The Prophecy of Joseph Smith on the United StatesAnd the Constitution Hanging by a Thread(and related prophecies)

Prophecy of Joseph Smith (March 10, 1844): Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground and when the Constitution is on the brink of ruin this people will be the staff upon which the nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction. (Source: Joseph Smith Papers, LDS Church Historical Archives, Box 1, March 10, 1844; D. Michael Stewart, Ensign, Vol. 6, No. 6, June 1976, pp. 64-65; See also, W. Cleon Skousen, "Prophecy and the Constitution," Audio Tape, 90 min., Ensign Publishing Company, Distributed by Sounds of Zion, Sandy, Utah.)

Revelation to Joseph Smith (1831): Verily, Verily, saith the Lord, your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ . . . Verily, I say unto you, that the day of vexation and vengeance is nigh at the doors of this nation, when wicked, ungodly, and daring men will rise up in wrath and might, and go forth in anger, like as the dust is driven by a terrible wind; and they will be the means of the destruction of the government and cause the death and misery of many souls; but the faithful among my people shall be preserved in holy places during all these tribulations. (Source: Revelation given to Joseph Smith, July 17, 1831, west of Jackson County, Missouri, contained in a letter from W. W. Phelps to Brigham Young, dated August 12, 1861, Joseph Smith Collection, Church Historian's Office.)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith (1833): And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. (Source: Documentary History of the Church, Vol.1, p. 315-316, January 4, 1833)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith (February 6, 1840): I arrived safely at Nauvoo, after a wearisome journey (to Washington D.C.), through alternate snow and mud, having witnessed many vexatious movements in government officers, whose sole object should be the peace and prosperity and happiness of the whole people; but instead of this, I discovered that popular clamor and personal aggrandizement were the ruling principles of those in authority; and my heart faints within me when I see, by the visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation, if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens, as she has done, and is now doing. (Source: Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 89)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith (May 18, 1843): 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. (Source: Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 394) Prophecy of Joseph Smith (December 16, 1843): 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. (Source: Documentary History of the Church, Vol 6. p. 116)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith: They shall have mobbing to their hearts content, if they do not redress the wrongs of the Latter-day Saints. Mobs will not decrease, but will increase until the whole government becomes a mob, and eventually it will be State against State, city against city, neighborhood against neighborhood. (Source: As quoted by Brigham Young in Deseret News, Vol II. No. 9, May 1, 1861)


The dream of Joseph Smith (March 10, 1843), as related by William Clayton: He [Joseph] also related the following dream:"I dreamed that a silver-headed old man came to see me, and said he was invaded by a gang of robbers, who were plundering his neighbors and threatening destruction to all his subjects. He had heard that I always sought to defend the oppressed, and he had come to hear with his own ears what answer I would give him. I answered, 'If you will make out the papers and show that you are not the aggressor, I will call out the Legion and defend you while I have a man to stand by me.' The old man then turned to go away. When he got a little distance he turned suddenly round and said I must call out the Legion and go, and he would have the papers ready when I arrived, and says he, 'I have any amount of men which you can have under your command.'" Elder Hyde gave this interpretation: "The old man represents the government of these United States who will be invaded by a foreign foe, probably England. The U. S. government will call on you to defend probably all this Western Territory, and will offer you any amount of men you may need for that purpose." (Source: Journal of William Clayton, entry for Sunday, April 2, 1843. There is a note in the entry saying that the dream was actually related on March 10, about 3 weeks or so before it was recorded.)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, as recorded by Mosiah Lyman Hancock (June 19, 1844), commonly known as the "Hancock Prophecy": There will be two great political parties in this country. One will be called the Republican, and the other the Democrat party. These two will go to war and out of these two parties will spring another party which will be the Independent American Party. The United States will spend her strength and means warring in foreign lands, until other nations will say, "Let's divide up the lands of United States." Then the people of the U.S. will unite and swear by the blood of their forefathers, that the land will not be divided. Then the country will go to war, and they will fight until one half of the U.S. army will give up, and the rest will continue to struggle. They will keep on until they are very ragged and discouraged, and almost ready to give up, when the boys from the mountains will rush forth in time to save the American Army from defeat and ruin. And they will say, "Brethren, we are glad you have come. Give us men, henceforth, who can talk with God." Then you will have friends, but you will save the country when it's liberty hangs by a hair, as it were. (Sources: The Journal of Mosiah Lyman Hancock, p. 19-20; Autobiography of Mosiah Hancock, typescript, BYU Library Special Collections, p. 29. Compiled by Amy E. Baird, Victoria H. Jackson, and Laura L. Wassell (daughters of Mosiah Hancock). http://www.math.byu.edu/~smithw/Lds/LDS/Early-Saints/MHancock.html. See also Crowther, Duane S., Inspired Prophetic Warnings, Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1987, pp. 186-187.)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, as recorded by James Burgess (May 1843): In the month of May 1843 several miles east of Nauvoo the Nauvoo Legion was on parade and review, at the close of which Joseph Smith made some remarks upon our condition as a people, and upon our future prospects, contrasting our present condition with our past trials and persecutions by the hands of our enemies. Also upon the Constitution and Government of the United States, stating that the time would come when the Constitution and Government would hang by a brittle thread and would be ready to fall into other hands, but this people the Latter day Saints will step forth and save it . . .I James Burgess was present and testify to the above. (Source: James Burgess Notebook, Church Archives, Vol. 1, Ehat & Cook, Words of Joseph Smith, 6 May 1843 Note, p. 279)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, as recorded by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray (July 19, 1840): We shall build the Zion of the Lord in peace until the servants of that Lord shall begin to lay the foundation of a great and high watch-tower, and then shall they begin to say within themselves, "What need hath my Lord of this tower seeing this is a time of peace?" Then the Enemy shall come as a thief in the night and scatter the servants abroad. When the seed of these Twelve Olive trees are scattered abroad they will wake up the Nations of the whole Earth. [D&C 101:10-12,43-62] Even this Nation will be on the very verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground. And when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction. (Source: The Historians Corner, BYU Studies, Vol. 19, No. 3, p. 391-392)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, as recorded by Parley P. Pratt (January 21, 1841): The government is fallen and needs redeeming. It is guilty of blood and cannot stand as it is now is, but will come so near desolation as to hang as it were by a single hair! Then the servants go to the nations of the earth, and gather the strength of the Lord's house! A mighty army! And this is the redemption of Zion when the saints shall have redeemed that government and reinstated it in all its purity and glory


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, according to Brigham Young: The time will come when the destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction. (Source: Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 15, July 4, 1854)


Prophecy of Joseph Smith, according to Orson Hyde: The time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow; and . . . if the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church. (Source: Journal of Discourses, Vol.6, p. 152, January 3, 1858)


D&C 101:10-12;43-62;76-91 (received by Joseph Smith):I have sworn, and the decree hath gone forth by a former commandment which I have given unto you, that I would let fall the sword of mine indignation in behalf of my people; and even as I have said, it shall come to pass. Mine indignation is soon to be poured out without measure upon all nations; and this will I do when the cup of their iniquity is full. And in that day all who are found upon the watch-tower, or in other words, all mine Israel, shall be saved . . .And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion. A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive-trees; And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive-trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard. Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive-trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower. And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower? And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace? Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things. And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord. And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive-trees. Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil? Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and- after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof- built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you? And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer. And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants, and take all the strength of mine house, which are my warriors, my young men, and they that are of middle age also among all my servants, who are the strength of mine house, save those only whom I have appointed to tarry; And go ye straightway unto the land of my vineyard, and redeem my vineyard; for it is mine; I have bought it with money. Therefore, get ye straightway unto my land; break down the walls of mine enemies; throw down their tower, and scatter their watchmen. And inasmuch as they gather together against you, avenge me of mine enemies, that by and by I may come with the residue of mine house and possess the land. And the servant said unto his lord: When shall these things be? And he said unto his servant: When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you; And this shall be my seal and blessing upon you- a faithful and wise steward in the midst of mine house, a ruler in my kingdom. And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after many days all things were fulfilled . . . And again I say unto you, those who have been scattered by their enemies, it is my will that they should continue to importune for redress, and redemption, by the hands of those who are placed as rulers and are in authority over you- According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles; That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.Now, unto what shall I liken the children of Zion? I will liken them unto the parable of the woman and the unjust judge, for men ought always to pray and not to faint, which saith- There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Thus will I liken the children of Zion. Let them importune at the feet of the judge; And if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor; And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president; And if the president heed them not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation; And in his hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and unbelievers; Even in outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.


Prophecy of Brigham Young: The nations will consume each other, and the Lord will suffer them to bring it about. It does not require much talent or tact to get up opposition these days. You see it rife in communities, in meetings, in neighborhoods, and in cities. That is the knife that will cut down this Government. The axe is laid at the root of the tree, and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit will be hewn down. (Source: Journal of Discourses, 8:143)


Prophecy of John Taylor (General Conference, 1879): Were we surprised when the last terrible war (the Civil War) took place here in the United States? No . . . You will see worse things than that, for God will lay his hand upon this nation and they will feel it more terribly than ever they have done before. There will be more bloodshed, more ruin, more devastation than ever they have seen before. Write it down! You will see it come to pass; it is only just starting in . . . There is yet to come a sound of war, trouble and distress, in which brother will be arrayed against brother, father against son, son against father, a scene of desolation and destruction that will permeate our land until it will be a vexation to hear the report thereof. (Source: Journal of Discourses, 20:318)


Another Prophecy of John Taylor (1879): We have got this kingdom to build up; and it is not a phantom, but a reality. We have to do it, God expects it at our hands . . . We have got to go on and progress in these things. We have got to establish a government upon the principle of righteousness, justice, truth and equality and not according to the many false notions that exist among men. And then the day is not far distant when this nation will be shaken from centre to circumference. And now, you may write it down, any of you, and I will prophesy it in the name of God. And then will be fulfilled the prediction to be found in one of the revelations given through the prophet Joseph Smith. Those who will not take up their sword to fight against their neighbor must needs flee to Zion for safety. And they will come, saying, we do not know anything of the principles of your religion, but we perceive that you are an honest community; you administer justice and righteousness, and we want to live with you and receive the protection of your laws, but as for your religion we will talk about that some other time. Will we protect such people? Yes, all honorable men. When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations. This is part of the programme, and as long as we do what is right and fear God, he will help us and stand by us under all circumstances. (Source: Journal of Discourses, 21:8)

-- Edited by mirkwood at 00:46, 2007-03-29

Statement of Boyd K. Packer (2004):
When Moroni was translating the twenty-four gold plates, he interrupted his narrative to speak directly to us in our day. He told of the Gadiantons and their bands (in our day we would call them gangs):
Wherefore, O ye Gentiles [that is us], it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, ...
[He then warned us in unmistakable plainness]: Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; ...
Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved (Ether 8:2324, 26).
When the Saints in Missouri were suffering great persecutions, the Lord said that the Constitution of the United States was given
that every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him. [Notice that it does not say free agency, it says moral agency. The agency we have is a moral agency.] ...
For this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood (D&C 101:78, 80; emphasis added).
The present major political debate centers on values and morals and the Constitution.
There occurs from time to time reference to the Constitution hanging by a thread. President Brigham Young said:
The general Constitution of our country is good, and a wholesome government could be framed upon it; for it was dictated by the invisible operations of the Almighty. ...
Will the Constitution be destroyed? No. It will be held inviolate by this people; and as Joseph Smith said "the time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread, and at this critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction." It will be so.23
I do not know when that day will come or how it will come to pass. I feel sure that when it does come to pass, among those who will step forward from among this people will be men who hold the Holy Priesthood and who carry as credentials a bachelor or doctor of law degree. And women, also, of honor. And there will be judges as well.
Others from the world outside the Church will come, as Colonel Thomas Kane did, and bring with them their knowledge of the law to protect this people.
We may one day stand alone, but we will not change or lower our standards or change our course.
(Source: "On the Shoulders of Giants", Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law Society Devotional, Saturday, 28 February 2004, 6:00 p.m., http://lds.org/newsroom/voice/display/0,18255,5004-1-61,00.html)


The Prophecy of George Albert Smith (1945):
The story goes that in 1945 President George Albert Smith was visiting his relatives, the Lyman M. Horne family. Lyman's son David Hughes Horne, a young man at the time, extracted and summarized some of what the Prophet George Albert Smith had said from a recording of the conversation on a wire tape recorder. The recorder has not been found, so Mr. Horne's account is all we have to go on. The details are interesting, but it seems to be one of those conditional prophecies where certain things did not happen because people were righteous enough to avoid it. For example details about the Soviet Union invading America will no longer come to pass, because the time period that it could have happened in has long passed. Nevertheless, at some future time, we may indeed be attacked by Russia as being one of the nations involved in the war of the Constitution Hanging by a Thread. So here we will be concentrating on the details of the prophecy that may still apply to a future time. Mr. Horne reports that George Albert Smith said:
"I have had a troublesome vision of another great and terrible war that made the war that just ended [i.e. WWII] look like a training exercise, and people died like flies . . . He continued that the U.S. would be bound by numerous alliances and would take away the weapons owned by the people . . .
"Then he said, "The aftermath was dreadful. Think of the worst, most difficult times of the depression." He turned to us children and said, "You wont remember the depression," which was true. He repeated to our parents. "Think of the worst condition of the depression. Can you think of something?" To which our father answered, "Oh yes!" Then President Smith continued, "You know how Sunday School picnics are complete with salad, chicken, root beer, and dessert, and everyone has a wonderful time. That worst time of the depression will seem like a Sunday School picnic when compared with how conditions will be after that Great War . . ."
(Source: David N. Balmforth, America's Coming Crisis- prophetic warnings, divine destiny, Horizon Publishers, Bountiful, UT, 1998, pp. 123-127; R. K. Young, "..As a Thief in the Night", South Salt Lake, UT, 1991, pp. 51-52, 56.)
Confirming the wording used by Elder Smith in this account are two statements from General Conference that he made:
I fear the time is coming . . . unless we can call the people of this world to repent of their sins and turn from the error of their ways, that the great war [World War II] that has just passed will be an insignificant thing, as far as calamity is concerned, compared to that which is before us.
(Source: Conference Report, October 9, 1946, p. 149, emphasis added.)
Brethren and sisters, let us go to our homes. If our houses are not in order, let us set them in order. Let us renew our determination to honor God and keep his commandments, to love one another, to make our homes the abiding place of peace. Each of us can contribute to that in the homes in which we live. It will not be long until calamities will overtake the human family unless there is speedy repentance. It will not be long before those who are scattered over the face of the earth by millions will die like flies because of what will come.
(Source: Conference Report, April 9, 1950, p. 169, emphasis added)


A Dream of Charles D. Evans, a Patriarch of Springville, UT (1894):
While I lay pondering, in deep solitude, on the events of the present my mind was drawn into a reverie such as I had never felt before. A strong solitude for my imperiled country utterly excluded every other thought and raised my feelings to a point of intensity I did not think it possible to endure. While in this solemn, profound and painful reverie of mind, to my infinite surprise, a light appeared in my room, which seemed to be soft and silvery as that diffused from a northern star. At the moment of its appearance the acute feeling I had experienced instantly yielded to one of calm tranquility.
Although it may have been at the hour of midnight, and the side of the globe whereon I was situated, was excluded from the sunlight, yet all was light and bright and warm as an Italian landscape at noon; but the heat was softer or more subdued. As I gazed upward, I saw descending through my bedroom roof, with a gently gliding movement, a personage clothed in white apparel, whose countenance was smoothly serene, his features regular, and the flashes of his eye seemed to shoot forth scintillations, to use an earthly comparison, strongly resembling those reflected from a diamond under an intensely illuminated electric light, which dazzled but did not bewilder. Those large, deep, inscrutable eyes were presently fixed upon mine, when instantly placing his hands upon my forehead his touch produced an indescribable serenity and calmness, a calmness not born of earth, but at once peaceful, delightful and heavenly. My whole being was imbued with a joy unspeakable. All feelings of sorrow instantly vanished. Those lines and shadows which care and sorrow impress upon us were dispelled as a deep fog before a blazing sun. In the eyes of my heavenly visitor, for such he appeared to me, there was a sort of lofty pity and tenderness infinitely stronger than any such feeling I ever saw manifested in ordinary mortals. His very calm appeared like a vast ocean stillness, at once overpowering to every agitated emotion.
"Son, I perceive thou hast grave anxieties over the perilous state of thy country, that thy soul has felt deep sorrow for its future. I have therefore come to thy relief and to tell thee of the causes that have led to this peril. Hear me attentively. Seventy-one years ago, after an awful apostasy of centuries, in which all nations were shrouded in spiritual darkness, when angels had withdrawn themselves, the voice of prophets hushed, and the light of Urim and Thummim shone not, and the vision of the seers was closed, while heaven itself shed not a ray of gladness to lighten a dark world, when Babel ruled and Satan laughed, and church and priesthood had taken their upward flight, and the voice of nations, possessing the books of the Jewish prophets, had ruled against vision and against Urim, against the further visits of angels, and against the doctrine of a church of apostles and prophets, thou knowest that then appeared a mighty angel with the solemn announcement of the hour of judgment, the burden of whose instructions pointed to dire calamities upon the present generation. This, therefore, is the cause of what thou seest and the end of the wicked hasteneth."
My vision now became extended in a marvelous manner, and the import of the past labors of the Elders was made plain to me. I saw multitudes fleeing to the place of safety in our mountain heights. The church was established in the wilderness. Simultaneously the nation had reached an unparalleled prosperity, wealth unbounded, new territory was acquired, commerce extended, finance strengthened, confidence was maintained, and peoples abroad pointed to her as the model nation, the ideal of the past realized and perfected, the embodiment of the liberty sung by poets, and sought for by sages.
"But," continued the messenger, "Thou beholdest a change. Confidence is lost. Wealth is arrayed against labor, labor against wealth, yet the land abounds with plenty for food and raiment, and silver and gold are in abundance. Thou seest also that letters written by a Jew have wrought great confusion in the finances of the nation which, together with the policy of many wealthy ones, has produced distress and do presage further sorrow."
Factions now sprang up as if by magic; capital had entrenched itself against labor throughout the land; labor was organized against capital. The voice of the wise sought to tranquilize these two powerful factors in vain. Excited multitudes ran wildly about; strikes increased; lawlessness sought the place of regular government. At this juncture I saw a banner floating in air whereon was written the words Bankruptcy, Famine, Floods, Fire, Cyclones, Blood, Plague. Mad with rage men and women rushed upon each other. Blood flowed down the streets of cities like water. The demon of bloody hate had enthroned itself on the citadel of reason; the thirst for blood was intenser than that of the parched tongue for water. Thousands of bodies lay entombed in the streets. Men and women fell dead from the terror inspired from fear. Rest was but the precursor of the bloody work of the morrow. All around lay the mournfulness of a past in ruins. Monuments erected to perpetuate the names of the noble and brave were ruthlessly destroyed by combustibles. A voice now sounded aloud these words, "Yet once again I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word yet once again signifies the removing of things that are shaken, as of things that are made; that those things that cannot be shaken may remain."
Earthquakes rent the earth in vast chasms, which engulfed multitudes; terrible groanings and wailings filled the air; the shrieks of the suffering were indescribably awful. Water wildly rushed in from the tumultuous ocean whose very roaring under the mad rage of the fierce cyclone, was unendurable to the ear. Cities were swept away in an instant, missiles were hurled through the atmosphere at a terrible velocity and people were carried upward only to descend in unrecognized mass. Islands appeared where ocean waves once tossed the gigantic steamer. In other parts voluminous flames, emanating from vast fires, rolled with fearful velocity destroying life and property in their destructive course. The seal of the dread menace of despair was stamped on every healing visage; men fell exhausted, appalled and trembling. Every element of agitated nature seemed a demon of wrathful fury. Dense clouds, blacker than midnight darkness, whose thunders reverberated with intonations which shook the earth, obscured the sunlight. Darkness reined, unrivalled and supreme.
Again the light shone, revealing an atmosphere tinged with a leaden hue, which was the precursor of an unparalleled plague whose first symptoms were recognized by a purple spot which appeared on the cheek, or on the back of the hand, and which, invariably, enlarged until it spread over the entire surface of the body, producing certain death. Mothers, on sight of it, cast away their children as though they were poisonous reptiles. This plague, in grown persons, rotted the eyes in their sockets and consumed the tongue as would a powerful acid or an intense heat. Wicked men, suffering under its writhing agonies, cursed God and died, as they stood on their feet, and the birds of prey feasted on their carcasses.
I saw in my dream the messenger again appear with a vile in his right hand, who addressing me said: "Thou knowest somewhat of the chemistry taught in the schools of human learning, behold now a chemistry sufficiently powerful to change the waters of the sea."
He then poured out his vile upon the sea and it became putrid as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul therein died. Other plagues followed I forbear to record. A foreign power had invaded the nation which, from every human indication, it appeared would seize the government and supplant it with monarchy. I stood trembling at the spect, when, lo, a power arose in the west which declared itself in favor of the constitution in its original form; to this suddenly rising power every lover of constitutional rights and liberties throughout the nation gave hearty support. This struggle was fiercely contested, but the stars and stripes floated in the breeze, and, bidding defiance to opposition, waved proudly over the land. Among the many banners I saw, was one inscribed thus: "The government based on the constitution, now and forever;" on another "Liberty of Conscience, social, religious, and political."
The light of the gospel which had but dimly shown because of abomination, now burst forth with a luster that filled the earth. Cities appeared in every direction, one of which, in the center of the continent, was an embodiment of architectural science after the pattern of eternal perfections, whose towers glittered with a radiance emanating from the sparkling of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones set in a canopy of gold and so elaborately and skillfully arranged as to shed forth a brilliancy which dazzled and enchanted the eye, excited admiration and developed a taste for the beautiful, beyond anything man had ever conceived. Fountains of crystal water shot upward their transparent jets which in the brilliant sunshine, formed ten thousand rainbow tints at once delightful to the eye. Gardens, the perfections of whose arrangement confound all our present attempts at genius, bedecked with flowers of varied hue to develop and refine the taste, and strengthen the love for these natures chastest adornments. Schools and universities were erected, to which all had access; in the latter Urims were placed, for the study of the past, present and future, and for obtaining a knowledge of the heavenly bodies, and of the constructions of worlds and universes. The inherent properties of matter, its arrangements, laws, mutual relations were revealed and taught and made plain as the primer lesson of a child. The conflicting theories of geologists regarding the formation and age of the earth were settled forever. All learning was based on eternal certainty. Angels brought forth the treasures of knowledge which had lain hid in the womb of the dumb and distant past.
The appliances for making learning easy surpass all conjecture. Chemistry was rendered extremely simple, by the power which the Urims conferred on man of looking into and through the elements of every kind; a stone furnished no more obstruction to human vision than the air itself. Not only were the elements and all their changes and transformations plainly understood but the construction, operations, and laws of mind were thus rendered equally plain as those which governed the coarser elements. While looking through the Urim and Thummim I was amazed at a transformation, which even now is to me marvelous beyond description, clearly showing the manner in which particles composing the inorganic kingdom of nature are conducted upward to become a part of organic forms; another astounding revelation was a view clearly shown me of the entire circulation of the blood both in man and animals. After seeing these things and gazing once more upon the beautiful city, the following passage of Scripture sounded in my ears: "Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God shineth."
On this I awoke to find all a dream.
I have written the foregoing, which is founded on true principle, under the caption of a dream, partly to instruct and partly to check the folly of reading silly novels now so prevalent.
Charles D. Evans
Springville, Utah.
(Source: The Contributor, Representing the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association of the Latter-day Saints, Volume Fifteen, (1893-4), Published By The Contributor Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, Printed By The Deseret News Publishing Company, 1894, pp. 638-641 (BYU Special Collections)).

-- Edited by mirkwood at 00:49, 2007-03-29

Holy Way Too Much to Read, Batman.

Maybe I'll come back tomorrow when it's not so late.

Wow, mirk, I hope you didn't have to type all that yourself.

Very interesting reading. There was some there I have seen before, but much I hadn't. I appreciate you providing all that, including the sources.

The Washington one strikes me as a little suspect. First of all, the timing--1859! So this was right before the Civil War. A time when Disunion was a very real prospect, and invoking the stature of Washington himself in support of maintaining the Union strikes me as a powerful piece of propaganda.

Second, this is based on the memory of a 99-year old man?? And he is the sole witness? And why would Washington share this with someone who would have been only 17 at the time?? And this Anthony Sherman--guess what I found when I googled him:

"Anthony Sherman, was a soldier in the Continental Army. However, according to his pension application, written by him, he states that he was at Saratoga under the command of Benedict Arnold at the end of 1777 and only joined the main forces in 1778 in New Jersey just before the Battle of Monmouth."

That's from http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/vision.html


-- Edited by fear of shiz at 10:43, 2007-03-29

Yea, so ignore those two and listen to everything else. Or will you find a reason to dismiss them as well?

Great job Mirkwood on putting this together. I read through it all.

Many of these I had read before, some of the others I haven't even heard of.

Like Shiz I believe some of them may be suspect, but there is most definately certain truths being conveyed. Many of which are supported by scripture.

(I also found interesting the description of the account of Urim and Thummum showing the principles of chemistry, geology, and biology. A couple of the statements seemed to hint at somethings I have thought about before.)

"I have better things to do, and nobody wants to read it anyway."


The first part, maybe you do and maybe you don't. That's up to you.

The second part, I would be interested in reading what you come up with. I think this is a worthwhile subject. It's good that we dig our way to the truth. Once we close our ears, it may be a sign that our foundation is weak.

Cat, what is a reliable method for determining when a prophet is speaking in his role as prophet? Because it seems to me they almost never say "Thus sayeth the Lord". For instance, how do you know that Pres. Benson was speaking as a prophet when he said that, when possible, wives should stay at home? What words were missing when he talked about conspiracies that made it his personal opinion?
I think it valuable to be exact on this point; otherwise it would be too easy for the weaker saints to just dismiss everything they don't like as not spoken by the prophet in his role as prophet.
Besides, the brethren have a lot of good stuff to say, and I'd venture to say that they're more wrong than right.

The earliest references I find are attributed directly to Joseph Smith and are found in The Words Of Joseph Smith. Darn near everybody else has quoted him.

Again I will ask: Shiz I don't understand your hostility. Could you explain what your beef on this topic is and why?

arbilad, I'm not dissin' either side of the discussion. It is probably wise to remember that this isn't a topic worth belittling others over if they don't see it the same way. Both sides look to be getting a little defensive. My point is that the topic is not central or core to the Gospel and how we live it as individuals and members of His Church.

Let me tell y'all a bit about myself. As a kid, I had a strong sense of patriotism, and a strong interest in American History and Government (I know y'all are shocked to hear that). In conjunction with a temple trip when I was 13 or so, I was at a temple bookstore and discovered "An Enemy Hath Done This" by E.T. Benson. I bought that and read it over and over again. As a teenager I was as right-wing as they get, a real John Bircher type. LOL I had two big interests: the End Times, and the Coming Tribulation in America. It was my "Gospel Hobby". I know the Brethren have spoken out against that sort of thing. I also got a kick out of having this secret knowledge about the future that ordinary mortals didn't have.   

Anyway, to make a long story short, going to college, going on a mission, growing up a little bit, and some other life events opened my eyes to realize that this doctrine just isn't that important for my life, and doesn't really help me live more Christlike.  So, yes, I get impatient with it.  I didn't mean to sound hostile.  I simply think it distracts from more important doctrines, and that it easily becomes a "gospel hobby".

Prophecy of Joseph Smith (February 6, 1840): I arrived safely at Nauvoo, after a wearisome journey (to Washington D.C.), through alternate snow and mud, having witnessed many vexatious movements in government officers, whose sole object should be the peace and prosperity and happiness of the whole people; but instead of this, I discovered that popular clamor and personal aggrandizement were the ruling principles of those in authority; and my heart faints within me when I see, by the visions of the Almighty, the end of this nation, if she continues to disregard the cries and petitions of her virtuous citizens, as she has done, and is now doing. (Source: Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 89)

I really liked this quote.

--Ray

fear of shiz wrote:

---

Let me tell y'all a bit about myself. As a kid, I had a strong sense of patriotism, and a strong interest in American History and Government (I know y'all are shocked to hear that). In conjunction with a temple trip when I was 13 or so, I was at a temple bookstore and discovered "An Enemy Hath Done This" by E.T. Benson. I bought that and read it over and over again. As a teenager I was as right-wing as they get, a real John Bircher type. LOL I had two big interests: the End Times, and the Coming Tribulation in America. It was my "Gospel Hobby". I know the Brethren have spoken out against that sort of thing. I also got a kick out of having this secret knowledge about the future that ordinary mortals didn't have.   

Anyway, to make a long story short, going to college, going on a mission, growing up a little bit, and some other life events opened my eyes to realize that this doctrine just isn't that important for my life, and doesn't really help me live more Christlike.  So, yes, I get impatient with it.  I didn't mean to sound hostile.  I simply think it distracts from more important doctrines, and that it easily becomes a "gospel hobby".

---

Interesting. As a kid I had a strong sense of patriotism too. I also had a strong interest in American History, particularly the Revolutionary War period. On my mission I discovered several books on the Last Days and got my first exposure to the Coming Tribulation in America.  It never became my "Gospel Hobby". I was however strongly prompted to study the topic. I was even blessed enough to hear Pres. Benson speak to my mission while he was in Philadelphia. On and off through the next decade I would receive the promptings from time to time to go back to the Last Days and study it again. My wife and I were both prompted in 1993 to start our food storage and have worked on it from that point on. My interest in food storage eventually prompted me, in conjunction with my cousin's Emergency Preparedness Specialist calling to build a website on the topic. I never got a kick out of having "secret knowledge", but rather felt sorrow that so many people ignored the counsel of the brethren.  I guess that it never became the distraction from other equally important doctrines of the church.  The majority of the members I have know who study this topic have not fallen into the trap that you have described.  Maybe your experience was different then mine.


I certainly hope that you don't really believe that everyone who studies the Last Days and associated topics becomes  distracted "from more important doctrines, and that it easily becomes a "gospel hobby".

If one truly values truth and the gospel, how can they deny the counsels and principles of freedom as taught by the prophets and supported by Gods scripture?  Some here seem to think that those who are concerned about the "awful situation" our country has gotten into and its causes are focusing on un- or less important aspects of the Gospel. 

An LDS lady whom I advised recently that declaring war is the responsibility of Congress, not the President, wrote me tonite:  "I'm learning stuff that maybe I once knew, but have to relearn.  What troubles me the most is that people don't seem to care at all.  They take all we have for granted." 

David O. McKay stated years ago "Next to being one in worshiping God, there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States."  The discretion in little further public discussion on the issue by Church leaders seems to be understood by some members of this forum, so I'll say no  more about that.  As I understand scripture and statements by Prophets and Apostles over the years, LDSs are obligated to insist that their elected leaders adhere strictly to their constitutional oaths of office, and should make no apologies for holding them to their obligations.  Now compare the voting record of LDS congressmen with the Constitution.