Many people believe in prophets. However, not many believe in modern, living prophets. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently known as the Mormon Church, stands among the few, if not the only church, which believes that God reveals His will to living prophets today just as He revealed his plans to prophets in ancient times. These prophets were chosen by God Himself and given authority to receive revelations and speak to men on His behalf.
Why Do Latter-day Saints Believe in Modern Prophets?
The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that calling prophets has always been part of His plan from the beginning (Hebrews 13:8; Amos 3:7). In ancient times, God called prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, and gave them authority to spread His words and perform His work for the salvation of His children. As a Latter-day Saint, I personally believe that God’s work is not yet finished, and as long as there are souls left on earth to be saved, we need God’s direction through his chosen servants so that we may accomplish His work according to His will.
Unfortunately, some people including most Christians think that God does not speak through prophets anymore, and that if you need divine direction, all you need to do is read the Bible because it contains all of God’s words. Others claim that John the Baptist was the last prophet, citing Luke 16:16. However, the Bible tells us that after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God continued to call apostles and prophets and even appeared to them. The Lord appeared and spoke to Saul (later known as Paul) on the road to Damascus. He declared a famine in Rome through the mouth of Agabus (Acts 11:28). He also appeared in visions and other divine manifestations to His chosen servants (Acts 7:55-56; 9:10-12; 10:9-16).
Considering the accounts above and many other witnesses, to argue that God does not call prophets anymore is to deny the scriptures. If God does not call prophets today, then we may as well think that He does not care about His children now as much as He did then. I believe that God is not partial. He loves all of His children equally. And because of that, He provides continuous revelation to help us answer questions pertaining to our generation.
We Must Listen to Modern Prophets
J. Reuben Clark Jr., a former Church official once said about latter-day prophets: “We do not lack a prophet; what we lack is a listening ear by the people and a determination to live as God has commanded.”
As a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ, I know that God is our Father in Heaven and all people are His beloved sons and daughters. Today, He has again shown His love for us by calling another prophet to guide us through difficult times of economic uncertainty, wars, shifting values, and questions that are unique to our time.
God’s living prophet today is Thomas S. Monson. As a prophet, he presides over The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and receives revelations for the benefit of all people, both in and outside the Church. He is not just a Mormon prophet or a prophet of the Latter-day Saints; he is God’s prophet for all people. With all these unpleasant things happening around us, I am convinced that our greatest need is to really listen and then to follow the counsels of God through His modern prophet.