Falsehoods

Jeremiah's Difficult Mission

Jeremiah, the Prophet, was promised by the Lord that he would never be killed in the Lord's service; however, he was frequently mistreated.  He was a contemporary of Lehi in the Book of Mormon and was preaching to a very wicked people.  BYU Professor, Dr. D. Kelley Ogden told an interesting story to demonstrate the challenge of fulfilling assignments:

"It was as if Daniel, Lehi and Jeremiah were called into the Stake president's office prior to their missions.  The Stake President turns to Daniel and says, 'I'd like to call you to Babylon.  You will live under the protection of the king; you'll receive an education and be a respected leader for decades.'  Turning to Lehi he says, 'I call you to escape the destruction of Jerusalem.  Your family will be sustained and blessed in the wilderness.  You will be fulfilling the birthright blessing given to Joseph of Egypt.'

He turns to Jeremiah and remarks, 'I'd like you to stay in Judah during the Babylonian attacks.  You will be beaten, put into prison and ridiculed by the people and expected to preach to a wicked and unresponsive people during your mission.'

Now, who has got the hardest mission?  Jeremiah also suffered because of false prophets who told the people what they wanted to hear.  One of these was named, Hananiah.    Jeremiah chapter 28: verses 15-17 tells us:

15. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

16. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.

17.  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. 

This was a very pointed prophesy about an individual.  Things like that have occurred in our day.  In his return home from Ramos, 18th of May 1843, the Prophet Joseph Smith took dinner with Judge Steven A. Douglas at Carthage.

He then gave him a detailed account of the persecutions of the Saints.  He concluded his narrative with a prophesy that B.H. Roberts considers one of the most remarkable prophesies either in ancient or modern times.

Joseph said, 'Judge, you shall aspire to the presidency of the United States.  If you ever turn your hand against me or the latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of Almighty God upon you.  You will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you for the conversation of this day will stick to you thru life.'

Judge Douglas did aspire to the Presidency in 1860 and was nominated by the Democratic Party.  By all appearances, his election was sure, against a man named Abraham Lincoln.  But after they polled all the votes, the Judge failed miserably.  On the twelfth of June, 1857, he turned his hand against the latter-day Saints, in spite of the warning of the Prophet, in a speech he gave in Illinois, he accused the Saints, then living in Utah, of all the crimes known to the penal code, well knowing that he did so falsely to gain favor with those who were enemies of the Church."

The result was as the Prophet had told him would be the case.  He was defeated.  Abraham Lincoln carried 18 states, Breckinridge 11, Bell three and Judge Douglas only one.  Less than a year after his nomination he died disappointed and heartbroken, only 48 years old.  So there's a specific example in modern times of just exactly what Jeremiah did.  Somebody they recognized as pronouncing falsehoods.  The Lord had something specific to say to him."