THE EVIDENCE OF PROPHECY--CONTINUED.
Before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, a
number of persons who had faith in the statement of Joseph Smith that
he had in his possession the gold plates from which he was translating
the Book of Mormon, and who believed him to be a prophet, came to
inquire through him the will of the Lord concerning themselves in
relation to the new dispensation about to be ushered in. Among those
who thus came were the prophet's father, Joseph Smith, Sen., some time
in February, 1829; Oliver Cowdery, April, 1829; Joseph Knight, Sen.,
May, 1829; and David Whitmer, June, 1829. The prophet inquired for the
will of the Lord concerning these men as they requested, and received
for them the word of the Lord through the Urim and Thummim. In each of
these revelations is contained, with a little variation, the following
prophecy: "_A great and marvelous work is about to come forth among the
children of men_ * * * Behold the field is white already to harvest,
therefore, whoso desireth to reap, let him thrust in his sickle with
his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for
his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God; yea, whosoever
will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God." [1]
This prophecy that a great and marvelous work was about to come forth
among the children of men, I say, was uttered before the translation
of the Book of Mormon was completed or the church organized. How well
it has been fulfilled let the history of the Church of Jesus Christ in
the new dispensation, its present condition and the wonder with which
the world regards it, answer. Of all the religions that have arisen
since the days of Jesus Christ and the apostles, it is looked upon as
the most marvelous; its growth, all things considered, has been most
wonderful; it has a history the most thrilling; a present interest the
most widespread; and a future that challenges more speculation than any
other religious organization. The prophecy was a true one--a great and
a marvelous work has come forth among the children of men.
On the 24th of February, 1834, Joseph Smith received a revelation,
making known to the church how to proceed concerning the brethren who
had been driven from their homes in Jackson County, Missouri, the
November previous. In that revelation occurs the following prophetic
passage: "Verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my
people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour,
unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them.
Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine
enemies from this very hour, and by hearkening to observe all the words
which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never
cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my
feet, and the earth is given unto the Saints, to possess it forever
and ever. But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken
not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail
against them, for they were set to be a light unto the world, and to
be saviors of men; and inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men,
they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for
nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. But verily
I say unto you, I have decreed that your brethren which have been
scattered shall return to the land of their inheritances, and build the
waste places of Zion; for after much tribulation, as I have said in a
former commandment, cometh the blessing. Behold this is the blessing
which I have promised after your tribulations, and the tribulations of
your brethren; your redemption and the redemption of your brethren,
even their restoration to the land of Zion, to be established no more
to be thrown down; nevertheless if they pollute their inheritances they
shall be thrown down, for I will not spare them if they pollute their
inheritances." [2]
Condensed the prophecy stands thus: (1) The Saints from the 24th of
February, 1834, are to begin to prevail over God's enemies; and are
to continue to prevail until the kingdoms of this world are subdued
under his feet--_provided_ they hearken to his counsel: the kingdoms
of this world will prevail against the saints if they hearken not to
the counsels of God: (2) After much tribulation the Saints shall return
and build up the waste places of Zion--they are to be restored to the
land of Zion; and Zion is to be established, never more to be thrown
down--_provided_ the Saints pollute not their inheritances.
The first part of the prophecy has had a remarkable fulfillment. Though
there have been individuals in the church of Christ who have failed to
walk in the holy counsels of God, and have reaped an abundant harvest
of sorrow and shame, and many have made complete shipwreck of faith,
still the church as a whole has kept reasonably well the counsel of
God. The Saints may not have attained to that ideal obedience to the
will of God which all recognize as desirable; but human weakness and
all the circumstances by which they have been surrounded considered, I
repeat that the church has reasonably well walked in accordance with
the counsels of the Lord; and as a result has prevailed, so far, over
all the powers that have been arrayed for its destruction. In proof of
this let the present condition of the church be contrasted with what it
was in February, 1834.
At the time the prophecy of 1834 was uttered, a great part of the
church was scattered along the Missouri bottoms, in Clay County,
Missouri. The Saints had just been driven from their houses and lands
in Jackson County, and were living in log huts and dug-outs, [3] and
subsisting, for the time being, upon the charity of the people of
Clay County. The rest of the church was scattered in branches through
several states of the American Union and Canada. They were without
wealth, or influence; derided, scorned, distrusted, hated. Indeed,
it is difficult to even imagine a situation more hopeless than that
occupied by the church of Christ when this prophecy was uttered.
It would be difficult to determine with any exactness the membership
of the church in 1834, or the number of branches; but certainly the
membership did not exceed six or eight thousand. Now [4] the membership
of the church in Utah and the surrounding states and territories is
more than two hundred and fifty thousand, besides those scattered
throughout the United States, Europe and the Pacific Islands. There
are about five hundred organized wards, grouped into thirty-six stakes
of Zion, [5] each with its high council, its high priests' quorum, its
several elders' quorums, etc. In addition to this there are in all
the wards female relief societies, improvement associations for both
sexes, the primary societies for younger children. There are 504 Sunday
schools, with a total membership of 100,000. In 1834 the church had no
temple; but now it has four magnificent temples wherein are performed
the ordinances of the gospel both for the living and for the dead.
Though but few individuals in the church can be considered wealthy,
yet the Saints are a prosperous, contented, happy people. A greater
percentage of them own the homes they live in and the lands they
cultivate than is the case with any other community in the world; and
they are freer than any other people on earth from those difficulties
which perplex mankind. Peace is in their habitations, God is honored
at the family altars as well as in the public sanctuaries; faith and
confidence in God abound, and on every hand are evidences that the Lord
has owned them and blessed them as his people. It is true that the
church has had its tribulations. Immunity from them was not promised.
The expulsion from the state of Missouri; the exodus from Illinois;
the subsequent journey into the wilderness; the desperate struggle for
existence in the early days of Utah; the judicial crusade waged against
the church during the last decade; these events and all the bloodshed,
wholesale imprisonment, and the suffering and sorrow incident to them
rise up to proclaim that mob violence and other forces of this world
have been employed to destroy the work of God, but they have not
prevailed. The church of Christ still exists; its members are more
numerous and stronger in faith than ever before; the Saints are more
perfectly organized, happier circumstanced, more experienced; they are
more confident of God's sustaining power, more convinced of their high
destiny and the complete fulfillment of this noble prophecy, namely,
that if they continue to hearken to the counsels of the Lord, they will
continue to prevail until the kingdoms of this world are subdued under
his feet, and the earth given to the Saints to possess it forever and
ever.
Of the second division of the prophecy little need be said, except that
the first part of it, _viz:_ that which relates to the tribulation
which is to befall the Saints previous to the redemption of Zion has
been, in part at least, fulfilled; and like the partial fulfillment of
the first division of the prophecy, gives good earnest of the complete
accomplishment of all that it predicts.
In the fall of 1838, the city of Far West, inhabited by the Saints,
fell into the hands of the mob forces of Missouri, and Joseph Smith
and a number of his brethren, _viz.,_ his brother Hyrum Smith,
Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight, George W. Robinson and
Amasa Lyman were betrayed into their hands. These men were torn from
their families in the most brutal manner. They were tried off hand
by a court-martial of the mob officers, and condemned to be shot
on the public square of Far West in the presence of their families
and the Saints; but one of the officers of the mob-militia--General
Doniphan--refused to sanction the murder and declared he would not
allow his men to witness it. The other officers were afraid to assume
the responsibility of executing the court-martial decision, and the
prisoners escaped the fate designed for them. Charges of the most
serious nature, including murder, arson, and robbery were then trumped
up against them, intending to encompass their execution under civil
procedure. Amidst the proud boasts of their captors, who brutally told
their heart-broken families and the Saints that they had seen the last
of their prophet, a start was made with the prisoners for Independence,
Jackson County. The prospects of the betrayed men were most desperate.
They were in the hands of a reckless mob whose hatred of them was
intense. There was little respect at the time for law in the state. In
the language of General Clark (Commander-in-Chief of the mob-militia of
the state, then assembled at Far West) addressed to the Saints, their
fate seemed fixed, their die cast, their doom sealed. [6]
The start for Independence was made on the 2nd of November; the
following morning, after spending a most wretched night, encamped on
the banks of Crooked River, Joseph Smith spoke to his fellow-prisoners
in low but cheerful and confident tones, and uttered this prophecy:
_"Be of good cheer, brethren, the word of the Lord came to me last
night that our lives should be given us, and that whatever we may
suffer during this captivity, not one of our lives should be taken."_
"Of this prophecy," says Elder Parley P. Pratt, "I testify in the
name of the Lord, and though spoken in secret, its public fulfillment
and the miraculous escape of each of us is too notorious to need my
testimony." [7]
After enduring five weary months of captivity, which had been spent
in a loathsome prison, and when the heart of the prophet was breaking
within him because of the affliction of his people, betrayed by false
brethren and oppressed by those in power, the word of the Lord came
to him saying: "The ends of the earth shall enquire after thy name,
and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall mock against
thee, while the pure in heart and the wise, and the noble and the
virtuous shall seek counsel, and authority and blessings constantly
under thy hands. _And thy people shall never be turned against thee
by the testimony of traitors._ And although their influence shall
cast thee into trouble, and into bars and walls, thou shalt be had in
honor, and but for a small moment and thy voice shall be more terrible
in the midst of thine enemies than the fierce lion, because of thy
righteousness; and thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever." [8]
This prophecy is contained in a letter written by the prophet and his
fellow-prisoners from Liberty jail, and addressed to the Saints then
settling in Quincy, Illinois, to "those scattered abroad" and "to
Bishop Edward Partridge in particular." It was written in March, 1839.
The fulfillment of the prophecies contained in the above extract are
notorious. While fools hold the name of the prophet in derision the
wise and the virtuous from the ends of the earth have inquired and are
inquiring after Joseph Smith, and the work he established; and though
there were many who turned against him and became strong enemies, for
they were strong men, his people were never turned against him by the
testimony of traitors. While living his people were true to him, and
since his death they have revered his memory.
On the 8th of July, 1838, a revelation was given concerning the
quorum of the Twelve Apostles. A number of vacancies existed in this
quorum occasioned through apostasy of several of its members; these
vacancies the prophet was commanded to fill; "And next spring," said
the revelation, "let them [the apostles] depart to go over the great
waters, and there promulgate my gospel, the fullness thereof, and bear
record of my name. Let them take leave of my Saints in the city of Far
West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house,
[9] saith the Lord." [10]
Before the date appointed in the revelation for the Twelve to take
leave of the Saints at Far West for a foreign mission, _viz.,_ the
26th of April, 1839, that city had fallen into the hands of the mob,
the church leaders were cast into prison, the apostles were scattered
and the great body of the church driven from the state. In the midst
of these circumstances it was a matter of open boasting with the mob
that there was at least one of "old Joe Smith's" revelations that would
fail. [11] They said that there would be no meeting of the Twelve
with the Saints on the 26th of April, 1839. But a consultation of the
apostles who escaped from Missouri was held early in the spring of
1839, at Quincy, and they resolved return to Far West and fulfill the
Lord's commandment, which, as the reader will perceive, partook of
the nature of a prophecy. The undertaking was successful. Five of the
apostles were at the temple site before day light of the day appointed,
together with a number of high priests, elders and priests.
At this meeting they excommunicated a number of persons from the
church, ordained Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith apostles, and
others were ordained to the office of seventy. The apostles each prayed
in turn, and a beautiful hymn called "Adam-Ondi-Ahman" was sung. At
the conclusion of the hymn, Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman
of the Lord's House, laid the south-east corner stone in its position,
and stated that in consequence of the peculiar situation of the Saints
it was deemed prudent to discontinue further labor on the house until
the Lord should open the way for its completion. The apostles then took
leave of some seventeen Saints who were present and started on their
way to fulfill their missions beyond the Atlantic. Thus the commandment
and prophecy which the mobs of Missouri so confidently boasted should
fail, were fulfilled.
In a revelation given in March, 1831, after telling some of the
judgments and commotions which shall precede the glorious coming of
the Lord Jesus, occurs this prophecy: "But before the great day of
the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the
Lamanites [the American Indians] shall blossom as the rose. Zion shall
flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be
assembled together unto the place which I have appointed." [12]
In order to have a complete understanding of this prophecy it is
necessary to explain that the word "Zion" refers not only to a land
called Zion, and a city called Zion, but also to a people, as will be
clearly seen in the above, where "Zion" is not only to rejoice upon
the mountains, but is also to "be assembled together," which really
could only be consistently said of a people. In another revelation the
Lord says: "Let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion, _the pure in heart;_
therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn." [13]
With this explanation of the word "Zion" let us now consider the
prophecy:
First, then, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, Jacob, that
is Israel, or descendants of Israel, shall flourish in the wilderness.
Second, the American Indians shall blossom as the rose, that is, they
will be in a blessed and happy condition.
Third, Zion, the pure in heart, the Saints of God, shall flourish upon
the hills, rejoice upon the mountains and shall be assembled together
unto the place which the Lord has appointed.
The parts of the prophecy which are in progress of fulfillment are
the first and third items. Israel is flourishing in the wilderness,
and Zion, or the Saints of God, who are also, for the most part,
descendants of Israel gathered from among the Gentile nations are
rejoicing upon the mountains; and though the Lamanites are not yet
blossoming as the rose, neither has "the great day of the Lord" come;
and before that day does come, this second item of the prophecy,
referring to the Lamanites, will be fulfilled. Let it be borne in mind
that the prophecy was uttered in March, 1831, long ere the Saints had
so much as dreamed of settling in the Rocky Mountains.
At this juncture I may be permitted to introduce another prophecy of
Joseph Smith's relating to this same subject, and then consider the
fulfillment of both at once.
Under date of August 6th, 1842, the prophet records the following in
his history: "Passed over to Montrose, Iowa, in company with General
Adams, Colonel Brewer and others, and witnessed the installation of
the officers of the Rising Sun Lodge of the Ancient York Masons, at
Montrose, by General James Adams, deputy grand master of illinois.
While the deputy grand master was engaged in giving the requisite
instructions to the master elect, I had a conversation with a number
of brethren, in the shade of the building, on the subject of our
persecutions in Missouri, and the constant annoyance which has followed
us since we were driven from that state. _I prophesied that the Saints
would continue to suffer much affliction and would be driven to the
Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to death
by our persecutors, or lose their lives in consequence of exposure
or disease; and some of you will live to go and assist in making
settlements and build cities and see the Saints become a mighty people
in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. [14]_"
At that date, August 6th, 1842, the Rocky Mountains seemed like a
country afar off to the people of Illinois. The Missouri River was the
extreme frontiers of the United States. All beyond that was well nigh
an unexplored wilderness filled with savages. The church was fairly
settled at Nauvoo, the state authorities were apparently very friendly,
the future of the Saints in Illinois seemed propitious. Yet in the
midst of all these favorable circumstances the prophet predicted much
affliction for some of the Saints, death from persecution for others,
apostasy for many, and for the great body of the church an exodus to
the Rocky Mountains, where some of those present who were listening
to the prediction, should live to assist in making settlements and
building cities in the Rocky Mountains where they would see the Saints
become a mighty people.
There can be no question as to the reality of these two predictions,
the one of March, 1831, and the other of August, 1842, or of their
being of a character to test the divine inspiration of him who uttered
them. That they were proclaimed some years before the events predicted
in them began to be fulfilled, or even there was any thought or
prospect of such events taking place, is well known; that the latter
prophecy has been fulfilled to the uttermost, the whole history of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from August, 1842,
until now witnesses. The Saints suffered many afflictions in Illinois.
Their homes, fields, stacks of grain, stock and other property
were destroyed; their prophets and a number of others were killed
outright by mob violence; many more perished from exposure and disease
occasioned by being driven from their homes at an inclement season of
the year. In those trying times, following the martyrdom of the prophet
and the expulsion from Nauvoo, many turned away from the faith, and
it is too generally known to need comment, that the great body of the
church made its way to the Rocky Mountains, where cities, towns and
villages have been founded, the wilderness subdued, and the Saints are
fast becoming a mighty people.
Footnotes
1. Doc. and Cov., Sec. xi: 1-4. See also Sec. iv, Sec. vi, Sec. xii,
and Sec. xiv, where the same prophecy is repeated.
2. Doc. and Cov., Sec. ciii, 5-14.
3. Holes dug in the ground and covered over with brush and earth.
4. 1895.
5. A stake of Zion is a division of the church comprised of several
ecclesiastical wards; and is presided over by a presidency consisting
of three high priests.
6. The language of General Clark was: "As for your leaders, do not once
think--do not imagine for a moment--do not let it enter your mind that
they will be delivered, or that you will see their faces again; for
their fate is fixed--their die is cast--their doom is sealed."--Autob.
P. P. Pratt, p. 266.
7. Pratt's Autob., p. 210.
8. Mill. Star, Vol. xvii, p. 85; also, Doc. and Cov., Sec. cxxii.
9. A temple site had been selected at Far West and an excavation made
for the foundation. It is this "spot" that the revelation refers. The
excavation for the temple at Far West still remains, or did in 1884,
when the writer visited it.
10. Doc. and Cov., Sec. cxviii.
11. One of the leaders of the mob forces by the name of Bogart,
referring to this revelation, said to Elder Theodore Turley: "As a
rational man, you must give up the claim that Joseph Smith is a prophet
and an inspired man; the Twelve are scattered all over creation; let
them come here if they dare; if they do they will be murdered. As that
revelation cannot be fulfilled, you must now give up your faith. This
is like all the rest of Joseph Smith's damned prophecies!" (Cannon's
Life of the Prophet, p. 285.)
12. Doc. and Cov. Sec. xlix: 24, 25.
13. Doc. and Cov. Sec. xcvii: 21.
14. _Mill. Star,_ Vol. xix, p. 630.