The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the focus of members’ desires, thoughts, and actions. Yet in order to understand the Church’s teaching about the Savior, the Atonement, and every other facet of the Gospel, it is first necessary to understand the Latter-day Saint view of revelation and prophets, for we believe it is through prophets and apostles both ancient and modern that Christ reveals His word and guides His church.
From the beginning God has revealed His will to men on earth. This divine communication between God and mankind is known as revelation. In the scriptures we find examples of two different kinds of revelation: personal revelation between Heavenly Father and a single individual, and (for lack of a better term) public revelation, or revelation between Heavenly Father and a community of believers through the medium of a prophet. This principle of divine direction was operative throughout the history recorded in the Bible. During the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught, “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matt. 7:7 KJV) Our Lord’s directions are explicit: communication with God is not only possible, it is a commandment, one that if followed will yield answers by revelation. Now, it can be argued that this verse refers only to personal revelation through individual prayer, which is a point I concede. But at the same time, the verse also establishes that the heavens are open and communication with God is possible. If God can speak to one person, why can he not speak to many?
The Bible is explicit in its affirmation that revelation is necessary for the preservation of mankind: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). Without revelation, we cannot survive . . . our ability to draw near to God both personally and as a community is destroyed. Thankfully, the Lord has provided the faithful of all ages with prophets to lead and guide them. It is through His chosen messengers, the prophets, that God has told us He will guide His people. “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7 KJV)
That God called prophets to guide His people during the Old Testament is an incontrovertible fact. Abraham was called out of lands of his forefathers; Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt where he prophesied to Pharaoh and saved the land from destruction; the Lord spoke to Moses out of the burning bush and through him brought Israel out of bondage; men like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Jonas were all called to preach repentance to mankind. Latter-day Saints believe, like the writer of Hebrews, that “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” (Heb. 13:8 KJV); indeed, the Lord himself has proclaimed that “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6 KJV).
If Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus “change not”, it would be logical to assume that their method of communicating with the world has not changed either. But what is the duty of a prophet? Many people assume that prophets predict the future, foretelling events years, even centuries, in advance of their happening. While prophets can and do foretell future events, this is not their primary responsibility. John the Revelator taught that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev. 19:10 KJV) Prophets are preachers and testifiers of Christ above all else. Their purpose is to spread His gospel and to guide His children to their Lord and Savior.
Thus far, we have established that revelation is the divinely appointed means of communication between God and the world, that prophets are the duly appointed liaisons between Heavenly Father and His Church, that prophets were called to direct and lead believers during both Old and New Testament times, and finally that the primary duty of prophets is to preach of Christ. One question remains: are prophets a necessary part of Christ’s modern church? The scriptures answer in the affirmative. While the idea of modern prophets may seem strange, there is ample evidence that the New Testament Christians were comfortable with the idea of prophets in the Latter-days. Again we refer to John the Revelator, who foretold the coming of “two witnesses” that would “prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Rev. 11:3 KJV). John found no contradiction in the fact that two prophets would be sent to teach the world in the last days. But the most telling evidence comes from the writings of Paul:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph. 4:11-13 KJV)
Has the world “come in the unity of the faith”? Has mankind gained unity in “the knowledge of the Son of God”? If not, the Apostle states unequivocally that we have need of prophets and apostles to guide and teach us. Prophets, according to the Bible, will be a part of Christ’s church until all the world is united in common belief and practice, worshiping the Lord and Savior.
