Are You a Prophet?
When Joseph Smith was asked if he were a prophet, he declared,
"Yes, and every other man who has the testimony of Jesus. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.--Revelation, 19:10th verse." – TPJS Section Three 1838-39, p.119
He also explained that we cannot minister the gospel without being a prophet, whether we are Missionaries, Bishops, Gospel Doctrine Teachers, Home and Visiting Teachers or even simply parents teaching our children.
"Salvation cannot come without revelation; it is in vain for anyone to minister without it. No man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a Prophet. No man can be a minister of Jesus Christ except he has the testimony of Jesus; and this is the spirit of prophecy. Whenever salvation has been administered, it has been by testimony. Men of the present time testify of heaven and hell, and have never seen either; and I will say that no man knows these things without this." - TPJS Section Four 1839-42, p.160
We understand that most men, women and children in the church do not understand the correlation between having a testimony of Jesus Christ and being a prophet. Nor do they understand that unless they are willing to acknowledge that they are prophets, they are NOT qualified to teach others the gospel principles be it a Sacrament Meeting talk, Gospel Doctrine Class, Primary lesson or any other effort in the name of the Lord. This is because if they are not a prophet and they are teaching others in the name of Christ, then they must be an impostor. No one can speak in the name of Jesus Christ without being a prophet/prophetess.
"What Constitutes a Prophet? - If any person should ask me if I were a prophet, I should not deny it, as that would give me the lie; for, according to John, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy; therefore, if I profess to be a witness or teacher, and have not the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I must be a false witness; but if I be a true teacher and witness, I must possess the spirit of prophecy, and that constitutes a prophet; and any man who says he is a teacher or a preacher of righteousness, and denies the spirit of prophecy, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; and by this key false teachers and impostors may be detected. (Dec. 30, 1842.) DHC 5:215-216." - TPJS Section Five 1842-43, p.269
That being said, because of a lack of knowledge and understanding, we find that members of the church everywhere give lessons, talks, devotionals and even pray in the name of Christ and yet if asked, they would straightway declare themselves not to be a prophet/prophetess.
Only Prophets can have a testimony of Christ because that testimony is received by the spirit of prophecy. That is harder to understand after Christ came simply because it is like gaining a testimony of something that already happened. However, those who gained a testimony of Christ before he came received their testimonies by the same means that we do after the fact. They were prophets because they testified of his coming.
Are we not testifying also of coming events when we teach of forgiveness for sins, the reception of the Holy Ghost, Eternal Progression, Resurrection, Judgment, End-Times preparation and other common lesson topics?
There is no difference between gaining a testimony by personal revelation that Christ came gaining a testimony by personal revelation that Christ will come again. Testimony comes by the spirit of prophecy and through personal revelation.
And that same spirit tells us of things past, present and future. Without having the spirit and testimony we are not qualified to teach or testify and with it, we are prophets.
If we do not have a testimony of gospel doctrines received through personal revelation, then we ought not to be teaching them or we are as Joseph said, “false teachers and impostors”.
Every member of the church should be a prophet because one of the minimum criteria to joining the church is a testimony of Christ. So, this is a church of Prophets.
Moses taught the same principle.
“27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.
28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
29 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!” – Num. 11:27-29
We hear the testimonies of our local “prophets” everywhere; most commonly in Sacrament, Priesthood and Relief Society meetings, Home and Visiting Teaching visits, classes as well as internet forums, religious books and even in the work place.
Some of these prophets teach without a testimony of their own words. That makes them false prophets and impostors, (with good intentions).
Religious circles are not the only place where we find false prophets. False prophets can be found in politics, schools, news and media and even family relations.
Some of these false prophets are harmless. Some we told to beware of because they are “ravening wolves” of whom we are told,
"15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits.
17 Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
18 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
19 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
20 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." - Matt. 7:15-20
This article answers the following questions:
- How can we tell the ravening wolves from the peaceable sheep?
- What are the fruits?
- What does it mean, “grapes of thorns or figs of thistles”?
We have heard may people say, “By their fruits you shall know them, whether they be good or evil”. We have heard people being judged by all sorts of “Fruits”, all of which could easily condemn the righteous. Although, there are many ways people use this scripture, the fruit is generally translated to be undesirable situations, unacceptable actions or even how we feel about them or their message.
We often make judgments according to what we feel or believe is right saying, “the fruit is Bad” or “the fruit is Good” because it is agreeable or disagreeable to our current understanding, desires or beliefs.
In this article we will briefly explore some of the more common interpretations of this scripture and apply those interpretations to both the wicked and the righteous to see how well they are able to separate the sheep from the wolves.