More Chaismus The Popol Vuh is the creation story of the Mayan people. The initial section is arranged as a chiasm. For example, Oh Heart of Heaven, and once it had been created, the earth, the mountains and valleys, the paths of the waters were divided and they proceeded to twist along among the hills. So the rivers then became more divided as the great mountains were appearing. And thus was the creation of the earth when it was created by him who is the Heart of Heaven. Recently Allen J. Christenson investigated 37 native Mayan texts. He found over 50 significant chiasms in sixteen of those records. Those that contained chiasms generally (1) were composed before 1575; (2) were written in Mayan with the original text available; (3) were authored by a member of the ruling lineage; (4) contained internal evidence of having been based on a pre-Columbian codex; (5) contained substantial references to pre-Spanish mythology and religion; and (6) were free from notable Christian or European influences.
SIGNS OF A TRUE PROPHET 1. Every prophet has a foreordained mission (Helaman 7:9) “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council.” --President Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 365. “With all the inspiration and love that I posses, I testify that Gordon B. Hinckley was foreordained to become the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; to be the mouthpiece of God on the earth at this time; and to lead God’s people as prophet, seer and revelator.” --Elder David B. Haight, “Sustaining a New Prophet,” Conference Report, April 1995, pp. 47-50
2. A Prophet’s role is to cry repentance unto all the world (Helaman 7:15-17) On the sixth day of April 1845, and shortly after the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had mingled their blood with that of the other martyrs of true religion, the Council of the Twelve made such a proclamation. They address it: ‘To all the Kings of the World; To the President of the United States of America; To the Governors of the several States; And to the Rulers and People of all Nations: We now bear witness that his coming is near at hand; and not many years hence, the nations and their kings shall see him coming in the clouds. . . . Therefore we send unto you with authority from on high, and command you all to repent and humble yourselves as little children . . . and come unto Jesus . . . be baptized in his name, for the remission of sins . . and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of the hands of the Apostles and elders, of this great and last dispensation.’
3. A Prophet’s message is not his own, but comes from the Lord. (Helaman 7:29) “President Hinckley attended a luncheon at the Harvard Club in Manhattan where he talked with such guests as Newsweek editor-in-chief Richard Smith; John Mack Carter, president of Hearst Magazine Enterprises; Andrew Heyward, vice president and executive producer of the CBS Evening News; Associated Press religion editor David Briggs; and Mike Wallace, the senior reporter from CBS’s 60 Minutes.” (Go Forward With Faith, p. 537.) “President Hinckley gained the respect of his dining companions by using his wit and ability to relate to people, but the prophet was nervous that he might slip and say something injurious to the Church. He later wrote in his journal: ‘I feel a deep sense of appreciation to the Lord, who blessed me, I know He magnified me. I know that He put words into my mouth…I had almost dreaded coming back here and facing these people. All of the credit belongs to the Lord. I freely and gladly acknowledge it.’ ” --GBH Journal, 13 November 1996, quoted by Sherri L. Dew in Go Forward With Faith, p. 539.
4. Prophets are not popular with the wicked. (Helaman 8:7) As popular as President Hinckley is with the members, he is still attacked by the unfaithful. “There were those who apparently believed that if they could discredit President Hinckley, they would also undermine and threaten the stability of the Church hierarchy. Consequently, over time he was accused of everything from dishonesty and political maneuvering to repulsive oral transgression. His prominence left him open to bizarre attacks. Ironically, the most vocal critics came from within the Church-liberal scholars, historians, feminists, and others who felt they or their causes weren’t being treated fairly or who took issue with the direction or statements of Church leaders.” --Sherri L. Dew, Go Forward with Faith, p. 423. 5. Prophets testify of Christ. (Helaman 8:16) “I know that I am not the head of this Church. The Lord Jesus Christ is its head. He is its living head. My mission, my chief responsibility, my greatest honor comes in hearing solemn testimony of His living reality. Jesus Christ is the son of God. . .” --President Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, pp. 285-286.
6. Physical evidence vindicates the prophets (Helaman 8:21-24) “…[W]e can not but think the Lord has a hand in… proving the Book of Mormon true in the eyes of all the people. It will be as it ever has been, the world will prove Joseph Smith a true prophet by circumstantial evidence, in experiments, as they did Moses and Elijah.” --Times & Seasons, 3:921-922; also in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 267.
7. A prophet makes prophesies for their time that later come true. (Helaman 8:27) Joseph Smith to Stephen A. Douglas: “Judge, you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of the almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you.” A Brief History of Stephen A. Douglas: • 1843: Elected as representative • 1856: Elected senator • 1857: Springfield, Illinois he made this statement about Mormons in Utah: “…the knife must be applied to this pestiferous, disgusting cancer which is gnawing into the very vitals of the body politic. It must be cut out by the roots and seared over by the red-hot iron of stern, unflinching law…. To protect them further in their treasonable, disgusting and bestial practices would be a disgrace to the country…” • 1860: election results: Abe Lincoln received 180 electoral votes Stephen A. Douglas received 12 electoral votes • Stephen A. Douglas died June 3, 1861, within a year of his defeat. --Illustrated Stories from Church History, Promised Land Publications: 1975, vol. 8, pp. 101-106.
8. The Lord trusts prophets with ultimate power (Helaman 10:5) Joseph Smith commented on being given such power. “The Lord once told me that what I asked for I should have. I have been afraid to ask God to kill my enemies, lest some of them should, peradventure, repent. I asked a short time since for the Lord to deliver me out of the hands of the Governor of Missouri, and if it needs must be to accomplish it, to take him away; and the next news that came pouring down from there was, that Governor Reynolds had shot himself. And I would now say, ‘Beware, O earth, how you fight against the Saints of God and shed innocent blood…’” --Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 340.
Wealth and Learning (Helaman 12:1-5) President Benson issued a comparable warning on wealth and learning for our day: “The two groups who have the greatest difficulty following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich. The learned may feel the prophet is only inspired when he agrees with them; otherwise, the prophet is just giving his opinion -- speaking as a man. The rich may feel they have no need to take counsel of a lowly prophet.” --President Ezra Taft Benson, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1981, pp. 26-30. A statement by Daniel H. Wells about our day echoes Mormon’s warning: “There will come a time, however, in the History of the Saints, when they will be tried with peace, prosperity, popularity, and riches.” -- President Daniel H. Wells, Journal of Discourses, June 1, 1878, Vol. 19, p. 367.
A statement by Brigham Young about the influence of wealth as a result of prosperity “The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greater fear… is that they cannot stand wealth.” --Quoted by Elder Dean L. Larsen, Ensign, May, 1991, p. 11. “Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the more deceiving of all tests. Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people -- it can put them to sleep.” --President Ezra T. Benson, address to Regional Representatives, Sept. 30, 1977; also in Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5, The Gospels, Millet and Jackson, p. 369.
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