ELDER SPENCER W. KIMBALL
ADDRESS GIVEN TO THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY STUDENTBODY
November 11, 1959
"My beloved young brothers and sisters: I am grateful for this opportunity to speak to this inspiring audience of elect young people of the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.In recent months I have had interviews with a number of people who have been confused and frustrated in the deceptions of those who would lead them to destruction.
It would be most gratifying if we could feel that every one of you is fully fortified against such onslaughts of the enemy and it is my hope to offer to you a few thoughts which might protect you, should you ever be approached by those who would rob you of your faith and of your salva-tion.
These are momentous days, the last days, when there will be numerous deceptions, when the very elect will be deceived and destroyed except for protections which only the individual may build for himself.
When I was on my early mission I drew in the back of my Bible the of an image depicting the successive kingdoms which would rule the world through the centuries: King Nebuchad-nezzar had besieged Jerusalem and had carried Judean captives into Babylon, together with their priceless sacred vessels from the House of the Lord. Among the captives was Daniel, a clean, worthy, courageous young man and one who was responsive to the inspiration of the Lord.
The king in his distorted sleep had an impressive dream which troubled him greatly, but when his magicians, astrologers and sorcerers had come at his command to interpret the dream, he had forgotten its details. Harsh measures were threatened, even to the death of these men. They answered that if he would reveal the dream, they would interpret it. They said:
.. .There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked, such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. (Daniel 2:10-11.)
A royal decree then went forth from the dictator that all the wise men should be destroyed and since Daniel fit into that category his life was also jeopardized. Daniel and his three companions earnestly sought deliverance through prayer to the Lord:
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, setteth up kings:....
I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou. God of my fathers, who given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter (Daniel 2:19-21, 23.)
He then made known through proper channels that he would reveal the dream and the inter-pretation thereof, and the great king asked the direct question if he, Daniel could really do so; to which he answered that the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians and the soothsayers would not be able to ever reveal the dream nor its interpretations:
But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy Lord, are these;
As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets known to thee what shall come to pass. (Daniel 2:28, 29.)
Daniel modestly disclaimed any wisdom but gave credit to the Lord, and gave in detail the dream with the interpretation. He then drew a picture of the great image with its head of fine gold his breast and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay, saying:
Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. (Daniel 2:34.)
The iron, clay, brass, silver and gold became like chaff of the threshing floor, and were carried away by the wind and seen no more, but the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
His interpretation followed, indicating a succession of empires. The kingdom of Nebu-chadnezzar would be replaced by another, and then a third would take the spotlight, and then a fourth, the latter of which would break into many kingdoms.
Then came the colorful, spectacular prophecy recorded thousands of years before its ful-fillment.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. (Daniel 2:44.)
And Daniel concluded with this statement;
...and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. (Daniel 2:45.)
I know, and Latter-day Saints in general know, that in 1830 this prophecy was fulfilled and the God of heaven did set up his kingdom and likewise we know that “the kingdom shall not be left to other people,” and “shall never be destroyed” and “it shall stand for ever.”
This one scripture, which has been accepted by the Church of the Restoration, should be sufficient to satisfy every cultist or critic of the true Church of Jesus Christ, and should make him not only believe and tremble, but cause him to be afraid to kick against the pricks and to fight against the Church of the Lord.
Apostasy usually begins with question and doubt and criticism. It is a retrograding and devolutionary process. The seeds of doubt are planted by unscrupulous or misguided people; and seldom directed against the doctrine at first, but mete often against the leaders.
They who garnish the sepulchers of the dead prophets begin now by stoning the living ones, they return to the pronouncements of the dead leaders and interpret them to be incom-patible with present programs. They convince themselves that there are discrepancies between the practices of the deceased and the leaders of the present. The Lord speaking to such said:
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
...ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been par-takers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Wherefore ye we witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.... (Matthew 23:24-25, 29-31.)
Apply this to modern times and you have the so-called reformers. Many budding apostates follow the pattern progressively. They allege love for the gospel and the Church but charge that leaders are a little “off the beam.” Soon they claim that the leaders are making changes and not following the original programs. Next they say that while the gospel and the Church are divine, the leaders are fallen. Up to this time it may be a passive thing, but now it becomes an active resistance and frequently the blooming apostate begins to air his views and to crusade. He is likely new to join groups who are slipping away. He may become a student of the journal of discourses and is flattered by the evil one that he knows more about the scriptures and doctrines than the Church leaders who, he says, are now persecuting him. He generally wants all the blessings of the Church: membership, its Priesthood, its temple privileges, and expects them from the leaders of the Church, though at the same time claiming that these leaders have departed from the path. He now begins to expect persecution and adopts a martyr complex and when finally excommunica-tion comes he associates himself with other apostates to develop or strengthen cults. At this stage he is likely to claim revelation for himself; revelations from the Lord directing him in his inter-pretations and his actions. These manifestations are superior to anything from living leaders, he claims. He is now becoming quite independent.
He fails to recognize that if the Church had gone astray, and if its authorities were “off the beam,” that he could get no authority from them or from anywhere else.
He who quotes so glibly from Brigham Young and his contemporaries seems to forget that in the days of that Brigham Young, there were many who would not accept his pronounce-ments but quoted the Prophet Joseph Smith. And numerous were they of the day of Joseph Smith who questioned his interpretations and quoted the dead sepulchered prophets. These apostates seem to forget that the very Christ himself was not accepted by most of his contemporaries.
John the Baptist preaching the Christ was met with the same brand of criticism and self-righteous egotism. To the arrogant Pharisees and Sadducees he asked:
.. .who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
And think not to say within yourselves we have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these to raise up children unto Abraham. (Matthew 3:7-9.)
And Jesus himself was met with the same apostasy, “We be Abraham’s” the boasters said, to which the Lord replied:
I know that ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill me because my word hath no place in you.
Again they countered, “Abraham is our father,” to which the Lord replied:
If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me... this did not Abraham.
Ye do the deeds of your father.
Ye are of your father the devil, end the lusts of your father ye will do... When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:...
“Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?” these apostates had the temerity to ask of the Lord of heaven and earth. The Savior said,...Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it, and was glad. Before Abraham was, I am. (John 8:30, 37, 39, 41, 44, 53, 56, 58.)
And the pretenders took up stones to assassinate him. At another time he cried out in anguish:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house it left unto you desolate. (Matthew 23:37-38.)
History repeats itself. As the critics of the Redeemer still worshiped Abraham and the critics of Joseph Smith could see only the Savior and His apostles, and as the apostates of Brigham’s day could see only the martyred Joseph, now there are those who quote only the dead leaders of the pioneer era.
Some of these people disappointed, perhaps ignored in their ambitions, hungry for lea-dership, are deceivers of the first order. To them there is little help we can give. Others are the deceived, the confused and frustrated, honest and sincere at least in their first movements. To these we speak in the words of the Lord:
Return unto me and I will return unto you. (3 Nephi 24:7.)
To them we bear testimony: The kingdom of God is on the earth with all its gifts, bless-ings, doctrines, ordinances and with its divinely called leadership. To them we plead: leave your deceivers, cleanse your lives, return to love and faith and peace.
We remind the confused and deceived ones that these are the days, the latter days, when the kingdom now established would never be destroyed nor fall, but also that these are the last days in which false prophets and false christs should arise and show great signs and wonders, so great indeed that “if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24.)
It is the Lord himself who, in Matthew, chapter 24, is speaking to his people concerning these last days before the end of the world, and it is He, himself, who endorses Daniel, the prophet, and his aforementioned prediction. It is the Redeemer who says that in these last days shall be great tribulation.
...such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days he shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (Matthew 24:21-23.)
These are the last days and Lucifer, the arch deceiver, who, recognizing the rapidly shortening tame to his conquest of the people of this world, is exerting every effort. Deceptions will increase; cults will become more numerous: more and more of the weak and faithless will fall by the wayside.
The confused one says, “But these dissenters tell me that there is no revelation in the Church today.” How wrong they are!
The Lord told Peter that upon the rock of revelation the Church is built. And upon revela-tion it is founded each time it has been upon the earth, Revelation has continued without inter-ruption to all the successive presidents of the Church. Revelation today is common, continuous, and compelling. With sixteen years in the High Councils of the Church I have seen at first hand the work of the Lord unfold under the rock of revelation and this under three presidents of the Church.
In 1839 while in Liberty Jail the Prophet Joseph Smith cried out in his agony not only at the mobocrats who turned the jail key on him but those of the Church who charged him with transgression, whose hearts were corrupted, to the telling words of the Lord:
Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord, and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them.
But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves.
Wo unto them; because they have offended my little ones they shall be severed from the ordinances of mine house.
Their basket shall not be full, their houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them.
They shall net have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation.
It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea. (D&C 121:16, 17, 19-22.)
The budding apostate closes his eyes to these statements and of course will not apply it to himself.
The word of the Lord to Oliver Cowdery through the prophet, Joseph Smith, in Sep-tember of 1830, applies to all members of the Church:
And thou shall not command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the Church;
For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead. (D&C 28:6-7.)
Oliver Cowdery was permitted to write his ideas and own interpretations, but not by way of commandment, that being left to the president of the Church, ... no one shall be appointed to receive commandments in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses. (D&C 28:2.)
...until I shall appoint unto them another in his stead. (D&C 20:7.) The Church has never been without its false claimants of revelations and authority. As early as February 18, 1831, some members of the Church were disturbed by the false assertions of others who claimed to be receiving revelations. As an example one of the members, Hiram Page, claimed to be receiving revelations for the Church through a certain stone in his possession. Some members had already been deceived by his statements. The Lord sought to protect innocent members from danger by commanding Oliver Cowdery to stop the deception.
...take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him that those things which he hath written tram that stone are not of me, and that Satan deceiveth him; (D&C 28:11.)
This is understandable in the early days when all the members were recent converts from churches with wholly different standards, doctrines, and practices, and they did not understand that while inspiration and even revelation is available to every individual for himself to every head of family, for his family, to every bishop for his ward, to every stake president for his stake, yet none of these will receive revelation for the Church, and any revelations they receive for themselves will always parallel and never counter the major revelations to the prophets of the Lord.
To offset these spurious claims and false teachings the Lord revealed, through the prophet, Joseph Smith:
For behold, verily verily, I say unto you, that ye have received a commandment for a law unto my church, through him whom I have appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations from my hand, [This was addressed to the Elders of the Church.]
And this ye shall know assuredly—that there is none other appointed unto you to receive commandments and revelations until he be taken.... (D&C 43:2, 3.)
How would anyone dare to lift up his heels against the Lord’s anointed? How would one have the rashness to swear falsely against the Lord’s servants? How would one dare to be critical when severance from the Church and the ordinances of the House of the Lord would follow, bring-ing a less of the priesthood, and even the loss of his own posterity and the damnation of his own soul may be the penalty?
When we think of the certain increasing deceptions of the latter days we return to the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 28, where the Lord stated again to Oliver Cowdery:
For, behold, these things have not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants.
For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith. (D&C 28:12, 13.)
Again, the succession to authority, to the keys, to the oracles, to the revelations is covered in Section 90:
Therefore, them art blessed from henceforth that bear the keys of the kingdom given unto you? which kingdom is coming forth for the last time.
Verily I say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come;
Nevertheless, through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea even unto the church. (D&C 90:2-4.)
The Prophet, Joseph Smith, conferred upon the twelve apostles every key, right, au-thority and power to be held by them in a dormant state, to be activated when the proper time came. The death of the prophet left all the keys in the hands of the twelve. Brigham Young, being the President of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and properly called of the Lord, approved by the Council of the Twelve and the people, became the new president and the keys he had held many years now became operative. This followed in succession through the various Church presidents from Joseph Smith to President David O. McKay.
If the spirit of the Lord is still striving with the apostatizing individual he may yet he recov-ered. But if he, like Martin Harris, boasts in his own judgment and strength and ignores the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, there is little hope for him and none except through real repentance. Joseph Smith was chastised by the Lord for turning over the plates to him.
Who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has broken the sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment and boasted in his own wisdom. (D&C 3:13.)
The story of Martin Harris has some very sad chapters.
If one rejects the Holy Spirit long enough, then the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with him and leaves him to his own devices to fight out his own battle with the master of deception.
To the sincere, honest but confused person there is a way back. Recovery is possible. One must live all the principles of the gospel. He must repent of all his sins and errors, and he must build back his faith and confidence in the leadership of the Church by severing all of his ties with those who are at variance with the Lord’s Church and his leaders.
There are lines of defense for him who has been assailed by the deceivers. If the confused one is in doubt, let him ask of the pretending leader: Were you sustained and approved by the body of the Church? Early the Lord indicated this safeguard against imposters. Changes in policy, practice or doctrines will be approved by common consent of the Church. Hear the Lord:
Thou shalt not leave this place until after the conference; and thy servant Joseph shall be appointed to preside over the conference by the voice of it, and what he saith to thee thou shalt tell.
...neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants.
For all things must be done in order, and by common consent in. the church.... (D&C 28:10, 12-13.)
Outlining procedures for the Church, the Lord said:
No person is to be ordained to any office in this church, where there is a
regularly organized branch of the same, without the vote of that church; (D&C 20:65.)
Again, And all things shall be done by common consent in the church, by much prayer and faith.... (D&C 26:2.)
8
And now, I give unto the church in these parts a commandment, that certain men among them shall be appointed, and they shall be appointed by the voice of the church; (D&C 38:34.)
And once again, And a commandment I give unto you, that you should, fill all these offices and approve of those names which I have mentioned, or else disapprove of them at my general conference; (D&C 124:144.)
Accordingly the voice and sustaining by the people is a most vital element in leadership.
In the Apostolic times men did not set themselves up in offices but were called and sus-tained. The case of Matthias is a good example:
And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:23-26.)
Or, in other words, the vote that was cast for Matthias was the vote of the Church and made it operative and proper. Again, one is assured through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Everyone is entitled to the revelations of the Lord for himself.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:5.)
If one lives in total harmony and faith, sustaining the authorities of the Church and lives all the principles, the spirit will guide him; but if he gets arrogant and sets himself up as a final judge, he may be deceived.
O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. (2 Nephi 9:28.)
Those of us who have had experiences with many people who are on their way to apostasy know that to be true. The spirit will strive and plead and persistently encourage one in the path of correct thinking, but there comes a time finally when if he is driven away enough times by one who is boastful and proud of his own knowledge and power, and one who admits the deceiver,...behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdraw, Amen to the priesthood or authority of that man.
Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. (D&C 121:37, 38.)
Wisely the Lord has given men still another fortification against the enemy of lies and deceit. Paul expressed it clearly and unmistakably:
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 fulness of Christ;
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:11-14.)
To every member of this Church, the Lord has given leaders on three levels: the Bishop or Branch President, the Stake President or the Mission president, and the General Authorities, These leaders are dependable. One of them may be limited in knowledge, education or training, but he is entitled to the revelations of the Lord for his people and he has the channel open to God himself. The leaders will never deceive the earnest confused one. These pastors, teachers, apostles and prophets are given for that very purpose to counteract the wavering, deceived and frustrated person who like children are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine....”
Apostasy was in the primitive church. Disputations as to doctrine and procedures and performances were prevalent. The leaders took steps to clarify matters and assert their proper leadership.
Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (Acts 15:22-25.)
Paul knew that there would be deceivers, deliberate, intentional vicious ones and also blind guides who would lead themselves and their followers into the ditch. Inspired Paul give us the key which is always dependable. Chosen, approved, ordained leaders will protect us against “the slight of men, and cunning craftiness.” One can never be deceived if he protects himself against the blind or vicious guide by following the spirit and the proper leaders of the Church.
Like the oft repeated camel story, an individual does not go sour in a day. It is a gradual process. You remember the proverbial camel which begged his master to let him put his nose through the flap of the tent to get out of the blasting storm on the desert. With his nose in, he next asked to put in his eyes and head, which were sand-blasted, and when they were in, he begged protection for his front quarters, his torso, his hind quarters and tail, and when solidly set in the tent, he kicked the master out.
The best protection against one ever leaving the Church in apostasy is to keep the flap door closed. Lucifer cannot enter a locked door. He is ready always to accept invitations and when he has a toe hold, his legs follow with his body, head and all his evil machinations.
Each individual then may be certain of a place, if he will keep his hands clean, his heart pure, his faith undaunted, his trust in the Lord and in Church leaders. I give to you absolute as-surance that the time will never come when the kingdom established will ever fall; that is will ever be given to another people or that the chosen leaders will ever falter. Some individuals may falter and lose the faith, but the Church never. I know that President McKay, as well as his prede-cessors, is called of God for this high place as the leader of this people. I know that he not only occupies the chair of the prophet of God, but he is the divinely appointed one and holds all the keys of the kingdom.
May you always keep your armour on and your defenses up and fully protect yourselves against the foe and his subtle deceptions. Satan would like to have you, to sift you as wheat. You are precious, each of you. We love you much. God bless you. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
No comments:
Post a Comment