If there is one word in scripture that should trouble us like no other, it is the word “hypocrite.” The following is the 1828 definition according to Webster:
HYP'OCRITE, n.
1. One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion.
Our scriptures speak often of these types:
“This know also,
that in the
last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their
own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof;
from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
“And again it shall
come to
pass, that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that
shall be
delivered him, Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their
mouth, and
with their lips do honor me, but have
removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by
the precepts of men, therefore I will proceed to do a marvelous work
among this
people; yea, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their
wise and
learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be
hid.”
(Isaiah 29:26; 2 Nephi 11:146-147)
“But those
things which proceed out of the mouth, come forth from the heart;
and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are
things
which defile a man.” (Matthew 15:19)
“Wherefore let all
men beware
how they take my name in their lips; for, behold, verily I say, that
many there
be who are under this condemnation; who
use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not
authority.”
(Section 63:15d)
In 1831, Joseph Smith received the following revelation (see Section 50):
“Hearken, O ye elders
of my church, and give ear to the voice of the living God; and attend
to the
words of wisdom which shall be given unto you, according as ye have
asked and
are agreed as touching the church, and the spirits which have gone
abroad in
the earth. Behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many spirits
which are
false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world:
and
also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you. Behold, I the Lord have looked upon you,
and have seen abominations in the church that professes my name; but
blessed
are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for
they
shall inherit eternal life. But
woe unto them that are deceivers, and hypocrites,
for thus saith the Lord, I will bring
them to judgment. Behold, verily I say unto you, There are hypocrites
among you, and
have deceived some, which has given the adversary power, but, behold,
such
shall be reclaimed; but the hypocrites
shall be detected and shall be cut off, either in life or in death,
even as I
will, and woe unto them who are cut off from my church, for the same
are
overcome of the world; wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that
which is
not in truth and righteousness before me.”
This was a revelation about false spirits, and how many of them were in the world, seeking to deceive and make deceivers and hypocrites out of men. Other holy prophets spoke also of these false spirits:
“Beloved, believe
not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false
prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)
“Also of your own
selves
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them.”
(Acts 20:30)
After warning of these false spirits, the Lord then explained to his elders how they might learn the truth on these matters:
“And now come, saith
the Lord, by the Spirit, unto the elders of his
church, and let us reason together, that ye may understand: let us
reason even
as a man reasoneth one with another face to face: now when a
man
reasoneth, he is understood of man, because he reasoneth as a man; even
so will
I, the Lord, reason with you that you may understand: wherefore I, the
Lord,
asketh you this question, Unto what
were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the
Comforter, which
was sent forth to teach the truth: and then received ye spirits which
ye could
not understand, and received them to be of God, and in this are ye
justified?
Behold, ye shall answer this question yourselves, nevertheless I will
be
merciful unto you; he that is weak among you hereafter shall be made
strong.
Verily I say unto you, He that is
ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the
Comforter, in
the spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the spirit of truth, or some
other
way? and if it be by some other way, it be not of God.”
More than anyone else, false spirits are
interested in
leaders – church leaders – those who profess to speak for the Lord, and
have
influence over flocks, large or small.
It is the true priesthood, most of all, that false spirits will
seek to
deceive. God made the point to his
elders that they were receiving “spirits” which they could not
understand, and
yet they received them to be from him.
Yet God is not an author of confusion.
God “reasons” with us, just as he said above.
According to
“Verily, verily, I
say unto
you, He that entereth not by the door
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief
and a
robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep.”
(John 10)
The “door” is not the same thing as the “gate.” The gate is repentance and baptism. The door is the Lord’s voice, and the Lord’s sheep recognize their shepherd’s voice; likewise, Satan’s sheep respond to Satan’s voice.
“Therefore, if a
man bringeth
forth good works, he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd;
and he
doth follow him; But whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same
becometh a
child of the devil; for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow
him.” (
This is a very hard saying. I’m sure it was hard for the first elders to hear such a thing, and it should be equally hard for today’s elders – or any of us, for that matter. Yet God warned that there were, in fact, those ordained into this priesthood who did not know their Lord’s voice. They were not entering into true understanding or true wisdom by the door. They were gaining their knowledge and wisdom some other way, and thus they were deceived, and they were deceiving others in the process.
If this was occurring four generations ago, what might we suppose has been occurring since that time? What might we suppose is occurring today, some four generations later? If history bears out any truth at all, it reveals that corruption manifests itself – or peaks – in the third and fourth generations. Those of the fourth generation, especially, tend to be ripened for destruction. So while this revelation was given in 1831, it is probably even more applicable in our day. Later in this same revelation, we read this:
“And again, verily I
say unto you, and I say it that you may know the truth, that you may
chase
darkness from among you, for he that
is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the
greatest,
notwithstanding he is least, and the servant of all: wherefore, he is
possessor
of all things, for all things are subject unto him, both in
heaven and
on the earth, the life, and the light, the spirit, and the power, sent
forth by
the will of the Father, through Jesus Christ, his Son; but no
man is possessor of all things, except he be purified and
cleansed from all sin; and if ye are purified and cleansed from all
sin, ye
shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus, and it shall be
done: but
know this, it shall be given you what you shall ask, and as ye
are
appointed to the head, the spirits shall be subject unto you.”
In this latter day revelation, the Lord revealed
some very
important things concerning those who are ordained.
He said that his true priesthood is the “least” of all, even
though they are appointed to greatness, and to be possessors of all
things. He also said that no man
possesses all things unless he is “purified
and cleansed from all sin.” Do we
agree? Do we understand that for this
priesthood to be possessors of all things, it must be purified and
cleansed
from all sin?
“And now I ask of
you, my
brethren, How will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of
God,
having your garments stained with blood, and all manner of filthiness?
Behold,
what will these things testify against you? Behold, will they not
testify that
ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of
wickedness?
Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose
that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God,
with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets,
whose
garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure, and white? I say unto
you, Nay,
except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or
suppose that
he is a liar from the beginning, ye can not suppose that such can have
place in
the kingdom of heaven, but they shall be cast out, for they are the
children of
the kingdom of the devil.” (
In harmony with the rest of God’s holy prophets,
“And now behold, I
say unto
you my brethren, If ye have
experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the
song of
redeeming love, I would ask, Can ye feel so now? Have ye walked,
keeping
yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die
at this
time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That
your
garments have been cleansed and made white, through the blood of
Christ, who
will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped
of
pride? I say unto you, If ye are not, ye are not prepared to meet God.”
(
We receive according to the desires of our hearts, which is in accordance to the idols that we do, or do not, harbor there (Ezekiel 14). How easy it is, then, to receive false spirits and assume them to be from the Lord.
The Lord’s people are hypocrites
Remember the Assyrian? He will be sent against a hypocritical nation:
“O Assyrian, the
rod of mine
anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I
will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the
people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil,
and to
take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”
(Isaiah
10:5-6)
When Job spoke of the hypocrite, he was speaking
of
“Knowest
thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the
triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for
a
moment? Let mine enemy be
as the
wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous. For what
is the
hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his
soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble
cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will
he
always call upon God? I will teach you by the hand of God; that which
is with
the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen
it; why
then are ye thus altogether vain? This is the portion of a wicked man
with God,
and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the
Almighty.” (Job
27:4-13)
He said that “trouble” would come upon the hypocrites. Jeremiah further described that day of trouble:
“Ask ye now, and
see whether
a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his
hands on
his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into
paleness? Alas!
for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be
saved out of it.” (Jeremiah 30:6-7)
That Jacob (
“So are the paths
of all that
forget God; and the hypocrite's hope
shall perish; Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust
shall be
a spider's web.” (Job 8:13-14)
Ezekiel used these same words when he saw a
resurrected
“Then he said unto
me, Son of
man, these bones are the whole house
of
How often do we hear and use popular quips and quotes, having no idea from whence they’ve originated? Sir Walter Scott offered one such quote: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” Did you notice that Job described the hypocrite’s trust as being like a spider’s web? Isaiah spoke also of this spider web when defining the Lord’s people:
But your iniquities
have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face
from you,
that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your
fingers
with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered
perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth;
they trust
in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth
iniquity. They hatch cockatrice eggs, and weave
the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that
which is
crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become
garments,
neither shall they cover themselves with their works; their works are
works of
iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to
evil,
and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts
of
iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace
they
know not; and there is no judgment in their goings; they have made them
crooked
paths; whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is
judgment far
from us, neither doth justice overtake us; we wait for light, but
behold
obscurity; for brightness, but we
walk in darkness.” (Isaiah 59:2-9)
We, who speak in the name of Christ Jesus, are
held
accountable for how we represent his name.
Every holy prophet spoke to
“The ox knoweth his
owner,
and the ass his master's crib; but
Because
“And ye shall know
that I am
the Lord, when I shall bring you into the
Let us further investigate what the Lord has to say about his people, the hypocrites.
To the shepherds:
“For the
leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led
of them are destroyed. Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in
their
young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; for
every one of them is a hypocrite
and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger
is not
turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 9:16-17)
My sheep wandered
through all
the mountains, and upon every high hill; yea, my flock was scattered
upon all
the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
Therefore, ye
shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, saith the Lord God,
surely
because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast
of the
field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search
for my
flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Therefore, O ye
shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and
I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from
feeding the
flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore, for
I will
deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
For thus
saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and
seek them
out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among
his sheep
that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them
out of
all places where thy have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.”
(Ezekiel
34:6-12)
To all of us:
“Thus have ye made
the
commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
O ye hypocrites!
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draw nigh unto me
with
their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is
far from
me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching the doctrines and
the commandments
of men. And he called the multitude and said unto them, Hear, and
understand.
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which
cometh out
of the mouth, this defileth the man.” (Matthew 15:6-10)
“Tell us,
therefore, What
thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
But Jesus perceived
their
wickedness, and said, Ye hypocrites!
why tempt ye me? Show me the tribute money.” (Matthew 22:17-18)
“Again, how canst
thou say to
thy brother, Let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou
thyself
beholdest not the beam which is in thine own eye? Thou
hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye,
and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote which is in thy
brother's
eye.” (Luke 6:42)
“Therefore, when thou doest alms, do not sound a
trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say
unto you,
they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let it be unto thee
as thy
left hand not knowing what thy right hand doeth; That thine alms may be
in
secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee
openly.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites; for they
love to
pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that
they
may be seen of men; for, verily, I say unto you, they have their
reward. But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
the
door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who seeth in
secret
shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the
hypocrites do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.
Therefore be ye not like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things
ye have
need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:2-8)
“Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites,
of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they
may
appear unto men to fast. Verily, I say unto you, they have their
reward. But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou
appear
not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father who is in secret; and thy
Father who
seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:17-18)
“And he said also
unto the people,
When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, ye say straightway, There
cometh a
shower; and so it is. And when the south wind blows, ye say, There will
be
heat; and it cometh to pass. O
hypocrites! Ye can discern the face of the sky, and of the earth; but
how is it
that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why
even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? Why
goest thou to thine adversary for a magistrate, when thou art in the
way with
thine enemy? Why not give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from
him;
lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the
officer, and
the officer cast thee into prison? I tell thee, thou shalt not depart
thence,
till thou hast paid the very last mite.” (Luke 12:63-68)
“Now it was those
men who sought
to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired or appointed by the
people to
administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the
crimes of
the people, before the Judges. Now these lawyers were learned in all
the arts
and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might
be
skillful in their profession. And it came to pass that they began to
question
Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict
the
words which he should speak. Now they knew not that Amulek could know
of their
designs. But it came to pass as they began to question him, he
perceived their
thoughts, and he said unto them, O ye wicked and perverse generation; ye lawyers and hypocrites; for ye are
laying the foundations of the devil; For ye are
laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of
God; ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to
bring
down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of
this
people; Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was
about to
deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that
this
people should be governed by their own voices; Yea, well did he say,
that if
the time should come that the voice of this people should choose
iniquity; that
is, if the time should come that this people should fall into
transgression,
they would be ripe for destruction.” (
“And your churches,
yea, even
every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.
For behold,
ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the
adorning
of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick
and the
afflicted. O ye pollutions, ye
hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will
canker,
why have ye polluted the holy
We are all at risk for hypocrisy.
Remember, Ezekiel saw an entire army of
Jesus said:
But
woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For ye shut
up the
kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer
ye them that are entering to go in. Woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees! for ye are hypocrites! Ye
devour
widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore ye
shall
receive the greater punishment. Woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea
and
land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him two-fold
more the
child of hell than he was before, like unto yourselves. Woe
unto you, blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear
by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of
the
temple, he committeth sin, and is a debtor. You are
fools and blind; for which is the greater, the gold,
or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And ye say, Whosoever sweareth
by the
altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon
it, he is
guilty. O fools, and blind!
For which is the greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the
gift?
Verily I say unto you, Whoso, therefore, sweareth by it, sweareth by
the altar,
and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple,
sweareth by it,
and by him who dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven,
sweareth by
the throne of God, and by him who sitteth thereon. Woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay
tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin; and have omitted the weightier
things of
the law; judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and
not to
leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, who strain at a gnat, and
swallow a
camel; who make yourselves appear
unto men that ye would not commit the least sin, and yet ye yourselves,
transgress the whole law. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
For ye make clean the outside of the cup, and of the platter; but
within they
are full of extortion and excess. Ye blind Pharisees! Cleanse first the
cup and
platter within, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe
unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which
indeed appear
beautiful outwardly, but are within full of the bones of the dead, and
of all
uncleanness. Even so, ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and
iniquity. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because ye
build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the
righteous,]
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have
been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets; Wherefore, ye are
witnesses
unto yourselves of your own wickedness, and ye are the children of them
who
killed the prophets; And will fill up the measure then of your fathers;
for ye,
yourselves, kill the prophets like unto your fathers.
Ye serpents, and
generation of vipers! How can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
(Matthew 23:10-30)
I wonder – if the Lord showed up today, and walked among the churches who claim to be his, if he would deliver a similar message? The difference in those days and ours is that we are not yet in bondage to today’s Scribes and Pharisees – not yet anyway:
“For it shall come
to pass in
that day, that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord,
when the
one shall say unto the other, Behold, I, I am the Lord's; and the other
shall
say, I, I am the Lord's. And thus shall every one say, that hath built
up
churches, and not unto the Lord; And they shall contend one with
another; and
their priests shall contend one with another; and they shall teach with
their learning,
and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance. And they deny the
power of
God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people, Hearken
unto us, and hear ye our precept; For behold, there
is no God to-day, for the Lord and
the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men.”
(2 Nephi 12:3-7)
The current condition of the churches is not unlike the Zoramites:
“And we also thank
thee, that
thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish
traditions
of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ, which
doth
lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God. And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a
chosen and a holy people. Amen.” (
Will this hypocritical fervor strengthen in
intensity, until
a time finally comes when a certain chosen
leadership convinces the majority that strength in numbers will redeem
God’s
“And it came to
pass that I
beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather
together in multitudes upon the face of all the
earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight
against the Lamb of God.” (1 Nephi 3:229)
The yoke we cannot bear
“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to
bear? But we
believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we
shall be saved, even as they.” (Acts 15:10-11)
The pinnacle of hypocrisy is leadership that expects something of its followers that it cannot itself do. It is the “big boss” that places slave-labor demands on his fellow employees, all the while, enjoying the comforts of his office high in the sky, away from the rat race, raking in the profits that he, himself, has not had to earn.
In many recent Restoration publications, I cannot help but notice a common theme seeming to emerge. Not the common theme of “oneness” and “unity,” although that is certainly the central emerging theme. No, this emergence concerns tithes, even the celestial law. The following verses are often quoted:
“They have not learned
to be obedient to the things I require at their hands.”
“They do not impart of
their substance as becometh Saints.”
“They are not united
according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom.”
These have become extremely popular to quote, and all are from Section 102, in particular, verse 2. But strangely enough, the rest of Section 102 is rarely, if ever, mentioned. But Section 102 goes on to say the following:
“…and let those
commandments
which I have given concerning
In other words, according to this same Section 102, this law of consecration will not be executed nor fulfilled until after Zion has been redeemed – afterward, not before. We already know that the redemption of Zion must come by power, and that the Lord intends to raise up a man like Moses who will lead his people as Moses once led the children of Israel (Section 100:3d-e). Many men may try to claim this privilege – and perhaps they will even seek to convince us by raining fire down from heaven (Revelation 13:13).
But there was only one Moses, and there will be only one prophet like unto him who will proceed to accomplish all that the Book of Revelation is about.
“And I will give
power unto
my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and
threescore
days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two
candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will
hurt
them, fire proceedeth out of their
mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt
them, he
must in this manner be killed. 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.” (Revelation 11:3-6)
The world is on the path to a kingdom, and the kings of the earth are using the great whore to establish it for them. We are given to know all hypocrites by their fruits. If what they preach is what the world embraces, it is not the kind of fruit we want to be eating. Now, Lord please help and forgive this unworthy servant if I, too, am a hypocrite for pointing out what I believe to be true.
What hypocrites have to look forward to
“He shall shake off
his
unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
For the congregation of hypocrites shall be
desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
They
conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth
deceit.”
(Job 15:33-35)
“If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath; they cry not when he bindeth them.” (Job 36:11-13)
“The
sinners in
“Therefore
be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not,
the Son of Man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his Lord
hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Blessed is
that servant, whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing; And,
verily I
say unto you, he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But
if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his
coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and
drink with
the drunken; the Lord of the servant shall come in a day when he
looketh not
for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him
asunder, and
shall appoint him his portion with
the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And thus
cometh the end of the wicked according to the prophecy of Moses,
saying, They
should be cut off from among the people. But the end of the earth is
not yet;
but bye and bye.” (Matthew 24:51-56)
“Behold, I, the
Lord, have
made my church in these last days, like unto a judge sitting on a hill,
or in a
high place, to judge the nations; for it shall come to pass, that the
inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion; and liars, and hypocrites shall be proved by
them, and they who are not apostles and prophets shall be known.”
(Section 64:7c-d)
“Now, unto what
shall I liken
the children of
Although it is written that the hypocrite destroys his neighbor, it is also written that through knowledge shall the just be delivered (Proverbs 11:9). What a day it will be when the Lord performs his strange work, or strange act, so that all of mankind can finally discern between righteousness and wickedness.
~~~~~
“Pray ye, therefore, that their ears may be opened unto your cries, that I may be merciful unto them, that these things may not come upon them. What I have said unto you, must needs be, that all men may be left without excuse; that wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have never considered; that I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work. That men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God.” (Section 98:12)