At the center of belief in a Supreme Being is the question of how one receives God’s word. Sacred writings from prophets, inspired scribes, divinely appointed teachers, and others provide a foundation and framework for understanding how God interacts with His children. Despite the value of such records such as the Holy Bible and other texts, it is living oracles, not writings, that are the most valuable source of divine inspiration. For example, the early Christian bishop Papias wrote in approximately A.D. 140: “If ever someone who had accompanied the presbyters should come, I examined carefully the words of the presbyters, [to learn] what Andrew, Peter, Philip, Thomas, John, Matthew, or any other of the disciples of the Lord said and what things Aristion and the presbyter John, disciples of the Lord, are saying. For I did not suppose the contents of books would profit me so much as the words and living voice” (quoted by Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.39.1, 3-4).
The Bible, selected pseudepigrapha and apocrypha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the earliest Christian tell us how man has responded to prophecy in each dispensation. Typically the righteous ultimately reject God and turn from His ways. Cain learned that evil can bring personal gain and taught that secret to others. The righteous seed of Noah eventually succumbed to evil, built the Tower of Babel, and were scattered. The venerable line of Abraham through Ephraim was finally severed because of apostasy, and Israel’s worship of Egypt’s false gods resulted in its enslavement. Following Moses, Israel on numerous occasions turned its back on God, rejecting Him and His covenant, and were eventually conquered and scattered. Christ’s fulfillment of the Law of Moses, the reestablishment of His Church on earth, and the apostolic ministry that followed were also rejected in time by succeeding Christian leaders and the membership at large, causing again the repetition of apostasy as in each preceding dispensation.
The movers and shakers of the Reformation attempted to correct false teachings and end centuries of corruption; however, disunity and lack of authority prevented a full restoration of primitive Christianity. After the Age of Reason and the Great Awakening, the establishment of America and freedom of religion inspired another awakening and doctrinal reformation, including a proliferation of new Christian denominations and nineteenth-century restorationist movements. One of those who claimed a full restoration of truth is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their claim to have been led by a living prophet since the church’s inception is worth noting.
Sources:
Where Have All the Prophets Gone? Scott R. Petersen