"For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,(my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed."
It might be good at this point for us to remember something very important about the Book of Mormon.
When Nephi was making a second set of plates which he refers to in 1 Nephi 19, which are the plates that comprise the Book of Mormon up to Words of Mormon, he said this concerning his record.
"...I Nephi received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them should be written upon these plates...I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred..." (1 Nephi 19:3, 5-6)
Because Nephi plainly stated that he did not record anything on plates unless he felt them sacred, should we consider that this reference to many prophets coming to Jerusalem is something that ought to be looked at?
What could we learn from this?
The Prophet Mormon asked a very important question.
"And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them. Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing;..." (Moroni 7:20-25)
According to the prophet Mormon, faith in Christ is the way to lay hold upon every good thing.
We know that faith in Christ is the only way to salvation. (Salvation is a very good thing! :))
Can we reasonably state that everyone in the entire world, being uniquely individual, is at different levels of exercising faith in Christ? (From the level of zero faith or unbelief through belief to faith and on to the level of faith where they have come to the perfect day and they are passing from faith to knowledge where they now know for themselves like the brother of Jared having come face to face with the Lord.)
Why would God have "divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good" unless He was and is seeking to reach every one of His children at every level in order to invite them all to come to Him and lay hold upon every good thing?
Mormon is very clear in his teaching that prophets are one of the divers means that God uses to try and get through to His children.
Why?
Could all of God's children at all levels of unbelief, belief or faith understand or bear or give heed to heavenly instructors?
What kind of condemnation would come upon those who, because of unbelief or mere belief or weak faith, if they received something from a heavenly visitor chose not to heed what they had received?
The prophets, who are mortal, are able to teach those who are on the lowest levels where God and angels cannot teach.
How did Adam and Eve progress from the fall to where they had knowledge?
"And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord." (Moses 5:4-5)
They first heard the voice of the Lord,one of His divers ways, and were obedient to His voice.
"And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me." (Moses 5:6)
The angel then proceeded to teach them. (Moses 5:8)
Then they had greater learning given to them as the Holy Ghost fell upon them and they were able to prophesy.(Moses 5:9-11)
They rose level by level in faith by giving diligent heed to what they had received from the diverse ways that God used to reach them.
This is the pattern described in Alma chapter 12.
"...It is given to many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." (Alma 12: 9-10)
Adam and Eve gave heed and diligence to the words of God they had received. Consequently, they were given the greater portion of the word until they knew the mysteries of God in full.
Now they were prophets. So What? What now?
Adam and Eve had children who were at a lower level of faith in Christ and so now they were sent by God to teach them. They became preachers of righteousness.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters." (Moses 5:12)
The continuing story relates the sad tale that their children did not receive what Adam and Eve were teaching them.(Moses 5:13)
We could ask, "Why didn't God just speak to the children from the garden like He did with their parents? Wouldn't they surely have believed then?"
Because their children didn't listen, did that mean that the message Adam and Eve delivered didn't have the same authority as if God Himself had declared it to their children?
It is important to consider this because this deals with the idea of whether a message from prophets like Adam and Eve is binding or not and if it is as persuasive as if God Himself were giving the message.
Concerning the persuasiveness of God's message: If we look to the example of the New Testament we can see that those of the Priests and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the common folk who would not accept the words of the prophets found in the scriptures would also not accept the words of Christ even though He, their God who performed marvelous miracles among the people, was right there in front of them speaking the words.
If people will not accept a message sent by God through a true servant then they would not accept it if God Himself were to declare it personally.
Also,
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)
When one is truly sent by God, with His message, his/her words hold just as much weight, if those words are faithfully delivered with exactness, as if God Himself were present speaking those words.
So this divers way God uses, the way of declaring unto prophets by His own mouth about the coming of Christ, for manifesting things which are good unto the children of men is critically important.
Mormon, speaking of the ministration of angels declared,
"And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof;..."(Moroni 7:31-32)
Those who have exercised sufficient faith in order to receive the word of Christ from the angels are sent to testify of Christ, what they have personally received, in order that the way may be prepared for the residue of men (ie. those who are not yet at this level of faith) to have faith in Christ so that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts as well as in the hearts of those who are sent.
Those who are sent are referred to as "chosen vessels". What does that mean?
Is it an exclusive club? Does it come with power over others and special perks or money?
"Behold there are many called but, but few are chosen" (D&C 121:34)
"Many called" would seem to suggest that God would like a lot of true prophets testifying of Him (men, women and children); that it is not meant to be an exclusive club. Why then are there only a few chosen vessels?
"...And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-- That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men in any degree of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." (D&C 121:34-37)
It would appear that we are the ones who, by our own choices, make this an exclusive group or not.
To understand this a little better let's look at the definition of the powers of heaven so we can understand what it means when the heavens withdraw themselves.
Mormon stated that chosen vessels receive the word of Christ from angels.
In Moses 7: 27 Enoch gives us another title for these angels.
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion."
Enoch uses the term powers of heaven as a proper noun, a title for angels. They are the "powers of heaven". They are the ones who caught up individuals to Zion.
Any right a person has to a connection with "priesthood" is determined by their association with the powers of heaven or the angels, and ultimately their personal association with God the Father.
It is beginning to look like priesthood has much more to do with an association with the divine than with a position of power and respect.(a topic for another time)
How many prophets in the Book of Mormon began or stated in a sermon that what they were teaching had been delivered to them by an angel?
When anyone chooses to cover their sins or to gratify their pride or vain ambition or if they seek to have authority over others in order to compel others to obey them (ie. appealing to authority, position or office to compel or coerce obedience to their words) then the Lord has declared that His Spirit is offended and the heavens, or angels, withdraw.
We, by our own choices, by our soft or hard hearts, determine if we are made chosen vessels and are given more of the word of Christ by the angels until we know His mysteries in full, like Adam and Eve, or if we desire the things of this world and aspire to the honors of men and receive less and less until we know nothing concerning God's mysteries.
Many are called. God calls to all.
Those who, with diligence and heed, respond and exercise faith in Christ are chosen.
Then they are sent like Adam and Eve to be prophets, to preach repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads." (D&C 88:81)
Here is an example of this with King Benjamin.
"I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave,..."
Who did King Benjamin get his message from? He was not on his own errand.
King Benjamin had been warned. It became him to warn his people so that they were left without excuse with their sins upon their own heads.
He was "sent" with a message delivered to him by an angel to do just that.
Those who are chosen are not jealous or envious of the situation they are in. They want everyone to be in the same situation.
"And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 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!" (Numbers 11:24-29)
Jeremiah, one of the many prophets at Jerusalem, prophesied of a future time when Moses' desire will take place.
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:..." (Jeremiah 31: 33-34)
Jeremiah prophesied that one day there will be an entire people, small though they may be, who will have finally learned that handling the powers of heaven, or having communion with the angels, is connected with their individual righteousness and desire to do no more than persuade others and have long suffering for others and use gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge with others. They will choose to live this way to the point that they will all be prophets and they will all know Christ. They will all be chosen vessels.
What can we assume their task will be?
If we are to understand that those who are made chosen vessels are to follow what the Lord declared in section 121 in order to maintain a connection to the powers of heaven, who declare to them the word of Christ, would we expect to find "chosen vessels" in any of the religious, economic, or political hierarchical power structures of the world? (All of which ultimately appeal to position, office or authority to compel obedience)
Remember that once a person in any way seeks to cover sins or to gratify pride or to fulfill their vain ambitions or to exercise compulsion on (coerce) another person in any way they are cut off from heaven.
That is a serious matter!!!
Christ declared:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:5-6)
When someone is cut off they can do nothing. They have no message sent from heaven. They are withered.
If they claim to speak in the name of God they are taking His name in vain having no authority. He has not given them any message. They are on their own errand but they are falsely declaring that what they are doing is from God.
What they have to give will damn a person because it will not lead to faith in Christ.
Could we reasonably assume then that real prophets of God, those who qualify to receive the word of Christ from the powers of heaven and are then sent by God Himself to declare that word, will be found outside of any and all hierarchical or power structures?
Do the scriptures bear this out? Were prophets outsiders?
Let's consider just a few examples.
Was Abraham an outsider to all the religious, political, etc. structures of his day? They tried to sacrifice him on an altar.
How about Elijah? The powers of his day wanted him dead.
How about Jeremiah and the many prophets at Jerusalem when Lehi was there? Jeremiah was dropped into a deep pit up to his knees in mud and many of the others were cast out and/or killed.
What about Lehi? He's not a priest or a Levite he's just an ordinary guy from Manasseh. They wanted to kill him.
How about Abinadi? He comes out of nowhere. He was rejected and killed.
How about King Benjamin? He was called king but worked with his own hands for a living.
He didn't exercise any authority over anyone.
What about Alma the Elder? He was cast out of King Noah's court before becoming a prophet. They tried to kill him.
How about Alma the younger and Amulek? Alma the younger rejected political authority to preach the word of God. He and Amulek suffered in prison and under threat of death.
What about Samuel the Lamanite? There is already a true prophet among the Nephites but Samuel comes out of nowhere and they try to kill him.
Here is a huge one!
How about the Lord Himself?
Isaiah prophesied concerning the Lord,
"...when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53: 2-3)
The Lord came and held no position of power and authority that would be considered beautiful and that would cause any to desire to accept His message for that reason.
Almost all who held ecclesiastical and political power rejected the Lord's message. They ultimately crucified Him for it.
The scriptures make it clear that because of the way the chosen vessels, of necessity, must live their lives and the way they must deliver the messages given them by God, using nothing but persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge, that makes them easy to be rejected persecuted and many ultimately killed.
It would seem that God does not want anyone to follow a message He sends because the person declaring it has some kind of earthly authority or bona-fides. He desires people to heed His messages because the messages contain truth and light on their own having only to be expressed.
The Prophet Joseph taught,
"The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves "in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth," and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.205)
We can learn from this account, written by Nephi, as we read further that Lehi was one of the always few individuals who found light and truth in the messages that God sent. He decided to heed the words of the many prophets sent to Jerusalem and repent.
(SPOILER ALERT)
We will see shortly what that repentance led to. It follows the pattern of the divers ways God imparts His word unto the children of men from the beginning.
Lehi received the benefit of accepting what the Lord was offering.
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
God, who is merciful, always offers a way out of destruction before it occurs. He infinitely loves all His children on all levels of the belief and faith spectrum.
God was about to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and so He sent chosen vessels, His prophets of which Lehi eventually became one, to prophesy of the destruction, to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ.
God followed this pattern all throughout the Book of Mormon; calling chosen vessels and giving them a message to deliver to prophesy to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ before any destruction took place.
God, who is unchanging, follows the same pattern today.
The message God sent was always accepted by relatively few.
Should we expect it to be any different today?
If a message is received with wild acclaim, praise and adulation is that proof that it is of God?
Even with King Benjamin's words to his people, what was the initial response to what he declared?
All of these things are things that ought to be considered as we think of the many prophets who were at Jerusalem during the time of Lehi.
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