Mormon Scripture – Doctrine and Covenants/Part 4

Previous Article

Mormon Scripture – Doctrine and Covenants Contents

The “Doctrine and Covenants and Church History” is the subject of six articles or half of the pages in the January 2001 edition of Ensign, the official adult LDS magazine. LDS President Ezra Taft Benson declared on page 18 of that issue that the Doctrine and Cov­enants is filled with “revelation after revelation from the heavens.” But, some of those revelations were changed between their first publication in 1833 and the second publication in 1835, as we showed in a previous article. If the revelations came “from the heavens” why were some changed two years later? Couldn’t God reveal them right the first time? If He can change His message once, He may change it again, so it is not trustworthy enough to believe. Another problem with the Doctrine and Covenants is the many false prophecies it contains.

In our previous articles entitled “Prophets and Prophecy in Mormonism,” we discussed three of Joseph Smith’s false prophecies in the Doctrine and Covenants. One was Section 84:1-5 which predicted that Mormons in 1832 would build a temple in Independence, Mis­souri on the temple lot already dedicated by Smith. Those Mormons are all dead but that temple still has not been built, so this was a false prophecy. We also discussed the Civil War prophecy in Section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Most Mormons claim this prophecy proves that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. We showed that it is full of false prophecy and any true information in it could have been read in many secular newspapers before Smith wrote his prophecy on December 25, 1832. Another prophecy that we dis­cussed was Doctrine and Covenants Section 130:14-17 where Smith said he was praying to know the time of the Lord’s second coming and the Lord told him if he lived until he was 85, he would see His face. Smith concluded that the Lord would not come before that time. Since Smith was born on December 23, 1805, he was saying the Lord would not come before 1890 or 1891. At a meeting on February 14, 1835 Smith also said the coming of the Lord “was nigh—even fifty-six years should wind up the scene” (History of the Church, vol. II, p. 182). Fifty-six years added to 1835 would be 1891. So, Smith was again saying that the Lord would come in 1891 to wind things up. Since that didn’t happen it was another false prophecy. For more information about these prophecies, see our earlier articles.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 84:112-120 was written on September 22 and 23, 1832. Verses 114-115 declares, “Nevertheless, let the bishop (Newel K. Whitney) 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.” When this Section was quoted in the History of the Church in volume I, page 295, Joseph Smith wrote immediately after it, “I continued the translation of the Bible and ministering to the Church, through the fall, excepting a hurried journey to Albany, New York, and Boston, in company with Bishop Whitney, from which I returned on the 6th of November” (1832). Thus, both Smith and Bishop Whitney went to those cities soon after Smith’s revelation was given in 1832. There is no record that Whitney went to those cities at any other time. But those cities have not been destroyed even though they did not
embrace the Mormon gospel then, and still haven’t 169 years later! But, both Joseph Smith and Bishop Whitney were dead less than 18 years after Smith’s prophecy was given. Verse 117 of this prophecy mentions “the rest of my servants” who are to go to other “great and notable cities and villages” and warn of the coming desolation. And verse 118 says, “For with you saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble.” Then verse 119 says, “ye shall see it” (the judgment that God will bring on all that was mentioned). But all those “servants” in 1832 died long ago and did not see the predicted desolations. So, this was another false prophecy.

Doctrine and Covenants, Section 97 claims to be a revelation given through Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio on August 2, 1833. The heading reads, “This revelation deals particularly with the affairs of the saints in Zion, Jackson County Missouri.” Verses 3-4 declares, “Behold, I say unto you, concerning the school in Zion, I the Lord, am well pleased that there should be a school in Zion, and also with my servant Parley P. Pratt, for he abideth in me. And inasmuch as he continueth to abide in me he shall continue to preside over the school in the land of Zion until I shall give unto him other commandments.” Verses19-20 also say, “And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say: Surely Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there; And he hath sworn by the power of his might to be her salvation and high tower.” When Smith wrote this revelation in Ohio he didn’t know that ten days earlier Mormon leaders in Missouri had agreed to move the Mormons out of Jackson County! The History of the Church records, “Early in the morning of the 23rd of July (1833), the mob again assembled, armed with weapons of war, and bearing a red flag; whereupon the Elders, led by the Spirit of God, and in order to save time, and stop the effusion of blood, entered into a treaty with the mob, to leave the county within a certain time” (vol. 1, p. 394). Notice the Lord said in verse three that He was pleased that there was a school in Zion and in verse four He said that as long as Parley Pratt abided in Him, Pratt would preside over the school in Zion! Why did the Lord say that when the Mormons had already agreed to leave Zion? Slow communications could ac­count for Smith not knowing what was happening in Zion, but not for the Lord’s ignorance! The contents Doctrine and Covenants, Section 97 show that it couldn’t have originated with an all-knowing God.

Our next article will discuss more contents in the Doctrine and Covenants. More false prophecy in the Doctrine and Covenants is listed in my book Mormon Claims Answered. It is available from Utah Christian Publications, P. O. Box 71052, Salt Lake City, UT 84171.