A common theme in the Book of Jeremiah is the role of prophets and their premortal foreordination. In the first chapter the Lord tells Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5).
Jeremiah has a temple-like experience, as a dialog ensues. This also happens with Nephi, the brother of Jared, Moses, and others. Jeremiah records:
"Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
"Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it" (Jeremiah 1:11-12).
The almond rod symbolizes priesthood authority, and foreshadows the Savior as the "firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). Just as the trees blossom in early spring, the resurrection is a certainty because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The almond tree is in full blossom in January or February in the Holy Land, and reminds us of Jesus, who was the first to rise from the dead, just as an almond is first to blossom and show new life. One can read more about this under "Almond Tree" in the sealed portion of the scriptures (the Bible Dictionary).
Aaron's rod which budded was a sign of priesthood authority. A rod was placed in the tabernacle for each tribe of Israel and the Lord caused Aaron's rod to bud and yield almonds to demonstrate the priesthood authority given to the tribe of Levi (see Numbers 17:8).
Divine Council
False prophets are identified in later chapters of Jeremiah. The following verse is an example:
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:16).
Then the Lord gives the true test for divine messengers:
"For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
"I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
"But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings" (Jeremiah 23:18,21-22).
Let's fix a King James translation failure here. The Hebrew word translated as "counsel" is cowd. It's the same word translated as "secret" in this rather famous verse:
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). The Hebrew word cowd means assembly or council.
Yes, it's the divine council where prophets are assembled with the Lord. Let's look at the same two verses in the NIV (New International Version):
"But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
"But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds" (NIV, Jeremiah 23:18,22).
Now it has the characteristics of the divine council. The members of the council are standing in God's presence, and they see and hear the proceedings. Now it reads like Abraham 3, where One stands in the midst of those who will become prophets and leaders. Jehovah is in the midst, or the sacred center.
The emphasis is switched from the message to the messenger. Authentic messengers with priesthood authority stood in the presence of Deity in the divine council. Anyone (including Lucifer) can pitch a good message. It may be 99 percent true. But authentic messengers stood in the divine council. And that makes all the difference.
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