Why are Modern Prophets Necessary?
We live in a world of change. We live in a world full of distress and turmoil. God knows this, and he wants to help us get through our hard times and challenges. He loves us and “doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Nephi 26:24). In my less-poetic language, everything God does is for our benefit.
In addition, the Lord said through His prophet Amos, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). In other words, because God acts and does all things for our benefit, He will give certain men special callings–that of being His mouthpiece, even a prophet. Otherwise, “he will do nothing,” making God a static being, which He certainly is not.
We are still in need of divine guidance. Prophets reveal truths that God knows that we need. From moderm prophets we receive truth especially applicable to our era of technology, transportation, and taxes. In addition, prophets teach the truths revealed centuries and centuries ago and make them clear to us, so that we do not misinterpret the Bible. Consider this verse of scripture, ”And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:4). When any prophet speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, what is spoken is scripture. Therefore, just as the ancient scriptures were created when prophets spoke and wrote under the influence of the Holy Ghost, so are modern scriptures created when prophets and apostles speak and write by the power of the Holy Ghost.
While some of our challenges are similar to those suffered by early Christians, many are not. We need guidance and direction for today’s challenges, and God, in his love, has called prophets and apostles to lead and guide His children.
Didn’t prophets become unnecessary after Christ?
Because Christ was divine and greater than any prophet, many Christians believe prophets were no longer needed after He came to earth and died for our sins.
However, even after Christ was resurrected and returned to His Father, the New Testament speaks of multiple prophets within His Church. Acts 13:1-3 tells us,
“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
This would indicate that prophets and spiritual gifts both still existed and were still necessary after Christ’s resurrection. These prophets were leaders of the Church and respected by its members. Through these prophets, the early Church was guided by revelation.
Doesn’t the Bible give us all the guidance we need?
Elder Jeffery R. Holland (an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) said,
“Some Christians, in large measure because of their genuine love for the Bible, have declared that there can be no more authorized scripture beyond the Bible . . . Imputing no ill will to those who take such a position, nevertheless we respectfully but resolutely reject such an unscriptural characterization of true Christianity” (”My Words . . . Never Cease.” Broken Things to Mend. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. 2008. 184-185).
In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul says,
“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 fullness of Christ”
In other words, in order for the saints to be perfect and “come in the unity of faith,” prophets are necessary. Because neither the Saints of Paul’s day nor the Saints of the Latter-days (Latter-day Saints) are not perfect (and certainly not or perfectly unified either), both have need for prophets and apostles.
The Prophet, his counselors, and the ordained Twelve Apostles, are called to be a “special witness of the name of Christ in all the world.” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:23)
What about these Mormon prophets?
As prophesied, (2 Thessalonians 2:3, Acts 20:29) the original Church of Christ eventually fell away with the deaths of the apostles. Over the centuries of darkness, many plain and precious things were taken out of the scriptures and lost. In order for truth and the true Church to be wholly again on the earth, the Lord had to restore it anew.
Under the direction of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since we are living in the “last days” before the coming of Jesus Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ was given the appendage “of Latter-day Saints” to distinguish it from the Church that existed nearly two millenia ago. Joseph Smith also translated The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This book is another witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God. It goes hand in hand with the Bible and testifies that the Bible is true.
Joseph Smith eventually died a martyr, but there have been prophets at the head of the Church ever since its founding. The name of the current president of the Church is Thomas S. Monson.