Is Joseph Smith a true prophet of God?

Is Joseph Smith a true Prophet of God?

Before we examine two of Joseph Smith's prophecies, We need a test for separating the true prophets from the bad. This is the Biblical test for a prophet: When a prophecy is given in the name of the Lord concerning future events, those events must come to pass. If they do not come to pass, then the prophet that gives the prophetic word, is a false prophet. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, "But the prophet, which shall speak a word in my name [emphasis mine], which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?' When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord [emphasis mine], if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: Thou shalt not be afraid of him." (Afraid can also translated as follow.) So there are a series of questions you can ask yourself when testing a prophetic word concerning future events. 1.) Was a prophecy given in the name of the Lord? 2.) Did the prophecy come to pass in the time frame prophesied. Knowing this, lets take a look at two prophecies made by Joseph Smith.

Doctrine And Covenants 114:1-2 Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Far West Missouri, April 17, 1838.

Verily thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me (God) next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name (God) and bear glad tidings unto all the world.

Joseph Smith prophesied in the name of the Lord that David Patton will serve a mission in the Spring of 1838. However, in October 1838, 6 months after the prophecy, it is recorded in the book History of the Church; "In the pursuit, one of the mob fled from behind a tree, wheeled, and shot Captain Patten, who instantly fell, mortally wounded, having received a large ball in his bowels... Brother David Patton was a very worthy man, beloved by all good men who knew him. He was one of the Twelve Apostles, and died as he had lived, a man of God, and strong in the faith".

Joseph Smith prophesied in the name of the Lord that David should serve a mission, unto all the world and it didn't come to pass because of David's death. Some in the church would say that he served his mission in the after life, but the prophecy specifies that it will be served in this world. "to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world." This prophecy did not come to pass.

The second prophecy is found in Doctrine And Covenants section 84:1-5 "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... (4) Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shal be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord".

I wrote an LDS official that we will call Bob, and brought this prophecy to his attention. The following are copies of the letters that were exchanged between me, and him...

Dear Bob,
In Doctrine and Covenants Section 84, Joseph Smith in September of 1832 prophesied that a "temple shall be reared in this generation" in Jackson County Missouri. Joseph goes on to proclaim "this generation shall not all pass away until a house shall be built unto the Lord" This day, 12/10/97; 165 years after Josephs revelation, no temple is errected in Jackson County Missouri, nor has there ever been a Latter Day Saint temple errected there. Knowing that no one from that generation is still alive in the church, Joseph Smith's prophecy did not, and can no longer come to pass. Why is a false prophecy included in LDS canonized scripture?
In search of Truth, Jerry Meyer
Dear Jerry,
Your question has a number of sides with a couple of them facing south. It is a good question without the twist. Many probably wonder why the Latter-day-Saints were required to build a temple in Missouri without being able to comply with this revelation given in section 84:4. The answer to this query was given in the year 1841 by revelation to Joseph Smith and recorded as section 124 verse 49. We have copied it in total for your connivance. Simply put, when the Lord gives a commandment, as he did to the Israelites and others, and through no fault of their own they are unable to comply. He will lay the consequences at the feet of the enemy and rescind his requirement of the just. Relating to verse 5, using the parental sense of the word Generation and not the figurative sense there were at least four temples reared during Brigham Young�s life time. Who of course was a contemporary with Joseph Smith. Verse 3 will yet to come to pass. Jerry be careful with labeling any man before you know the facts.
D&C 124:49 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.
Sincerely, Bob
Dear Bob,
Thank you for responding to my question, however, the answer I received troubles me more than it comforts me. My First concern is: I don�t see a direct correlation between D&C 124:49 and D&C 84. Is the purpose of D&C 124:49 to be in response of D&C 84's unfulfillment? D&C 84 is clearly a prophecy, Joseph Smith knew it was a prophecy as well as the other leaders in the church. D&C 124:49 speaks of a commandment, however, God did not command there be a temple built in Jackson County in D&C 84. It was a prophecy through Joseph Smith. D&C 84 is very clear on that. That is why the passage begins with "A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith... Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church" and again in verse 4 "Verily this is the word of the Lord", it is a prophecy, not a commandment.
My second point of concern is in D&C 124:49 when it is stated "and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work". If this passage is directed to D&C 84, it tells me that God�s enemies are stronger than He is because it was *prophecied* that it *will* happen in *this* generation living in 1832. 2Peter 1:20-21 says "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet�s own interpretation. For prophecy never had it�s origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." In other words, God *promised* the CJCLDS that a temple *will* be built in *this generation* Orson Pratt agrees, and sums it up nicely in Journal of Discourses Vol. 13 page 362 "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... 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 fulfilment of that promise during the generation that was in existence in 1832 as they expect that the sun will rise and set to-morrow. Why? Because God cannot lie. He will fulfil all His promises. He has spoken , it must come to pass. This is our faith." Looking back to D&C 124:49, Are Gods enemies really going to hinder Him from His work? I certainly don�t believe that God�s enemies are stronger than He is. God�s enemies are subject to the will of the Father, even today just as it is shown in the book of Job 1:6-12, 2:1-7; and again in Luke 22:31-32.
In your response to my question you said: Jerry be careful with labeling any man before you know the facts. In response to this, I ask you: How many false prophecies is a prophet allowed before he is labled a false prophet?
In search of Truth, Jerry
Dear Jerry,
Do you have trouble with the fact that Moses came down off the mountain with a higher law, and when he saw the wickedness of the people, disappeared and came back with a Bober law? DId God make a mistake? Was the devil stronger than God because his people, the HOuse of Israel, were so wicked? Is it really God's fault, or does it somehow show the weakness of God and his prophet Moses that the first idea did not come to pass? 40 years in the wilderness as a result.
inserted: This is from LDS scripture, not the Bible.
Do you have a problem with Jesus eventually fulfilling the law of Moses? Did God make a mistake? Was Moses wrong to have taught the law in the first place? Does God change His mind? Why the new gospel? God truly can change things.
inserted: This was Gods plan from the begining.
Can you accept the fact that Jesus did not go unto the Gentiles to preach His message, but Peter was commanded to do so later through his dream? Did God change His mind or make a mistake? Things can change.
When Adam and Eve were given commandments in the garden by God to take good care of it, and to eat of every tree except one, they partook of the wrong tree and were cast out. Now God commanded them to do different things like offer sacrifice, etc. DId God make a mistake or change His mind? How come they now had to offer sacrifice? Why and when did that start?
inserted: What is the point of a sin offering when there is no sin? besides, this is a good example of a commandment, not a prophecy
When can God make a slight change in the plan according to you? Is it ok if it is recorded in the Bible? Is that the criteria? Or is the real criteria that there is no such criteria, and that we need to always follow the Spirit rather than a rigid set of presumed rules?
This was the very thing that got the Scribes and Pharisees into trouble in the first place. They were rigid in their beliefs, and made no room for the possibility that Jesus was bringing them something greater. They made no room for the possibility of change.
Was Jesus also a false prophet because he was unable to get the majority to do the right thing? Was Satan stronger than Jesus because the enemies "killed" the Savior? was Jesus a false messiah because he was not temporally victorious in the short run? Of course not.
If you would look at the big picture, there WILL eventually be that temple built in Jackson County, but the Lord altered the time-table by revelation. Things can change, as I have shown you.
Dear Bob,
Let us suppose for a moment that God did change his mind. By revelation, for reasons known only by God, he decided to alter the time table, and change the original time frame of the prophecy. In September of 1832, the original prophecy is recorded. In January of 1841, God revoked the time period of the original prophecy for a time that is better suit for His glory. Apparently in 1870 God changed his mind a third time, this time to go back to the original time frame previously set. Orson Pratt in 1870 states recorded in Journal of Discourses Vol. 13 page 362: "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... 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 to-morrow. Why? Because God cannot lie. He will fulfill all His promises. He has spoken , it must come to pass. This is our faith." J of D Vol. 14 p.275 recorded in 1971, and J of C Vol. 17 p. 111 recorded in 1874. What D&C 124:49 did to erase the allotted time frame of the prophecy in D&C 84 Orsen Pratt undid in his teachings recorded in the Journal of Discourses. Now you have a choice, either Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is a false prophet, or Orson Pratt, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is a false teacher. Either you keep in line of the most current teaching of your authorities, or you discount your authorities teaching, as a false teaching, and discount your authorities as false teachers.
Some day a temple may be built in Jackson County, but God knows all things. Moroni 7:22 says, "For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting" In other words, God knows all time, from the beginning to the end, from everlasting to everlasting. If God knew the enemy was going to Hinder the building of the temple why would God put a time line on it�s completion? UnBob it would be built by the end of the appointed time. God is not a liar, and God will not promise a bBobing to you before a set time, knowing full well that the bBobing will not arrive until after the promised time. God did not have a revelation, and decide to postpone the fulfillment of the prophecy. Isaiah 40:13 "Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as a counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?" The answer, of course, is no one but the Lord himself, he is all knowing, and all powerful.
In search of Truth, Jerry
Dear Jerry,
What is a "generation" and who says that Orson Pratt understood its meaning? He was obviously zealous to build the temple. Generation, as the Lord spoke the word (not Orson), could mean a dispensation of time, even these last days. Orson was not speaking scripture for us, but he was speaking his personal understanding of it. It was not an official position for the Church. He undoes nothing pertaining to the scriptures in so speaking his personal beliefs concerning them. This is my choice. Orson Pratt had it wrong. But you place yourself in his shoes. Imagine that you lived in a time when you were persecuted, driven, murdered, and you have lost your home three, four and five times, and even after fleeing to Utah for refuge, the US still coming against you. Would you not think that the end was near? I would, and so they did. But they were wrong if they thought that. Blame them if you will. But I wouldn�t. A generation of time can be an exercise in semantics. The only way we can know for sure what the LOrd meant when He used the word in the scripture, is by the Holy Ghost.
Sincerely, Bob
That is the chain of letters, between me and Bob. I didn't write him back, because I figured by this time, he was more than tired of hearing from me. But more questions did come to mind after reading this. One question is; if only Orsen Pratt had this miss interpretation of a generation, then why was he allowed to continue preaching on it without being rebuked. He gave three discourses in four years on this topic, and every time specified generation as meaning: the people that lived during the time when the prophecy was given. I would hope, and think that the First Presidency would step in and correct him. However, that never happened, and it leads to the question... is that because they all believed the same thing? I have two more quotes from church leaders that I would like to share with you. The first is found in the book: Doctrine And Covenants Commentary Containing Revelations Given to Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet With an Introduction and Historical and Exegetical Notes by Hyrum M. Smith of the Council of the Twelve Apostles and Janne M. Sjodahl. The commentary on D&C 84:5 says this, "This generation shall not all pass away, etc.] This is a promise that some living at the time when it was made, in 1832, would still be on Earth in the flesh... A generation does not all pass away in one hundred years, and every generation has a few who live over a hundred years." This was printed by The Deseret News Press; Salt Lake City, Utah in 1923; 91 years after the original prophecy. The church has since changed this passage in this book. If you would like to read what it says, you can read it here.
The second quote is found in Answers to Gospel Questions, page 112. "We read in another revelation given to the Church in January 1841, where the Lord absolves the members of the Church from the obligation of building the temple, in the following words:"... D&C 124:49-54 ... "This should be a sufficient answer to the question. The Lord accepted at the hands of the members of the Church their efforts and absolved them."
In order to cover up the false prophecy, it seems Latter Day Saints need to take there own scripture out of context, change entire sections of books, and change the meanings of words in order to justify their interpretation. What I fail to understand is how a prophecy was turned into a commandment. God did not command them to build a temple, it was prophesied that a temple would be built. Why also were so many so mistaken about the meaning of the word "generation" until 150 years after the prophecy was given.
Finally, some Latter-day Saints say that if what I say above is true, then Jonah must have been a false prophet too. But Jonah never prophesied in the name of the Lord. He served a warning to the Ninevites that God was not going to put up with their wickedness any longer.

© 1998 Jerry Meyer