Enoch’s powerful testimony to his condemned contemporaries included this question: “why counsel ye yourselves , and deny the God of heaven.” (Moses 6: 43.) Men in that day preferred to have the counsel of men instead of the word of God, from God.
Nephi spoke of the “Zion” of our time and said: “Wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (2 Ne. 28: 26.)
Now having one “wo” pronounced upon a people is a warning of condemnation in this life. Their ways do not prosper and they suffer setbacks because they listen to the precepts of men. They fall back. More concerning is when three “wo’s” are pronounced upon a people. The connotation being a condemnation which will last beyond this life and into eternity. So I take the following statement with some considerable seriousness:
“[T]hey have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell.” (2 Ne. 28: 14-15.) Three “wo’s” pronounced and three names of God used to make that warning. False doctrines and whoredoms are an equivalent in this passage. That is, you are “whoring” after other false gods, and betraying the true Lord God Almighty, when you preach false doctrines which assure you, in your pride, that you are safe, elect, chosen and better than others. Such teachers are condemned three-fold.
What an interesting problem we have in front of us. No-one can trust in any man or men. All of us are required to hear God’s voice, and follow Him.
I choose to hear God’s voice. I seem to have a challenge in hearing these days. Prayer, fasting, studying.. I am striving… what can I do differently to “hear Him”?
First, live by everything you know to be right. You do not have to follow something you have not yet been taught. But you do have to live true to what you’ve already been given.
Second, ask God. The inquiry of the rich, young man: “what lack I yet?” is a good question. Or, as Joseph put it, as to “know of your state and standing before God.” He alone knows the answer to that. We all tend to underestimate the significance of our virtues, and overestimate the importance of our mistakes.
A truely humble man does not know he is humble, so if you think you are humble then you are not.
Osho
wo wo wo….. makes me think of w.w.w