By Marvin W. Cowan

Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder, often said his messages were “revelations from God” and he began many of them with the words “Thus saith the Lord.” Smith was a prolific writer and speaker and many of his messages are available to examine and see if they came to pass or are true. Smith said God revealed Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 124 to him in Nauvoo, IL on January 19, 1841. It has 145 verses with many subjects, but we will only examine parts of the first 12 verses now. It begins: “Thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph Smith…you are now called immediately to make a solemn proclamation of my gospel…to all the kings of the world, to the four corners thereof, to the honorable president-elect, and the high minded governors of the nation in which you live, and to all the nations of the earth scattered abroad… For it shall be given you by the Holy Ghost to know my will concerning those kings and authorities, even what shall befall them in a time to come. For, behold, I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her. Call ye, therefore, upon them with a loud proclamation and with your testimony…and again, I will visit and soften their hearts, many of them for your good, that ye may find grace in their eyes, that they may come to the light of truth and the Gentiles to the exaltation or lifting up of Zion. For the day of my visitation cometh speedily in an hour when ye think not of…Awake, O kings of the earth! Come ye, O come ye, with your gold and your silver, to the help of my people, to the house of the daughters of Zion. And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant Robert B. Thompson help you write this proclamation, for I am well pleased with him, and that he should be with you.”

Now notice what actually happened: 1. On January 19, 1841 Smith said the Lord told him to immediately make a proclamation of his gospel to “all the kings of the world,” yet he didn’t do anything about it until 11 months later when on December 22, 1841, he began instructing an unnamed scribe to write that proclamation (History of the Church, vol. 4, pp. 483-484). But, the proclamation wasn’t written and isn’t mentioned again until November 21, 1843 when Smith “instructed Elders Richards, Hyde, Taylor and Phelps to write a Proclamation to the Kings of the Earth” (History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 80). They didn’t write it either and it is not mentioned again until 1845 when it was listed as a 16 page pamphlet entitled Proclamation of the Twelve to the Kings of the World by Parley P. Pratt. It was published by Wilford Woodruff in Liverpool, England (History of the Church, vol. 7, p. 558). By 1845 Smith was dead, so he did not write or deliver it. That 1845 proclamation was not made to all the kings of the earth, but was only printed as a pamphlet, which is not what this “revelation” required. Even the Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual says the fulfillment of the directive to make a solemn proclamation to the kings of the earth “did not come until 1845. A number of individuals were to assist in preparing the document but circumstances seem to have prevented it until later when it was issued by the Twelve” (p.304). The writers of the D. & C. Student Manual ignored the fact that it was Joseph Smith who was to make the proclamation in 1841, not the Twelve Apostles in 1845. They said “circumstances seem to have prevented” issuing the proclamation earlier. But, D. & C. 3:1 declares, “The works, and designs, and purposes of God cannot be frustrated,
neither can they come to naught.” So, was D. & C. 124 from God? The D. & C. Student Manual also quoted from a message by Ezra Taft Benson in October 1975 and said he “reaffirmed the message of the proclamation” of 1841 (p. 304). But 1975 was not 1841 and Ezra Taft Benson was not Joseph Smith and none of the kings of the world were alive to whom Smith was to make his proclamation of the gospel in 1841! 2. “The Lord” told Smith, “call ye upon them” (the kings, nations, etc.). That sounds like Smith was to personally call upon all nations and kings of the world as well as the governors in the USA, with a loud proclamation of his gospel and with his testimony, and the Lord would soften their hearts. It is implied that some would accept the LDS gospel and help them build their temple and establish Zion in Nauvoo, IL, but that never happened. A tribal king or two may have joined the LDS Church later as a result of LDS missionary work, but no king of a major country ever joined the LDS Church as the result of a proclamation by Smith. 3. “The Lord” told Smith the Holy Ghost would reveal to him “my will concerning those kings…even what shall befall them in a time to come.” But there is no evidence to show that Smith knew any more about the future of the kings in 1841 than anyone else knew. Smith didn’t even know his own future or the future of any of his LDS friends. “The Lord” said He would call upon those kings and others to give heed to the light of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her.” Kings did not heed “the light of Zion” or accept Mormonism or bring their gold and silver to Illinois. If “the set time had come to favor Zion,” how was Zion “favored”? Joseph Smith, the founding prophet of “Zion,” was killed three years later and the LDS fled from Illinois and went to Utah! 4. Smith was to tell the kings that the Lord’s day of visitation was coming speedily (in 1841) which should have encouraged them to bring their gold and silver to Zion (Nauvoo, Ill) to help the LDS build a temple there. All of the kings who were alive in 1841 died over 100 years ago, but the Lord’s day of visitation did not come for them, nor has it come yet! So, how speedily has it come? 5. On January 19, 1841 “The Lord” told Smith to have Robert B. Thompson help him write the proclamation because he was pleased with him and wanted him to be with Smith. But Thompson died seven months later on August 27, 1841 at the age of 30 without helping to write the proclamation (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 411). I John 3:20 says the God of the Bible “knows all things,” but the god who revealed this message to Smith must not have known the future! Many things mentioned in the first 12 verses of D. & C. 124 failed to happen the way they were “revealed” to Smith, so there are good reasons to question their origin. When someone claims to be a prophet who has a message from the Lord, that message should be fulfilled accurately.

By Marvin W. Cowan

Mormon scripture in Doctrine & Covenants (D. & C.) 1:30 says the LDS Church is “the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth.” The Pearl of Great Price (P. of G. P.), Joseph Smith 1:18-19 also says other churches are “all wrong,” that “all their creeds are an abomination” and that “those professors are all corrupt.” LDS should realize that such claims encourage others to examine and even challenge them. LDS also claim that they alone have the authority or priesthood that God recognizes to do His work and that a prophet founded their Church and it is always led by a living prophet. Our recent articles have examined that last claim and raised questions about some of Joseph Smith’s “prophecies” in the D. & C. We will continue that examination now.

Sections 121, 122 and 123 of the D. & C. are unique because all three came from parts of two letters Joseph Smith wrote between March 20 and 25, 1839 while he was in jail in Liberty, Missouri. Smith said his second letter was the completion of the first letter, so it was really just one letter. Smith’s complete letter is in the History of the Church, vol. 3, pp. 289-305. Joseph Fielding Smith, the 10th LDS Prophet said of this letter, “This is one of the greatest letters that was ever penned by the hand of man. In fact, it was the result of humble inspiration. It is a prayer and a prophecy and an answer by revelation from the Lord. None other but a noble soul filled with the spirit of love of Christ could have written such a letter. Considering their sufferings, it is no wonder that the Prophet cried out in the anguish of his soul for relief. Yet, in his earnest pleading, there breathed a spirit of tolerance and love for his fellow man” (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, pp. 295-296, pub. by the LDS Church in 1981).

Page 296 in the D. & C. Student Manual goes on to say this about Smith’s letter, “Sections 121, 122, and 123 were extracted from this communication and included in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants by Elder Orson Pratt under the direction of Brigham Young. The edition of the Doctrine and Covenants that included these three sections was sustained as scripture in the October 1880 conference of the (LDS) Church.”
Smith didn’t claim that his letter was scripture when he wrote it in 1839 and he had been dead for 32 years when Pratt selected parts of that letter to add to the D. & C. in 1876. Although the D. & C Student Manual says that Pratt selected parts of Smith’s letter under the direction of Brigham Young, the LDS Prophet at that time, it is doubtful that Brigham had much to do with it. And when those parts of Smith’s letter were sustained (voted) as scripture in 1880, Young had been dead for three years. Less than half of the contents of Smith’s letter are in the three Sections of the D. & C., so why and how did only part of Smith’s letter become scripture in 1880? If Smith’s letter was “a prayer and a prophecy and an answer by revelation from the Lord” as LDS Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith said why isn’t the whole letter “scripture”? Did Smith write part of it under “humble inspiration” and the rest of it by his own human wisdom? Pratt was not the LDS Prophet, so how did he determine which part was inspired and which was not?

President Joseph Fielding Smith said that Joseph Smith was crying out in the anguish of his soul in this letter because of his persecution and imprisonment, “Yet, in his earnest pleading, there breathed a tolerance and love for his fellow man.” Notice some of the “tolerance and love” Smith expressed in his letter: “Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs… And not many years hence, that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall. Cursed are all of those that shall lift up the heel against mine anointed (Joseph Smith), saith the Lord …They shall not have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation. It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea. Wo unto all those that discomfort my people, and drive, and murder, and testify against them, saith the Lord of Hosts; a generation of vipers shall not escape the damnation of hell. Behold mine eyes see and know all their works, and I have in reserve a swift judgment in the season thereof, for them all.” (D. & C. 121:5, 15-16, 21-24).

If the things Smith said in the above verses express “love and tolerance,” what would his cursing’s sound like? In spite of the above threats and warnings against Smith’s persecutors and their descendants, whenever the descendants of those persecutors join the LDS Church LDS proudly publicize it! Such descendants have never been excluded from the LDS priesthood as Smith said in D. & C. 121:21. The fate of every single “enemy” of Joseph Smith in Missouri is not known, but we do know that most of them lived the rest of their lives very much like other people in Missouri. There is no record that all of Smith’s enemies received “swift judgment” as D. & C. 121:24 says they will. Less than a month after Smith’s letter was written the Mormons were forced to leave Missouri and go to Illinois and Smith escaped from his guards and also went to Illinois according to the History of the Church, vol.3, pp. 306-327. Smith lived in Nauvoo, IL for five years and then was killed while in jail in Carthage, IL on June 27, 1844. While in jail in MO, Smith had written in D. & C. 121:7-8 “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but for a moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” But adversity followed Smith to Illinois and ended when he was killed by his foes. Joseph Fielding Smith’s claim that Smith’s letter was the result of “humble inspiration” and was “a prayer and a prophecy and an answer by revelation from the Lord” was not true in the light of what really happened to Smith or to his “enemies!”

By Marvin W. Cowan

Mormons often claim that the LDS Church is true because it has a living prophet. But claiming to have a prophet doesn’t mean that they really have one. Many “prophets” have prophesied things that didn’t happen, so they were false prophets. Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder, claimed to be a prophet and his “revelations” are canonized as LDS “scripture” in the Doctrine and Covenants (D. & C.). D. & C. 116 is dated May 19, 1838 and Smith said he received it at Spring Hill in Daviess County, MO. It has just one verse which says, “Spring Hill is named by the Lord Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said He, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth LDS Prophet explained, “In accord with the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith, we teach that the Garden of Eden was on the American continent located where the City Zion, or the New Jerusalem, will be built. When Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden, they eventually dwelt at a place called Adam-ondi-Ahman, situated in what is now Daviess County, Missouri…We are committed to the fact that Adam dwelt on this American continent. But when Adam dwelt here, it was not the American continent, nor the Western Hemisphere, for all the land was in one place, and all the water was in one place” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, p. 74). D. & C. 107:53-55 and 117:8-11 also say that Adam lived in present day Missouri, but two other LDS books of scripture by Joseph Smith contradict that location. Both the Pearl of Great Price, Moses 3:8-15 and Genesis 2:10-18 in the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the Bible place the Garden of Eden in Assyria where the Bible also places it. Even if the land was all in one place as Joseph Fielding Smith said, Assyria and Missouri would have been in different locations like they are now. Was it God who revealed this confusing information, or was it Smith?

Joseph Smith said he received four revelations on July 8, 1838 including D. & C. 117 through 120. In D. & C. 117:12 & 15 “the Lord” said, “I remember my servant, Oliver Granger, behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord…Therefore let no man despise my servant Oliver Granger, but let the blessings of my people be on him forever and ever.” Many LDS in the Kirtland, OH area lost all they had when the LDS owned Kirtland Safety Society Bank failed in late 1837. Some were so angry at Joseph Smith for promoting it that they apostatized from the LDS Church. In fact, the hostility toward Smith in Kirtland was strong enough to “inspire” him to leave Kirtland on January 1, 1838 and go to Far West, MO. Before he left Kirtland, Smith appointed Oliver Granger to organize the faithful LDS in Kirtland into “camps” so they could move to Far West, MO in groups. Oliver Granger was doing that when Smith received this revelation, but he died three years later in Kirtland on August 25, 1841 at the age of 49. Has Oliver Granger’s name been held in “sacred remembrance” by LDS since then? The Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual says on p. 290, “Though Oliver Granger is not as well known today as other early leaders of the (LDS) Church, if no one but the Lord had his name in remembrance that would be enough.” Would that really be enough when the “revelation” says, “Let the blessings of my (LDS) people be on him (Oliver Granger) forever and ever?” Most LDS have never even heard of Oliver Granger, so how can they bless him “forever and ever?” Did an all-knowing God reveal this to Smith?

Smith said D. & C. 118 was also revealed to him on July 8, 1838 as an answer to their prayer, “Show us thy will, O Lord concerning the Twelve” (Apostles). Verses 1, 4-6 say, “Verily, thus saith the Lord: Let a conference be held immediately; let the Twelve be organized; and let men be appointed to supply the place of those who are fallen…and next spring let them 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 twenty-sixth day of April next, on the building site of my house, saith the Lord. Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards, be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen, and be officially notified of their appointment.” At a conference in Far West the next day they began to replace the “fallen” Apostles. John Page and John Taylor were ordained Apostles on December 19, 1838, but the other two weren’t ordained until they met at the temple site in Far West on April 26, 1839. D. & C. 118 says the Twelve Apostles should meet there and then leave to “go over the great waters” as missionaries. The History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 336-337 shows there were only seven Apostles present, counting the two new ones who were ordained at that meeting, and none left immediately to go overseas. Some left late in 1839 while others didn’t arrive in England until April 1840. The temple site in D. & C. 118 is the same as the one in D. &. C. 115 that we wrote about in our last article. D. & C. 115:11 said that the foundation of the temple was to be laid on April 26, 1839 and that they should start building the temple then and not stop until it was finished. Alpheus Cutler rolled a large stone to the spot designated as the southeast corner of the temple on April 26, 1839 and said that fulfilled Smith’s prophecy of laying the foundation of the temple on that day! But a large stone is not a temple and no temple was ever built in Far West, MO. The Twelve were not all present in Far West on April 26, 1839 and they did not leave from there to go on a mission overseas. Yet, LDS claim these revelations were fulfilled!

By Marvin W. Cowan

When a man claims to be a prophet of God, his message will reveal whether or not his claim is true. Since prophets claim their messages come from God, a prophet’s message may also reveal something about his God. LDS Apostle, Bruce R. McConkie said Mormonism’s God is all-knowing and omniscient even though He is also described as a “glorified and perfected Man, a Personage of flesh and bones” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 317 & 319). Joseph Smith claimed to be a prophet who received revelations from God, so how does he and his God measure up? The heading of Doctrine & Covenants 112 says it is a “Revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith to Thomas B. Marsh at Kirtland, Ohio, July 23, 1837…Thomas B. Marsh was at this time the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.” The revelation begins: “Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Thomas:…thou shalt bear record of my name, not only unto the Gentiles, but also unto the Jews; and thou shalt send forth my word unto the ends of the earth. Contend thou, therefore, morning by morning; and day after day let thy warning voice go forth; and when the night cometh let not the inhabitants of the earth slumber, because of thy speech…I, the Lord, have a great work for thee to do in publishing my name among the children of men…for thou art chosen …and by thy word many high ones shall be brought low, and by thy word many low ones shall be exalted…I know thy heart…verily I say unto you, my servant Thomas, thou art the man whom I have chosen to hold the keys of my kingdom, as pertaining to the Twelve, abroad among all nations” (verses 1, 4-8,11,16).

Thomas B. Marsh did not do what this LDS scripture says! History of the Church vol. III, pp. 166-167 shows that he became an apostate before Oct. 24, 1838, and that was only 15 months after the date of this revelation! He was an apostate for 20 years and then was re-baptized into the LDS Church, but he died less than nine years later. Marsh never did the things this revelation said he would do, yet the Lord said of Thomas B. Marsh, “I know thy heart.” Why would an “all-knowing, omniscient God” say things about Marsh that weren’t true? The Bible says, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18) and “God cannot lie” (Titus 1:2). So, was Smith deceived or was he trying to deceive others?

D. & C. 114 has only two verses. According to the heading it was a “Revelation given through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, at Far West, Missouri, April 17, 1838.” It says, “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 next spring, in company with others, even the twelve, including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world. For verily thus saith the Lord, that inasmuch as there are those among you who deny my name, others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric. Amen.” David W. Patten was one of the original Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church, but he didn’t go on that mission because he was killed on Oct. 25, 1838 during the “Missouri war,” just six months after Smith’s revelation. Some Mormons try to claim that Patten fulfilled his mission in the spirit world after he died. But that isn’t what this revelation says. Patten was to go with the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and preach “glad tidings unto all the world.” Since the other members of the Twelve Apostles were still alive, Patten could not go with them and preach to men in this world. So, was the “Lord” who revealed this message “all-knowing or omniscient?” If He is omniscient as LDS say he is, did He tell the truth? Can God lie? Or, was Joseph Smith deceived or a deceiver? Neither option would make Smith a trustworthy “Prophet.”

D. & C. 115 is dated April 26, 1838 and verse one begins with “Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph Smith…” Verse 4 says, “For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Even though 1838 was eight years after the LDS Church began, this was the first time it was called by that name. Before that it was called the Church of Christ and the Church of Latter-day Saints. So, verse 4 is very important to LDS. The rest of this revelation ought to be just as important as it is. D. & C. 115:5-12, 17 says, “Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; and that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth. Let the city Far West be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy. Therefore, I command you to build a house (temple) unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may worship me. And let the beginning be made on the fourth day of July next; and from that time forth let my people labor diligently to build a house unto my name; and one year from this day let them re-commence laying the foundation of my house. Thus let them from that time forth labor diligently until it shall be finished, from the corner stone thereof unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that is not finished…And again, verily I say unto you it is my will that the city of Far West should be built up speedily by the gathering of my saints.” Smith’s revelation was addressed to LDS living in 1838 but none of the things in it happened! A few LDS “gathered” at Far West, MO in 1838, but it was a place of conflict, not a place of refuge! By the end of 1838 Smith was in jail at Liberty, MO and Far West was a ghost town. There was never a general gathering of LDS at Far West, and no city or temple was built there. Most of the LDS had moved to Quincy, IL by February 1839. Did God know what was going to happen when He gave this revelation to Smith? If He did, why did He tell the LDS to do something they didn’t or couldn’t do? If God didn’t know what was going to happen, is He really omniscient?

By Marvin W. Cowan

Gospel Principles is a personal study guide and teacher’s manual containing basic LDS beliefs. It has been reprinted many times by the Mormon Church. In chapter nine entitled “Prophets of God,” it quotes Amos 3:7 in the Bible: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Then it asks, “What Is a Prophet?” The LDS answer is on pages 47-49: “A prophet is a man called by God to be his representative on earth. When a prophet speaks for God, it is as if God were speaking …He receives revelations and directions from the Lord for our benefit. He may see into the future and foretell coming events so that the world may be warned…He may be young or old, highly educated or unschooled…What then identifies a true prophet? A true prophet is always chosen by God and called through proper priesthood authority. Latter-day Saints sustain (confirm by voting to support) the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles as prophets. However, when we speak of ‘the prophet of the Church,’ we mean the President of the Church, who is President of the high priesthood… We should do those things the prophets tell us to do. President Wilford Woodruff (4th LDS Prophet) said: ‘I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so he will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.” Woodruff’s statement is also in Official Declaration-1 in the Doctrine & Covenants which gives it LDS scriptural authority.

Mormons use Amos 3:7 to teach that prophets are necessary today because God will do nothing without revealing it to them first. But that is not what Amos said! All of Amos chapter 3 is about God’s judgment upon Israel for their sin. The word “nothing” in verse 7 specifically refers to that “judgment.” Amos simply said God would not send judgment upon Israel without warning them first, and He did warn them. But God never revealed all of His works to true prophets in the past nor has he revealed them to LDS “Prophets.” Did God tell Joseph Smith that the LDS in “Zion,” MO would be driven out? If so, why did Smith prophesy in D. & C. 97:19 that Zion would not be moved? Smith was in Kirtland, OH when that happened, so he didn’t know that “Zion” was moved two weeks before his prophecy, but God surely knew it! Why did Prophet Spencer Kimball accept Mark Hoffman’s forged documents as genuine while LDS apostate Jerald Tanner saw that they were forgeries and publically said so? Those examples show that the LDS interpretation of Amos 3:7 is wrong.

Gospel Principles said a prophet “may see into the future and foretell coming events so that the world may be warned,” which sounds good, but what LDS prophets did that? Joseph Smith’s “Civil War Prophecy” in D. & C. 87 is his most famous prophecy, but anything true in it was previously predicted in newspapers and the rest of it is clearly false prophecy! Most of Smith’s other predictions in the D. & C. are also false. The first five LDS prophets after Smith predicted a few things but nearly all of them were false. LDS prophets since then have predicted nothing other than what is in the Bible or what was predicted by earlier LDS prophets. So, were they are really “prophets?” Wilford Woodruff, the 4th LDS Prophet, said that neither he nor any other LDS Prophet would lead the Church astray and if they attempted to do so the Lord would remove them. Was that why Joseph Smith was “removed” (killed) at age 38? Woodruff’s statement has been added to LDS scripture in the Doctrine & Covenants so Mormons are expected to believe it is true. But consider what Brigham Young, the 2nd LDS Prophet said: “How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which I revealed to them, and which God revealed to me – namely that Adam is our father and God – I do not know, I do not inquire, I care nothing about it. Our Father Adam helped to make this earth, it was created expressly for him, and after it was made he and his companions came here. He brought one of his wives with him, and she was called Eve, because she was the first woman upon the earth” (Deseret News, June 18, 1873). By 1873 Brigham had been teaching this doctrine for over 20 years. The first time he taught it was on April 9, 1852 in which he said, “When our father Adam came into the Garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Journal of Discourses, vol. I, p. 50). But while speaking about the Adam-God doctrine, the 12th LDS Prophet, Spencer Kimball said, “We denounce that theory” (Ensign, Nov. 1976, p.77) and Mormons today reject it. So, did God reveal the Adam-God doctrine to Prophet Brigham Young or is it a false theory to be denounced as Prophet Kimball said? Both cannot be true, so one of them was leading Mormons astray! This is one of many examples of contradictions between Mormon Prophets. So, is it true that LDS Prophets can’t lead Mormons astray? When Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets” in Matthew 24:11, He didn’t make exceptions for LDS or anyone else.

The claim that an LDS prophet may be young or old is also misleading. The only young prophet the LDS Church has had was the founder, Joseph Smith. Since then the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has always become the next prophet, which means he must outlive the other 11 Apostles and is an old man when he becomes the LDS “Prophet.” While “a true prophet is always chosen by God,” there is no Biblical basis for the LDS claim that they are “called through the proper priesthood authority.” Some Biblical prophets had connections to the Levitical Priesthood, but most of them did not. No Biblical prophet ever served as President of a church or priesthood, nor was any “sustained” as prophet by a church vote the way LDS Prophets are sustained.

Mormon Apostle, Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “The mere claim on the part of professing religionists that they have the testimony of Jesus does not of itself guarantee or prove that they do in fact have the spirit of prophecy so as to be true prophets. Rather, truth seekers are commanded: ‘Believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world’ (I John 4:1)… A person claiming to be a true spiritual leader might present such a good imitation of a true prophet as to deceive those who do not themselves have the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit….In this day and age true prophets will be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (Mormon Doctrine, pages 607-608).

It is true that many false prophets have been and still are in the world. It is also true that false prophets can “present such a good imitation of a true prophet” that they can deceive many as Jesus warned in Matt. 24:11. That includes Mormons as well as others. LDS leaders claim true prophets will be members of the Mormon Church, but that cannot be supported by the Bible or any real evidence. So, how can one “test the spirits” to determine if someone is a true prophet? The Biblical evidence for a true prophet is not that we have a good feeling about him or that he is the president of the LDS Church, but that his prophecy comes to pass (Deuteronomy 18:22).

Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, claimed to be a prophet and many of his prophecies have been “canonized” as LDS scripture in the Doctrine & Covenants. But a careful study of Smith’s prophecies in the D. & C. will reveal that many of them did not happen as he predicted. For example, Smith said D. & C. 84:112-115 was revealed to him on September 22-23, 1832. It says, “And the bishop, Newel K. Whitney, also should travel round about and among the churches, searching after the poor to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and the proud. He should also employ an agent to take charge and do his secular business as he shall direct. Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things, for if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.” In the fall of 1832 Joseph Smith said, “I continued the translation of the Bible and ministering to the Church, through the fall, except for a hurried journey to Albany, New York and Boston, in company with Bishop Whitney, from which I returned on the 6th of November” (History of the Church vol. I, p. 295). That is the only time that LDS records show Bishop Whitney visited those cities, so it must have been to preach to them in fulfillment of D. & C. 84:112-115. No other reason is given for going to those cities at that time. If Whitney didn’t preach to those cities he was disobedient. But if he preached to them, even at some other time, “The people of those cities” all died well over 100 years ago without embracing Mormonism, but they did not see their cities “abolished” or “left desolate” as this revelation stated. Those cities still exist but they still have not embraced Mormonism! But Smith was killed less than 12 years after he gave this prophecy and Whitney died 18 years after Smith’s prophecy.

The heading over D. & C. 111 says it was revealed to Joseph Smith on August 6, 1836 when he, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith and Oliver Cowdery were in Salem, MA. The first four verses declare, “I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies. I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality. Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you. And it shall come to pass in due time that I will give this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not discover your secret parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours.” This “revelation” is addressed to Smith and the three men with him. “The Lord” told them that He had “much treasure” in Salem for them and for Zion (in Missouri) and also many people whom He would gather out through them. “The Lord” also told them that He would give Salem to them so that they would have power over it and its wealth of gold and silver would be theirs. The LDS History of the Church, vol. II, pp. 464-466 shows that Smith and his associates were in Salem for about a month in August and September of 1836, but didn’t get anything promised in this revelation. The heading of D. & C. 111 even says, “When it became apparent that no money was to be forthcoming, they (Smith and his associates) returned to Kirtland” (OH). This “revelation” raises some questions to think about: If the Lord really revealed this to Smith then He lied or He isn’t all knowing. But if Smith didn’t get this “revelation” from the Lord, he is a false prophet. Either way the Mormons have a serious problem. The God of the Bible is One Who knows all things (I John 3:20) and doesn’t lie (Titus 1:2). The Bible also declares that if a prophet prophesies and it doesn’t happen, he is a false prophet (Deut. 18:22).

The Mormon Church claims it is led by a Prophet even though most of their Prophets have never actually “prophesied.” But when Joseph Smith started the Mormon Church, he prophesied about a lot of things and many of his prophecies are now LDS scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants. In previous articles we showed that many of Smith’s prophecies were not fulfilled like he predicted. On April 6, 1830, the day that the LDS Church was organized, Smith claimed he received a revelation from the Lord which said, “Wherefore, meaning the (LDS) Church, thou shalt give heed unto all his (Smith’s) words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all holiness” (D. & C. 21:4-5). So, LDS are to accept Smith’s word as God’s word! In April 1830 Smith also said the Lord revealed D. & C. 23:2, 3, and 5, in which Oliver Cowdery, Hyrum Smith, and Joseph Smith Sr. were told to “strengthen the (LDS) Church” and “preach the truth” to it and to the world “from henceforth and forever.” But, Cowdery apostatized from the LDS Church in 1838 and was called a liar by Smith. Was Cowdery preaching the truth of Mormonism then? And did Cowdery preach Mormonism “from henceforth and forever” even though he apostatized just eight years after Smith’s “revelation”? Hyrum Smith was killed just before Joseph in Carthage, IL and Joseph Smith Sr. died before Joseph and Hyrum were killed, so none of these men preached the LDS message “from henceforth and forever.” LDS believe they will preach to the spirits of those who have died, so some LDS say that is what these men are doing. But this text says they were to preach to the Church and the world, not to spirits after death!

In D. & C. 24:12, dated July 1830, “the Lord” said through Joseph Smith that Oliver Cowdery “at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my (LDS) gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give him strength such as is not known among men.” In verse 10 “the Lord” said through Smith, “Oliver shall continue in bearing my name before the world, and also in the (LDS) Church…And lo, I am with him to the end.” If Cowdery preached day and night and had “strength such as is not known among men,” nobody recorded it. Since Cowdery apostatized in 1838, he did not declare the LDS gospel at all times in all places, day and night forever! He moved to Richmond, MO where he joined the Methodist Church and held an office in it. He died March 3, 1850 at the age of 43 and was buried by the Methodist minister in Richmond. Was Oliver preaching the LDS gospel to the LDS Church and the world during his apostasy and was the Lord with him then too? If not, did Smith’s message really come from the Lord?

Mormons believe that the Book of Mormon story about Nephites and Lamanites is a sacred history of the ancestors of the American Indians. So, they have had an interest in the various Indian tribes ever since the Mormon Church began. In D. & C. 30:5-6 dated September 1830, “the Lord” spoke through Joseph Smith and said of Oliver Cowdery, “I have given him power to build up my church among the Lamanites” (American Indians). And in D. & C. 32:2-3 dated October 1830 “the Lord” spoke through Joseph Smith of Parley P. Pratt saying, “And that which I have appointed unto him is that he shall go with my servants Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun. into the wilderness of the Lamanites.” Verse 3 says “Nothing shall prevail against them.” Cowdery and others briefly visited some Catteraugus Indians near Buffalo, NY in 1830, but never established a church among them. In 1831 Cowdery and others visited the Delaware tribe just west of Missouri and Cowdery spoke to them at least once. But the Mormons were “ordered out of the Indian country,” so they left without establishing the LDS Church among the Delawares or any other Indian tribe. If Cowdery was given power to build up the Lord’s (LDS) Church, he certainly didn’t use it! Something apparently prevailed against them! (See (History of the Church, vol. I, pp. 182-185). The Bible says that God knows all things (I John 3:20) and cannot lie (Titus 1:2), so did He really reveal these messages to Joseph Smith?

In the Old Testament if someone claimed to be a prophet of God when his message was not from God, the penalty was death (Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:20-22). In spite of those warnings and Jesus’ warnings in Matt. 7:15 and 24:11 & 24, numerous false prophets have “prophesied” throughout history. The Bible says in Titus 1:2 that “God cannot lie.” Hebrews 6:18 says it is “impossible for God to lie.” In Numbers 23:19 God said through Balaam: “God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent. Hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” I Tim. 2:13 also says that God “cannot deny (contradict) Himself.” Since “God knows all things (I John 3:20) He doesn’t make mistakes. Jesus said of God the Father, “He that sent me is true” (John 7:28; 8:26). John also said, “No lie is of the truth” (I John 2:21). The Bible shows that when God said something, it was true and reliable. And if God said something would happen, it happened! If God’s word isn’t trustworthy, whose word is? So, were Joseph Smith’s prophecies in this article from the God of the Bible?

Mormons take great pride in being a “temple building people.”  They now have more than 140 temples where they baptize for the dead and perform eternal marriages as well as seal children to their parents.  Eternal marriages and sealing children to their parents are performed for the living as well as for the dead.  LDS Temple building began with Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, who claimed the Lord told him to build temples in four specific locations.  Those four temples, which are the only ones mentioned in LDS scripture, were to be built in Kirtland, Ohio, Independence, Missouri, Far West, Missouri and Nauvoo, Illinois. Were they built?  If so, are they among the Temples which LDS use today?

Smith founded the Mormon Church in New York State on April 6, 1830 and then moved it to Kirtland, Ohio eight months later.  He went to  Independence, Missouri six months later and on July 20, 1831, Smith said the Lord commanded him to build a temple there.  Doctrine & Covenants 57:3-5 says, “Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.  Wherefore, it is wisdom that the land should be purchased by the saints…for an everlasting inheritance.”  Smith claimed D. & C. 69 was a revelation given to him in November of 1831.  Verse 8 says the rising generation “shall grow up in the land of Zion, to possess it from generation to generation forever and ever. Amen.”  Smith also said D. & C. 84 was revealed to him on September 22 and 23, 1832.  Verses 3-5 declare that the temple in Independence, Missouri shall be built in “this generation.  For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord.”  However, conflicts between Missouri residents and the Mormons forced the LDS to agree to leave Independence on July 23, 1833.  Smith, who was in Kirtland, Ohio at that time, didn’t know that the Mormons in Independence had agreed to leave the area, so on August 2, 1833, he said the Lord declared, “Surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there”( D. & C. 97:19).   Even after the LDS left Independence, Missouri, Smith claimed the Lord revealed, “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…there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed than that which I have appointed for the work of the gathering my saints” (D. & C. 101:17-20).  The generation living in 1832 all passed away long ago without building an LDS Temple in Independence, Missouri and without any of the above revelations being fulfilled.

Kirtland Temple

D. & C. 109 shows that the first LDS Temple actually built was located in Kirtland, Ohio and dedicated by Joseph Smith on March 27, 1836.  D. & C. 110:10 says, “The fame of this house shall spread to foreign lands.”  But in November that year Smith and other LDS leaders established the Kirtland Safety Society Bank which went bankrupt in 1837 causing many Mormons to apostatize.  So many Mormons were angry with their leaders because of the Bank’s failure that Smith and other LDS leaders fled to Missouri by January 1838 and never returned to Kirtland.  After Smith’s death the Kirtland Temple became the property of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called the Community of Christ Church.  Mormons consider that Church to be “apostate,” so the prophecy about the fame of that Temple can’t be fulfilled now.

Soon after Smith arrived in Missouri in 1838 he claimed the Lord said, “Let the city, Far West be a holy and consecrated land unto me…Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me for the gathering together of my saints, that they may worship me…And let the beginning be made on the fourth of July next; and from that time forth let my people labor diligently to build a house unto my name; and one year from this day let them re-commence laying the foundation of my house.  Thus let them from that time forth labor diligently until it shall be finished, from the corner stone thereof unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that is not finished” (D. & C. 115:7-12).  But, the Mormons were forced to leave Missouri in April of 1839, so none of this was done.  There is no city of Far West today and no LDS temple was ever built there.

After leaving Missouri, the Mormons settled in Commerce, Illinois in May 1839 and renamed it Nauvoo.  On January 19, 1841, Smith again claimed that the Lord said, “I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.  But, behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God” (D. & C. 124:31-32).  A temple was under construction at the time of Smith’s death on June 27, 1844, but according to Brigham Young it was never finished and it burned to the ground in 1848.  In the Journal of Discourses vol. 18, pp. 303-304 Young said, “Joseph (Smith) located the site for the Temple Block in Jackson County Missouri…also laid the corner stone for a temple in Far West, Caldwell County, MO.  These temples were never built.  We built one in Nauvoo…and they got it nearly completed before it was burned, but the Saints did not enjoy it.”  Thus out of four temples that Smith said the Lord commanded him to build, two were never built, one was partly completed but burned before the LDS could enjoy it and the only one completed in Kirtland, Ohio is owned by an apostate church!  If the Lord really commanded Joseph Smith to build those temples, why weren’t they built?  Smith claimed the Lord told him in D. & C. 3:1 & 3 “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught…Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.”  So, did the Lord really tell Smith that these temples were to be built at that time?

            On July 12, 1843 Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith, recorded a revelation about plural marriage which was published in 1852 as Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 132. The introduction to it says, “It is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.”  That explanation was given because Joseph Smith had secretly practiced polygamy since about 1831.  In fact, Joseph Smith married all but two or three of his 34 known wives before this revelation was even recorded!

D. & C. Sec. 132:1-4 says, “Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord,  justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.  Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.  For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.”

In D. & C. 132:1 “the Lord” was answering Smith’s inquiry about how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David & Solomon were “justified” in having many wives and concubines.  So, Smith had been thinking about polygamy.  In D. & C. 132:34-39 “the Lord” told Smith that He gave them their wives, concubines and children and accounted them for righteousness and no sin was committed except in the case of David and Uriah’s wife.  But, Jacob 2:24 in the Book of Mormon, says that David and Solomon’s wives were an “abomination” to Him!  Did God give David and Solomon wives and concubines and justify them even though they were an abomination?  Or, was Smith’s “revelation” from God?  In verse 4, “the Lord” told Smith He was revealing a “new and everlasting covenant” regarding polygamy.  But, if Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others practiced polygamy in ancient times, how could it be a new law in 1843?  Verse 3 says, “All those who have this law revealed to them must obey the same” and verse 4 says, “If ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned.”  It also says, “No one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory” and verse 21 says, “Except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory” (of godhood).  D. & C. 132 is still LDS scripture, so all Mormons have this law revealed to them.  But LDS today denounce polygamy and deny that they practice it, so are they damned and excluded from God’s glory as verses 3, 4 & 21 say?  Or, doesn’t LDS scripture mean what it says?

Joseph Smith’s first wife, Emma, was angry when she heard about her husband’s involvement in polygamy and she refused to accept it.  In order to “encourage” her to accept it “God” said in verse 52 “And let my handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those (wives) that have been given unto my servant Joseph”… And in verse 54 “God” said, “And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else.  But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.”  Joseph lived the law of plural marriage, but just eleven months after this “revelation” was recorded he was shot dead at the age of 38 while he was in jail for treason.  Emma rejected Smith’s revelation and refused to accept polygamy, but she lived 35 years longer than Joseph.  After he died she married another man and lived until she was 75.  So, how was Emma “destroyed” in a worse manner than Joseph?

D. & C. 132:61-63 says, “If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.  And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.  But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed…”.  Joseph Smith never received permission from his first wife, Emma, to marry his other wives, but he married them anyway.  At least eleven of the wives Joseph married were already married to other men when Joseph married them, so they were not virgins!  Therefore, Joseph broke this “law of God!”  Several of Smith’s plural wives married other men after marrying Joseph, but they were not destroyed and all of them lived longer than Smith!  Joseph married at least seven girls between the ages of 14 and 17.  Warren Jeffs, the Prophet of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), is now in prison for marrying girls that age to other men!  If that made Jeffs a criminal, was Joseph Smith a criminal for marrying 14 to 17 year old girls himself?

Mormons claim that polygamy ended in 1890 when the fourth LDS Prophet, Wilford Woodruff gave “Official Declaration-1” in the D. & C.  It says, “I now publically declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land.”  But D. & C. 132:1 says, “Verily, thus saith the Lord..” which sounds a lot more authoritative! If it was an “everlasting” covenant,as D. & C. 132:4 says, could it be cancelled by Prophet Woodruff’s words?  And if it did end, can everlasting life also end?  LDS claim their scriptures clarify things better than the Bible, so there should be no problem understanding the words “everlasting covenant.”

By Marvin W. Cowan

             On Sunday Morning at the 1981 LDS Semi-Annual Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth LDS Prophet said, “The ultimate test of a true prophet is that when he speaks in the name of the Lord, his words come to pass” (Deseret News, Oct. 6, 1981, p. 6A).  That article says that “President Benson also spoke of the prophecy concerning Stephen A. Douglas who was promised by Joseph Smith that if he ever spoke out against the (LDS) Church, the wrath of God would come down against him.  That came to pass when in 1857 Douglas was aspiring to the presidency (of the USA), he spoke out against the Church, was badly defeated in the election and died a broken man one year later.”  Benson was quoting from History of the Church, (H. of the C.) vol. V, pp. 393-398 by Joseph Smith and trying to show that Smith was a true prophet.  But that quotation also shows that Smith’s prophecy about Douglas is only part of the prophecy in which Smith predicted the demise of the United States if they didn’t do as he said.

On May 18, 1843, Smith was talking to Judge Stephen A. Douglas when he said, “I prophecy 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 and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted and there will not be so much as a potsherd left, for their wickedness in permitting the murder of men, women and children, and the wholesale plunder and extermination of thousands of her citizens to go unpunished, thereby perpetrating a foul and corroding blot upon the fair fame of this great republic, the very thought of which would have caused the high-minded and patriotic framers of the Constitution of the United States to hide their faces with shame.  Judge (Douglas), you will aspire to the presidency of the United States; and if ever you turn your hand against me or the Latter-day Saints, you will feel the weight of the hand of Almighty upon you; and you will live to see and know that I have testified the truth to you; for the conversation of this day will stick to you through life” (H. of the C., vol. V, p. 394).  In this prophecy the last five lines are about Judge Douglas and are in italics.

The first part of the above prophecy says that unless the United States redresses the wrongs committed against the LDS in Missouri, the government will be overthrown and wasted so that nothing is left of it.  Seven months later on December 16, 1843, while discussing the LDS request for redress for their losses in Missouri, Smith said, “I prophesied, by virtue of the holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government, and God shall damn them, and there shall nothing be left of them—not even a grease spot” (Millennial Star, vol. 22, p. 455).  That prophecy was republished in the H. of the C., vol. VI, p. 116, but the underlined words at the end of it were left out.  Both of these prophecies warned of the demise of the United States Government if it didn’t do as Smith requested.  But, all Mormons who lost their property in Missouri and who requested special protection from the US Government died over a hundred years ago without receiving redress or protection, yet the US Government was not overthrown or broken up, so this was a false prophecy!

The first prophecy in this article contained Smith’s prophecy about the demise of the US Government and the one about Stephen A. Douglas.  Smith told Douglas that he would live to see these prophecies fulfilled, but Douglas died over 150 years ago without seeing Smith’s prophecies fulfilled!  Yet the footnotes in the H. of the C., vol. V, pp. 395-396, say that “The prediction concerning Stephen A. Douglas in this chapter is one of the most remarkable prophecies either in ancient or modern times.  It was impossible for any merely human sagacity to foresee the events predicted.  Stephen A. Douglas was a bright, but comparatively an unknown man, nationally, at the time of the interview, May 1843, and but thirty years of age.  It is a matter of history that Stephen A. Douglas did, however, aspire to the presidency of the United States, and was nominated for that office by the Democratic convention held in Charleston, South Carolina, on the 23^rd of June 1860…Twenty days less than one year after his nomination by the Charleston convention, while yet in the prime of manhood–forty-eight years of age,–Mr. Douglas died at his home in Chicago, a disappointed, not to say heart-broken man.”

The Encyclopedia Americana presents a very different story of Douglas.  It says, “His rise as a power in the Democratic Party was phenomenal…by 1840 he was chairman of the Democratic state committee and secretary of state (in Illinois).  A year later, at the age of 28, he became judge of the Illinois Supreme Court.  In 1842 he was elected to Congress and served from March 4, 1843 until he resigned to become senator in 1847.  He held this position until his death…Douglas bolted the (Democratic) party and ran on an independent ticket (for President) in 1860.  This action split the Democratic vote, assuring the election of the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln.  With the threatened outbreak of war, Douglas loyally supported the new administration and devoted his talent and influence to preservation of the Union.  He died of typhoid fever shortly after the war began.”  Douglas did speak against polygamy and other LDS practices that were not a part of American values, but did he feel the weight of the hand of the Almighty upon him for doing so, as Smith said?  He died when he was 48 years old, not because he lost the election in 1860, but because of typhoid fever.  Some LDS say that was “the weight of the hand of the Almighty” on Douglas.  But Joseph Smith, died at the age of 38 in a gun battle while in jail for treason!  Was that also “the weight of the hand of the Almighty?” At the beginning of this article we quoted Ezra Taft Benson, the thirteenth LDS Prophet, who said, “The ultimate test of a true prophet is that when he speaks in the name of the Lord, his words come to pass.”  So, was Smith a true prophet?  Can such a “prophet” lead people to eternal life in God’s presence when this life ends?