Saints Civil War Prophecy

When one examines the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 limited sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect.

And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism.

Does the book Saints. No unhallowed hand highlight a false prophecy given by the founder of the Mormon church. Joseph Smith. Welcome to this edition of viewpoint on Mormonism.

I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson.

My colleague at MRM we again are looking at the book Saints.

No unhallowed hand which covers the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1846 to 1893 and now were getting into the time period of the Civil War in this book is going to specifically talk about Joseph Smith's revelation that he gave on December 25, 1832 on page 299 of the book it talks about South Carolina seceding from the United States. It withdrew from the nation.

The book says, fearing the recent election of Abraham Lincoln to the United States presidency would alter the economic and political balance of power in the country and lead to the end of slavery continues. Wilford Woodruff immediately recognize the alarming event as a fulfillment of a revelation, just as Smith had received 28 years earlier.

On Christmas day 1832 the Lord had worn the profit that a rebellion would soon begin in South Carolina and end in the death and misery of many people. When you read that Eric and you read it carefully.

It has Wilford Woodruff not Wilford Woodruff would later become the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

He would also be the one who signs the manifesto declaring to the United States that the LDS church is no longer going to solemnize plural marriages.

That aside, it says that Woodruff immediately recognize the alarming event as a fulfillment of a revelation. Joseph Smith received 28 years earlier. If you look back.

However 28 years earlier. We really find that Joseph Smith is merely just giving his opinion regarding an article he no doubt read in the Painesville telegraph, Painesville was a town near Kirtland Ohio where the Mormons were headquartered at the time it was no secret that South Carolina was unhappy in its relationship with the rest of the United States and they had been threatening that they were going to leave the United States when exactly they were going to actually do that was unknown, but Smith comes out with this prophecy.

In 1832 and notice it says here that the Lord had worn the profit that a rebellion would soon begin in South Carolina and end in the death and misery of many people, the death and misery of many people. Of course referring to the Civil War that would begin official, you could say in April 1861.

But here's the part that puzzles me why would the scholars putting together this book Saints. No unhallowed hand with this paragraph, taken from section 87 where we find Joseph Smith's prophecy on war as it's known officially, although it's been understood to mean his prophecy regarding the Civil War. What is it say on page 300 Eric it says quote with the sword by bloodshed. The inhabitants of the earth shall mourn the Lord had declared 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 has made a full end of all nations" just ask a simple question based on what you read did the inhabitants of the earth really mourn over our American Civil War, not no doubt a lot of people in the United States were mourning over the horrible loss of life and the destruction of property because of our American Civil War, but it says in the prophecy. It would be the inhabitants of the earth. It sounds like this statement is going far beyond the borders of the United States to include everyone on the earth that everyone on the earth mourn over our American Civil War did everyone on the earth even know about our American Civil War were people in China mourning over our Civil War were people in Argentina. Mourning over our Civil War and did they also experience famine and plague and earthquake, the thunder of heaven fierce and vivid lightning that they could attribute to our American Civil War. You see famine and plagues and earthquakes. Thunder and lightning are common occurrences living in a fallen world today attribute these things, that they may have experience in their part of the world 200 boy. Something must be going on in the United States. I'll bet you it's because of that rebellion in South Carolina. I highly doubt it.

So if this stuff really didn't happen as a result of God's pouring out his wrath on the United States. How is this really a fulfillment of prophecy would it says that the earth would be made to feel the wrath and indignation and chastening hand of an Almighty God until the consumption decreed have made a full end of all nations did the American Civil War bring a full end to all nations now. In fact, there are a lot of details in Joseph Smith's prediction which is found in section 87 of the doctrine and covenants that did not come to pass at all. It talks about the war pouring out upon all nations that did not happen, it just did not happen.

There are too many details in this prophecy that did not happen to come to the conclusion that this shows that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God that I want to point out that you do have an article on this whole issue@mrm.org/civil-war if people want to see more but we do have a link to the Painesville telegraph so people can actually see the newspaper for themselves. But what's interesting they're quoting from verse seven of section 87 doctrine and covenants, but as you're saying there's a lot of other things that are not being fulfilled the way that he has laid this out in this prophecy that was put into the Pro a great price. In 1851 and later put into the doctrine and covenants, and you mentioned the, the idea that war being poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place that didn't happen. As you said and what about Great Britain as it is called verse three 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. Great Britain didn't get involve the way that this prophecy says so if you have a prophecy that is going to be looked upon as something that came from God then you're going to have to have more than just one fact that the Painesville telegraph was able to tell him that there was a rebellion that was going to begin in South Carolina in the Painesville telegraph is a key instrument in this whole story because on page 301.

It says that South Carolina's dramatic exit from the United States had sparked widespread rebellion throughout the South that South Carolina seceded from the union on December 24, 1860, but what is it going to say in that paragraph Eric on page 301 in the months that followed 10 more southern states left the nation and the US government scrambled to fortify its military bases. Southern forces quickly seized all but the strongest forts, however, and Pres. Abraham Lincoln recruited 75,000 soldiers to put down the rebellion. The force soon proved too small to handle the crisis the force soon proved too small to handle what the crisis when I read that I thought what an irony the scholar who is writing this portion of Saints.

No unhallowed hand uses the phrase the crisis. Interesting that that was the name of the article that Joseph Smith read on Christmas day in 1832 in the Painesville telegraph. It was called the crisis. Interesting connection there. But as we been pointing out a lot of what Smith predicts does not happen.

It goes on page 302 to talk about how Orson Pratt as a missionary was using this prophecy given by Joseph Smith as a tool of evangelism as a young missionary in 1830s Orson had carried in his pocket. A copy of Joseph Smith's prophecy on war, which he would sometimes read the congregations. Most people thought it was nonsense. Back then it was having a different effect. Now Orson read the revelation of public and arrange to have it published in the New York Times and other newspapers also publish the prophecy quote. Have we not had a prophet among us," asked one Philadelphia newspaper that printed the revelation quote in view of our present troubles. This prediction seems to be in progress of fulfillment whether Joe Smith was a humbug or not but yet were they looking at the details that were in this prophecy just because Joseph Smith claims that there's going to be a rebellion was South Carolina you really think that's a unique prophecy. I think most people knew about that now you mention our website where we have a picture of the Painesville telegraph, but it was published other newspapers as well. There were numerous articles talking about the rebellion that was going on in South Carolina. I think everybody was pretty sure that if things did not change.

South Carolina was definitely going to leave the union, which it did. I don't consider that a real prophecy. I just think that's common sense look at what's happening with the notification act and other things that were going on at that particular time. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the southern states were certainly going to break away from the rest of the United States. So this question is raised, have we not a prophet among this.

Okay, maybe somebody said that because if you read the details. You clearly see that Joseph Smith missed the mark in many areas. It goes on to say on page 304 after Civil War broke out in the East.

Regular reports of bloodied battles came west with the mail. The grim accounts told of hundreds, sometimes thousands of deaths. Some people in the church believed that God was punishing the United States for its treatment of the saints. How would you answer that, Eric. I would tend to think more God was punishing the United States for the sin of slavery. Just as I feel God has every right to punish the United States now for our sin of abortion. So to say that this was because the United States was punishing the safe. Certainly the only one that would draw that conclusion would be, of course, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

You see folks you gotta take all the details into account. You could argue will Smith was just using hyperbole, but that's not really how the prophecy was understood and was fascinating as we have talked to modern Latter Day Saints who will not say that this was only a prophecy regarding the American Civil War. Remember, they will say it's a prophecy on war.

So when you read portions of well war will be poured out upon all nations. I've had Mormons tell me, will that includes World War I and World War II and there's no connection whatsoever with the Civil War and these other world wars that happen many years later, no historian worth reading is going to say that World War I and World War II began with the rebellion in South Carolina. Thank you for listening you would like more information and research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is as with most Christian organizations.

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