Prophets Don't Know Everything

One of the most difficult things to say is "I don't know". But it's often the right thing to say, even for prophets. For reasons only known to him, God hasn't yet revealed everything about this earth, our existence, and eternity. But some day he will.

Christians denominations all teach that Christ will come to earth again soon. But despite the occasional flourish to the contrary, nobody knows exactly when that will be. If you ask the president of the LDS Church when Christ will come, he'd probably tell you "I don't know" or "When he gets here." For whatever reason, that's the way God wants it to be.

Prophets don't know everything--on purpose.

Joseph Smith once prayed about the answer to this question. This is the answer that he received:

Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore ^alet this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter.

This didn't help him understand the answer to his question any more than before.

I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face.

Some people will tell you that they are sure that the earth and everything on it came about without any help from evolution. If you ask an LDS Prophet, he will tell you that he doesn't know the answer to this question. Why, because almost nothing has been revealed about the matter. What has been revealed is this:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...declares man to be the direct and literal offspring of deity...Man is a child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes.

However:

Our mission is to bear the message of the restored gospel. Leave [science] which has [nothing] to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research...


Evolution and Mormonism: A Quest for Understanding, pages 9-10

It turns out that saying "I don't know" is also simply a matter of patience. Eventually we will know all things--when God chooses to reveal them.

Yea, verily I say unto you, in that ^aday when the Lord shall come, he shall ^breveal all things—

Things which have passed, and ^ahidden things which no man knew, things of the ^bearth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—

Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.

When will we know all things? Sometime following Christ's return to earth. When will that be? Like I said before, "I don't know!!!" ;-)