Scriptures and testimonies regarding the last Prophet of the Latter Day Church.
Jon Tandy, 11/27/95
(updated 7/28/98)
This article was originally written in 1995 as material for a Sunday School class. The
material has been rearranged and updated for publication on the Internet, to make known to
the Saints certain scriptures and testimonies concerning the last days prophet.
The term "Seventh Prophet" was used in the original article to refer to that
true Prophet who will come forth and lead the Lord's church to the establishing of Zion in
these last days. Previously this author believed a seventh prophet would be named by
Wallace B. Smith in fulfillment of church law, and this may yet happen (see article on Law of Succession). I realize that to many this now appears to be
a distant hope, since W. Grant McMurray has been ordained a the seventh President of the
RLDS Church. In this article reference to seven prophets is still retained in some places.
I believe that W. Wallace Smith and Wallace B. Smith were prophets (although false
prophets), but W. Grant McMurray has not, to my knowledge, specifically claimed to be a
Prophet.
Many people in various factions of the Church of Jesus Christ restored in 1830 believe
that the Lord will do a great and marvelous work in these last days, in the setting up of
Zion and the Endowment. Many prophecies and scriptures relating to the function of this
Prophet have been given. With the situation presently existing in the Church, it is easy
to lose focus on the promises the Lord has made in this regard.
In recent years, several priesthood men have begun teaching that there will not be a
human "Prophet" who will come to lead the church, but that the prophecies
referring to this prophet actually speak of Christ. All who believe in the Restoration
Scriptures can agree that Christ will come to personally lead His Church; however, this
article attempts to show that there will also be a human prophet (possibly functioning
with a "spokesman") who will also be involved with setting in order the Church.
There have been several prophecies given showing that there will be a seventh prophet
to come and lead the church in these last days.
One of these was a vision given to Joseph Burton, which often referred to as the
"spearhead prophecy". In this vision, brother Burton saw a spearhead which was
broken into 7 parts representing the 7 prophets of the latter day church. The full text of
the experience is found in Infallible Proofs, pages 201-204 (see
an excerpt on my Web site). The key points in this revelation are that there were to
be 7 prophets of the church, and that the last 5 would come in more rapid succession than
the first two (Joseph Smith Jr. and Joseph Smith III).
Another experience was given in 1981 to William Yeager, in
which the 7 prophets were seen upon a mountain. The first (representing Joseph Smith) was
on the top of the mountain and the rain (Holy Spirit) was pouring down on him. The next 5
prophets were each farther down the mountain and were getting less and less wet by the
rain, until the 5th and 6th prophets (W. Wallace and Wallace B. Smith) put up an umbrella
so they wouldn't get wet. Finally they ran to a house for shelter, which had once been on
the mountain but had slid down and now stood on the sand. The house was swept away with
the rain and ended up in destruction. Then a 7th prophet was seen on the top of the
mountain, once again drenched with rain and lifting up his face to the heavens with joy as
the first man.
There are other testimonies showing that there will be a prophet who is led by the Holy
Spirit in the last days. A few of these are discussed later in this article. In addition
to these experiences there are a number of scriptures that testify of a great prophet to
come just prior to Christ's second coming.
Third Nephi 9:93-98 contains a prophecy spoken by Jesus Christ during his visit to this
continent. In this scripture reference is made to a great and marvelous work to be brought
about in the last days, fulfilling the covenants of the Lord to the house of Israel. He
says: "The life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not
hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him...." This
is Jesus speaking in prophecy of a person he calls "my servant". This obviously
cannot refer to Jesus, but rather a human being. This servant is also referred to in 3Ne
9:81-83 (Isa 52:13-15), in the context of last days prophecies.
Another prophecy is contained in the story of Joseph in Egypt, Moses and Aaron, and
Joshua. This type and shadow points to Joseph Smith, the last prophet, and the
establishing of the millennial kingdom. Several other scriptures regarding the last days
prophet may be tied in with this type and shadow, and are discussed below.
| Joseph in Egypt | Joseph Smith, Jr. | ||
| In Hebrew, the word "Joseph" means "let him add". | Joseph Smith, through the Lord's assistance "added" or restored the gospel to the earth. | ||
| Had visions as a boy, his brothers were jealous and disbelieved his experiences. | Had visions as a boy, friends and ministers were jealous of him and disbelieved. | ||
| He was persecuted unjustly and cast into jail. | He was persecuted unjustly and cast into jail. | ||
| Was falsely accused of sexual misconduct. | Was falsely accused of polygamy. | ||
| Became a respected leader in Egypt. | Became respected leader among saints and even many others who came to know him. | ||
| He warned of 7 years of Tribulation and famine. | Warned of Tribulation (Cov 28:2). | ||
| Revealed the storehouse principle for salvation from tribulation. | Revealed storehouse principle for salvation from tribulation. | ||
| Gathered house of Israel (his brothers and family) for their salvation. | Commanded the gathering by the word of the Lord as salvation for Israel in the last days. | ||
| Died in Egypt, rather than in the land promised to his fathers. | Died in the world, and didn't see the fulfillment of the promise of Zion. | ||
| Joseph gave the prophetic promise of Moses coming to deliver Israel (Gen 50:34-36). | Gave promise of latter-day Moses to deliver the children of Israel (Cov 100:3d-e). |
Section 100:3d-3 relates to the latter-day "Moses": I [Jesus Christ] will raise
up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of
Israel...and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched our arm;
and as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of
Zion be.
Section 100 cannot refer to Jesus Christ, because he will not come as a man; nor can it
refer to Joseph Smith, for he didn't fulfill the prophecy. It must refer to another human
prophet whom the Lord will bring forth to the Church.
Continuing with the analogy, we find a parallel with the Israelites after Joseph's
death with the original Church of Jesus Christ after the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. The
Israelites were visited after this time of darkness and Apostasy, when the Lord sent a
Prophet to lead them out of bondage.
| Israelites in Egypt | Saints after Joseph's Death | ||
| Time of Apostasy | Time of Apostasy & scattering. | ||
| Government became corrupt. | Government became corrupt, New World Order. | ||
| People of God enslaved in hard labor. | People burdened in taxes to pay the government. | ||
| Killed the male babies. | Roe vs. Wade (1973) legalized abortion. | ||
| Moses | 7th Prophet | ||
| In Hebrew, Moses means "pull out; rescue". Moses rescued Israel from bondage. | The 7th prophet will rescue the people of God (Cov 100:3d-e). | ||
| Prophesied against the wicked rulers. | Will prophesy before kings and many won't believe (3Ne 9:94-96). | ||
| Not mighty in speaking. Had Aaron for his spokesman. God wrote His law by His finger. |
Latter-day prophet will be like the first Moses, and fulfill all these types and shadows. (2Ne 2:32-40,43-47; Gen 50:34-36). | ||
| Moses and Aaron given power over the earth, to smite the earth with plagues, turn waters to blood. | Two latter day prophets will be given the same power (Rev 11:3-6). | ||
| Moses appointed the inheritances of the house of Israel before he was taken (Num 26:52-56; 34:1-15; Josh 13:15-33). | Latter day prophet will appoint every man his inheritance in Zion. (See Joseph Smith's prophecy of the "one mighty and strong" RLDS Church History, Vol. 1, page 260.) | ||
| Moses was given power in a rod. | Latter day prophet may have power in a rod. | ||
| Moses saw the promised land but died before entering in (Deut 34:1-4). | Two latter day prophets will be killed just before the start of the millenium (Rev 11:7). |
The remainder of the analogy consists of the children of Israel entering into the
Promised Land. In our day, we expect to enter the Promised Land in the establishment of
Zion on the American continent. This part of the analogy will be discussed below, after
expounding on a few scriptures in 2nd Nephi and Revelation 11.
Second Nephi 2:1-50 is a chiasm, with the double center point (most important point) in
verses 22-23. The "knowledge of their fathers" is synonymous with the covenants
because the covenants were made with their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
2Ne 2:32-43 tells about "a Moses". Is this speaking of the original Moses in
Egypt, or is it referring to the latter day prophet? The structure of the chiasm gives us
some insight on this question, since the first half of the chiasm is in parallel with the
last half (in reverse order). The remainder of this chiasm is discussed in the Appendix of
this article.
The chiasm reveals that verses 15-16 are in parallel with 32-43, and indicates that there are two prophets being referred to:
M he [the latter-day seer] shall be great like unto Moses (2Ne 2:15)
N and Moses will I raise up [in Egypt, 2Ne 2:16]
N' I will raise up a Moses [2Ne 2:32-35, referring to the first Moses
in Egypt]
M' the Lord said unto me also I will raise up (a seer) unto the fruit
of thy loins [i.e.; in the latter days, 2Ne 2:36-43]
Chiasms is an interesting and important tool for studying the scriptures, but they may
be open to other interpretations. Is there a second witness to this interpretation of the
chiasm?
This chapter (2Ne 2) is a quotation from the latter half of Genesis 50 in the Inspired
Version, which was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Lehi, in quoting the
prophecy of Joseph in Egypt, paraphrased some of the prophecy which he was apparently
reading from the brass plates. Comparing Gen 50 with 2Ne 2 reveals several interesting
differences and insights. Genesis 50:34-36 gives a second witness to the interpretation
shown above from the chiasm; that is, that two prophets (original and latter-day Moses)
are involved in this prophecy.
The corresponding verses to 2Ne 2:32-35 are Gen 50:34-35. This clearly refers to the original Moses, and Aaron his spokesman.
Gen 50:34-35 I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand...and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod...and I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be called Aaron.
The next verse (Gen 50:36) indicates that the exact same pattern will occur in the last
days. This would confirm the same interpretation as 2Ne 2:36; i.e. there will be a latter
day Moses who will follow the pattern of the first Moses, including (according to 2Ne
2:36-37) having a spokesman.
Gen 50:36 And it shall be done unto thee in the last days also
Thus, it appears that the last Prophet will be accompanied by a spokesman, and so there
will be 2 prophets who will prophesy together in the last days just before Christ returns.
Moses and Aaron were given miraculous power to smite the earth with plagues as a testimony against the wicked, to let the children of Israel go. Rev 11:3-6 tells of two prophets in the latter days who perform exactly the same work.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses...these have power to shut heaven that it
rain not in the days of their prophecy; and have power over waters to turn them to blood,
and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
There have been a number of different Protestant and Restoration interpretations of who
these two prophets could be. The reference to 1260 days (Rev 11:3) often leads Restoration
scholars to think of the 1260 years of Apostasy (A.D. 570-1830) found elsewhere in the
scriptures. Some of the different interpretations are listed below, with a brief
explanation of why it does not seem to make sense to interpret the "two
prophets" in a figurative manner.
Possible interpretations for 2 Prophets
In addition, since the two "prophets" were to be dead for 3 1/2 days, this
would have to equal 3 1/2 years in order to follow consistent scriptural interpretation.
When is this 3 1/2 year period, if the prophets were killed immediately after the 1260
day/year period that ended in 1830?
This author has tried to reason many different interpretations to prove that there won't be two literal prophets performing this work, and to try to interpret the 1260 days as the 1260-year Apostasy. Each of these attempts had to rationalize away many of the clear statements of Revelation, which I consider an unacceptable method of interpretating scripture. We are left with the conclusion that Revelation 11 does refer to two literal prophets.
As an additional witness of this, Rev 11:4 is a type and shadow reference back to Zech
4:1-14. In that account the same figures of speech are used, but the Zech 4 prophecy is
most likely referring to two people, Joshua and Zerubbabel, who were involved with the
rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
The scriptures concerning the last Prophet have been shown to fulfill the pattern of
the first Moses in exact detail. One of the characteristics of the first Moses was that he
was given power in a rod (2Ne 2:32). Will the last Moses fulfill this type and shadow too?
Many people have been shown in vision or dream about the coming forth of the last
prophet and the setting in order of the church. Before he passed away, Patriarch Roy
Weldon had copies of about a dozen spiritual experiences given to people from different
parts of the United States regarding this event.
Each of the experiences had slight variations, yet each one showed the same basic
scene. The scene of each of these visions/dreams was in the RLDS Auditorium, in a
Conference type of setting. In some experiences, the "one mighty and strong"
came forward to claim leadership of the Church. In others, Jesus Christ was seen with him.
Wallace B. Smith was seen confessing his wrongdoing, and naming this man as the new
Prophet of the Church. Brother Smith then disappeared from the vision or was struck dead.
This author understands that a recent experience has been received, similar to the above but including Grant McMurray as part of the vision.
One of these similar experiences was given to Elder David Friend, Odessa Missouri. The
details listed above are essentially the same as in his experience. He also saw the
"one mighty and strong" standing on the podium of the Auditorium holding Aaron's
rod in his hand. From the rod went forth bolts of lightning, striking people dead in the
aisles. People frantically ran for the exits, while friends and relatives of those struck
dead tried to carry them out. If this experience was true, it would confirm the parallel
of the Last Prophet with Moses as holding a rod of power.
Is the rod an actual, physical rod? Or was it symbolic of the word of God? Either of
these is possible, but the important fact is that last prophet will lead the children of
Israel out of bondage by the word and power of God. He will lead Israel to the doors of
the promised land, and only those who are humble and sanctified, those who have a covenant
relationship with Christ, will be able to enter into Zion.
The first Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage and up to the borders of the
promised land, symbolically Zion and/or the start of the millennium. In the case of Moses
he didn't enter into the land because of transgression, but there is no indication that
the last prophet will die because of his own iniquity in exactly the same way.
Yet the type and shadow is still applicable in the aspect of the prophets being killed
by wickedness just prior to the start of the millennium (Rev 11:7). At the end of those 3
1/2 days, the two prophets were resurrected and taken to heaven. Moses, in like manner,
was taken up to God (Alm 21:22).
After Moses was taken to God, a new leader is now the focus of the Biblical story.
Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan river into the promised land. Judgment
was executed on the Caananites, who were now ripened in iniquity (Gen 15:19). Before this
time, God didn't allow the Israelites to enter in because the inhabitants were not yet
ripened in iniquity. But the "set time for Zion" was now at hand (Psa 102:13).
Interestingly, according to Hebrew tradition the Ephraimites (symbolic of the latter-day
church) tried to enter into the promised land too early on their own power, and they were
destroyed (Num 14:39-45). Similarly the church in the latter days tried to enter into
Independence on their own power and wisdom, and they were destroyed and scattered.
When Joshua took the people into the Promised Land, the priests led the way before the
children of Israel (Josh 3:15-17). This is symbolic of priesthood in the last days, which
will finally be sanctified and prepared to lead the church into the full presence of God.
This extended type and shadow has many interesting points, but by far the most
interesting is the type of Joshua. After the death of Moses and at the time of entering
into the promised land, Joshua is now the key figure and focus of the Biblical story. Who
will be the key figure in the latter days as the children of God approach the 7th
dispensation, the millennial reign?
Obviously, Jesus will be the central figure, in the view of all the people. Just
as Joshua was with the people before his taking the leadership, Jesus has been with us
already but now he will become the glorious leader in prominent view of both the saints
and the heathen. Joshua proved himself faithful, just as Jesus proved himself faithful.
Further, the name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means "he (or
Yahweh) saves". Another exciting fact about Joshua in the Old Testament is that his
name wasn't originally Joshua--it was Oshea. Moses, by revelation (Num 13:8,16), changed
Oshea's name to Joshua or Jehoshua to complete the type and shadow of Jesus Christ!
The center point of the chiasm is the most important, the knowledge of the covenants.
The points M-M' and N-N' point to two different prophets, Moses and another who will
follow the same pattern. In point P-P' there are a few enlightening points as well: 1) the
work of the Father involves convincing them of his word, 2) both false doctrines and
wicked people will be confounded, and 3) the promise (covenant) will establish peace among
the house of Israel.
A I speak
B Joseph
C this land for inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren
D ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel
E thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed
F great were the covenants of the Lord
G Joseph truly saw our day
H remembered in the covenants of the Lord
I Messiah manifest in spirit of power
J fruit of my loins
K he shall do none other work
L he shall do my work
M he (latter-day seer) shall be great like unto Moses
N and Moses will I raise up
O But a seer will I raise up (out of Joseph), shall bring forth my word
P1 to the convincing them of my word
2 confounding of false doctrines
3 establishing peace among fruit of thy loins
Q Bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days
Q' And also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord
P1' my work shall commence unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel
2' those that seek to destroy him are confounded
3' promise to fruit of thy loins shall be fulfilled
O' he shall be like unto me (Joseph), Lord shall bring forth (the word)
by his hand
N' I will raise up a Moses (2Ne 2:32-35)
M' the Lord said unto me also I will raise up (a seer) (2Ne 2:36)
L' he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins
K' shall be words which are expedient in my wisdom
J' fruit of thy loins
I' weakness of their words will I make strong
H' remembering of my covenant
G' after this manner did my father (Joseph) of old prophesy
F' because of this covenant thou art blessed
E' thy seed shall not be destroyed
D' they shall hearken unto the words of the book
C' restoration unto the house of Israel and unto the seed of thy brethren
B' blessed art thou, Joseph
A' I have spoken
© 1998, Tandyland
This page last updated on May 23, 1999