The Church of Jesus Christ is a church of revelation. We have a current Prophet who speaks to God, and reveals His doctrine to us. He can see what is to come and prepare us before it happens.
I repeated these words over and over on my mission. I explained to converts the importance of Latter-Day revelation. What I failed to mention was the lack of such revelation in the Latter Days.
The church has not canonized a revelation in over 100 years.
By canonized, I mean added to the standard works, as true, supported scripture. In the early days of the church, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and even John Taylor were hastily adding revelations to the Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph Smith recorded hundreds of revelations in the very words of the Savior and added them to our standard works of scripture. He recorded revelations in answer to questions, in response to dissent amongst members; he recorded messages from the Lord, calling the saints on missions; he recorded every word the Lord spoke on polygamy, baptisms, and the afterlife.
Where has the revelation gone?
Members of the church will sit as families to watch the biannual General Conference of the Church, a meeting where revelation should be plentiful. But what do they receive? Just endless repeated words of correction and quotation of other leaders. There is no revelation. There are no new words of Jesus Christ, as there were in the early days of the Church. These men do not speak to Christ.
What is the point of a religion which preaches a Prophet, a Seer, and a Revelator, who does no prophesying, no seeing into the future, and no revealing? Joseph, it seems, would be ashamed of the current leadership and their lack of revelation.
What is worse than receiving no revelation at all, is claiming to receive revelation which later happens to be wrong. This exact event occurred in 2019, under the leadership of the Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.
In 2015, the church, through revelation, made this change to the handbook:
“A natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether the couple is married or cohabiting, may not receive a name and a blessing.
A natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether the couple is married or cohabiting, may be baptized and confirmed, ordained, or recommended for missionary service only as follows:
A mission president or a stake president may request approval from the Office of the First Presidency to baptize and confirm, ordain, or recommend missionary service for a child of a parent who has lived or is living in a same-gender relationship when he is satisfied by personal interviews that both of the following requirements are met:
The child accepts and is committed to live the teachings and doctrine of the Church, and specifically disavows the practice of same-gender cohabitation and marriage.
The child is of legal age and does not live with a parent who has lived or currently lives in a same-gender cohabitation relationship or marriage.” [1]
The policy went even further, citing same-sex relations as apostasy warranting a disciplinary hearing:
“When a Disciplinary Council is Mandatory:
Apostasy
As used here, apostasy refers to members who:
- Repeatedly act in clear, open, and deliberate public opposition to the Church or its leaders.
- Persist in teaching as Church doctrine information that is not Church doctrine after they have been corrected by their bishop or a higher authority.Continue to follow the teachings of apostate sects (such as those that advocate plural marriage) after being corrected by their bishop or a higher authority.Are in a same-gender marriage.
- Formally join another church and advocate its teachings.” [2]
This revelation was devastating to many members. Mass resignations followed. In response to the backlash, Russell M. Nelson further emphasized the source of this doctrine being the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
“This prophetic process was followed … with the recent additions to the Church’s handbook, consequent to the legalization of same-sex marriage in some countries. Filled with compassion for all, and especially for the children, we wrestled at length to understand the Lord’s will in this matter. Ever mindful of God’s plan of salvation and of His hope for eternal life for each of His children, we considered countless permutations and combinations of possible scenarios that could arise. We met repeatedly in the temple in fasting and prayer and sought further direction and inspiration. And then, when the Lord inspired His prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, to declare the mind of the Lord and the will of the Lord, each of us during that sacred moment felt a spiritual confirmation. It was our privilege as Apostles to sustain what had been revealed to President Monson. Revelation from the Lord to His servants is a sacred process.” [3]
The change was revelation. It was literally called that by a Prophet of the Lord. This fact makes the 2019 policy change problematic.
Just four years into the lifespan of what might have been Nelson’s first revelation, during the leadership meeting prior to General Conference, (when the majority of members were not listening,) the church instituted this change:
“Effective immediately, children of parents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender may be baptized without First Presidency approval if the custodial parents give permission for the baptism and understand both the doctrine that a baptized child will be taught and the covenants he or she will be expected to make.” [4]
“Previously, our handbook characterized same-gender marriage by a member as apostasy. While we still consider such a marriage to be a serious transgression, it will not be treated as apostasy for purposes of Church discipline.”
“These policy changes come after an extended period of counseling with our brethren in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and after fervent, united prayer to understand the will of the Lord on these matters.” [5]
The 2015 revelation, the literal “Will of the Lord” had changed. This rare glimpse into prophetic revelation turned out to be a false one.
How are we to know that a Prophet is a Prophet? What distinguishes a false Prophet from a true one?
In answer to this question, the Lord Himself said:
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.” [6]
What fruits are these? Are they good works? No. If that were all that made a Prophet distinguishable, you and I would be prophets as much as the president of the Church is a Prophet. The fruits that Christ speaks of must then be the Prophet’s prophetic fruits. In this case, we can discern a Prophet by their prophecies, by their revelations, and by their future-seeing and warning. A Prophet must have fruits—signs—that they are a Prophet, or else they are not Prophets but charlatans; ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing. Christ himself said it.
We must ask ourselves two questions, then:
Did Joseph Smith have prophetic fruits? And secondly, do the current prophets have prophetic fruits?
If Joseph had prophetic fruits, and God does not change, then current prophets, if they are prophets as they claim, must have similar fruits.
Joseph’s Prophetic Fruits
- The Book of Mormon
Joseph claimed to have found golden plates in the woods, upon which were inscribed ancient scripture. He claimed to have translated these plates using a seer stone (which same stone current Church leaders still possess.) The translation is what we have today, known as “The Book of Mormon.”
2. The Doctrine and Covenants:
Taken as a whole, The Doctrine and Covenants are primarily composed of Revelations received by Joseph, written in the voice of the Lord. During his tenure as Prophet, Joseph received and canonized over 100 revelations. These revelations were as detailed as descriptions of Heaven, or as simple as a warning against traveling on or near bodies of water.
According to Orson Pratt, these revelations were often recorded using the same seer stone that was used to translate the Book of Mormon.
“…the circumstances under which revelations were received by Joseph . . . he [Elder Pratt]being present on several occasions of the kind…. At such times Joseph used the ‘seer stone’ when inquiring of the Lord, and receiving revelations, but that he was so thoroughly endowed with the inspiration of the Almighty and the spirit of revelation that he often received them without any instrument or other means than the operation of the spirit upon his mind” [7]
David Whitmer corroborated this statement, saying:
“Brother Joseph giving the revelations of 1829 through the same stone through which the Book was translated.” [8]
3. The Book of Abraham
The second book of scripture which Joseph translated was the Book of Abraham. Joseph received several scrolls from a traveling mummy-salesman. The scrolls, Joseph claimed, contained the words of Abraham the Prophet, “written by his own hand, upon papyrus.”[9]
While much has been speculated concerning the truthfulness of Joseph’s claims, the Church then and now continues to support the Book of Abraham as true scripture.
4. The Civil War
In 1843, Joseph Smith recorded this prophecy concerning the Civil War:
“I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina. It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832.” [10]
This prophecy did, in fact, come true. It is still canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants.
5. The Time of the Second Coming
In the same recorded revelation, Joseph claimed to have received revelation concerning the time of the Second Coming.
“I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following: Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter.” [11]
While this prophecy did not come true in the literal sense, the Prophet did (as current leadership claims) see the face of the Lord, as he died just a year later.
6. Porter Rockwell’s Safety
Porter Rockwell served as a sort of “enforcer” or security officer for the church in its early days. The Prophet Joseph is claimed to have prophesied concerning the man’s safety:
“I prophesy, in the name of the Lord, you—Orrin Porter Rockwell—so long as ye shall remain loyal and true to thy faith, need fear no enemy. Cut not thy hair, and no bullet or blade can harm thee.” [12]
Though he was repeatedly tried with murder, and committed terrible, violent crimes with permission from, and in the name of the Church, Porter Rockwell died in prison of natural causes.
7. Emma Smith’s Plural Marriage Commandment:
As a Prophet of God, Joseph Smith took to wife over 30 women. He was sealed to at least 20 women before his sealing to Emma. In order to convince Emma to accept the law of polygamy, Joseph received this revelation:
“And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God…And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.” [13]
8. David W. Patten’s Mission Service
In April 1838, Joseph received a revelation, prophesying that David Patten would serve a mission the following spring.
“Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world.” [14]
Unfortunately, this mission never happened. David Patten was shot and killed just six months later, on October 25, 2838. The prophecy, for whatever reason, did not come to pass. Joseph was unafraid to give copious revelations, even if those revelations did not come true. Church leaders today live in fear of a revelation being false. Thus, they say nothing, and let their prophetic power pass away.
What predictions have recent prophets made which have come true? What predictions have they made at all? What revelations have they recorded in the words of the Lord?
Why is revelation so hard to come by now? Has God silenced himself?
If the early LDS church was one of rapid, constant revelation in the voice of the Lord, why is the modern church so different? We have the seer stone. We have the Urim and Thummim. If the church of today is the same church of yesterday, we should experience the same flow of revelation. That is the point of a prophet. That is the point of the restoration.
In the next section, I will discuss the revelations received by modern Church Prophets.
[1] Shill, Aaron. “LDS Church Reaffirms Doctrine of Marriage, Updates Policies on Families in Same-Sex Marriages.” Deseret News, 5 Nov. 2015
[2] Handbook 1, 6.7.3, 2015 edition, as reported by The Daily Universe, BYU’s news-printing publication
[3] “President Nelson Explains Origins of the Handbook Change.” The Church of Jesus Christ: Newsroom, 8 Jan. 2016
[4] “Policy Changes Announced for Members in Gay Marriages, Children of LGBT Parents,” The Church of Jesus Christ: Newsroom, April 4, 2019;
The news article in which this was originally published has been removed by the Church. While it is unclear why, the secretive way in which this information was released (i.e. a leadership meeting held prior to General Conference) and the unexplained deletion of the public reversal itself suggest a possibly sinister cause.
[5] See Page 43, footnote ii.
[7]“Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith,” Millennial Star, 40 (16 Dec. 1878): 787
[8] David Whitmer, Believers in the Book of Mormon, p. 3
[9] “The Book of Abraham,” The Pearl of Great Price, p. 29
[10] Doctrine and Covenants 130:12, 13
The actual prophetic nature of this prophesy has been questioned. The concept of a violent dispute regarding slavery was not uncommon. In fact, just four days before Joseph made his prophecy, a neighboring city published its own prophecy in its newspaper: “We have just terminated an election which it is feared may be the last that will be ever held under the present form of government, and many, we might say most, of the ablest men in our nation, have uttered their misgivings. In the brief interval, since that election commenced, the possibilities of dismemberment have increased, and our dangers thickened.”
“The Crisis,” The Painesville Telegraph, December 21, 1832
I mention this prophecy only to suggest that the prophecy was made, not that it was necessarily truly prophetic; modern prophets are far less keen to make any public comment on any specific future event. It is also worth mentioning that Joseph’s similar “Civil War Prophecy” in Doctrine and Covenants 87 claims that Great Brittain would join the American Civil War, a prophecy which did not come to pass.
[11] Doctrine and Covenants 130: 14, 15
[12] Harold Schindler, Orrin Porter Rockwell: Man of God, Son of Thunder [Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1966], 108-9
There does not appear to be a primary source for this prophesy, though it was mentioned by many Saints who were close to Joseph and faithful to the Church. (See Memories and Experiences of James Jepson, Jr., 1944, p. 7; See also Autobiography of George Washington Bean, a Utah pioneer of 1847, and his family records, Salt Lake City, 1945, p. 175)
