because several people who lived prior to the
restoration of the gospel knew that the gospel would be restored and living
apostles would again walk the earth. The story
takes place prior to President Woodruff joining the church. When Wilford Woodruff was a child, he and his
family befriended Robert Mason, a man who was known for his distinctive
religious beliefs. President Woodruff recalled: “He [George Mason] believed that it
was necessary to have prophets, apostles, dreams, visions and revelations in
the church of Christ, the same as they had who lived in ancient days; and he
believed the Lord would raise up a people and a church, in the last days, with
prophets, apostles and all the gifts, powers, and blessings, which it ever
contained in any age of the world. … He frequently came to my father’s house
when I was a boy, and taught me and my brothers those principles; and I
believed him. “[He] prayed a great deal, and he
had dreams and visions, and the Lord showed him many things, by visions, which
were to come to pass in the last days. “I will here relate one vision,
which he related to me. The last time I ever saw him, he said: ‘I was laboring
in my field at mid-day when I was enwrapped in a vision. I was placed in the
midst of a vast forest of fruit trees: I was very hungry, and walked a long way
through the orchard, searching for fruit to eat; but I could not find any in
the whole orchard, and I wept because I could not find any fruit. While I stood
gazing at the orchard, and wondering why there was no fruit, the trees began to
fall to the ground upon every side of me, until there was not one tree standing
in the whole orchard; and while I was marveling at the scene, I saw young
sprouts start up from the roots of the trees which had fallen, and they opened
into young thrifty trees before my eyes. They budded, blossomed, and bare fruit
until the trees were loaded with the finest fruit I ever beheld, and I rejoiced
to see so much fine fruit. I stepped up to a tree and picked my hands full of
fruit, and marveled at its beauty, and as I was about to taste of it the vision
closed, and I found myself in the field in the same place I was at the
commencement of the vision. “ ‘I then knelt upon the ground, and
prayed unto the Lord, and asked him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to show me
the meaning of the vision. The Lord said unto me: “This is the interpretation
of the vision; the great trees of the forest represent the generation of men in
which you live. There is no President Woodruff continued: “When
[he] had finished relating the vision and interpretation, he said to me, … ‘I
shall never partake of this fruit in the flesh; but you will, and you will
become a conspicuous actor in that kingdom.’ He then turned and left me. These
were the last words he ever spoke to me upon the earth. … “He had this vision about the year
1800, and he related it to me in 1830—the same spring that this Church was
organized. “This vision, with his other teachings
to me, made a great impression upon my mind, and I prayed a great deal to the
Lord to lead me by his Spirit, and prepare me for his Church when it did come.” When Wilford Woodruff joined the
Church, he wrote a letter to his friend Robert Mason. “I … told him I had found
the “The first opportunity I had, after
the doctrine of baptism for the dead was revealed, I went forth and was
baptized for him.” Wilford Woodruff (2006 Priesthood and Relief Society Manual) The Future of the Church In the
spring of 1834, Wilford Woodruff attended a priesthood meeting in “The Prophet [Joseph Smith] called
on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they
had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole
of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were
then in the town of There were no Apostles in the Church
then except Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. When we got together the Prophet
called upon the Elders of Wilford Woodruff (2006 Priesthood and Relief Society Manual) As this is
being written there are more than 13 million members of the LDS church
worldwide. Most of them are in North and
South America (including The
prophets of this church have said many things about the future of this
church. Here is another quote: "Our enemies have never done
anything that has injured this work of God, and they never will. I look around,
I read, I reflect, and I ask the question, Where are the men of influence, of
power and prestige, who have worked against the Latter-day Saints? … Where are
there people to do them honor? They cannot be found. ... Where are the men who
have assailed this work? Where is their influence? They have faded away like
dew before the sun. We need have no fears, we Latter-day Saints. God will
continue to sustain this work; He will sustain the right." Heber J. Grant (president from 1918 to 1945) (2004 Priesthood/R.S. Manual - page 216) Here is yet
another quote: "This church fail? No! Times
and seasons may change, revolution may succeed revolution; thrones may be cast
down; and empires be dissolved; earthquakes may rend the earth from center to
circumference; the mountains may be hurled out of their places, and the mighty
ocean be moved from its bed, but amidst the crash of worlds and the crack of
matter, truth, eternal truth, must remain unchanged, and those principles which
God has revealed to his saints be unscathed amidst the warring elements, and
remain as firm as the throne of Jehovah." John Taylor (president from 1880 to 1887) The There is a
reason this church cannot fail. It is
led by the Savior Himself and the Savior cannot fail. The Prophet Cannot Lead
the Church Astray Many members
of the church have been led astray and have left the church because they did
not understand one very important principle.
That principle is that the Savior of the world is literally at the head
of this church. Because this is the
Savior's work, and because He is at the head, He will not let the prophet of
the church lead the church astray. Many times
people have been led astray by thinking the living prophet of the church had
fallen or had led the church astray.
This is impossible: “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, and so He will any other man who attempts
to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their
duty.” Wilford Woodruff, General Conference, October 6, 1890 [it is also at the back of the Doctrine & Covenants] While any
priesthood leader can fall away and lead others with him, it is a unique
characteristic of this church that the President and prophet of this church
will not be allowed to lead the church astray!! The reason
is that the prophet is looked at by the members of the church as the direct
representative of the Savior and a true living prophet. Thus, the Savior has a vested interest in
making sure the prophet does not lead the church astray. "No man will lead God's people
nor his work. God may choose men and make them instruments of his hands for
accomplishing his purposes, but the glory and honor and power will be due to
the Father, in whom rests the wisdom and the might to lead his people and take
care of his Joseph F. Smith (president from 1901 to 1918) (2000-2001 Priesthood/R.S. Manual - page 222) Indeed, in
the history of the church there have been many instances where the church was
in a paradoxical situation, meaning no matter which direction the church took,
it was the wrong direction. Yet in the
history of this church the prophet, under the direction of the Savior, has
never made a bad decision. In the
business and corporate world, my observations have led me to conclude that it
is rare when a corporation will have three competent presidents in a row. But in this church, the church has not only
had 16 highly competent leaders in a row, over a period of more than 175 years,
but none of them has made a single bad decision. This is not
because these men were geniuses; it is because they were and are under the
constant guidance of the Savior. It is
the Savior who makes the decisions in this church and the Savior does not make
bad decisions. He is the genius behind
this work. We As Individuals Knowing
that the church cannot fall and that the church cannot be led astray, the same
cannot be said for the individuals in the church. There are also eternal truths that apply at
the level of the individual. "The devil is ready to blind
our eyes with the things of this world, and he would gladly rob us of eternal
life, the greatest of all gifts. But it is not given to the devil, and no power
will ever be given to him to overthrow any Latter-Day Saint that is keeping the
commandments of God. There is no power given to the adversary of men's souls to
destroy us if we are doing our duty. If we are not absolutely honest with God,
then we let the bars down, then we have destroyed part of the fortifications by
which we are protected, and the devil may come in. But no man has ever lost the
testimony of the Gospel, no man has ever turned to the right or to the left,
who had the knowledge of the truth, who was attending to his duties, who was
keeping the Word of Wisdom, who was paying his tithing, who was responding to
the calls and duties of his office and callings in the Church. There are some who are forever
asking to know what the Lord wants of them, and who seem to be hesitating on
that account. I am thoroughly convinced that all the Lord wants of you and me
or of any other man or woman in the Church is for us to perform our full duty
and keep the commandments of God. You find me a man that attends his
quorum meetings, that performs his duties in the ward in which he lives, that
honestly pays his tithing, and I will find you a man full of the spirit of God
and growing and increasing in the testimony of the Gospel. On the other hand, you find me a man
that has seen angels, that has had wonderful manifestations, that has seen
devils cast out, that has gone to the ends of the earth and preached the
Gospel, and yet who is failing to keep the commandments of God, and I will find
you a man that is criticizing the Lord’s anointed, and finding fault with what
the President does, with where he goes, what he engages in and how he administers
the affairs of the Church. …" Heber J. Grant (2004 Priesthood/R.S. Manual - pages 27-28) Popularity One of the
great tests of the youth of the church is to decide between popularity and
keeping the commandments. For some, it
is an easy decision. For others, it is a
difficult decision. The late President
James E. Faust, of the First Presidency, stated the following: “I think we will witness increasing
evidence of Satan's power as the … It is not good practice to become
intrigued by Satan and his mysteries. No good can come from getting close to
evil. Like playing with fire, it is too easy to get burned: "The knowledge
of sin tempteth to its commission." The only safe course is to keep well
distanced from him and any of his wicked activities or nefarious practices. The
mischief of devil worship, sorcery, witchcraft, voodooism, casting spells,
black magic, and all other forms of demonism should always be avoided. However, President Brigham Young
(1801–77) said that it is important to "study . . . evil, and its
consequences. … The First Presidency described
Satan: "He is working under such perfect disguise that many do not
recognize either him or his methods. There is no crime he would not commit, no
debauchery he would not set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would
not break, no life he would not take, no soul he would not destroy. He comes as
a thief in the night; he is a wolf in sheep's clothing." Satan is the
world's master in the use of flattery, and he knows the great power of speech,
a power his servants often employ. He has always been one of the great forces
of the world." President James E. Faust, Ensign, January, 2007 From the
above quotes it is clear that no member of the church needs to be concerned
with the direction of the top leadership of the church. These things are in the hands of Christ and
Christ cannot be deceived (see 2 Nephi 9:41). It is our
individual lives we need to be constantly concerned about. As President Faust said: "[Satan] is
working under such perfect disguise that many do not recognize either him or
his methods. There is no crime he would not commit, no debauchery he would not
set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would not break, no life he
would not take, no soul he would not destroy. He comes as a thief in the night;
he is a wolf in sheep's clothing." There is
also no false doctrine he would not use to weaken and undermine the faith of an
individual. |