The
Watchman on the Tower
The Lord speaking to the ancient Israelites gave them a warning to head the words of his servants, the prophets:
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear
the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt
surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his
wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his
wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul. (Ezekiel 3:17-19)
The watchman is
the prophet and apostles at the head of the Lord’s church today. Earl C. Tingey
speaking to the students at Brigham Young University said this about who the
watchman is today:
“I believe
the watchmen today are the prophets and apostles. The Lord has designated
President Gordon B. Hinckley as our chief watchman on the tower today. We will
be guided and protected from the enemy if we follow his counsel. President Boyd
K. Packer is also a watchman on the tower. His biography, written several years
ago, is entitled Boyd K. Packer:
A Watchman on the Tower.2 Trusted local priesthood leaders, including
stake presidents and bishops, are watchmen on the tower to their members and
congregations. Certainly a father is a watchman on the tower to his family. Each
of you should be a watchman to yourself.” (“The Watchman on the Tower”, Earl C. Tingey,
BYU Devotional, June 5, 2007)
The Lord
speaking to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio gave the parable of the
watchman on the tower:
44 A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he
said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land,
and plant twelve olive trees;
45 And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower,
that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower,
that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil
and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.
46 Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did
as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive trees, and built a hedge
round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.
47 And while they were yet laying the foundation
thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this
tower?
48 And consulted for a long time, saying among
themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of
peace?
50 And while they were at variance one with
another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments
of their lord.
51 And the enemy came by night, and broke down
the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and
were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down
the olive trees.
52 Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of
the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto
them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil?
53 Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded
you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about,
and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard,
and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?
54 And behold, the watchman upon the tower would
have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made
ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my
vineyard from the hands of the destroyer. (Doctrine and Covenants 101:44-54)
Elder Tingey
explained the meaning of the tower and the impact it can have for us:
“In the Holy Land (and
I have personally seen them) are remnants or remains of ancient towers—round
structures built of rock, like lighthouses near the sea. The purpose of these
towers was to provide a structure or facility where the watchman might look out
upon the land and see the enemy before he came and destroyed the olive trees.
“Then what might be
analogous to the tower today? The tower is a symbolic point of elevation where
we may see the enemy before others do. I think today’s towers might be
revelation, prophets, inspired scriptures, and, certainly, the temple.
Revelation from living prophets permits us to see more clearly in a clouded
world. Our modern scriptures—the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants,
and the Pearl of Great Price—help us understand the Bible more fully. As
compared to the world, all of these are opportunities to receive elevated
instructions in a troubled world.” (“The Watchman on the Tower”, Earl C. Tingey, BYU Devotional,
June 5, 2007)
Today we have
fifteen prophets, seers and revelators that can see the troubles that are
coming and they warn us of the dangers and help us know what we can do to be
ready and battle the enemy. If we listen and heed the words of the prophets and
apostles, we will be blessed and our families will be protected. If we do not
take the time to listen and then follow their teachings the sin will be on our
heads. On the day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized
the Lord explained the importance of giving heed to the prophets words:
4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt
give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he
receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
6 For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you;
yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers o darkness from before you, and cause the heavens
to shake for your good, and his name’s glory. (Doctrine and Covenants
21:4-6)
Every six months
we have the opportunity to listen to the teachings and warnings of the prophet
of the church today, President Thomas S. Monson, the Twelve Apostles and other
general authorities of the church. That opportunity will be here again next week.
Sessions of general conference will be available on KBYU-TV and on the Internet
at LDS.org.
I invite you to
tune into as many sessions of general conference as you can and see for
yourself if they are watchman on the tower and are warning us of things to come
and telling us what we need to do to protect our families from the evils of the
world today.
I testify that
those who speak are prophets and apostles and they have been sent by the Lord
to be a watchman on the tower and listening and heeding their warnings will bring us blessings and protect us from evil.
Your comments
and questions are welcome
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