About the need for prophets and modern revelation

If I were to ask people today to name people who are/were prophets, I'm sure I would get answers like: Moses, Isaiah, and some of the other names from the Old Testament of the Bible. Back in Biblical times, prophets acted as a mouthpiece of God. In the Bible Dictionary about prophets, we read, "The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God's messenger and make known God's will...He taught men about God's character, showing the full meaning of his dealings with Israel in the past...It was also the prophet's duty to denounce sins and foretell its punishment, and to redress, as far as he could, both public and private wrongs. He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness" (pg 754). And that is exactly what past prophets have done: they told the Israelites direct messages from God, warned them about various cursings that would come if the people continued to sin, and blessings for following God's way. When the people would follow God, as directed through the prophets, they were blessed. However, as we can read time after time in the Old Testament, the people tended to stop trusting the prophets, preferred to do things their own way, and would start sinning. Then the Israelites would be punished, sometimes by different kings taking over the population. One thing that always remained the same is that whenever the people realized they were sinning, and repented, and turned back to God, God would call another prophet to lead them on the righteous path. Each time a major prophet was called in that period, it is known as a dispensation. Whenever the people fell away from God, it is known as an apostasy.

When Jesus Christ was born, He was born in a very special and unique way. He was born of a virgin, who was betrothed to a carpenter. He was born in a manger, because there were no other rooms available for his parents to stay in. On the night of His birth, a new star shone brightly in the sky. Many things dealing with Christ, from His birth, through His ministry, death, and resurrection fulfilled prophecies that were told of old. Jesus also was a prophet. He talked to people about things that God wanted them to know. Obviously, He was much more than just a prophet, He was the Son of God, sent to earth to become Saviour of the world. During Jesus' earthly ministry, He set up His Church. He selected apostles, taught them divine truths, healed the sick, and performed other miracles. After Christ returned to heaven, his apostles were eventually killed off or died. Then, the earth entered into a period known as the Great Apostasy. Many churches were created, all of which tried to take things they had learned from the Bible, and make them a reality. Unfortunately, none of them had the entire picture. An illustration to demonstrate this can be done using a mirror. Christ's original Church is that mirror. After He returned to heaven, and all the original disciples died or were killed, the mirror fell and was shattered. Different churches took different pieces of the mirror and tried to put it back together, to recreate what was originally in place. But they still have many differences. (Look at baptism, for example. One church practices that infants must be baptized via sprinkling, another teaches that people should be baptized by immersion, and some practice that baptism is not necessary for salvation, but rather a way to show a desire to follow Christ, and is therefore optional. These can't all be right.) That would lead me to think that if the type of church was on the earth today that was like Christ's original church, that said church would be the same, and all churches would be the same.

This is the same thought that a young boy had. His name was Joseph Smith, and he was the first prophet of this dispensation. He was brought up in a religious family, and went with his parents to different churches. He was earnestly seeking the right church, the true church, because all the churches were teaching different messages. The church should be teaching the same message, like as it says in Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." While Joseph Smith was pondering the different churches, he found a verse from in James that reads, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him" (James 1:5). Joseph Smith decided to do exactly that: he would pray to God and ask Him which church he should join. He went out to a grove of trees, and began to pray to God. Then, a most miraculous thing happened. In Joseph Smith's own words, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...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 spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other-This is my Beloved Son, Hear Him!" (JSH 1:16-17). Joseph Smith was told that he was going to become a prophet, and that he would restore Christ's original church on the earth. And that's what he did. Joseph Smith became the first in a line of prophets that have been called of God. In Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets". Joseph Smith called Apostles, restored the priesthood (to be covered in another blog post), reinstated the sacrament, and other things that were in Christ's original church.

My guess is that many people would disagree that there is a prophet on the earth today. However, we read in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." If Christ is the same, and if Christ's ministry is to be continued on the earth today, it logically makes sense that God would still reveal important truths to us through prophets. I think that it is wonderful that we still have a prophet on the earth today. Having a prophet shows that God still loves us very dearly, and wants to guide us as best as He can through a worthy man that He has called. This means that we aren't left alone with only our scriptures (which are very wonderful and full of truth, but hard to interpret at times), but also with someone who speaks on behalf of God. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson, and he is the head of the Church. I know that the words that he speaks truly are inspired and full of all richness and truth. I know that the Holy Spirit has testified to me the truthfulness of what he speaks, and that I can still learn and grow under the guidance of a prophet. I know that prophets are still needed in this earth today, when so many things of morality are being changed, and people are having a hard time connecting to the Savior. Look to the Prophet; he will guide you back to Christ.

Outside of the Manhattan NY Temple