"Would God that all the Lord's people were Prophets": Part 12

Big Bad Wolf

In Part 10 of this Series, we looked at the sweet "fruits" of prophets ― the figs and grapes (truth and light) they feed the children of God.

I'd like to flip that around, and see what bad fruits come from imposter-prophets. 

What worm-riddled, rotten fruit ― the "thorns and thistles" (Matt. 7:16) of priestcraft ― do we find today? 

Since the Lord Jesus warned us to "beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15), we'd better keep our eyes peeled.

This post is timely, I think, because the Lord said false prophets in the last days would, "if it were possible, deceive the very elect" (Matt. 24:24).

And so, with no further ado, I present my Top Ten List for detecting a bad apple.

TOP TEN WAYS OF SPOTTING A FALSE PROPHET

#10.  "Wells Without Water"

Who better to start us off than Peter, who was intimately acquainted with an apostle's job description?

Peter gave a truly graphic portrait of false prophets, cautioning the Church:

   There were false prophets
   also among the people,
   even as there shall be false teachers
   among you, who privily shall bring
   in damnable heresies.

(2 Peter 2:1)

Peter, watch your language!  So how will we tell who these "false prophets and teachers" are? 

Peter gives us the following signs to watch out for:

   a.   "Feigned words" (2:3)

   (Example:  Claiming the 2015 policy forbidding baptism to children of gay couples was a product of "God's love for his children." (Russell M. Nelson, "The Love and Laws of God," Sept. 17, 2019)

   b.  "Make merchandise of you" (2:3)

   (Example:  "We preach tithing to the poor people of the world because the poor people of the world have had cycles of poverty, generation after generation.  That same poverty continues from one generation to another, until people pay their tithing."  (Russell M. Nelson, address to Saints in Nairobi, Kenya, April 16, 2018.)

   c.  "Exercised with covetous practices" (2:14)

   (Example: “If paying tithing means that you can’t pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If paying tithing means that you can’t pay your rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means that you don’t have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing." (Ensign, December 2012)

   (2nd Example: "Bishop Caussé said . . . when people cannot afford to pay tithing and buy food, they are counseled to pay tithing and let the Church help them with food." (Church News, Feb. 14, 2020)

   d.  "Forsaken the right way and are gone astray" (2:15)

   (Example:  "Our peace, safety and salvation lie in following the prophet." (Gordon B. Hinckley, Tri-Stake regional conference, September 1, 1994, as reported in Deseret News).  Did he mean Christ?

   e.  And here is my favorite: they are "wells without water" (2:17)

   (Example:  "Demanding revelation from God is both arrogant and unproductive. Instead, we wait on the Lord and His timetable to reveal His truths through the means that He has established."  (Dale G. Renlund, "Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny," April 2022)

What is a "Well Without Water?"

When we are thirsty, dying of dehydration (spiritually speaking), we go to a well to find relief.  

A well is a source of clean, pure drinking water.

But what a terrible tease!  Imagine a well, sitting right there, pretending to be a source of life-giving water, when in fact it is empty.

We draw up the bucket and find only dust.

Notice that this well Peter describes is not just dirty, filled with dead flies floating on top, in the hopes we can filter the water and make it potable.  No, the well is dried up.

Look!  There are throngs of people thirsting after righteousness, lining up at the well, only to find . . . nothing.

False prophets, you see, offer truth that cannot quench our thirst; they pretend to be a source of life-giving light but their buckets run dry.

One of the reasons people are leaving the Church is because we have administrative Prophets, Seers, and Revelators who possess the title but not the gifts.

As I heard someone once remark, "So what are we paying these guys for?!"

#9.  "Like foxes in the desert"

Now let's see why Ezekiel says false prophets are like "foxes in the deseret."  Excuse me, I meant, "foxes in the desert."

   O Israel, thy prophets are like
   the foxes in the deserts.

   Ye have NOT gone up into the gaps,
   neither made up the hedge
   for the house of Israel
   to stand in the battle
   in the day of the Lord.

(Ezekiel 13:4-5)

Notice (in the picture above) that desert foxes have huge ears.  It is like they're signaling to others, "I have great hearing!"

False prophets want us to believe they hear the voice of God, so they make a big pretense of themselves, marking their territory with urine as foxes.

We all know that foxes are sly creatures, but did you know that desert foxes are nocturnal?  They can't stand the heat of the day.

Maybe this is what Ezekiel is alluding to when he condemns these pretenders who "have NOT gone up into the gaps."

What Does it Mean to "Go up into the Gap?"

In battle, when there is a breach in the wall of your city, you send your best soldiers to stop the invaders from entering through the gap. 

These mighty, brave men and women stand in the gap (where it is unsafe and they are vulnerable to the enemies' arrows), using their bodies as shields, willing to die in order to protect the vulnerable and powerless behind the walls.

Contrast these soldiers in Christ's army with those who recline in the castle keep, the kings and lords who let others do the hard labor and dangerous work.

I think Ezekiel is saying to the leaders of his time, "In our hour of greatest spiritual peril, you were busy flogging your critics in the dungeon while the walls were breached and the enemy was at the gates; you cast out and slew our best men and women who warned you of the danger, insisting "all is well, yea, all is well in Zion."

Modern Example

Foxes in the desert live by "rules for thee but not for me," eschewing the Savior's call to leave their nets and become fishers of men; to leave their fishing enterprises behind and to feed His sheep without purse or scrip or worldly entanglement.

   (Example:  "A church spokesperson said late Monday that Elder Gary E. Stevenson had received a special dispensation from church authorities, resulting from his legacy shareholdings and his role as a co-founder of the corporation [i-FIT] . . . which would raise the value of Stevenson’s current stock holdings in iFIT to $911.9 million."  (HJNews, October 12, 2021, "Debut stock offering by Logan-based iFIT could make Latter-day Saint apostle almost a billionaire.")

I guess being a billionaire fisherman really is the best of all worlds!

INTERMISSION

​Even though I am using modern examples, I do not wish to criticize anyone for being imperfect or human.  I am a jumble of contradictions and shortcomings and consider myself chief among sinners.

As I did in my post about Brigham Young, I am trying to highlight ways we can become better in the hope we will repent and reform our doctrines and practices to better reflect the Lord's law and His gospel.

We expect a lot of ourselves.  Why not expect better from our leaders?

As I wrote in my poem, Beware, I don't doubt the sincerity of the Brethren. 

I believe they're doing what they think is best, though I am frequently stymied on why they've chosen this course: one in which the membership is required to be dependent upon their leadership rather than becoming spiritually self-reliant upon the Lord.

If we came to earth to learn to become like God, then why do the Brethren infantilize the faith?  Why nurse us with the milk of carnal security instead of nourishing us with the beef-and-potatoes of Christ's holy word?  

Anyway, this is why I try to focus on the issues and not the people.

BEWARE

​False prophets
     believe,
pretenders are
     sincere─

The best way
     to deceive
is to make it
     your career.

 . . . to be continued . . .  

(We still have 8 more to go)