Chapter 21
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities,
against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places."
— Ephesians 6:12

In many of the past chapters, we have demonstrated how some of those we trust are actually, "wolves in sheep’s clothing." At general conference, in 1966, Ezra Taft Benson said, "An old adage declares, ‘A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.’" (CR, October 1966, p. 124.)

It is very important to understand that there are such wolves, disguised as harmless sheep, that desire to lead all of us astray; or at least, because of their ignorance, attempt to lead many others into the same ignorance that they themselves possess. This happens to be true where patriotism and following the Prophet is concerned — especially our current Prophet, Ezra Taft Benson. Many will say they love the Prophet and follow his counsel. But, when it comes to subjects such as freedom, the Constitution, and doing our civic duty, they relegate President Benson’s words to being only his "personal opinion."

Let us now turn to Ezra Taft Benson, and see what he has to say about this subject. In his Book, Title of Liberty, he writes: "Too often in recent years, patriotic symbols have been shunted aside. Our national heroes have been maligned, our history distorted. Has it become a disgrace to pledge allegiance to our flag — or to sign a loyalty oath, or pay tribute to our national anthem? Is it shameful to encourage our children to memorize the stirring words of the men of ‘76? Has it become opprobrious [reproachful] to state ‘In God We Trust’ when proclaiming love of country?" (TL, p. 18.)

He addresses this same theme in a previous work of his called The Red Carpet. From that book we read: "There is yet another threat to American freedom we should consider. . . . It is the current anti anti-communism drive and the branding as ‘super-patriots,’ ‘fanatics’ and ‘right-wing extremists,’ those who defend the freedom, traditions and principles on which this great nation was founded. The implication is to make of them something that is evil. The claim is that it [criticism of communism and socialism] divides our people and therefore should be discouraged. Many of our people — some in high places whose influence is far reaching — fall for this anti anti-communist line of reasoning. Thomas Jefferson warns us as follows: ‘If we suffer ourselves to be frightened from our posts by mere lying, surely the enemy will use that weapon. . . . The patriot like the Christian, must learn that to bear revilings and persecutions is a part of his duty; and in proportion as the trial is severe, firmness under it becomes more requisite and praiseworthy.’" (TRC, pp.197, 199.)

Patriots Attacked
Thomas Jefferson, even in his time, knew of the deception and lying that will take place to help destroy the spirit of patriotism in America. It was happening then and it is happening now. And the most ardent messenger today has been Ezra Taft Benson, a man we have sustained as Prophet, Seer and Revelator, not just a man with personal opinions. In 1963 he gave an address at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California, in which he said, "Now I know that Moscow has ordered that all anti-communists [socialists] are to be attacked and discredited in every way possible. I know the Communist party of the United States has issued a similar mandate. . . . We are battling against apathy, blindness, opportunism and propaganda directed brilliantly by masters of deceit." (Let Us Live to Keep Men Free, p. 10.)

The subjects of apathy and blindness, or ignorance, we will take up in the next chapter, but now we must be aware that there are those in the world that desire for all of us to be ignorant of what is taking place around us and to be apathetic about our participation in any of these matters. By having a bunch of "sheep" the wolves can lead them astray as they have done very successfully to this point in time — even to the exclusion of not following the warnings and counsel of one of God’s choicest servants. Returning to that servant, and to one of his books previously cited, we read: "Now obviously, the worst thing that can happen to a socialist is to have himself openly identified with the work of the communists who are generally feared and despised. The socialists know they cannot seize property and power by ‘due process of law’ unless they are politically popular, therefore, they try desperately to avoid the taint of the communists and present their program so that it appears ‘moral,’ ‘democratic,’ ‘peaceful,’ and so ‘gradual’ that the people will not resist it." (TL, p. 170.)

From our past discussion about socialists, we know that they are very deceptive about their subversive work, and their desire to overthrow the Constitution, the only barrier to their work of conspiracy in this country. As pointed out so many times before, Ezra Taft Benson has warned us and counseled us, but have we listened? Here we will read from his words again:

"At this particular moment in history the United States Constitution is definitely threatened, and every citizen should know about it. The warning of this hour should resound through the corridors of every American institution — schools, churches, the halls of Congress, press, radio, and TV, and so far as I am concerned it will resound — with God’s help.
"Wherever possible I have tried to speak out. It is for this very reason that certain people in Washington have bitterly criticized me. They don’t want people to hear the message. It embarrasses them. The things which are destroying the Constitution are the things they have been voting for. They are afraid of their political careers if these facts are pointed out. They therefore try to silence any who carry the message — anyone who will stand up and be counted.
"But these liberal politicians are not the only ones who are trying to silence the warning voice of American patriots. Moscow is equally alarmed.
"The Soviet leaders knew this trend could create a crisis for communism, not only in the United States but elsewhere. Therefore, they called together communist delegates from 81 countries and held a meeting in Moscow.
". . . this communist convention issued an edict that the rising tide of patriotism and anti-communism must be smashed — especially in the United States! All the tricks of hate propaganda and smear tactics were to be unleashed on the heads of American patriots.
"Now if the communists had been forced to do this job themselves, it would have been an utter failure. Americans would have simply closed ranks and united. But what mixes up so many people was the fact that the attack on patriotism and the smear of the anti-communist movement did not come in the name of Moscow. It came in the name of influential Americans who espoused the socialist-communist line.
"This was a minority bloc of American liberals who formed a propaganda coalition with the communists. Their strategy was ingenious. Almost overnight they drew the line of fire away from the communist conspiracy and focused the heat of attack on the patriots.
"How did they do it? They did it by saying that they were against the communists but also against the anti-communists. They said one was as bad as the other.
"As I asked some of them at the time, ‘Are you fighting the communists or not? You claim to be fighting the fire, but you spend nearly all of your time fighting the firemen!’
"By 1962 some American liberals had almost completely neutralized the resurgence of American patriotism. They had frightened uninformed citizens away from study groups and patriotic rallies. They had made it popular to call patriotism a ‘controversial’ subject which should not be discussed in school assemblies or churches.
"From Washington, D.C., the Federal Communications Commission issued an edict to radio and television stations that if they allowed the controversial subjects of ‘Americanism,’ Anti-communism,’ or ‘States rights,’ to be discussed on their stations they would be required to give equal time, free of charge, to anyone wishing to present an opposite view." (Ibid., pp. 30, 31, 32.)
He said that the enemy has "neutralized" most of us to the extent that we have made "patriotism a controversial subject," and to the point we have shied away from speaking on the subject in "school assemblies or churches." But he also said that the warning voice should "resound" in "schools" and "churches." From this, does it sound like we should keep the subject of patriotism and the Constitution out of our Church meetings?

Wolves in the Church
At another address delivered at Brigham Young University, this great Apostle, warned us in these words: "Sometimes from behind the pulpit, in our classrooms, in our council meetings, and in our Church publications, we hear, read or witness things that do not square with the truth. This is especially true where freedom is involved." (Address delivered at Brigham Young University, October 25, 1966, entitled, "Our Immediate Responsibility;" AEHDT, p. 317.)

He has reference here to false doctrine that is preached by some members of this "Mormon" Church, who are unenlightened or else they are designing. Either way, they tend to lead the sheep of the Lord away from the truth and their duty. Following the theme we have been listening to, let us read some more:

"Sometimes we hear someone refer to a division in the Church. In reality, the Church is not divided. It simply means that there are some who, for the time being at least, are members of the Church but not in harmony with it. These people have a temporary membership and influence in the Church; but unless they repent, they will be missing when the final membership records are recorded.
"Yes, within the Church today there are tares among the wheat and wolves within the flock.
"Christ taught that we should be in the world but not of it. Yet there are some in our midst who are not so much concerned about taking the gospel into the world as they are about bringing worldliness into the gospel.
"Through their own reasoning and a few misapplied scriptures, they try to sell us the precepts and philosophies of men. They do not feel the Church is progressive enough — they say that it should embrace the social and socialist gospel of apostate Christendom.
"They are embarrassed over some Church doctrine, and as Lehi foretold, the scoffing of the world over this and other matters will cause some of them to be ashamed and they shall fall away." (CR, April 1969, pp. 10-11.)

Concerning these wolves in the Church, President Harold B. Lee warns us that even some of them are purposely trying to lead the members away: "We will see those who profess membership but secretly are plotting and trying to lead people not to follow the leadership that the Lord has set up to preside in this church." (Ibid., October 1970, p. 152; Also quoted in CR, April 1982, p. 90.)

Many members of the Church find it difficult to follow the Prophet when their friends in the Church, and even some local authorities, try to teach them otherwise. And when it comes to Ezra Taft Benson and the subject we have been discussing in this book, some members and Church authorities have the opinion that what he has said on the subject is only his opinion. What may be more accurate about what Ezra Taft Benson has said, is that it should be taken as a witness and a warning, rather than only his opinion. We must remember that the scriptures tell us to, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt.7:15; 3 Ne. 14:15.) This scripture does not only refer to those who profess to be prophets of God, but all those who try and lead astray.

Be Not Wolves Ourselves
Many of us perhaps need to be aware that we do not fall into the trap of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing ourselves. This can be easily done when we follow the arm of flesh instead of the spirit. When we do, we become the critic of the faithful.

Such critics do not hesitate to quote from President Benson when it serves their purposes and the quote does not point a finger at their ignorance. Their attitudes seem to be like Laman and Lemuel others who said, Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear." And, Nephi responded with, "Wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." (1 Ne. 16:1-2.)

What is shameful, is that these individuals have not studied the issues in the real world and from the scriptures, as President Benson has, and they seem to go through life as though looking at the world through a narrow toilet paper roll — they seem to justify their biases, prejudice, or ignorance by relegating his words to "personal opinion."

Perhaps such people need to receive a testimony of his words when he said, "We do not need a prophet — we have one. What we need is a listening ear, a humble heart, and a soul that is pure enough to follow his inspired guidance." That statement was made in 1966.(CR, October 1988, pp. 103-104.) The sad thing is, there are those in the Church today (from this author’s personal knowledge) that will say, "He said that when he was only an apostle; we only have to follow his words spoken after he became the Prophet." Do we not sustain an apostle as a prophet? Well, in his last verbal address as the living Prophet to the Saints (as of this writing) in October of 1988, while bearing his testimony about the Savior, Book of Mormon, secret combinations, getting our lives in order, etc., he said, "We have the scriptures, the prophets, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now we need eyes that will see, ears that will hear, and hearts that will hearken to God’s direction." (CR, October 1988, pp. 103-104.)

A statement from President J. Reuben Clark may also be pertinent at this time. He said in the April conference of 1949: "The ravening wolves are amongst us, from our own membership, and they, more than any others, are clothed in sheep’s clothing, because they wear the habiliments of the priesthood . . . distorting the truth. We should be careful of them. . . ."

We have the words of President Benson and President Lee, and now President Clark. We might ask ourselves, how many more authorities know of the wolves among us in the Church? Is this what the Prophet Joseph Smith was talking about when he said, "Awake my shepherds and warn my people! For behold the wolf cometh to destroy them — Receive him not." (Joseph Smith to Edward Partridge, January 7, 1838; Joseph Smith Collection, Church Historians Office; Unpublished Revelations, Vol. I, Part 42:3.)

The shepherds have been awake and they have been warning the people, but have we, the sheep, been listening? To restate what President Benson said to us in general conference: "Now we need eyes that will see, ears that will hear, and hearts that will hearken to God’s direction."

WORLD’S GREATEST TYRANNY

"He (Satan) plans to destroy liberty and freedom — economic, political, and religious, and to set up in place thereof the greatest, most widespread, and most complete tyranny that has ever oppressed men. There is no crime he would not commit, no debauchery he would not set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would not break, no life he would not take, no soul he would not destroy. He comes as a thief in the night; he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Without there knowing it, the people are being urged down paths that lead only to destruction. Satan never before had so firm a grip on this generation as he has now." (First Presidency, CR-10/42:13; as presented in PPNS, pp. 214-15.)