The Prophecies of Joseph Smith

Mormons in Shock ^ | Sharon Doty

[delacoert]

I have wrestled with the matter of whether or not to put these pages on-line. LDS are pretty defensive about this approach, which seems like a direct attack. But the Bible does warn us to “beware” of false prophets. This info is useful in obeying that command. Further, everyone knows the standard “testimony” of Mormons relates to their confidence in the church, the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith. Yet, none of those who tell me these things have ever put Smith to God’s Biblical test for a prophet. We are told in Deut. 18:20-22 how to test a prophet. It says that if “the thing” prophesied does not come to pass, then we are not to fear (or revere as a prophet) such a person. Note that it doesn’t say “the things”...but limits the test to any ONE prophecy. With that in mind, let us look at SEVERAL of the prophecies of Joseph Smith.

The fact is that a list of over 55 (false) prophecies of Joseph Smith has been compiled by former LDS Elder, Dick Baer, who printed it up to demonstrate to his friends and family why he was leaving the church. Here are some of them:

1. July 1831, Doctrine & Covenants 51:1-3 names Independence, Missouri as the center place of Zion. And D & C 62:1, 6 and 9 say the saints would be preserved and rejoice together in the land of Missouri. But they were not preserved in the land of Missouri (they were driven out) and did not rejoice. While this was a promise to the FAITHFUL, the fact that no one was able to be preserved and rejoice in Missouri(their being driven out was a catastrophe) would indicate that all the Mormons had become unfaithful.  So even if we make this conditional it would suggest a TOTAL apostasy in this new church.    That would throw a question on the whole authority/priesthood issue, would it not?
2. D & C 84:2-5, 31 and 114-115 say a new Jerusalem temple was to be built IN JOSEPH SMITH’S GENERATION in Zion (Missouri) on the temple lot. It was not built.
3. D & C 87 (Civil War Prophecy) It is interesting to me that this is a prophecy LDS claim was fulfilled. South Carolina had already rebelled when Smith wrote of “the rebellion of South Carolina”, but that rebellion did NOT spark the civil war (1833) - the war began in 1860. Though Great Britain was called on, it did NOT get involved in the war, and contrary to the prophecy, war was not poured out on all the nation. Nor did the slaves rise up against their masters as a major part of the war... it was primarily a war of white men against white men, North against South.
4. Doc. & Cov. 103:13-25 speaks to the men of Zion's camp, who were organized to march to Missouri and RESCUE the Mormons there (see vs. 24). Verse 25 promises they (those men of Zion's camp) would avenge God's
   enemies.  But in the History of the Church, Vol. 3, pages XXXIX and following is described the utter FAILURE of Zion's camp to avenge anyone of anything! God's OWN presence (vs. 19) supposedly went with them...but the
   whole thing failed!
5. D & C 111:1-11 (August 6, 1836). Regarding Salem, Massachusetts: “I have much treasure in this city for you... I will give this city into your hands... and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours.” There is no record that either the city or any of its wealth ever came to Smith. While this promise was supposed to happen "in due time" (so it has been suggested that it may happen later), Smith and his men were IN SALEM when the revelation came, and left there
   very disappointed at not having gotten any treasure, as they did not interpret the use of the word "you" in the revelation to mean some OTHER people in some OTHER century.
6. D & C 112 is a “revelation given through Joseph Smith to Thomas B. Marsh at Kirtland, Ohio, July 23, 1837.” It says God knows Thomas’ heart and he has a great work for him to do; he was chosen to hold the keys of the kingdom. Marsh was president of the 12 at that time, but apostatized 15 months later (Doct. Hist. of the Church III, pp. 155-167).
7. D & C 114, dated April 17, 1838, says, “Verily, thus saith the Lord: it is wisdom in my servant, David W. Patten, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring...” But Patten died October 15, 1838 (D.H.C. III, pp. 170-171).
8. D & C 115:1-12. The saints were commanded to build a house to the Lord in Far West, Missouri, “until it is finished, from the cornerstone unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that is not finished.” Though the foundation was laid, the temple was never built (there was a move on to Nauvoo).
9. D & C 124:56-60 says the “Nauvoo House” was to be built and belong to the Smith family forever, and was to be a place of refreshment for visitors. But the house never was completed; that area is now owned by the Reorganized LDS church. In verse 63 of this section it gives instructions on issuing stock for the house that was never built.   Why would a God who knew the future command such a deception to be told to his own people? 
10. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 302: “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...that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left.” The wrongs were never redressed.
11. D & C 124:16-17 speaks of God’s acceptance of the work of John C. Bennett. But D H C, V, page 42, reveals that 3 months before this revelation and beyond, Bennett was involved in adultery.
12. History of the Church, Vol. 2, page 182. Joseph Smith said that the coming of the Lord was “nigh — even 56 years should wind up the scene.” (Given in 1835)
13. Church History, Vol. 2, pp. 380-381. Joseph Smith said he saw in a vision of the CELESTIAL kingdom “the 12 apostles of the Lamb who are now upon the earth.” But the History of the Church later records the apostasy and final excommunication of 5 of the 12 apostles referred to in this vision:

Lyman Johnson Vol. 3:20
Luke Johnson - Vol. 2:528
William McLellin - Vol. 3:31
William Smith - Vol. 7:483
Thomas Marsh - Vol. 4:284

I wish to acknowledge that Joseph Smith did give one true prophecy as follows: “For although a man may have many revelations and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he BOASTS in his own strength and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must FALL and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him.” (D & C 3:4, emphasis added)

Joseph Smith did boast in his own strength - that he had done more than even Jesus Christ (D H C 6:408-409). This boast was made in May of 1844. In June of 1844 Joseph Smith did fall (dead), not as a martyr, but in a gun battle in which he killed two and wounded one (Comprehensive History of the Church, pp. 284-285). He died not as a sheep going to slaughter, but as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Beware of false prophets”

[delacoert]

My favorite is #9:

D & C 124:56-60 says the “Nauvoo House” was to be built and belong to the Smith family forever, and was to be a place of refreshment for visitors. But the house never was completed; that area is now owned by the Reorganized LDS church. In verse 63 of this section it gives instructions on issuing stock for the house that was never built. Why would a God who knew the future command such a deception to be told to his own people?

[Celtic Cross]

What exactly are mormons? Are they Christians?

[GiovannaNicoletta]

I have wrestled with the matter of whether or not to put these pages on-line. LDS are pretty defensive about this approach, which seems like a direct attack. But the Bible does warn us to “beware” of false prophets.

Don't worry. You're doing the right thing. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

[nesnah]

“The Prophecies of Joseph Smith”

When one has their head buried in a hat looking at a rock for guidance, these are the things one can expect.

[unspun]

One of many aspects to LDS fantasy and cultic manipulation. Thank you.

And thanks be to God, for declaring His unassailable truth and having it recorded in Scripture.

[Godzilla]

hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving Delacoert -

Yes indeed the warning of the Lord identifying FALSE prophets is very clear, and note how mormons tend to make a WIDE path around those verses. This is just one more level of proofs that smith was a false teacher and prophet as well as the leader of a false faith.

[hondact200]

Christ will say I knew you and your damned to eternal hell. See that is the true destination of Mormoms Hell. They have been lead astray by a false prophet. Thanks for telling more about the false prophecies of a false prophet. may the judgement of God deal with the leadership of the Mormon Church.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

No. This a bunch of Pagan-like bullcrap. nothing personal against anyone reading. but that is what it is.

[Fantasywriter]

I had no idea that Smith boasted he had done more than Jesus. I have talked to Mormons, and none of them mentioned this at all. Is there a standard explanation that (purportedly) exonerates Smith? Or is it something that’s just not talked about much?

[SVTCobra03]

The good news for Mormons is that after the Christians are taken up by the Rapture, they and the Jews can become Tribulation saints and still become part of the Millennial Kingdom.

[delacoert]

I had no idea that Smith boasted he had done more than Jesus.

More than that -->

"I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I Am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter nor Jesus ever did it. I Boast that no man ever did such work as I. The Followers of Jesus ran away from him; But the Latter-day saints never ran away from me yet."

Pretty sad that so many have been deceived by Smith et al. There is some evidence that he suffered from a mental disorder like Bipolar Disorder and saying stuff like that would certainly fit that diagnosis. So would his hypersexuality, deciding he was a general, running for the US presidency, declaring a pile of rocks in Missouri to be an altar built by Adam, saying people live on the moon and are dressed like Quakers, and on and on.

No Mormon apologist, historian, "theologian" or whatever has provided an honest accounting that adds up to an exoneration.

[Fantasywriter]

Whoa—that is one scary quote. I’m amazed it’s not talked about at all. If, for instance, the Pope said something like that, it would make some major ink. I wonder why Smith gets a pass?

[delacoert]

What exactly are mormons? Are they Christians?

Personally I would say Mormons are generally good people deceived into apostasy by the evil one.

Mormonism is not Christianity. FYI -->

Christian churches teach belief in God as an eternal, self-existent, immortal being, unfettered by corporeal limitations and unchanging in both character and nature. In recent years, several Christian denominations have made studies of Mormon teaching and come to the conclusion that there are irreconcilable differences between LDS doctrine and Christian beliefs based on the Bible.
• Statement of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod
• Statement of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
• Statement of the Roman Catholic Church
• Statement of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Statement of the United Methodist Church
• Statement of the Assemblies of God Church

Some Mormons undoubtedly become Christians, and evidently leave the Mormon sect they were members of behind.

[MsLady]

No they aren't Christian. Check out the link below. Sorry I don't know how to make the link.

http://carm.org/is-mormonism-christian

The reason Mormonism is not Christian is because it denies one or more of the essential doctrines of Christianity. Of the essential doctrines (that there is only one God, Jesus is God in flesh, forgiveness of sins is by grace alone, and Jesus rose from the dead physically, the gospel being the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus), Mormonism denies three of them: how many gods there are, the person of Jesus, and His work of salvation.

[Godzilla]

What exactly are mormons? Are they Christians?

Easy answer first - no it is not a Christian religion.

Mormons are followers of joseph smith who claimed to have had a vision of god in 1820 (go to this link to see that this 'vision' is questionable)> He later claimed that his church was the only true church and he was the only spokesman for god. Their fundamental beliefs include:

1. That God was once a human who progressed to godhood
2. That God has a God who has a God ad infinitum, all of which were once human and progressed to godhood - ie polytheism
3. Mormons believe that by following various secret rituals, rules and laws they too can become gods.
4. They believe that they are true brothers of Jesus as well as satan.
5. As a pseudo-Christian organization, they use Christian sounding phrases and terms - yet further research will show that they change the definition to fit mormon theology and not historic Christian usage.

Recommend the following sites to provide a greater comparison of mormon doctrines and teachings to that of Christianity -

click here
click here
and here

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“What exactly are mormons? Are they Christians?”

Better question, Is mormonism Christian.

No

[bibletruth]

Regarding the Statement of the Roman Catholic Church...

You can add the Roman Catholic Church to that list of non-Christian church systems of false doctrine, in addition to the Mormons.

[wmileo]

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!!!

[Paragon Defender]

“What exactly are mormons? Are they Christians?”

Better question, Is mormonism Christian.

---

Yes. To both of course.

[Paragon Defender]

Seekers of truth,

If you peruse the Free Republic religion forums you will notice a pattern. There's an anti-Mormon group of people here that spends a great deal of their time attacking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They post regurgitated propaganda on an almost daily basis.

They have a misguided obsession. You can witness many different tactics employed that you might find quite interesting. The straw man argument is a big favorite and is frequently preceded by cherry-picking quotes or other material. After the "quotation" the attacker will misrepresent what has been said or what was meant and then attack their own interpretation.Later they will have the audacity to claim they were "only" quoting our own material.  

They will of course insist ad nauseum that they are merely using our sources and are therefore innocent of any deceptive practice. LDS persons have no issue whatsoever having our scriptures or leaders quoted as long as it is presented fairly and accurately. This is rarely (if ever) done.

Another favorite is posting scripture or statements which on their own really present no dilemma. They make something out of nothing while never bringing up a single objection that hasn't been addressed a hundred times before.

You might note a couple of other tactics used to try to antagonize is the use of disrespectful or insulting terms or language and/or pictures. That's a Christlike thing to do right? Yeah I don't think so either. It does speak volumes about them though.

Sometimes they cruise the headlines of the day seeking any story that might be twisted into making the Church look bad. Anything will do, just watch the progression of posts following it and see what I mean.

After reading their posts, I invite you to seek the truth about whatever "issue" they seem to be "revealing" or "exposing". I promise that if you do so with honest intent, the "ahah" moments you will have will be many and frequent. You will start to recognize the tactics employed to cleverly twist and attack and will likely chuckle the more you see. In actuality, there's nothing new here. It's all been addressed many times before.

The latest twist in the anti-Mormon propaganda machine is to actually go to the links provided, but then they cherry pick what they want, then quote and straw man attack that. Clever. It almost appears that they are helping you, the seeker of truth out by doing some footwork for you. Not so much. Don't be insulted, look for yourself. It's not the haystack they want you to think.

Here's a few links to get your started from a different viewpoint. I have found that the vast majority of the "issues" brought up can be found and addressed at http://www.fairlds.org/ but here's more:

http://scriptures.lds.org/
http://www.lds.org
http://www.fairlds.org/
http://www.mormonapologetics.org/
http://www.mormonwiki.com/Main_Page
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/index.html
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDS_Intro.shtml
http://www.answeringantimormons.com/index.htm
http://promormon.blogspot.com/

Now you will likely notice the "you never address our points" posts pop up as usual. All after providing the answers just as you have here.

Sometimes it is claimed that these sites present a needle in a haystack. Far from it. But if you give up before you try you won't know will you?

Will you wear blinders too? Seek truth. Find out for yourself. Want to chat with someone on any topic? A few of these sites provide just that. So do your homework sincere seeker of truth. Listen and read from both "sides". Make up your own mind.

I witness to you of these truths and wish you the best, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.