Moses foretold of Christ as the one, indispensible prophet who must be heard. Moses prophecy is in Deu. 6:4RE: “I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto you, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whoever will not listen unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”
The prophecy concerns the Lord’s forthcoming “words.” Our obligation is to “listen unto” them. There have been many voices since that prophecy pretending to be God’s. But just like “there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.” 1 Ne. 3:27 –It is the same for voices: the Lord offers His voice, and the adversary shouts from every direction to distract and confuse.
Nephi understood this prophecy and taught that it would be fulfilled by Christ: “And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me. Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. And now I, Nephi, declare unto you that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness.” 1 Ne. 7:5
After the resurrection of Christ, Peter declared to the people of Jerusalem that this prophecy by Moses was about the Prince of Life whom they had slain: “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.” Acts 2:3
Following His resurrection, Christ declared He was the one Moses foretold, and that hearing His voice was required or you will be cut off: “Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.” 3 Ne. 9:8
When the angel Nephi visited Joseph Smith, he also referred to the prophecy of Moses, and that it referred to Christ. However, he clarified that the time of destroying or cutting off those who would not hear His voice was future: “He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses [Acts 2:3RE], precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ, but the day had not yet come when they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people, but soon would come.” JS-H 3:3 While it has always been necessary to hear “that prophet,” this particular explanation of the prophecy makes the final critical time to hear His voice sometime after 1823.
Accordingly, sometime after 1823 there will be a generation when those who fail to “hear his voice” will be “cut off” (Christ and Nephi) or “destroyed” (Peter).
Implicit in Moses’ prophecy is that if we will hear His voice then we will not be cut off or destroyed. The Lord is deliberate. He knows how to separate people and identify those who will hear His voice.
Because this prophecy is in the Old Covenants, New Testament, Book of Mormon and Teachings & Commandments, I have pondered what this means. Today the clearest place to find the Lord’s voice is in the Book of Mormon. It testifies on almost every page of Christ and has His words throughout the book.
Although I did not recognize it at the time, the Covenant offered by the Lord in 2017 includes as part of the Covenant itself, language that identifies those who accept it as they who “hear His voice.” That is the first question posed by Him in the Covenant: “First: Do you believe all the words of the Lord which have been read to you this day, and know them to be true and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who has condescended to provide them to you, and do you covenant with Him to cease to do evil and to seek to continually do good?” T&C 158:2
This question is asked first in the Covenant. Its placement suggests its importance. It appears the Lord asks the question to protect those who answer, “yes” against the very thing Moses said God “will require it of [us].”
The second question then directs attention to the Book of Mormon as a covenant: “Second: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Book of Mormon as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds?” Id. Paragraph 3
The Lord’s voice has been raised. It is our obligation to listen. As the final steps are taken by both heaven and hell, and people are hearing or rejecting His voice, it becomes increasingly important to study the scriptures. In them we think we have eternal life, and they all testify of Him. See, John 5:7