theidler,
1 John 4:1 and all the writings of John definitely apply.
Joseph Smith testified that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. I can testify, through knowledge confirmed by the Spirit of God, that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, came in the flesh, was resurrected, and lives today. 1 John 4:2 applies.
“Christ” refers specifically to “Anointed One”, and thus refers to Isaiah 61:1-3. Jesus Christ fulfilled and is still fulfilling Isaiah 61:1-3. He came in the flesh to do that very thing, as the divine Son of God.
“1 John 4: [1] Dearly beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. [2] By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: [3] And
every spirit that dissolveth Jesus, is not of God: and this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he cometh, and he is now already in the world.”
In that passage, contrary to the way most people read it, John was probably not just referring to normal men of flesh and bone that could come to them teaching error, but the ‘spirits’ that might appear to them in visions, or whisper to them in their ‘spiritual ears’. Prophets are those men that receive visions and/or ‘whisperings’ from God, that tell them what God wants them to do. False prophets are those that may think they receive visions or whatever from God, but they’re deceived. They’re the ones that listen to, and follow, ‘spirits’ that are not really from God, at all, but from the devil. They’re the ones that Paul referred to as coming to men as an “angel of light”. "2 Corinthians 11: [13] For
such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no wonder: for
Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works.
John (and Paul) was telling the Disciples that any ‘spirit’ that reduces the power or majesty of Jesus, Himself, or God the Father, or the Holy Spirit into humanistic terms, or tries to deflect them away from what they were taught by the true Apostles, is not from God. Many of the ‘false prophets’ that he spoke of, are the ones that follow spirits that are not from God. There have been many of them that have been led astray over the centuries by those ‘spirits’. Apparently, it’s been happening among Christians since before the time John wrote this Epistle. It’s not something that will only happen near the end of time. It’s been happening throughout history, even during the time of the Old Testament, because there are many references to false prophets in it, as well.
This is why the Catholic Church has learned to be very careful about fully investigating anyone that claims to be receiving any kind of visions, or ‘messages’ from God, in private revelations. They can lead many people astray if their visions are not authentic and don’t really come from God. Not everyone receives actual spiritual manifestations from God, especially that are meant to deliver any message to other people. Those are a very special gift that is only given to a few, that are specifically chosen by God to deliver such messages to the Church. Private revelations are certainly possible for any individual (they’re usually referred to as ‘spiritual consolations’), but even those are few and far between for most people.
Isaiah 61 is all about Jesus Christ, and the Church that He established on Peter.
A one man job? Must have been a superhuman…right?