| This article is part of a series on |
| Joseph Smith |
|---|
| 1805 to 1827 • 1827 to 1830 |
| 1831 to 1834 • 1834 to 1837 |
| 1838 to 1839 • 1839 to 1844 |
| Death • Polygamy • Teachings |
| Prophecies • Criticism |
| Bibliography • Chronology |
Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, is viewed as a prophet in the tradition of the ancient prophets recorded in the Bible by members of the Latter Day Saint movement. During his life, he made several prophesies, many documented in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of scripture in several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Critics contend that Joseph Smith could not be a genuine prophet, because they claim that many of his prophecies did not come true.[1][2][3] However, apologists point out that some of the alleged prophecies were not actual prophecies, and that others should be interpreted metaphorically, not literally. Some apologists also claim that many of the prophecies that critics claim have failed have actually been fulfilled after all. Church members also accept that some of the prophecies will be fulfilled in the future.[4]
Contents |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus comes to the temple - "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God; wherefore, gird up your loins and I will suddenly come to my temple. Even so. Amen." | D&C 36:8 | December 1830 | Joseph Smith claims Jesus appeared in the LDS temple in 1836. |
| Copyright sale - Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery were to find a copyright buyer in Canada. | B. H. Roberts, Compr. History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 165, 1930 | 1829/1830
Winter |
Critic Richard Abanes claims this was not fulfilled.[5] However, Hiram Page himself felt that the prophecy was fulfilled, as stated in an 1848 letter.[6] |
| Gather in one place - The Mormons shall be gathered in one place "against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked" | D&C 29:8 | 1830,
Sept |
Large groups of Mormons gathered in various cities, but all adherents of the religion have never been gathered in one city. Latter-day Saints recognise several additional meaning for gathering, stemming from the their concepts of Zion. |
| Hour is nigh - The "hour is nigh and day soon at hand" when Jesus will return. | D&C 29:9-11 | 1830
Sept |
Mormons believe that Jesus has not yet returned,[7] and some advocate that the words "hour" and "day" could be metaphorical and represent centuries or millennia. |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land purchase - The Mormons were to gather riches and purchase a place of refuge and safety, where the wicked would not come, and the wicked would refuse to battle the Mormons. | D&C 45:64-74 | 1831
Mar 7 |
Critic Richard Abanes claims this was not fulfilled.[7] Additionally, conflict followed the Mormons in Missouri culminating in the Extermination Order. |
| Zion in Missouri - Missouri is named as the place for the "City of Zion"; land will be purchased for "an everlasting inheritance". | D&C 57:1-5 | 1831
July 20 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[7] In The Doctrine and Covenants, Covenant 124:49-51 the project was postponed. Most Latter Day Saint adherents generally believe that the temple will eventually be constructed on the site prepared, based on additional statements by Smith. Two branches of the LDS movement have churches in that location:Church of Christ (Temple Lot) and Community of Christ. |
| Zion in this generation - Zion and its temple will be built at Independence, Missouri "in this generation". | D&C 84:2 | 1832
Sept |
The "City of Zion" [7] The site dedicated by Smith for the construction of the Temple at Independence is currently vacant. See Temple lot. |
| New York destroyed - New York and Boston will be destroyed if they reject the gospel. The "hour of their judgement is nigh". | D&C 84:114 | 1832
Sept |
Smith went to New York and Boston, and preached the LDS message. Neither city has been destroyed.[8] |
| Civil War - This prophecy predicted war between the northern states and the southern states beginning in South Carolina, and that (quotes from first published version in 1851) war will be "poured out on all nations", and that nations will be fighting against other nations, and that "slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war", and that war will end with "plague, and earthquake" culminating in the "full end of all nations". | D&C 87 | 1832
Dec. 25 |
Critics claim that several parts of this were not fulfilled.[9] Apologists claim that this prophecy applies to a broader span of time and interpret it to mean that the rebellion of South Carolina and the American Civil War "marked the beginning of the era of war that will last until the Savior returns. . . ", which would include earthquakes, multi-nation warfare, and plagues.[10] The prophecy also states that the Southern States would call upon Great Britain, which did indeed happen. |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current generation - "Not many years shall pass away" before the wicked "of this generation" will be swept off the face of the earth; and "there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled" | History of the Church, v1 p315 | 1833
Jan 4 |
Critic Richard Abanes claims this was not fulfilled.[8] |
| Zion built here - Promise that if the saints are obedient in building a temple, then the City of Zion (in Missouri) will prosper and become glorious, and that Zion cannot "be moved" out of its place. | D&C 97:15-20 | 1833
Aug 2 |
The saints did not build a temple as commanded, and were subsequently driven out of Missouri by Missouri Executive Order 44. D&C 101:1-3 |
| Enemies not destroyed - If the Saints were not successful in legal action against their enemies (in Missouri) God would avenge them and all their adversaries would be destroyed. | History of Church, v1, p 455 | 1833
Dec 10 |
Critic Richard Abanes claims this was not fulfilled.[8] |
| United Order - The United Order would be "everlasting", and "immutable and unchangeable" to benefit the church until Jesus comes. | D&C 104:1 | 1834
April 23 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[11] An Ensign article [12] provides the LDS explanation of the revelation made by Smith. |
| Missouri victory - The Lord says regarding Missouri: "I will fight your battles ... the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints". | D&C 105:13 | 1834
June 22 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[11] |
| Zion in Missouri - The Mormons should be ready to move into Jackson County, Missouri, on Sept 11, 1836, "the appointed time for the redemption of Zion" | History of Church, v2, p 145 | 1834
Aug 16 |
The Mormons fled Missouri in 1839.[11] |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind up in 56 Years "[T]he coming of the Lord, which is nigh - even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." | History of Church, v2, p 182 | 1835
Feb 14 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[11] Apologists claim that since Smith did not preface this statement with the typical prophetical "Thus sayeth the Lord", it is not a proper prophecy. |
| Wealth from Salem - Smith was to go to Salem, Massachusetts, where he would receive "its wealth pertaining to gold and silver". | D&C 111:4 | 1836
Aug 4 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[13] |
| Marsh exalted - Apostle Thomas B. Marsh would be "exalted" and would preach "unto the ends of the earth ... among .. many nations". Through Smith, God tells Marsh: "I know thy heart". | D&C 112:3-11 | 1837
July 23 |
Less than two years later, Marsh was excommunicated.[13] However, in 1857, he was rebaptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Marsh wrote an autobiography in 1864, recounting his Church service and rebellion. |
| Enemies punished - While in prison, Smith prophesied that his enemies would be taken "in their own craftiness" and that "not many years hence ... [his enemies] and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall". | D&C 121:11 | 1839
March 20 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[13] |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relief Society - "I now prophecy that before ten years shall roll around, the queens of the earth shall come and pay their respects to this society" [spoken at a Relief Society meeting]. | The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, D. Michael Quinn, p. 634 | 1842
April 28 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[14] Some Mormons counter that this may have been a jocular statement and that the use of the word "Queen" is metaphorical to a grand lady. |
| LDS settle in Rocky Mountains - "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." | (Documentary History of the Church 5:85) | Aug 1842 | Church critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner claim that this alleged prophesy was inserted into Smith's "Manuscript History" after his death (in a different handwriting).[15][16] |
| 85 years old - "I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, .. the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old.... [T]he 14th chapter of Revelation... The hour of his judgement is come .... After ... 2,520 years; which brings it to 1890." | History of the Church, v5, p 336; D&C 130:14-17 | 1843
April 6 |
Joseph Smith himself was not sure if this revelation referred to the beginning of the millennium or if he would die and see "the Savior's face".[17] |
| Rising Generation - "There are those of the rising generation who shall not taste death till Christ comes." | History of the Church, v5, p 336 | 1843
April 6 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[14] |
| White Horse Prophecy – A lengthy discourse in which Smith reportedly said that "You will see the Constitution of the United States almost destroyed. it will hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber.... and it will be preserved and saved by the efforts of the White Horse"; and, additionally, that the temple in Jackson County, Missouri "will be built in this generation." | Journal of John J. Roberts, March 2, 1902 | 1843
May 6 |
Critics claim portions of this prophecy were not fulfilled. Although other statements by Joseph Smith echo the claim that the United States Constitution would be threatened and that faithful Mormons would save it, the authenticity of the White Horse Prophecy as a whole is debated, and it has been disclaimed by the LDS Church leadership and many individual LDS authorities.[18][19][20] |
| Government Overthrown - "I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the 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." | History of the Church, v5, p 394 | 1843
May 18 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[14] Some Mormons contend that Joseph Smith could not have been referring to the overthrow of the United States Constitutional government, because he had earlier prophesied that the Constitution would be preserved. The prophecy may have been referring to the Whig political party, which was powerful in the 1830s but did dissolve shortly thereafter.[21] |
| Government broken up - "While discussing the petition to Congress, I prophesied, by virtue of the holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government, and god shall damn them. And there shall nothing be left of them - not even a grease spot." | Millennial Star, v.29, p. 455
History of the Church, v.6 p. 116 |
1843
Dec. 16 |
Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[22] However, as with the above version of the prophecy, it may have referred to the Whig Party. |
| Orrin Porter Rockwell protected from enemies - "I prophesy, in the name of the Lord, that you -- Orrin Porter Rockwell -- so long as ye shall remain loyal and true to thy faith, need fear no enemy. Cut not thy hair and no bullet or blade can harm thee." | - | December 25, 1843 | There is no known record of his having been injured by his many enemies after this day, despite a long life filled with violence. |
| Son David - Smith prophesies that his unborn child will be called David, and will be "church president and king over Israel". | The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, D. Michael Quinn, p. 644 | 1844
Apr-May |
David Hyrum Smith was not raised a member of the LDS Church, nor did he became a member of it during his lifetime; however, he was a leader in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, including being a member of its First Presidency. Critics claim this prophecy was not fulfilled.[22] |
| Prophecy | Source | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Granger - "And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord." | D&C 117:12-15 | - | Oliver Granger is mentioned in some documents, but is not a widely known member of the LDS Church. Stephen Gibson states " The surest evidence that Oliver Granger is held in sacred remembrance is that his name is included in one of our four most sacred books, the Doctrine and Covenants. This, in itself, fulfills the prophecy."[23] |
| Smith and companions not killed in Liberty Jail - That he and his companions would not be killed in Liberty Jail, despite evidence that his captors intended to kill him. Joseph said on the morning after their capture after the 1838 Mormon War that "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, New York, 1977, p. 244). | - | Smith and his companions were not killed in Liberty Jail. |
| Smith will not return to Missouri - That although he was captured by Missouri agents in Illinois, he would not set foot in Missouri dead or alive. | (Smith 1902 5:216) | - | Smith did not return to Missouri. |
| Smith spoken of for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues - "He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people" | Joseph Smith — History 1:33 | - | |
| Stephen A. Douglas to run for president - That Stephen A. Douglas, a prominent politician at the time, would run for the presidency. He also predicted that if Stephen Douglas slandered the Church then he would feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon him. | Smith 1902 5:394 | - | Smith was himself a presidential candidate at the time of his death. Douglas, however, did indeed run for president in 1860. |
| Stakes established in Boston and New York - "In the great cities, as Boston, New York, etc., there shall be stakes" | Smith 1902 6:319 | - | Stakes were established in those cities. |
| Joseph and Hyrum Smith to die if re-captured - That he and his brother Hyrum Smith would die if they were re-captured. On June 22, 1844, five days before his death, he wrote: "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" | Smith 1902 6:546 | - | Joseph and Hyrum were killed by a mob after they returned to custody. |
| Dr. Richards will not have hole in garment - Dr. Richards would not be injured in an altercation. | Smith 1902 6:619 | - | Dr. Richards was not injured. |
| Dan Jones to visit Wales - "Soon after Dr. Richards retired to the bed ... 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" | Smith 1902 6:601 | - | Jones did visit Wales. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||