“Beware of False Prophets”

Joseph F. McConkie, Robert L. Millet

What are false prophets? They are teachers and preachers who profess to speak for the Lord when, in fact, they have received no such appointment.... False prophets are false teachers; they teach false doctrine; they neither know nor teach the doctrines of salvation. Rather, they have followed cunningly devised fables that they suppose make up the gospel of Christ, and they preach them as such. (Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, pp. 70-71.)

In the true Church there are those who come professing special skills or talents those who offer insight above and beyond what the Apostles and prophets feel should be made known. There are those who, as though by divine appointment, seek to rechart the kingdom of God, who feel some special sense of mission to set the Church straight, who spend their days striving to “steady the ark.”

There are those who seek to run before their file leaders, those who are impatient with the direction or the acceleration of the restored gospel, who propose course adjustments in the plan of God. These all are false prophets. Their preachments are false and their proposals are destructive. Unless they repent they and all who attend to their messages will be cut off from the people of the covenant.

Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 4

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