Deception
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I would like to say, for the benefit of the members of the Church, that we have a key given us by revelation, by which false spirits may be known, by which false revelation may be known. There is only one man in this Church, at a time, who has the right to receive revelation for the Church. The Lord said that his house is a house of order, not a house of confusion, and therefore one is appointed to speak. One has the right to receive the word of the Lord and give it to the church. We all have the right to receive revelation for our own guidance. A president of a Stake has the right of revelation for the guidance of his Stake. But no man has the right to receive revelation for this Church, except the one whom the Lord has called. If he receives a revelation it will be declared without question, if it is intended for the Church, in a manner by which we may all know the source from whence it comes. And when we find people secretly distributing what are said to be revelations, or visions, or manifestations, that have not come from nor received the approval of the Authorities of the Church, we may put it down that such things are not of God. We do not need to write to ask questions in regard to these things. We do not need to question them for a moment, because the Lord is not going to give a revelation to any high priest, any elder, or seventy, for this Church. It will come through the one who is so appointed. And if the Lord is not going to choose those who have standing in the quorums of the priesthood, you may be certainly assured that he is not going to choose some one who does not hold the priesthood at all. So our minds may be at rest in regard to matters of this kind.
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
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People everywhere today are hearing voices, strange voices enticing them to follow bye and forbidden paths which lead to destruction. Nowhere is this more evident than in the pleading tones of that chorus of discordant voices which speak of the Savior of the world himself. There are voices crying, “Lo, here is Christ” or “Lo there” meaning that various preachers are saying: “Believe in Christ, and be saved according to this system” or “according to that system.” A voice from the Koran acclaims Jesus as a prophet like Abraham and Moses, but sweeps aside the divine Sonship with the declaration that Allah has no need for a Son to redeem men; rather, he has but to speak and a thing is done. A voice from one sect, looking back to the cross, says: “We were saved 2,000 years ago, and there is nothing we can do about it one way or the other now.” Another voice proclaims: “Baptism is of no moment; simply believe; confess the Lord with your lips; no more is needed; Christ did it all.” Another sect sets aside the need for good works with the assertion that there will be a final harmony of all souls with God—all will be saved. Another sings out about confession, and penance, and purgatory, and the ritualistic rites of a priestly hierarchy. Another says our Lord was a great moral teacher, nothing more. Others believe the virgin birth was only a pious fiction fabricated by simple disciples who also made up the accounts of the miracles. And so it goes; all sects, parties, and denominations acclaim a Christ molded to fit their diverse theological idiosyncrasies. And as we know, this very babble of voices crying out that salvation comes through Christ, according to this or that conflicting system, is itself one of the signs of the times. Jesus foretold that in our day there would be false Christs and false prophets meaning that false religions bearing his name would arise, and that false doctrines and false teachers would be everywhere.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie
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