Prophesies of Joseph Smith
by Jeff Lindsay
Many critics of the Church allege that Joseph Smith never made a true
prophecy and that he failed the test of a real prophet. The allegedly false prophecies
that they offer are typically based on questionable sources or are distortions of the
truth, which I address on my LDSFAQ page, Questions
About Prophets and Prophecy. Did Joseph Smith make any true prophecies? Yes! Indeed,
the record is impressive and cannot be explained away as lucky guesses. Here I list a
number of the many true prophecies that Joseph. However, the most important evidence for
Joseph's divine calling as a prophet of Christ is the Book of Mormon, which is why I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
For those who have seen allegedly false prophecies of Joseph Smith, keep in mind that
most of the statements used to condemn Joseph Smith were written down by someone else and
are subject to inaccuracy. My experience with how others quote me has been most
frustrating. Even experienced journalists often garble what was actually said. Many
alleged false prophecies are just hearsay, and many were never intended as a prophetic
statement. If Joseph says, "Gray clouds - looks like rain," and it didn't rain
that day, anti-Mormons may howl but Latter-day Saints know that the gift of prophecy does
not make every utterance divinely inspired. As Latter-day Saints, we only need to be bound
by what has been canonized, not by every alleged saying or even every actual writing of
Church leaders. Very few alleged false prophecies are from canonized writings, and I
believe that the few apparent exceptions are treated on this page. So if 50 years after
Joseph was killed, somebody writes that they remember him talking about men living on the
moon, and no one else can verify that claim, it's nothing to be bothered by. And even if
Joseph did speculate on something that silly while sitting around a campfire one night, as
a mortal he's entitled to silly opinions. It's unreasonable to hold him to a standard
higher than the prophets of the Bible could meet. (See my page on prophets
and prophecy for more information.)
Index to this page:
Accurate Prophecies of the Civil War
On Dec. 25, 1832, Joseph received the following revelation about the American Civil
War, now printed as Section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass,
beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death
and misery of many souls;
2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this
place.
3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the
Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is
called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against
other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.
4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters,
who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.
5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal
themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore
vexation.
6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and
with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and
vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and
indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath
made a full end of all nations;
7 That the cry of the Saints, and of the blood of the Saints, shall cease to come up into
the ears of the Lord of sabbath, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come;
for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.
Beginning in the 1830s, LDS missionaries carried manuscript copies of the above
revelation with in their missionary journeys, and "frequently read it to their
congregations in various parts of the United States" (Roberts, p. 315). The entire
revelation was printed in 1851 in Liverpool, England, in a pamphlet entitled, "The
Pearl of Great Price." This was a decade before the first shot of the Civil War on
April 12, 1861. Thus, the prediction was made 28 years before its fulfillment, and was
printed and circulated in England and in the United States at least ten years before. Further, while speaking in Ramus, Illinois, on April 2, 1843, Joseph said: "I
prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which
will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South
Carolina. It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me,
while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832." Was Joseph's prophecy just a case of noting existing tensions and making obvious
extrapolations? Hardly! While there had been tensions between the South and the North,
including talk of secession, hardly anyone seriously thought that civil war would erupt.
Americans had great faith in their nation and in democracy. In fact, there were members of
the Church who were so shaken by the "ridiculous" nature of Joseph's civil war
prophecy that they left the Church, rejecting him as a false prophet. Even if Joseph were
trying to make something out of trends and currents he saw in society, the many specific
details of his prophecy suggest that more than reason and guesswork were needed to be so
accurate. Let's consider the details that he accurately predicted:
- The war would begin with the rebellion of South Carolina. It would cause the death and misery of many souls. The Southern States would be divided against the Northern States. The Southern States would call upon other nations for assistance, even upon the nation
of Great Britain. Great Britain would call upon other nations for assistance
- War would eventually be poured out upon all nations.
Now in December of 1832 there was controversy involving South Carolina and the issue of
states' rights. South Carolina had advocated the doctrine of "nullification,"
arguing that a state could nullify federal laws or taxes that they ruled to be
unconstitutional. If there was federal resistance, then South Carolina said they could
leave the Union. President Andrew Jackson argued against their position. With much
controversy in the air, it would seem logical that Joseph be stirred to ponder the events
of the day and inquire of the Lord, resulting in the revelation of Dec. 1832. But there
was no reasonable expectation of war at that time, or even in 1851 when the prophecy was
more widely publicized. Can anyone offer evidence from writings of American statesmen or
scholars in 1832, 1843, or 1851 that make such predictions? Did other wise minds of the
day foresee what Joseph saw? Neither a scholar or statesmen, the uneducated 27-year old
man, Joseph Smith, saw what would happen by the spirit of revelation. It is a fact of history that South Carolina took the initiative that led to the
rebellion of the Southern States and that the war began in South Carolina. Reacting
negatively to the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina's leaders convened on Dec.
20, 1860 and passed an ordinance of secession. Newly elected Governor Pickins then
declared "the dissolution of the union between the state of South Carolina and the
other states under the name of the United States." Ten other states later joined
South Carolina, but she was the first to rebel. The Civil War was the bloodiest this
country has ever seen, causing about 400,000 deaths. The South did enlist the aid of Great
Britain and also sought help from France (Great Britain, as I recall, also encouraged
France to assist the South). Later, after war had been poured out on the nations of the
earth, Great Britain found herself threatened by Nazi Germany and called upon other
nations of the earth for her defense. After the Civil War, international intrigues and
wars grew to increasing severity, with ghastly international scenes of horror during World
War I and World War II, with dozens of other wars having been fought and going on at the
moment. War has always been on the earth, but the scale of destruction since the Civil War
has grown sharply, and war in the past century has become increasingly multinational
rather than bilateral. Truly, war has been poured out on all nations.Joseph said that "after many days" slaves would rise up against their
masters. I don't think that referred to the Civil War, but to later events, perhaps events
that I have seen in my lifetime. Uprisings of repressed peoples in many Communist nations
and other authoritarian states may have been meant in the prophecy. Past and future
uprisings of some groups in the United States may also be meant. During the Civil War
itself, however, there were relatively few instances of slaves rising up against their
masters. The prophecy, however, says "after many days" (meaning, I think, many
days after the prophesied war had begun), not "during the Civil War."Orson Pratt was a young missionary who told others of Joseph's civil war prophecy long
before it occurred. He was mocked for it, as were many others. Here are his words (Journal
of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 135. as cited by Otten & Caldwell in Sacred Truths
of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol.2, pp.93-94):
This prophecy has been printed and circulated extensively in this and other nations and
languages. It pointed out the place where it should commence in South Carolina. That which
I declared over the New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other parts
in the East, when but a boy, came to pass twenty-eight years after the revelation was
given. When they were talking about a war commencing down here in Kansas, I told them that was
not the place; I also told them that the revelation had designated South Carolina,
"and," said I, "you have no need to think that the Kansas war is going to
be the war that is to be so terribly destructive in its character and nature. No, it must
commence at the place the Lord has designated by revelation."
What did they have to say to me? They thought it was a Mormon humbug, and laughed me to
scorn, and they looked upon that revelation as they do upon all others that God has given
in these latter days -- as without divine authority. But behold and lo! in process of time
it came to pass, again establishing the divinity of this work, and giving another proof
that God is in this work, and is performing that which He spoke by the mouths of the
ancient prophets, as recorded in the Book of Mormon before any Church of Latter-day Saints
was in existence.
For more detailed information on Joseph's amazing prophecy of the Civil War, see Kerry
Shirts' page, "A War on the Civil War Prophecy."
In 1831, Joseph prophesied that "Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice
upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have
appointed" (Doctrine and Covenants 49:25). A related and more specific prophecy was
given in 1842, as described in the following excerpt from B. H. Roberts,Comprehensive
History of the Church , Vol. 2, Ch. 51, pp.181-182:
On the 6th of August, 1842, with quite a number of his brethren, he [Joseph Smith]
crossed the Mississippi river to the town of Montrose, to be present at the installation
of the Masonic Lodge of the Rising Sun. A block schoolhouse had been prepared with shade
in front, under which was a barrel of ice water, Judge James Adams was the highest Masonic
authority in the state of Illinois, and had been sent there to organize this lodge. He and
Hyrum Smith, being high Masons, went into the house to perform some ceremonies which the
others were not entitled to witness. These, including Joseph Smith, remained under the
bowery. Joseph, as he was tasting the cold water, warned the brethren not to be too free
with it. With the tumbler still in his hand he prophesied that the saints would yet go to
the Rocky Mountains; and, said he, this water tastes much like that of the crystal streams
that are running from the snow-capped mountains. We will let Mr. Call describe this
prophetic scene: 'I had before seen him in a vision, and now saw while he was talking his
countenance change to white; not the deadly white of a bloodless face, but a living,
brilliant white. He seemed absorbed in gazing at something at a great distance, and said:
'I am gazing upon the valleys of those mountains.' This was followed by a vivid
description of the scenery of these mountains, as I have since become acquainted with it.
Pointing to Shadrach Roundy and others, he said: 'There are some men here who shall do a
great work in that land.' Pointing to me, he said: 'There is Anson, he shall go and shall
assist in building up cities from one end of the country to the other; and you, rather
extending the idea to all those he had spoken of, shall perform as great a work as has
been done by man, so that the nations of the earth shall be astonished, and many of them
will be gathered in that land and assist in building cities and temples, and Israel shall
be made to rejoice.
Of this prophecy, Joseph wrote:
I prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would be
driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death by our
persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or disease, and some of you
will live to go and assist in making settlements and build cities and see the Saints
become a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. (History of the Church , Vol.5, Ch.4, p.85)
The Saints did suffer much more affliction and migrated to the Rocky Mountains in 1847,
several years after Joseph was killed. There they built settlements and cities along
stretches of many hundreds of miles in the West, from Canada to Mexico. In the midst of
the Rockies, the Latter-day Saints have arguably become a mighty or at least a noteworthy
people, where they "flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, . . .
assembled together unto the place . . . appointed" (D&C 49:25). Indeed, the
establishment of holy temples and a great international religious center in Utah, in the
tops of the Rocky Mountains, appears to be a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy in Isaiah
2:2-5:
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;
and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in
his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
(BTW, I have heard many times that the name "Utah," given to the State by
non-LDS politicians, means "top of the mountains" in the Ute or Paiute language.
Could someone with experience in those languages verify this "faith-promoting
rumor"?) As for the reasonableness of Joseph's prophecy in 1842, B.H. Roberts explains: (New
Witnesses for God , Vol. 1, pp. 302-303):
At that date, August 6th, 1842, the Rocky Mountains seemed like a country afar off to
the people of Illinois. The Missouri River was the extreme frontiers of the United States.
All beyond that was well nigh an unexplored wilderness filled with savages. The church was
fairly settled at Nauvoo, the state authorities were apparently very friendly, the future
of the Saints in Illinois seemed propitious. Yet in the midst of all these favorable
circumstances the Prophet predicted much affliction for some of the Saints, death from
persecution for others, apostasy for many, and for the great body of the church an exodus
to the Rocky Mountains, where some of those present who were listening to the prediction,
should live to assist in making settlements and building cities in the Rocky Mountains
where they would see the Saints become a mighty people.
There can be no question as to the reality of these two predictions, the one of March,
1831, and the other of August, 1842, or of their being of a character to test the divine
inspiration of him who uttered them. That they were proclaimed some years before the
events predicted in them began to be fulfilled, or even there was any thought or prospect
of such events taking place, is well known; that the latter prophecy has been fulfilled to
the uttermost, the whole history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from
August, 1842, until now witnesses. The Saints suffered many afflictions in Illinois. Their
homes, fields, stacks of grain, stock and other property were destroyed; their prophets
and a number of others were killed outright by mob violence; many more perished from
exposure and disease occasioned by being driven from their homes at an inclement season of
the year. In those trying times, following the martyrdom of the Prophet and the expulsion
from Nauvoo, many turned away from the faith, and it is too generally known to need
comment, that the great body of the church made its way to the Rocky Mountains, where
cities, towns and villages have been founded, the wilderness subdued, and the Saints are
fast becoming a mighty people.
1838 was a terrible year for the young Church, just 8 years old. There had been
persecution since its inception, with mobs driving the Latter-day Saints from New York to
Ohio and again from Ohio to Missouri. The Saints believed Missouri was a special place and
hoped to build the city of Zion there, though that day still lies in the future. Instead
of peace and prosperity, the Latter-day Saints found some of the worst persecution yet.
What was to have been their new center was blasted with bullets and burned with fire by
hateful mobs. Many were killed and assaulted. Instead of protecting a persecuted people,
Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an extermination order calling for the murder of the Mormons
if they remained. (See my related page, "Mormons
and Danites: The Historical Background in Missouri.") Disarmed and threatened
with death, the surviving Saints had no choice but to leave, crossing the Mississippi to
seek for shelter in Illinois. Joseph Smith was not with the refugees to comfort them in
that dark hour. For the winter of 1838 to 1839, Joseph was confined in a cold, damp
basement cell in Missouri, held on false charges (including murder, treason, burglary,
arson, larceny, theft and stealing) by those who wished to destroy him and the Church.
Here he would be forced to hear his captors boast of how they had killed and raped
Mormons. Here he would be offered human flesh to eat by his inhuman guards (but he was
inspired not to eat it before he learned what it was). Here he would wonder if he should
ever see his family again. By all counts, it looked as if the enemies of the Church would
achieve their sinister desires. After languishing and suffering for months in the
ironically named Liberty Jail, a despairing Joseph wrote the following words in March of
1839 (Doctrine and Covenants Section 121:1-3):
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?
2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the
eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated
with their cries?
3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before
thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward
them?
The Lord's response to Joseph included wonderful revelations and prophecies in Section
121 and 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This included a message of comfort, a promise
of deliverance, and an assurance of justice:
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a
small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over
all thy foes.
9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and
friendly hands.
10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee
with transgression, as they did Job.
11 And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their
prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising
sun; . . .
16 Cursed are all those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed, saith the Lord,
and cry they have sinned when they have not sinned before me, saith the Lord, but have
done that which was meet in mine eyes, and which I commanded them.
17 But those who cry transgression do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the
children of disobedience themselves.
The Lord then gave Joseph great revelations about the Millennium, which is yet to come.
Then, in Section 122, the Lord told Joseph that:
1 The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in
derision, and hell shall rage against thee;
2 While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek
counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand.
That prophecy has been fulfilled. Joseph could have been killed in that prison, unable
to return to his friends as promised in Section 121. Instead, in April 1839, after six
months of illegal imprisonment, someone in authority acted to allow the Mormon prisoners
to escape during a change of venue, perhaps desiring to avoid public embarrassment by
having a trial without evidence. Joseph and his brother Hyrum , about 10 days after being
allowed to escape, arrived in Quincy, Illinois and found their families impoverished but
alive and healthy. As was prophesied in verse 9 of Section 121, Joseph was greeted by
"friends do stand by thee," and did greet him again "with warm hearts and
friendly hands."Joseph and the Church could have been destroyed by their persecutors. Joseph's few
years as leader of a small and hated group could have ended in obscurity. Instead, the
name of Joseph Smith is known across the world today, as was prophesied. Hell rages
against the name of Joseph Smith, as enemies devise every manner of lie to slander Joseph
and the Latter-day Saints, while millions seek counsel, authority, and blessings that have
been given to us from Christ, revealed and restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The next few verses of Section 122 also contain related prophecies and inspired words
that have been precious to many people in times of affliction:
3 And thy people shall never be turned against thee by the testimony of traitors.
4 And although their influence shall cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou
shalt be had in honor; and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more terrible in
the midst of thine enemies than the fierce lion, because of thy righteousness; and thy God
shall stand by thee forever and ever.
5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false
brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;
6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon
thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and
sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and
of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy
garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father,
what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the
sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for
the blood of the lamb;
7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the
sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge
conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather
blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very
jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these
things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds
are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less;
therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.
That such inspiring words were written under the dismal conditions of the Liberty Jail
in Missouri is a witness of the character of the Prophet Joseph Smith. In addition, the
prophecy about future imprisonments and persecutions was accurate. Joseph would be killed
5 years later by conspiring enemies of the Church while he was held in another prison,
Carthage Jail in Illinois. In spite of all the attacks on Joseph and all the slander, the
Latter-day Saints have not been turned away from Joseph. He is loved for the honorable man
that he was and for his role as a prophet of Jesus Christ. His greatest legacy as a
Prophet, in my opinion, is the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Christ, which
is held in ever increasing respect by those who read it and follow its teachings. Those
who read it sincerely and pray about it come to know with the heart and the mind that
Joseph was a prophet of God. After being mocked for 150 years by enemies of the Church,
the Book of Mormon stands stronger than ever, with many thinkers - including some non-LDS
scholars - being impressed and moved not only by the text but also by the intellectual evidences of authenticity.
In fact, long before the prophecies in March of 1839 now recorded in the Doctrine and
Covenants, Joseph prophesied that he and his fellow prisoners would not be killed. On the
morning of November 3, 1838, after Joseph had been arrested and while he and other
prisoners were on the road to Independence under the watch of guards, he told his brethren
to be of good cheer, for "the word of the Lord came to me last night that ...
whatever we may suffer during this captivity, not one of our lives shall be taken"
(Dona Hill, Joseph Smith: The First Mormon, Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY,
1977, p. 244). But there was little reason for such optimism at the time. In fact, his
enemy, General Lucas, whose troops had taken Far West and who seemed gleeful about the
Extermination Order, had just told the Saints, "As for your leaders, do not think -
do not imagine for a moment - do not let it enter your minds that they will be delivered,
or that you will see their faces again, for their fate is fixed - their die is cast -
their doom is sealed" (Hill, p. 243, citing History of the Church, Vol. 3, pp.
202-204). But Joseph and his companions survived and returned, as prophesied.
In February 1844, when persecution in Illinois had become severe once again, Joseph
"prophesied that within five years we should be out of the power of our old enemies,
whether they were apostates or of the world; and told the brethren to record it, that when
it comes to pass they need not say they had forgotten the saying." This is recorded
in History of the Church , Vol. 6, p. 225. By 1849, the Saints were gathered in
Utah (the first wave entered the Salt Lake area in July of 1847) and had indeed escaped
the power of their old enemies.
On May 18, 1843, Joseph Smith made a specific prophecy to the politician Stephen A.
Douglas which later proved to be surprisingly accurate, though it seemed wild before its
fulfillment. The prophecy relating to Judge Stephen A. Douglas occurred on the 18th of
May, 1843. The following text is taken from the daily Journal of William Clayton (the
private secretary of President Smith, who was present at the interview described) as
reported by B. H. Roberts, Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 2, Ch. 51,
p.182 ff.
Prophecy Upon The Head Of Judge Stephen A. Douglas
May 18th, 1843:--Dined with Judge Stephen A. Douglas, who is presiding at court. After
dinner Judge Douglas requested President Smith to give him a history of the Missouri
persecution, which he did in a very minute manner for about three hours. He also gave a
relation of his journey to Washington city, and his application in behalf of the saints to
Mr. Van Buren, the president of the United States, for redress, and Mr. Van Buren's
pusillanimous reply--'Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you;' and
the cold, unfeeling manner in which he was treated by most of the senators and
representatives in relation to the subject, Clay saying, 'You had better go to Oregon,'
and Calhoun shaking his head solemnly, saying, 'It's a nice question--a critical question;
but it will not do to agitate it.' The judge listened with the greatest attention, and then spoke warmly in deprecation of
Governor Boggs and the authorities in Missouri, who had taken part in the extermination,
and said that any people that would do as the mobs of Missouri had done ought to be
brought to judgment; they ought to be punished.
President Smith, in concluding his remarks, said that 'if the government, which
receives into its coffers the money of citizens for its public lands, while its officials
are rolling in luxury at the expense of its public treasury, cannot protect such citizens
in their lives and property, it is an old granny anyhow, and I prophesy in the name of the
Lord of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the saints in
the state of Missouri and punish crimes committed by her officers, that in a few years the
government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a
potsherd left, for their wickedness in permitting the murder of men, women and children
and the wholesale plunder and extermination of thousands of her citizens to go unpunished,
thereby perpetrating a foul and corroding blot upon the fair fame of this great republic,
the very thought of which would have caused the high-minded and patriotic framers of the
Constitution of the United States to hide their faces with shame. Judge, you will aspire
to the presidency of the United States; and if you ever turn your hand against me or the
Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon you; and you
will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of
this day will stick to you through life.'. . .
Following recitation of Clayton's journal entry, B.H. Roberts goes on to describe how
the prophecy was published long in advance of its fulfillment and how it was later
fulfilled (Roberts, pp. 184-189):
Time Of The Publication Of The Prophecy
This prophecy was first published in Utah, in the Deseret News of September 24th, 1856;
it was afterwards published in England, in the Millennial Star, February, 1859. In both
instances it is found in the "History of Joseph Smith," then being published in
sections in those periodicals. It is a matter of common knowledge that Stephen A. Douglas,
after the publication of this prediction, did aspire to the presidency of the United
States, and was nominated for that office by the Democratic Convention, held in Baltimore
on the 23rd of June, 1860. When in the convention he was declared the regular nominee of
the Democratic party, "The whole body rose to its feet, hats were waved in the air,
and many tossed aloft; shouts, screams, and yells, and every boisterous mode of expressing
approbation and unanimity, were resorted to."
Bright Prospects For Mr. Douglas
When Mr. Douglas first began to aspire to the presidency, no man in the history of
American politics had more reason to hope for success. The political party of which he was
the recognized leader, in the preceding presidential election had polled 174 electoral
votes as against 122 cast by the other two parties which opposed it, and a popular vote of
1,838,169 as against 1,215,798 votes for the two parties opposing. It is a matter of
history, however, that the Democratic party in the election of 1860 was badly divided; and
factions of it put candidates into the field with the following result: Abraham Lincoln,
candidate of the Republican party, was triumphantly elected. He received 180 electoral
votes; Mr. Breckenridge received 72 electoral votes; Mr. Bell 39; and Mr. Douglas 12.
"By a plurality count of the popular vote, Mr. Lincoln carried 18 states; Mr.
Breckenridge 11; Mr. Bell 3; and Mr. Douglas one--Missouri! Twenty days less than one year
after his nomination by the Baltimore Convention, while yet in the prime of
manhood--forty-eight years of age--Mr. Douglas died at his home in Chicago, a
disappointed, not to say heart-broken man.
The . . . Cause Of [Douglas'] Failure
Though it may be regarded somewhat as a digression here, let us now inquire into the
relations between the prophecy and Mr. Douglas' failure to become president of the United
States. Fourteen years after the interview containing the prophecy with which we are
dealing, and about one year after the prophecy had been published in the Deseret News, Mr.
Douglas was called upon to deliver a speech in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. His
speech was delivered on the 12th of June, 1857, and published in the Missouri Republican
of June 18th, 1857. It was a time of much excitement throughout the country, concerning
the "Mormon" church in Utah. Falsehoods upon the posting winds seemed to have
filled the air with the most outrageous calumny. Crimes the most repulsive murders,
robberies, rebellion and high treason were falsely charged against its leaders. It was
well known that Mr. Douglas had been on terms of intimate friendship with President Joseph
Smith, and was well acquainted with the other church leaders. He was therefore looked upon
as one competent to speak upon the "Mormon" question, and was invited to do so
in the speech to which reference is here made. Mr. Douglas responded to the request. He
grouped the charges against the "Mormons" which were then passing current, in
the following manner: "First, that nine-tenths of the inhabitants are aliens by birth who have refused
to become naturalized, or take the oath of allegiance, or do any other act recognizing the
government of the United States as the paramount authority of the territory of Utah. "Second, that the inhabitants, whether native or alien born, known as 'Mormons'
(and they constitute the whole people of the territory) are bound by horrible oaths and
terrible penalties to recognize and maintain the authority of Brigham Young, and the
government of which he is the head, as paramount to that of the United States, in civil as
well as in religious affairs; and they will in due time, and under the direction of their
leaders, use all means in their power to subvert the government of the United States, and
resist its authority." Mr. Douglas based his remarks upon these rumors against the saints, in the course of
which he said: "Let us have these facts in an official shape before the president and congress,
and the country will soon learn that, in the performance of the high and solemn duty
devolving upon the executive and congress, there will be no vacillating or hesitating
policy. It will be as prompt as the peal that follows the flash--as stern and unyielding
as death. Should such a state of things actually exist as we are led to infer from the
reports--and such information comes in an official shape--the knife must be applied to
this pestiferous, disgusting cancer which is gnawing into the very vitals of the body
politic. It must be cut out by the roots and seared over by the red hot iron of stern and
unflinching law. * * * Should all efforts fail to bring them [the Mormons] to a sense of
their duty, there is but one remedy left. Repeal the organic law of the territory, on the
ground that they are alien enemies and outlaws, unfit citizens of one of the free and
independent states of this confederacy. "To protect them further in their treasonable, disgusting and bestial practices
would be a disgrace to the country--a disgrace to humanity--a disgrace to civilization,
and a disgrace to the spirit of the age. Blot it out of the organized territories of the
United States. What then? It will be regulated by the law of 1790, which has exclusive and
sole jurisdiction over all the territory not incorporated under any organic or special
law. By the provisions of this law, all crimes and misdemeanors, committed on its soil,
can be tried before the legal authorities of any state or territory to which the offenders
shall be first brought to trial and punished. Under that law persons have been arrested in
Kansas, Nebraska, and other territories, prior to their organization as territories, and
hanged for their crimes. The law of 1790 has sole and exclusive jurisdiction where no law
of a local character exists, and by repealing the organic law of Utah, you give to the
general government of the United States the whole and sole jurisdiction over the
territory."
Douglas' Lost Opportunity
I shall so far anticipate historical events, which, if a chronological order were
strictly followed, would belong to a later period of our narrative, as to say that the
speech of Mr. Douglas was of great interest and importance to the people of Utah at the
time it was made. Mr. Douglas had it in his power to do them a great service because of
his personal acquaintance with Joseph Smith and the great body of the "Mormon"
people in Utah, as well as their leaders; for he had known both leaders and people in
Illinois, and those whom he had known in Illinois constituted the great bulk of the people
in Utah when he delivered his Springfield speech. He knew that the reports carried to the
east by vicious and corrupt men were not true. He knew that these reports in the main were
but a rehash of the old, exploded charges made against Joseph Smith and his followers in
Missouri; and he knew these Missouri reports to be false by many evidences furnished him
by Joseph Smith in the interview of the 18th of May, 1843, and by the "Mormon"
people at sundry times during his association with them at Nauvoo. He had an opportunity
to befriend the innocent; to refute the calumny cast upon a virtuous community; to speak a
word in behalf of the oppressed; but the demagogue triumphed over the statesman, the
politician, over the humanitarian; and to avoid popular censure, which doubtless he feared
befriending the "Mormon" people would bring to him, he turned his hand against
them with the result that he did not destroy them but sealed his own doom. In fulfillment
of the words of the prophet, he felt the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon him--Mr.
Douglas failed of his dearest ambition, the presidency of the United States, and on the
3rd of June, 1861, he died.
All The Elements Of A Great Prophecy In The Douglas Incident
It was impossible for any merely human sagacity to foresee the events foretold in this
prophecy. Stephen A. Douglas was a bright but comparatively an unknown man at the time of
the interview, in May, 1843. There is and can be no question about the prophecy preceding
the event. It was published, as before stated, in the Deseret News of the 24th of September, 1856,
about one year before the Douglas speech at Springfield, in June, 1857; and about four
years before Douglas was nominated for the presidency by the Baltimore Democratic
Convention. Moreover a lengthy review of Mr. Douglas' speech was published in the editorial columns
of the Deseret News in the issue of that paper for September 2nd, 1857, addressed directly
to Mr. Douglas, the closing paragraph of which is as follows:-- "In your last paragraph [of the Springfield speech] you say 'I have thus presented
to you plainly and fairly my views of the Utah question.' With at least equal plainness
and with far more fairness have your views now been commented upon. And inasmuch as you
were well acquainted with Joseph Smith, and this people, also with, the character of our
maligners, and did know their allegations were false, but must bark with the dogs who were
snapping at our heels, to let them know that you were a dog with them; and also that you
may have a testimony of the truth of the assertion that you did know Joseph Smith and his
people and the character of their enemies (and neither class have changed, only as the
saints have grown better and their enemies worse); and also that you may thoroughly
understand that you have voluntarily, knowingly, and of choice sealed your damnation, and
by your own chosen course have closed your chance for the presidential chair, through
disobeying the counsel of Joseph which you formerly sought and prospered by following, and
that you in common with us, may testify to all the world that Joseph was a true prophet,
the following extract from the history of Joseph Smith is again printed for your benefit,
and is kindly, recommended to your careful perusal and most candid consideration." Then follows the account of the interview between Joseph Smith and Mr. Douglas as
recorded in the Journal of William Clayton, as published in the Deseret News a year before
Mr. Douglas' Springfield speech, and as now quoted in this History. Also it should be
remembered that the above editorial in the Deseret News boldly challenging Mr. Douglas on
the matter of the presidency, preceded by three years the election of 1860. This was boldly challenging Mr. Douglas. He raised his hand against the followers of
Joseph Smith, despite the warning of the Prophet; and his people in the chief organ of
their church, reproduced the prophecy and told him that he had sealed his doom and closed
his chance for the presidential chair through disobeying the counsel of the Prophet; and
this three years before the election took place. The presidential election of 1860, and
the death of Mr. Douglas in the prime of life the year following, tell the rest of the
story.
It may be that dwelling at such length upon this incident I have wandered from the
direct line of the historical development of the history of the Latter-day Saints, but
this remarkable prophecy, its no less remarkable fulfillment, and the deep interest of it
must be my justification. I have nothing further to do with the career or character of Mr.
Douglas than pointing out the remarkable fulfillment of a prophecy which demonstrates the
divine inspiration of the man who uttered it.
Now the events concerning Mr. Douglas clearly fulfilled prophecy, but what about
Joseph's prophecy of the government being overthrown? In modern American usage,
"government" typically refers to the entire system of governing a nation, so we
tend to imagine national anarchy when we someone speaks of our government being
overthrown. But "government" can also refer to the political party in control or
to the group of officers in power. In Britain, for example, "the government" is
frequently dissolved and changed, meaning that the party in power changes, without genuine
anarchy or disruption of the method of governing. Was Joseph Smith predicting utter chaos
and the loss of our Constitutional form of government? I doubt it, for he had also
prophesied elsewhere that our Constitution would be preserved, even though it would be
endangered in the future. If we take his words to mean that the ruling powers in the
country at the time would be overthrown, then that part of the prophecy has been
fulfilled, as Woody Brison notes (personal communication, Nov. 1997):
You have documented nicely the fulfilment of the part about Stephen A. Douglas, but
what about the part about the government? . . . [I]t turns out this prophecy also was
fulfilled. "The government" at that time was essentially identical to the Whig
party, which was totally vanquished in the elections of the 1850's and 60's and ceased to
exist about that time.
The excerpt below is taken from B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God , Vol. 1,
p.298:
The following prophetic incident is given upon the authority of Mr. Leonidas M. Lawson,
now of New York City, formerly a resident of Clay county, Missouri, and a brother-in-law
of General Doniphan. "In the year 1863," says Mr. Lawson, "I visited
General A. W. Doniphan at his home in Liberty, Clay county, Missouri. This was soon after
the [Civil War] devastation of Jackson county, Missouri under what is known as 'Order No.
11.' This devastation was complete. Farms were everywhere destroyed, and the farm houses
were burned. During this visit General Doniphan related the following historical facts and
personal incidents." Then follows in Mr. Lawson's account a recital of the treatment
meted out to the Saints in Missouri from the time of their first arrival in 1831, to their
expulsion, including recitals of the personal relations of General Doniphan and Joseph
Smith, including the following incident which occurred during the Prophet's imprisonment
in Liberty jail: "On one occasion General Doniphan caused the sheriff of the county to bring Joseph
Smith from the prison to his law office, for the purpose of consultation about his
defense. During Smith's presence in the office, a resident of Jackson county, Missouri,
came in for the purpose of paying a fee which was due by him to the firm of Doniphan &
Baldwin, and offered in payment a tract of land in Jackson county. "Doniphan told him that his partner, Mr. Baldwin, was absent at the moment, but as
soon as he had an opportunity he would consult him and decide about the matter. When the
Jackson county man retired, Joseph Smith, who had overheard the conversation, addressed
General Doniphan about as follows: "'Doniphan, I advise you not to take that Jackson county land in payment of the
debt. God's wrath hangs over Jackson county. God's people have been ruthlessly driven from
it, and you will live to see the day when it will be visited by fire and sword. The Lord
of Hosts will sweep it with the besom of destruction. The fields and farms and houses will
be destroyed, and only the chimneys will be left to mark the desolation.' "General Doniphan said to me that the devastation of Jackson county forcibly
reminded him of this remarkable prediction of the Mormon Prophet. . . . In a letter from Mr. A. Saxey of Spanish Fork, Utah to Mr. Junius Wells treating
further of the fulfillment of this prophecy, so well attested, Mr. Saxey under date of
August 25, 1902 says:
"In the spring of 1862 my regiment went south, and it was during that time that
"Order No. 11" was issued, but I was back there again in 1864, during the Price
raid, and saw the condition of the country. The duty of executing the order was committed
to Colossians W. R. Penick's regiment, and there is no doubt but that he carried it into
effect, from the howl the copperhead papers made at the time. I went down the Blue river,
we found houses, barns, outbuildings, nearly all burned down, and nothing left standing
but the chimneys which had, according to the fashion of the time, been built on the
outside of the buildings. I remember very well that the country looked a veritable
desolation."
In the fall of 1838, mobs from Missouri rampaged the LDS settlement of Far West and
several LDS leaders, including Joseph Smith, were captured, brutally torn from their
families. Falsely accused of murder and other crimes, they were condemned to be shot in
the presence of their families and the Saints. A militia officers, General Doniphan,
opposed the planned murder of the prisoners to be murdered and declared he would not allow
his men to witness it. The other officers were then afraid to take responsibility for the
execution, but sought instead to take them to Independence, Jackson County, to have them
executed for the alleged crimes under less risky circumstances. As the journey began, the
prospects for the captives looked grim. B.H. Roberts reports (New Witnesses for God , Vol.1, p.295):
Amidst the proud boasts of their captors, who brutally told their heart-broken families
and the Saints that they had seen the last of their Prophet, a start was made with the
prisoners for Independence, Jackson County. The prospects of the betrayed men were most
desperate. They were in the hands of a reckless mob whose hatred of them was intense.
There was little respect at the time for law in the state. In the language of General
Clark (Commander-in-Chief of the mob-militia of the state, then assembled at Far West)
addressed to the Saints, their fate seemed fixed, their die cast, their doom sealed. The start for Independence was made on the 2nd of November; the following morning,
after spending a most wretched night, encamped on the banks of Crooked River, Joseph Smith
spoke to his fellow-prisoners in low but cheerful and confident tones, and uttered this
prophecy: "Be of good cheer, brethren, the word of the Lord came to me last night that our
lives should be given us, and that whatever we may suffer during this captivity, not one
of our lives should be taken."
"Of this prophecy," says Elder Parley P. Pratt, "I testify in the name
of the Lord, and though spoken in secret, its public fulfillment and the miraculous escape
of each of us is too notorious to need my testimony."
In March of 1829, Joseph Smith received a revelation about the need to have three
witnesses to see the gold plates that he was about to translate. The revelation is
recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 5:11-13:
11 And in addition to your testimony, the testimony of three of my servants, whom I
shall call and ordain, unto whom I will show these things, and they shall go forth with my
words that are given through you.
12 Yea, they shall know of a surety that these things are true, for from heaven will I
declare it unto them.
13 I will give them power that they may behold and view these things as they are;
Joseph then asked three men to go with him and pray for the promised divine
manifestation. Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer went with him and prayed.
They then described this experience:
The Testimony of Three Witnesses
Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall
come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen
the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also
of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower
of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and
power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that
the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the
plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we
declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he
brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings
thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our
eyes. Nevertheless, the voice of the Lord commanded us that we should bear record of it;
wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things.
And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our garments of the blood of
all men, and be found spotless before the judgment-seat of Christ, and shall dwell with
him eternally in the heavens. And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost, which is one God. Amen.
OLIVER COWDERY
DAVID WHITMER
MARTIN HARRIS
These men never denied their testimony of the Book of Mormon, even though some left the
Church and would have had ample reason and opportunity to expose a fraud, if it had been
one. To the day of their deaths, they remained true to the testimony recorded above and
were adamant about the reality of what they experienced. A detailed review of their story
and the significance of their testimony is offered by Richard L. Anderson in his article, The Book of Mormon Witnesses.
Joseph had prophesied of the manner and nature of the testimony that the three
witnesses would receive before the event occurred.
No other evidence of Joseph Smith's divine calling is more worthy of consideration and
more powerful than the Book of Mormon. There
are many things in that volume which seemed laughable in 1830 but which have become highly
plausible or even verified in the twentieth century. Some of the many evidences for the Book of Mormon should be considered as prophecies fulfilled. For example, the Book of Mormon describes a
journey through the Arabian Peninsula that offers substantial information that was
unavailable to scholars until recently. It gives specific directions for the journey that
prove to be about the only plausible path that could have been taken, names a specific
ancient burial site (Nahom) in the right place, and describes a lush, green, mountainous
site on the eastern coast - Bountiful - with details that were laughable until a few years
ago, when an entirely plausible site was found in the right place, as described in the
Book of Mormon. The apparent discoveries of Nahom (Nehem) and Bountiful (Wadi Sayq) should
give pause to anyone who quickly dismisses Joseph Smith as a fraud.
Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants contains a revelation given to Joseph Smith in
1833 known as the Word of Wisdom. It outlines
principles of healthy living that go far beyond the scientific knowledge of the 1800s and
much of this century. For example, it prohibits tobacco as being harmful to man -
something which was not proven by science until this century. Alcoholic beverages are also
prohibited, as is black tea and coffee (the "hot drinks" of his day). Positive
statements are made about the importance of wheat and other grains, along with other
produce. Meat is not prohibited, but should be used "sparingly" and primarily in
times of winter or need. The 1833 dietary guidelines sound much like the recommended
"food pyramid" produced by federally-funded research in the past decade. The
revelation also says that the health principles in it were given to warn us and protect us
from the "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men
in the last days." I see that as a prophetic statement of the terribly evil role that
the U.S. tobacco industry continues to play. Through its use of clout and money, they
continue to receive federal support for tobacco farmers and continue to legally market a
product that brings death to over 400,000 Americans each year - at a time when we ban or
regulate numerous other products if injury to only a few people is threatened.
The following examples of Joseph's prophetic gifts were related by Orson F. Whitney in
the April 1912 General Conference Report, pp. 50-51 (also see History of the Church,
Vol. 1, p. 146, and LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol.1, p.222):
Six months after the Church was organized, Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and other
Elders started upon a mission to the Lamanites; and, coming to Kirtland, in northern Ohio,
they preached the Gospel there, and gathered into the fold quite a number, among them
Edward Partridge, who became the first Bishop of the Church; Algernon Sidney Gilbert,
Frederick G. Williams, Sidney Rigdon, and my grandfather, Newel K. Whitney, with his wife,
Elizabeth Ann Whitney. These disciples, hearing that the Church would probably move
westward, began to pray for the coming of the Prophet. I have heard my grandmother and my
father relate that when the Prophet came to Kirtland he drove in a sleigh and halted in
front of the mercantile store of Gilbert and Whitney. He sprang out, went into the store,
walked up to the junior partner, and said: "Newel K. Whitney, thou art the man."
Grandfather was astonished; he had never seen Joseph Smith till then--Joseph had never
seen him with his natural eyes--and he answered: "Stranger, you have the advantage of
me; I could not call you by name, as you have me." And the stranger then said:
"I am Joseph, the Prophet. You have prayed me here. Now, what do you want of
me?" By what power did this remarkable man, Joseph Smith, recognize one whom he had never
before seen in the flesh? Why did not Newel K. Whitney recognize him? It was because
Joseph Smith was a seer, a choice seer; he had actually seen Newel K. Whitney upon his
knees, hundreds of miles away, praying for his coming to Kirtland. Marvelous--but true! Another incident in my grandfather's experience with the Prophet shows further this
power of seership. In the year 1832, after Newel K. Whitney had become Bishop of Kirtland,
they went down to Independence, Missouri, where Edward Partridge was Bishop in Zion, and
while returning Bishop Whitney met with a serious accident. The coach upon which they were
traveling had a runaway. The Prophet leaped from the coach and cleared the wheels, but the
Bishop, attempting to do likewise was caught in the wheel and his leg broken in several
places. As a result of this accident they were detained several weeks at Greenville,
Indiana, where they put up at a public house; Elder Rigdon, their traveling companion,
meanwhile going on to Kirtland. An attempt was made upon the Prophet's life by poisoning,
so that he deemed it prudent to leave the place as soon as possible, and he proposed to
the Bishop that they go at once. What followed is thus recorded in the History of the
Church, as compiled and edited by Brother B. H. Roberts. This is the Prophet's own
language: "Brother Whitney had not had his foot moved from the bed for nearly four weeks,
when I went into his room, after a walk in the grove, and told him if he would agree to
start for home in the morning, we would take a wagon to the river, about four miles, and
there would be a ferry boat in waiting which would take us quickly across, where we would
find a hack which would take us directly to the landing, where we should find a boat, in
waiting, and we would be going up the river before 10 o'clock, and have a prosperous
journey home. He took courage and told me he would go. We started next morning, and found
everything as I had told him." (History of the Church, Vol. 1, Ch. 19, p. 272)
Instances might be multiplied, if necessary. Not only by the gift of prophecy, but by
the power of seer-ship, Joseph Smith was able to forecast the future. It was by that
miraculous power that he saw the Father and the Son. It was by that wonderful power that
he and Oliver Cowdery saw Jehovah, Moses and Elijah in the Kirtland temple; and by which
also Joseph and Sidney gazed upon the glories of the celestial, terrestrial and telestial
worlds.
On Sept. 22, 1823, the angel Moroni quoted the Old Testament prophet Malachi and said:
Behold I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the
hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth
would be utterly wasted at his coming. (Joseph Smith -- History 1:38-39.)
In April of 1836, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery declared that Elijah, in fulfillment
of prophecy, visited them in the Kirtland Temple and gave them priesthood keys (authority)
for the work of turning the hearts of the children to the father, including sacred temple
work such as the sealing of families for eternity and baptism for the dead. These keys
would initiate the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of
the children to their fathers. That includes genealogical research, in which the children
seek out the names and histories of their fathers, and that information in turn can make
ordinance work such as baptism possible for those who did not receive it while alive on
the earth. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., in Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, pp.123-125,
explains the significance of the prophecy that the "hearts of the children would be
turned to the fathers":
One of the outstanding evidences bearing witness that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery
spoke the truth, when they declared that Elijah had come to them and conferred upon them
his priesthood, is the fact that since that time the hearts of the children have in a
miraculous way turned towards their fathers. It might be contended with some semblance of logic that Joseph Smith and his successors
could yield an influence over the members of the Church and have them go to the temples to
do ordinance work for their dead, in order that the saying could go abroad that this
prophecy by Malachi had been fulfilled, and the hearts of the children have turned to
their fathers. It would be unreasonable to say, however, that Joseph Smith, or the entire body of the
Church, could wield the power to persuade millions who are not members of the Church,
also, to turn their attention towards their dead fathers; yet it is a fact that the hearts
of the hearts of millions have so turned, since the proclamation of the coming of Elijah
in 1836. . . .Before the year 1836 there was very little, if any, research being made anywhere in
this world in behalf of the dead. It is true that here and there some man may have been
searching out a genealogical record, but what was his object? To prove title to some
estate. There were no genealogical societies; there were no genealogical organizations; there
were no genealogical researches of any systematic character anywhere in the world. That is
significant, is it not? What do we discover now? One year after this revelation was given and these keys were
bestowed, we find in Great Britain the government passing laws compelling the preservation
of duplicate records of the dead on the part of those who kept them. This is a significant
fact, one link that points in the direction of the truth of the statement of the Prophet
Joseph Smith. It did not occur the year before this vision. In the year 1844, the year of the martyrdom, the first organization for the purpose of
gathering together the records of the dead, and compiling genealogical records, was formed
in the city of Boston. It was the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. In
1869, in the city of New York, another society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical
Society, was organized. [I believe England had a genealogical society founded in 1836 -
J.L.]
Since that day societies have sprung up all over the land. There are hundreds of them
along the Atlantic border. The state of Massachusetts is full of them. We find the same
thing in Virginia, in the Carolinas, and along the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Georgia,
where the first settlements in this country were made. The hearts of the children have
since that day turned to their fathers, and they are searching out the records of their
dead.
Today genealogical research has swept many lands. The LDS archives in Salt Lake City
comprise the largest set of genealogical records in the world. The prophecies delivered to
Joseph about the hearts of the children to the fathers began to be fulfilled after Elijah
came.
In spite of the Church having been driven from New York and the Eastern United States,
Joseph predicted that New York City and Boston would one day have stakes (Church
organizations comprising multiple congregations). He said, "In the great cities, as
Boston, New York, etc., there shall be stakes" (History of the Church, Vol.6,
p. 319). On Dec. 9, 1934, the New York Stake was organized. The Boston Stake was organized
May 20, 1962. (See Gilbert W. Scharffs,The Truth About "The God Makers," Publishers Press, Salt Lake City, 1986, p. 397.)
The last item written by Joseph Smith in his journal is an entry from Saturday, June
22, 1844, now recorded in History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 546:
I told Stephen Markham that if I and Hyrum were ever taken again we should be
massacred, or I was not a prophet of God.
Shortly thereafter he and Hyrum were placed in Carthage Jail and then murdered by a
mob. Others who were with them survived the attack, but Joseph and his brother were
killed, as predicted.
Fifteen years earlier in 1829, Joseph received a revelation that hinted at his future
murder. Doctrine and Covenants 5:22 urges Joseph to be faithful, "and if you do this,
behold I grant unto you eternal life, even if you should be slain."
The night before Joseph Smith was killed, as a captive in Carthage Jail, he prophesied
that Dan Jones, whose life was clearly at risk, would survive to serve a mission in Wales.
That event is recorded in History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 601:
Soon after Dr. Richards retired to the bed which Joseph had left, and when all were
apparently fast asleep, Joseph whispered to Dan Jones "are you afraid to die?"
Dan said, "Has that time come, think you? Engaged in such a cause I do not think that
death would have many terrors." Joseph replied, "You will yet see Wales, and
fulfill the mission appointed you before you die."
Joseph was right. Dan's life was spared the next day. Later that year, in August of
1844, he went to Wales in company with Wilford Woodruff and gave great impetus to
missionary work in that land. His work led to the conversion of many hundreds of people.
Further, he started the first foreign-language magazines for the Church, publishing a
magazine in the Welsh language beginning in 1846. According to an article on
"International Magazines" in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 2,
"Dan Jones edited and published thirty-two issues of Prophwyd y Jubili, Neu Seren
y Saints (Prophet of Jubilee, New Star of Saints), filled with doctrinal and
historical articles, messages from Church leaders, and replies to attacks from antagonists
of the Church. Other [non-English] magazines followed."
Summary
Joseph never claimed to be infallible, and no prophet is (See Are
Prophets Infallible?). He may have been surprised and frustrated by the delayed
fulfillment of some prophecies, such as the establishment of Zion in Missouri, which has
yet to come. But those who knew him well knew that he was a prophet of God, and those who
have examined carefully the prophetic Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants or Pearl of
Great Price will find abundant evidence of heavenly inspiration. Even in small things we see Joseph acting as a
prophet and seer. Newel Whitney, for example, in 1832, had been sick and in bed for four
weeks. Donna Hill reports what followed (Joseph Smith: The First Mormon, Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY, 1977, pp. 148-149): "Joseph announced to him
one day that if he would agree to start the next morning, they would take a wagon to the
river and at once find a ferry to carry them across where a hack [carriage] would be
waiting. The hack would take them to the landing where they could board a boat and be
traveling up the river before ten o'clock. It all transpired just as Joseph predicted, and
they reached home speedily and safely in a very short time."The scriptures Joseph left us must be given special emphasis in determining his status
as a prophet. Hearsay, newspapers, and records written long after the alleged events may
appear to show false prophecies, but those sources are much less reliable and useful as a
standard than the canonized writings we have, where the claim of prophetic influence is to
be taken seriously. The Word of Wisdom and the Civil War prophesy from the Doctrine and
Covenants both demand attention - and respect, for they, like the other scriptures given
through Joseph, are prophetic indeed.
Copyright by Jeff Lindsay
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