In Doctrine and Covenants 87, the prophet Joseph Smith prophesied about the Civil War. Does this chapter prove that he was a prophet of God? Joseph Smith described a chain reaction of events. The South called upon Great Britain and other nations. Other nations were added to the Civil war until all the nations of the earth were involved. Verse 2, 3 and 6 use the words "all nations." The Civil War was very destructive in America, but it did not affect or involve "all nations." The North controlled the ocean. Their blockade of the South would not have been possible if Great Britain had joined the war.
Verse 4 said slaves would rise up against their masters and "be marshaled and disciplined for war." Freedom for the slaves didn't happen until the end of the war. They were not "marshaled and disciplined for war" against their masters.
Verse 6 said the inhabitants of the earth "shall mourn" the sword, bloodshed, famine, plague, earthquake, thunder and lightning "until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;..." The Civil was very destructive to the South, but it did not make a "full end of all nations."
Verse 7 said the "cry of the saints... shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord...." Today, saints still cry out to God.
Politicians and statesmen spent decades compromising to avoid war. Many people were predicting the Civil War. However, when we look at the details of the prophesy in Doctrine and Covenants 87, it does not match the events that took place. It is not proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment