Joseph Smith - Prophet? Part 3

In this episode, we examine nine more prophecies given by Joseph Smith, which will be numbered sequentially following the previous post.

9.  D&C Section 101:17-21 (Dec. 1833): "Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered. They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion - And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled.  And, behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed; neither shall there be any other place than that which I have appointed, for the work of the gathering of my saints - Until the day cometh when there is found no more room for them; and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion.”  (emphasis mine)

LDS leaders say that Zion was "re-established" in Salt Lake City.  Since the revelation says "none other place," has God changed his mind?  What about Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; or Ps.110:4 (KJV "repent" means to "change his mind")?  Doesn’t this fit the definition of a false prophecy?

10.  Previous LDS leaders believed the preceding revelation indeed meant a return to Zion, as they talked of this one and D&C Section 84:

"Who is there that is prepared for this movement back to the centre stake of Zion, and where the architects amongst us that are qualified to erect this temple and the city that will surround it?... And let me remind you that it is predicted that this generation shall not pass away till a temple shall be built, and the glory of the Lord rest upon it, according to the promises."  (George A. Smith, 3/10/1861, speaking in the Tabernacle; Journal of Discourses 9:71)

"The day is near when a Temple shall be reared in the Center Stake of Zion, and the Lord has said his glory shall rest on that House in this generation, that is in the generation in which the revelation was given, which is upwards of thirty years ago."  (George Q. Cannon, 10/23/1864, in the Tabernacle; Journal of Discourses, 10:344).

"We have just as much confidence in returning to Jackson county and the building of a great central city that will remain there a thousand years before the earth passes away, as the Jews have in returning to Palestine.  In fact we have more faith that they have; for they have been so many generations cast out of their land that their descendants have almost lost their faith in returning.  But the Latter-day Saints are fresh, as it were.  There are many of the old stock, who passed through all those tribulations I have named, still living, whose faith in returning to Jackson county, and the things that are coming, is as firm and fixed as the throne of the Almighty."  (Orson Pratt in Salt Lake City, 4/10/1870; Journal of Discourses 13:138). 

"...God promised in the year 1832 that we should, before the generation then living had passed away, return and build up the City of Zion in Jackson County that we should return and build up the temple of the Most High where we formerly laid the corner stone.  He promised us that He would manifest Himself on that temple, that the glory of God should be upon it; and not only upon the temple, but within it, even a cloud by day and a flaming fire by night. We believe in these promises as much as we believe in any promise ever uttered by the mouth of Jehovah.  The Latter-day Saints just as much expect to receive a fulfillment of that promise during the generation that was in existence in 1832 as they expect that the sun will rise and set tomorrow.  Why?  Because God cannot lie.  He will fulfill - all His promises.  He has spoken, it must come to pass.  This is our faith."  (Orson Pratt in Salt Lake City, 5/4/1870; Journal of  Discourses 13:362).

Those who were driven out never returned with their children for their inheritances.  Since it is obvious that previous leaders understood the prophecies to be about a literal return to Zion, why did the prophecies fail to come to pass?  

11.  Patriarchal Blessing Books, vol. 1, pp. 8-20.  Blessings are dated Dec. 18, 1833:  “Blessed is my father.  For the hand of the Lord shall be over him.  For he shall see the affliction of his children pass away when his head is fully ripe.... Blessed of the Lord is my brother Hyrum for the integrity of his heart.  He shall be girt about with truth and faithfulness shall be the strength of his loins from generation to generation.  He shall be a shaft in the hand of his God to exicute [sic] Judgement upon his enemies.  He shall be hid by the hand of the Lord that none of his secret parts shall be discovered unto his hurt. ... When he is in trouble and great tribulation hath come upon him he shall remember the God of Jacob and he will shield him from the power of Satan.”

Did Joseph's father see "the affliction of his children pass away" or did he see continuous "affliction" of his children until his death in 1840?  Did Hyrum "execute judgement" on his enemies and did God protect him, or wasn't Hyrum killed with Joseph while in jail?  This prophecy failed to come to pass.

12.  D&C Section 103:15ff (Feb. 24, 1834): 15. “Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power. ... 20. But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land. ... 24. And inasmuch as mine enemies come against you to drive you from my goodly land, which I have consecrated to be the land of Zion, even from your own lands after these testimonies, which ye have brought before me against them, ye shall curse them; 25. And whomsoever ye curse, I will curse, and ye shall avenge me of mine enemies. 26. And my presence shall be with you even in avenging me of mine enemies, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." 

Did the angels go before Zion's Camp so as to redeem Zion?  No.  Were the Missourians cursed and avenged by God?  There is no evidence of such.  The prophecy failed to come to pass.

13.  Joseph Smith's Diary/Journal 1832-1834.  In his own handwriting for April 1, 1834 we have the following:  “The Lord shall destroy him who has lifted his lifted his heel against me, even that wicked man Doctor P. Hurlbut.  He will deliver him to the fowls of heaven and his bones shall be cast to the blast of the wind for he lifted his arm against the Almighty.  Therefore the Lord shall destroy him.”

This was written because Hurlbut published an expose against the Mormon Church.  Hurlbut lived until 1883 when he died a natural death at the age of 74.  Does this seem that God destroyed him?  Or does this really demonstrate another failed prophecy?

14.  D&C Section 104: 1 (Apr. 23, 1834): “I give unto counsel, and a commandment, concerning all the properties which belong to the order which I commanded to be organized and established, to be a united order, and an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come.” 

Although this prophecy says the "United Order" would be everlasting, the order failed and was disbanded.  Is this not then a failed prophecy?

15.  D&C Section 105:15 (in Zion's Camp June 22, 1834), in regards to the Missouri war: “Behold, 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 of my saints.” 

God said he had already "sent forth" his "destroyer," but over 180 years have passed and God's “enemies” in Missouri were never destroyed or laid waste.  How is this accounted for?

16.  Hist. Vol. 2, pp. 144-145.  Joseph's letter to the High Council of Zion, dated 8/16/34, said: “...I shall now proceed to give you such counsel as the Spirit of the Lord may dictate...[Have the churches] use every effort to gather to those regions and locate themselves, to be in readiness to move into Jackson County in two years from the 11th of September next, which is the appointed time for the redemption of Zion.”

Did Zion's redemption happen on Sept. 11, 1836?  No, it did not; this prophecy failed to come to pass.

17.  Hist. Vol. 2, p. 182.  In February 1835 Joseph Smith said, "...and it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh - even fifty-six years should wind up the scene." 

Did the Lord return within 56 years?  Of course not; this prophecy failed to come to pass.

So far we have 17 prophecies given by Joseph Smith, all of which failed to come to pass.  So is he a false prophet, or not?

Joseph Smith - Prophet? Part 2

The following are prophecies made by Joseph Smith.  Each prophecy is followed by a question or questions regarding whether the prophecy came to pass.  D&C is Doctrine and Covenants and "Hist." is History of the Church.  

Stipulation:  The meaning of the word "generation" is defined by Webster as "all persons born about the same time; the average in which children are ready to replace their parents... about 30 years."  The Bible defines a generation as 35 to 40 years (e.g. Job 42:16), The Book of Mormon says that a generation is 110 years (4 Nephi 18).  Remember this stipulation for future posts.

The prophecies will be shown in chronological order, and will be numbered consecutive from post to post.  Today I will give eight.

1.  D&C Section 57 (July 1831):  This section says that Independence is the place for the city of Zion, and is "appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints."  Verse 5 says it is to be an "everlasting inheritance".

Is Independence the gathering place today?  Is it the city of "Zion"?  Has it been an "everlasting inheritance?  The answer to all three questions is, “no.”  The prophecy failed to come to pass.

2.  D&C Section 84:1-5, 31 (Sep. 1832):  "A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun.... Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.  Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.  Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city of New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.  For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house...which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed...." 

Was New Jerusalem built during that generation?  Was the temple built at the temple lot during that generation?  The answer to both questions is, “no.”  The prophecy failed to come to pass.

3.  D&C Section 87 (25 Dec 1832):  This is the famous "Civil War Prophecy."  At the time of this writing the newspapers were writing about the impending outbreak of civil war and the Army was on alert.  So to make such a “prophecy” was just to repeat what many of the papers were saying.

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 is 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 the Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.

Did the Civil War "shortly come to pass?"  Did all nations get involved in the U.S. Civil War?  Was war "poured out upon all nations?"  Did the slaves rise up against their masters?  Were there earthquake and plague and famine during the Civil War and until the "full end of all nations?"  The answer to all these questions is, “no.”  The prophecy failed to come to pass.

4.  D&C Section 88: 87-88 (27 Dec 1832):  For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.

More than 66,000 days have passed since that prophecy was given.  By any standard this is more than "not many days."  Did this prophecy come to pass?  No, it failed.

5.  Hist. Vol. 1, pp. 315-316.  On January 4, 1833 Joseph Smith said, "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. ...therefore, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgement is come.'   ...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."  (This is also recorded in Teachings, pp. 17-18)

Did these things come to pass in that generation?  Have they come to pass at all?  The answer to both questions is, “no.”  The prophecy failed to come to pass.

6. Hist. Vol. 1, p. 455.  In a letter to "the Exiled Saints in Missouri," Joseph Smith wrote:  Therefore, this is my counsel, that you retain your lands, even unto the utmost, and employ every lawful means to seek redress of your enemies; and pray to God day and night to return you in peace and safety to the lands of your inheritance; and when the judge fail you, appeal unto the executive; and when the executive fail you; appeal to the president; and when the president fail you, and all things also fail you but God alone, and you continue to weary Him with your importunings, as the poor woman did the unjust judge.  He will not fail you to execute judgement upon your enemies, and to avenge His own elect that cry unto Him day and night.  Behold, He will not fail you.  He will come with ten thousand of his saints, and all His adversaries shall be destroyed with the breath of His lips. 

Did any of this come to pass?  Did the Mormons retain their lands in Missouri?  Did their god ever destroy their enemies?  The answer to all three questions is, “no.”  The prophecy failed.

7.  D&C Section 97:19 (Aug. 2, 1833): "And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say, Surely Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there..." 

On July 20, 1833, the LDS newspaper presses were destroyed and leading LDS officials tarred and feathered, then run out of town.  When Joseph received this revelation he was in Kirtland, OH.  Did God not know that Zion was already "moved out of her place?"  Did not Zion fall? Yes, Zion fell, and a god who didn’t know that Zion had fallen is obviously a false god, making Joseph Smith a prophet of a false god.

8.  D&C Section 100:13 (Oct 12, 1833):  “And now I give unto you a word concerning Zion.  Zion shall be redeemed, although she is chastened for a little season.”

Since 181 years have come to pass after this prophecy, would this not be much more than "a little season?"  Zion was never redeemed; how is this accounted for?  It can only be accounted for by a failed prophecy.

How many failed/false prophecies does it take to make a false prophet?  One.  Here we have eight failed prophecies by Joseph Smith.  Would not eight false prophecies then make Smith a false prophet?

Joseph Smith - Prophet? Part 1

 I’m going to rerun another series from over eleven years ago so new audiences can read them. This series will be examining Joseph Smith as a prophet.

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Joseph Fielding Smith stated, "Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith.  He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen.  There is no middle ground.  If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed, his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth....  The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures...."

The purpose of this series will be to determine whether Joseph Smith was a prophet of God according to the test of Scripture and, if not, to expose him.

The claim for Joseph Smith's position as prophet is made in D&C 21 (April 6, 1830): 1. Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a seer, a translator, a prophet, an apostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ, 2. Being inspired of the Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the most holy faith.  3. Which church was organized and established in the year of your Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April.  4. Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; 5. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.  ... 9. For, behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe on his words, which are given him through me by the Comforter... 

Notice that this says Joseph is titled by God as a seer and prophet.  God says the church is to "give heed unto all his words and commandments", that these are to be received as if from God's own mouth, and that the words are given to him through the Comforter.  By Biblical standards Joseph could make no mistake of prophecy or as a seer because he is supposedly provided with what to say directly from God.

Brigham Young stated, "Every intelligent person under the heavens that does not, when informed, acknowledge that Joseph Smith, jun., is a Prophet of God, is in darkness, and is opposed to us and to Jesus and his kingdom on the earth."  Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 223

These statements are very straight-forward: They claim that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  So does he pass the test of Scripture?  Deuteronomy 18:20-22 makes it plain that the prophet of God can make no false prophecy.  Even the LDS newspaper Evening and Morning Star, Vol.2, p.105, July 1833, stated, "When therefore, any man, no matter who, or how high his standing may be, utters or publishes anything that afterwards proves to be untrue, he is a false prophet."

Statements about prophecies:

Even though D&C 21 says God is directing all his words, Joseph made the statement that, "A prophet is a prophet only when he is acting as such."  (History of the Church, vol. 5, p.265)  Where is the Biblical support for this?  And how would one know when he was not “acting as such”?

In regards to a failed revelation sending Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page to go to Canada for a man to pay to print the Book of Mormon, Smith said, "Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.... When a man enquires of the Lord concerning a matter, if he is deceived by his own carnal desires, and is in error, he will receive an answer according to his erring heart, but it will not be a revelation from the Lord."  David Whitmer recorded this on p. 31 of his Address to All Believers in Christ.  Where is the Biblical support for this?  How does this correlate with D&C 21?

Joseph made the following statement on April 7, 1844, as recorded by Willard Richards: "Every man has a right to be a false prophet as well as a true prophet." There is no Biblical support for this claim.

So before we examine Smith’s prophecies, we already see some biblical problems with his claim to be a prophet.  D&C 21 says that God directed ALL Smith’s words, and yet contradicting this prophecy are statements that gave Smith an “out” if the prophecies failed.  This in and of itself should be grounds for dismissing him as a prophet of God.

In my next post I will begin examining various prophecies made by Joseph Smith to see if they did indeed come from God.

Brigham Young vs Adam

You believe Adam was made of the dust of this earth. This I do not believe, though it is supposed that it is so written in the Bible; but it is not, to my understanding. You can write that information to the States, if you please—that I have publicly declared that I do not believe that portion of the Bible as the Christian world do. I never did, and I never want to. What is the reason I do not? Because I have come to understanding, and banished from my mind all the baby stories my mother taught me when I was a child.

Brigham Young, 23 October 1853, Journal of Discourses 2:6

Young says Adam being made from the dust of the ground is “supposed” in the Bible and then says to his understanding it isn’t there! Let’s see what the Bible says (KJV—that’s the one LDS approves).

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul. 

So immediately we see that Young was lying because the Bible does indeed say Adam was made of the “dust of the ground.”  He calls the idea of Adam being made from dust a “baby” story such as his mother taught him. Perhaps if he had paid attention to what his mother taught he would have learned the truth instead of becoming involved with a religion based on heresy, blasphemy, racism, and sexual immorality.

What About the Book of Mormon Witnesses?

I’m rerunning this article I wrote in 2014 so new readers can read and think about the truth here.

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Having done some reading about the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, here are some thoughts about how trustworthy these witnesses were.

David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris were finally chosen to be witnesses to the Book of Mormon plates' existence.  The four went to the woods to pray, but time passed with no action.  Harris felt ill and stated he was the reason for no word and then he left.  Immediately an angel appeared with the plates in his hands.  He demonstrated turning gold leaves and stated that God permitted the translation.  Joseph ran for Martin, who was kneeling elsewhere in prayer and he also saw the vision. Joseph then wrote up a "testimony" for them to sign and had it published at the end of the Book of Mormon.

The local press claimed that three original witnesses all told different versions of their experience with seeing the plates.  

Martin Harris told a lawyer that he saw the plates "with the eye of faith; I saw them just as distinctly as I see anything around me - though at the time they were covered with a cloth".

Whitmer said that Joseph led them to an open field where the plates were lying on the ground.

The testimony of the eight witnesses is even more suspect, since four of them were Whitmers, three were from Joseph's family and the eighth was Hiram Page, who married a Whitmer daughter. 

Witnesses were:

Christian Whitmer   

Jacob Whitmer 

Peter Whitmer, Jr.

John Whitmer

Hiram Page

Joseph Smith, Sr

Hyrum Smith

Samuel H. Smith

Illinois Governor Thomas Ford knew several of Joseph’s key men after they left the church.  They told Ford that the witnesses were "set to continual prayer, and other spiritual exercises," then Smith "assembled them in a room, and produced a box, which he said contained the precious treasure.  The lid was opened; the witnesses peeped into it, but making no discovery, for the box was empty, they said, 'Brother Joseph, we do not see the plates.'  The prophet answered them, 'O ye of little faith! how long will God bear with this wicked and perverse generation?  Down on your knees, brethren, every one of you, and pray God for the forgive-ness of your sins, and for a holy and living faith which cometh down from heaven.'  The disciples dropped to their knees, and began to pray in the fervency of their spirit, supplicating God for more than two hours with fanatical earnestness; at the end of which time, looking again into the box, they were now persuaded that they saw the plates."

Martin Harris:  Had been a Quaker, then a Universalist, then a Restorationist.  Fawn Brodie says the following on p.81 of her book, No Man Knows My History (about events leading up to the publishing of the Book of Mormon): Martin Harris had been an embarrassingly zealous proselyter who advertised his own visionary experiences as freely as those of Joseph.  He had seen Jesus in the shape of a deer, he said, and had walked with Him two or three miles, talking with Him as familiarly as one man talks with another.  The devil, he said, resembled a jackass, with very short, smooth hair similar to that of a mouse.  He prophesied that Palmyra would be destroyed by 1836, and that by 1838 Joseph's church would be so large that there would be no need for a president of the United States.  Publicly Harris met with amused tolerance and only occasional bitter scorn.  Privately Palmyra gossiped about his scandalous conduct with his neighbor Haggard's wife.  Harris later left his wife.  In 1837 he followed a young girl seer when the church split, and later followed James Strange to Wisconsin.  He returned to Utah in his old age.

Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated in October 1834, but was restored to the church later.  In 1837 he followed the girl seer in the church split and then returned again the following year in Missouri.  In June 1838 he dissented and Danites forced his family from their home.  Oliver left the church.  In 1843 he joined the Methodist church, but returned in 1848 to the Mormons.

David Whitmer also followed the girl seer in 1837 and later returned to the fold.

If these witnesses truly saw what they did, would any of them doubt the faith to the point they departed the LDS church?  Does the character of any of these witnesses lead one to trust what they said about the Book of Mormon?

I doubt if any of the testimony of these witnesses would stand up in a court of law, and yet hundreds of thousands of people have been led to believe that the Book of Mormon is true based initially on the basis of the testimony of these  witnesses who, in my mind, have no credibility.