As we study the words of the prophets, both ancient and modern, it becomes clear that some of the most powerful rebukes are reserved for those who, while outwardly religious, have lost their spiritual depth and connection to God. In Isaiah 1:3-7 and Jachanan Ben Kathryn (JBK) Chapter 6, verses 2-5, we see an uncomfortable but vital parallel: both prophets, Isaiah and John Son of Kathryn, are rebuking those who think they are righteous but have drifted far from true devotion to God. In particular, this can be applied to LDS members today, as well as other Gentile nations, who may believe they are righteous because of their outward observance but are failing to know God personally.
The Warning of Isaiah: Empty Rituals and Spiritual Blindness
In Isaiah 1:3-7, Isaiah declares:
“The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity…”
Isaiah laments that even animals recognize their masters, but the people of Israel—who outwardly follow God’s commandments—do not truly know Him. This rebuke is striking because Isaiah is not addressing heathens or those outside the covenant, but Israel, the chosen people of God. They are described as “laden with iniquity,” despite their religious heritage and outward practices. Isaiah paints a picture of moral and spiritual decay in a nation that thinks of itself as righteous but is deeply wounded.
JBK’s Parallel Rebuke: The Lost Spirituality of the Righteous
JBK Chapter 6, verses 2-5 offers a similar condemnation:
“For the nations shall rage, and the hearts of men shall be filled with pride. Even those who call themselves righteous and pure… shall be as sheep without a shepherd.”
John Son of Kathryn emphasizes that many who believe themselves to be righteous—those who attend church, fulfill callings, and outwardly follow the commandments—are far from God in their hearts. They do not diligently seek after truth, study the scriptures, or truly understand who God is. Like Isaiah, John rebukes the self-righteous who, despite outward appearances, are spiritually dead inside.
The Gentiles and LDS Members: A Sobering Reflection
Both Isaiah and John Son of Kathryn, in their respective writings, appear to be addressing the Gentiles of the latter days. While Gentiles traditionally referred to non-Israelites, many prophetic interpretations, including the views of scholars like Avraham Gileadi, suggest that the term Gentiles in these passages can also refer to modern LDS Church members. Most LDS members today are descendants of Gentile nations, and though they are part of the restored gospel, they are often spiritually categorized as Gentiles rather than direct descendants of Israel.
In Isaiah’s time, Israel was the covenant people who outwardly followed the Law but lacked an intimate relationship with God. Similarly, John Son of Kathryn warns that modern LDS members—despite their outward adherence to gospel practices like attending church and fulfilling callings—are in danger of being spiritually empty. They pride themselves on their righteousness, but they fail to truly know God because they do not diligently study the scriptures or seek pure knowledge and truth.
A Call to Spiritual Awakening
What makes both Isaiah and John Son of Kathryn’s messages so profound is that they highlight a kind of spiritual blindness that is harder to recognize—because it hides beneath the outward appearances of righteousness. Many modern LDS members, and Gentiles in general, believe they are doing enough because they attend church, hold callings, and perform religious rituals. However, these outward forms of worship are meaningless if they do not lead to a deeper relationship with God. These people are not self aware enough to see pure truth, because they don’t seek for it. As Isaiah 1:5-6 notes, the nation is spiritually sick, from head to toe, despite its religious observance:
“The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it…”
In the same way, JBK 6:4-5 describes the self-righteous of our day as wounded sheep without a shepherd, whose rituals have left them spiritually “unsound.”